Are we prepared for a disaster?

By Greg Little, Managing Editor, The Covington Leader Online
November 2, 2005


It finally happens. The “big one” which has been talked about for so many years erupts in West Tennessee.

What would you do if a major earthquake struck the area?

That was the central theme during a meeting last Thursday night at Drummonds Elementary School.

The meeting was organized by Tipton County Commissioner Billy Yancy, who said he thinks better coordination needs to take place in the event of a disaster.

“Timing is everything,” said Rep. Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville. “People are talking about this.”

One “lesson” which Gresham said people have learned in the wake of the devastating hurricanes this year is that individuals must be prepared if a disaster strikes.

“Who are we going to depend on?” said Gresham.

Gresham said when disaster struck the Gulf Coast, residents were depending on “them,” although she said people were unsure who “they were.” They were supposed to be the government, she said, but with the magnitude of the hurricanes, it took days for the government to properly respond.

“We is they,” said Gresham. “We are going to have to depend on ourselves. We have to stand together as a community.”

Trish Miller, emergency management coordinator in Tipton County, said that if an earthquake does strike, officials will have no idea until after the fact which buildings were damaged and which are able to be occupied.

She said Brighton High School is designated as the main shelter in Tipton County. For Drummonds residents, it is the elementary school.

Tipton County Sheriff C.D. “Buddy” Lewis said he learned a major lesson after traveling to the Gulf Coast two weeks following Hurricane Katrina.

“One thing I learned,” said Lewis, “is that people said they wished they were more prepared than they were.”

Lewis said the people of that area had several days warning that trouble might be imminent and they still did not prepare.

“With an earthquake, there is no warning,” said Lewis.

One idea which did come from the meeting was to begin gathering an “inventory” of necessary things in case of a disaster.

Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said he has been studying the issue lately and gathering necessary information is critical in dealing with disasters. He said knowing who has bulldozers, diesel fuel, generators and many more items is critical for local governments to deal with emergencies.

“It sounds so simple that sometimes it gets overlooked,” said Norris.

Yancy said it is also important local officials continue to get the word out to citizens that preparation is the key to dealing with disasters.

Miller said sometimes it is frustrating trying to convince people they need to be prepared.

“I don’t know what to do — people won’t listen,” said Miller.

Yancy said he thought it’s important that small, core groups be formed in the county so those people can act as leaders in a major disaster. He said that was one of the reasons he called the meeting last week and intends to have future meetings to prepare for disasters.

Lewis said after he witnessed the destruction on the Gulf Coast, it has become clear to him that even the best preparation may not be enough.

“We need a plan amongst ourselves, but we have to sell it to the public,” said Lewis. “They have to help themselves for a period of time.”

Officials said it could be three to seven days before rescue workers could even get to people in the event of a major earthquake along the New Madrid fault.

“The community is going to have to help,” said Keith Jones, fire chief for the Quito/Drummonds Volunteer Fire Department.

Tipton County Executive Jeff Huffman said there are several major threats to this area and he thinks educating the children in the schools is an effective tool in teaching people how important it is to be prepared.

Huffman said the three major possibilities are a major earthquake, a terrorist attack on the Memphis metro area or a biological event, such as the current threat of avian flu in the world.

“The third threat worries me the most because we have no way in dealing with it,” said Huffman.

As for earthquakes, Miller said in the wake of the hurricanes, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been reviewing and updating an old earthquake plan developed for this area. She said federal officials were working last week on the plan and by the first of the year plan to work closely on the local levels to prepare.

She said they have talked about designating places around the area to store critical supplies in case of an earthquake.

Norris said another way local governments can prepare for a disaster is to consider “forward contracts.” Those, he said, are contracts which can be arranged with companies “for the disaster you hope never happens.”

For instance, he said a contract could be made with an earth moving company and if a big quake did strike the area, that company knows they are responsible for certain aspects of dealing with the disaster.

Yancy said he plans to call another meeting and also encourages local residents to contact the county’s emergency management department if they are willing to be placed on a list to provide equipment and help should a disaster strike.

Jones said people can also help by supporting the fire department, which cannot even man a new station recently constructed in Drummonds.

He said persons can voluntarily donate $4 per month by adding it to their utility bill from the Poplar Grove Utility District. Those funds are critical, he said, to properly equip and train the firefighters and rescue workers. To do that, persons must contact the utility company and make arrangements.