Topic: Red Cross

Transit System to stage mock accident drill

July 16, 2008 |

The Clarksville Transit System will hold a mock bus accident drill on Thursday, July 17 beginning at 8:30 a.m.   The drill will take place at the Clarksville Transit System Office located at 430 Boillin Lane.  The drill will prepare emergency responders to handle a bus crash involving multiple victims.

Many local agencies are participating in the mock bus accident drill.  They include:  Clarksville Fire and Rescue, EMA, EMS, Clarksville Police Department, Gateway Health Systems, Red Cross and Fort Campbell.

For additional information, please contact the Clarksville Transit System at 553-2430.

Sections: Events, News | No Comments

What a difference a year makes!

By Christine Anne Piesyk | August 30, 2007 |

Just a year ago, on a hot muggy summer morning just like this, I was awakened by the yapping, howling, clawing of a manic, panic stricken dog who is credited with saving my life. He persistently prodded me to wakefulness as fire ripped through the central part of our house. I was able to get him out, and wake my son-in-law, who was sound asleep in another part of the house after a very late second shift night. We got out.

We grabbed a garden hose and were pouring water through the front door as firefighters arrived with bigger and better equipment. We watched as the windows that weren’t blown out were pulled out with long handled poles. It didn’t last long at all, but our losses were great and our extended family split apart.

As we stood beside the Red Cross disaster van, me barefoot in my pajamas with damaged glasses , singed hair and unsuspected burns, my son-in-law shirtless in jeans and barefoot, figuring out where we would all sleep that night, get food, clothing. The Red Cross disaster team helped pull it all together then, and the unexpected generosity of friends and neighbors and strangers did the rest. We are all okay now. And we haven’t forgotten, we still appreciate, and we will always remember.

So for all of you, and you know who you are, who showered us with kindness, assistance in many forms, shapes and sizes, I would tell you that we are doing fine. And I would thank you all one more time. From the bottom of my heart. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments

Emergency Response teams ready for Wolf Creek Dam disaster

By Christine Anne Piesyk | August 17, 2007 |

Wolf Creek Dam. It’s a peaceful place in Kentucky, northeast of Nashville and the Clarksville area, and it’s a potential crisis in the making that emergency management officials are keeping their eye on. A wary eye. On the seepage, the erosion of its limestone base, and its sinkholes.

These and other factors that make Wolf Creek one of the five worst dams in the country, one with a high risk of failure. If Wolf Creek fails, parts of Clarksville will be underwater in about 33 hours.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Major Rehabilitation Report issued in 2006 recommended a $306 million fix for the Wolf Creek Dam, a project that began over a year ago and is expected to take four years to complete. (At right, workers inside the dam effecting repairs)

Failure of the Wolf Creek dam is scenario on the top of the list for Emergency Management officials at the federal, state and local levels; they meet weekly to address a multitude of issues that could affect our community at large, coordinating services and support systems for a safe and fast response if the worst should happen. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | 2 Comments