Friday, June 11, 2004

Tropical storms a threat to Fayette during hurricane season Hurricane season is already underway, bringing the threat of tropical storms that could head inland and cause serious damage with heavy rains and high winds. Local emergency officials are urging local residents to stay prepared year-round and the threat of severe weather from tropical storms is a good reason for local families to prepare themselves if they haven’t already done so, said Capt. Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. “These events are rare, but they do occur,” Nelms said. In recent years, Fayette has been hit with hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage in two separate tropical storms, Nelms said. In July 1994, tropical storm Alberto “sat” on the area, dropping 21 inches of rain in 18 hours. Homes were flooded. Roads and bridges were washed out. The Flint River and Whitewater Creek were above flood stage, while Starr’s Mill was partially underwater. The storm also wrought one fatality in the Tyrone area with a drowning, Nelms said. Another man escaped death after he avoided a barricade and tried to cross the Flint River bridge on Hampton Road; his vehicle started to float away but he clung to a tree branch until he could be rescued, Nelms said. In October 1996, tropical storm Opal brought severe winds upwards of 50 and 60 miles per hour, causing major power outages all over the county as trees fell. Roads were blocked throughout the county, although all were partially passable within 24 hours thanks to emergency crews. In both storms, emergency shelters were opened thanks to help from the Fayette County School System and the American Red Cross, Nelms said. The county also activated its emergency operations center, which is designed to insure coordination between departments, agencies and neighboring jurisdictions to respond appropriately to emergencies. When severe weather strikes, it’s usually helpful to stay at home, Nelms suggests. NOAA weather radios, which can be programmed to receive alerts only for Fayette County, can come in handy for making sure family members get to safety, Nelms said. Local emergency officials now have the capability of making special announcements through the NOAA weather radio system if necessary, Nelms added. It’s also important for families to have a disaster plan and make sure everyone is educated on what to do, Nelms added. Part of that includes maintaining an emergency preparedness kit, he said. Some families might consider having a licensed professional contractor install an emergency generator in case power lines go out for any length of time. Residents can also contact their insurance companies beforehand to determine if there are any actions to take which can reduce premiums, such as removing low hanging branches from trees, Nelms said. Homeowners can also order special bracing for the rafters during construction and install a safe room in a basement for further storm protection, Nelms added. New weather forecasting technology has helped county emergency officials prepare for any storm, Nelms said. When a storm begins to develop in the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico, officials begin to track them with computers just in case the threat to Fayette increases as the days wear on. “There are some excellent resources,” Nelms said. “It gives us a lot of time to prepare for them.” Those preparations can include adjusting the schedules of emergency personnel to make sure the county’s needs can be met, Nelms said. Fayette County’s StormReady certification from the National Weather Service is also a good measure of how prepared the county is for severe weather emergencies, Nelms said. The StormReady program measures how Fayette County receives its weather information, how it issues alerts, and critiques the emergency plans that have been developed to respond to such emergencies.