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Day of Tornadoes - What have we learned from the 2011 tornadoes?
Apr 16, 2012 (The Fayetteville Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
As emergency workers and government officials sorted through their reaction to the ruin and rubble of last April's tornadoes, two things became evident.
First, no matter how much you prepare for a disaster, you're never quite ready.
And, second, it could have been much, much worse.
Eight tornadoes ripped through nine counties in the Cape Fear region April 16, the worst one-day outbreak in nearly 30 years. Yet the total killed or injured -- eight fatalities, about 50 injuries -- was a fraction of the 15 killed and estimated 500 injured in March of 1984 when tornadoes ripped across Robeson, Cumberland and Sampson counties.
Preparation and planning played a major role in that difference, said Cumberland County Emergency Management Officer Gene Booth.
"There's not much that can be done to reduce property damage in an event like this," Booth said. "But through advanced warning, I believe we did an excellent job in preventing what could have been a terrible personal toll.
"The preparation before the storms allowed us to get the word out quickly and to be in position for a swifter response to areas of need."
The storm destroyed 144 homes along a half-mile swath in Fayetteville and damaged 1,336 more. Twenty-six city businesses were flattened and 62 were damaged. One person died in Cumberland County, seven more in Cape Fear region counties.
Advanced warning helped save lives in the region, as well. Ronald Bass, Emergency Services director in Sampson County, said advanced planning and communication helped get his county's resources in the right places quickly.
"People like to look back afterward and say, 'What would we have done differently?' " Bass said. "In this case, I can't think of much that we would have done differently.
"The planning and training by our personnel really paid off."
Earlier in the year, Fayetteville and Cumberland County had already begun consolidating Computer-Aided Dispatch systems to ensure a coordinated response. This coordination helped ensure a more effective response to the community at large.
By the time the region's first confirmed twister was on the ground, just before 3 p.m., most county and municipal response agencies had been on alert for at least three hours. The National Weather Service estimates that each tornado that hit the Sandhills was preceded by a warning of at least 26 minutes.
Cooperation was especially important after an estimated EF-3 tornado hammered Lee County. Within minutes after the twister roared away from Sanford, response teams from neighboring Harnett County had been dispatched.
"We aren't a big county, so the response from our neighbors was critical that first few hours," said Lee County Emergency Services Director Shane Seagroves. "The level of cooperation between agencies and counties was just unreal.
"In addition, much of the credit here has to go to the community. Nobody stood around with their hands out, waiting for help. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and started digging out, helping one another."
Still, officials spotted room for improvement. Communication was occasionally chaotic as multiple rescue teams reported to the same areas, which delayed responses elsewhere.
"It turns out we rely on cellphones a lot more than anticipated," Booth said. "After the storms, reception wasn't very good. That led to communication problems.
"We also learned the importance of electronic response forms. Instead of trying to write on a clipboard in the rain, we can electronically gather data on a tablet."
Determining the scope of damage was a problem, as well, especially when estimates cross from city to county.
To help in future emergencies, Cumberland County purchased software that enables responders and assessment teams to track damages throughout the community in real time, and to determine the actual damage expense. The software will allow efficient initial damage assessments for better use of county, state and federal resources.
After the storms, community support for relief efforts threatened to overwhelm volunteers. Once immediate needs were met, it became obvious that long-term assistance was needed.
Lesli Remaly-Netter, an agency liaison for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said at the time that a long-term coalition was necessary, because full recovery from a disaster could take up to a year or two.
In response, Fayetteville and Cumberland County have integrated their Emergency Operations Centers for large-scale responses.
Cumberland, Harnett and Lee counties also created long-term disaster relief groups. The Cumberland Disaster Recovery Coalition was formed to help residents with unmet needs. The coalition continues to work with homeowners struggling with economic and emotional issues, ranging from children's counseling to dealing with paperwork to rebuild destroyed buildings.
Several counties also have created public storm warning systems, based on a reverse 911 calling framework. Cumberland County's CodeRed weather alert system is available to any county resident without charge, and provides automated messages to home or cellphones.
Advanced public warning remains the most critical part of planning for the next disaster, Booth said.
"We can fine-tune our response and train and train," he said. "But public awareness is the key to limiting loss of life and injury.
"In a way, we were fortunate these storms hit when they did. Can you imagine a tornado on Reilly Road on a workday afternoon? Or the tornado that hit Ben Martin (Elementary School) and Pine Forest (High School)? What if the schools had been full of kids?
"This could have been so much worse."
Staff writer Chick Jacobs can be reached at jacobsc@fayobserver.com or 486-3515.
___ (c)2012 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) Visit The
Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) at www.fayobserver.com Distributed by
MCT Information Services
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