 |
|
|
|
From Mark's Desk: After months of study and warning elected officials in Nashville about the shortcomings in Tennessee’s emergency preparedness plans, last Monday’s tornadoes across northwest Tennessee came as a grim reminder that there is only so much any government can do to prepare for the worst. As the super cells entered Tennessee Sunday night, I made my calls to county EMA personnel in the northernmost reaches of our Senate District. The word from Dyer County was bleak. There had been deaths, and more were expected with the dawn. After months of effort as Chairman of Transportation and Safety, this was a moment of truth. Unlike previous disasters when we had no legislative “call tree,” this time TEMA called me from Nashville, to report that the head of TEMA, General Bassham, would deploy to the area at dawn. Governor Bredesen’s liaison also called to report that he would apply for federal disaster relief and tour the area early Tuesday. Little steps for little feet. These simple contacts made it easier for me to communicate in a more meaningful way with Dyer County officials when we spoke early Monday morning. Compared to the complete lack of communication from Nashville when a tornado hit Dyersburg in 2004, or when straight-line winds devastated Shelby County before that, we are slowly making progress in improving our ability to communicate and work with each other across political and geographic lines when disaster strikes. I toured the area with Governor Bredesen by helicopter and bus on Tuesday. The devastation was complete. I spent some of my time working to get volunteer crews from MLGW in Memphis deployed to the Jimmy Dean plant to help restore power. Our job shifted to consoling the grief stricken and trying to give hope that we would do all in our power to assist in recovery during the months ahead. I am proud of the job done by our Highway Patrol officers and first responders during this difficult time. I am mindful of the horror encountered by some of these men and women and want to express my appreciation for their unselfish service. The resilient spirit and dutiful resolve of the citizens of northwest Tennessee is an inspiration to us all. By Thursday, Governor Bredesen and I were able to sit down together in his office for 30 minutes to discuss ways to continue to improve communications between the Executive and Legislative Branches during emergencies in the future. It seemed that the tornado had accomplished what months of effort on my part had not -- it got the governor’s attention. Thursday night, I spoke in Sumner County at the Republican Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner. Ironically, I talked of our tornado experiences back home. Friday afternoon, tornadoes hit Sumner County not more than a half mile from where we had gathered the night before. Disaster struck again with even more destruction and additional loss of life. Yesterday, we met in Nashville with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt, to discuss planning for a different, but equally troublesome, prospect of disaster-- Pandemic Flu. There is a long way to go to prepare for this one, but progress is slowly being made. The first ten days in April will not soon be forgotten. These are things we may never be fully prepared to comprehend. The least we can do is prepare to respond. |
