This interactive family orientation is designed to welcome and inform newly arrived Soldiers and family members by introducing them to various agencies across post. Representatives from Army Community Service; Morale, Welfare, and Recreation; Tricare; schools; Exceptional Family Member Program; housing; Army Family Team Building; Child, Youth, and School Services; Staff Judge Advocate; Family Readiness groups; Red Cross; and many more.

Lunch and a bus tour of the installation are included in the orientation. Childcare will be available.

Fort more information, call 270-798-9516.

A Community Fair featuring local organizations that offer their services to soldiers and their families.

The Community Health Fair gave a people a quick medical checkup, and with the harsh sun and high temperatures the sound advice to keep hydrated.

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundations Sky Soldiers Cobra Demonstration Team

The Red Cross was another life safer cooling people down with their misting fans, and first aid station.

The Budweiser Clydesdales also stayed over after their recent visit to Clarksville to put in an appearance at the Air show.

The Kids Fair kept the younger attendees entertained with inflatables, face painting, duck pond, dance demonstrations and more.

A static display of ground vehicles used by the 101st.

The 101st had a static display of the vehicles which serve our soldiers well during their deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan including the life saving Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAP), the ubiquitous Hummer,  various helicopters (CH47 Chinook, UH60 Blackhawk, OV58 Kiowa Warrior…), along with several other vehicles.

There was also a collection of historical displays featuring aircraft many of them operated by the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, including their Sky Soldiers Demonstration Team, along with model WWII and Vietnam camps.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so  I will let the image gallery tell you the rest of the story!

Photo Gallery

[Show as slideshow]

12345►

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.

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.

The past year has been one of redirection and recovery. And of mourning and loss. I still have nightmares and am little paranoid about fire. My granddaughters insist on fire detectors in EVERY room now. We salvaged some things, lost too many, but this shape-shifting of our lives has given us the gift of new appreciation for what we do have: each other. Alive. With a future spread out before us. Waiting.

In this spirit of hope, I wanted to tell those of you who know us, and the strangers who don’t know us but offered help, support and kindness anyway, that we are okay. We are survivors. And this is where we all are now …

I finished a graduate semester despite the literal meltdown of my computer and the rendering of my research to ash. I am on my way to my MFA in Writing. Persistent. Determined. I write for this website from home, and monitor the FreeThinkers for Peace website on my space. And I am a Red Cross volunteer now and sustain my activist activities, political interests and peace-mongering.

My daughter, Kelly, is settled into a little house, recovering from recent surgery and managing chronic health conditions. She is planning to start college in January part time, a decision delayed for a semester because of her illness. But she is recovering well and will be fine.

My son-in-law managed to find a small home in the same school district for the two teens who are still in high school. Small house, but neat, affordable and quiet. He continues to work in Hopkinsville.

My granddaughter Brandi sailed forth bravely, going back to school the day after the blaze in borrowed clothes. It was a year of senior pictures, high school graduation (16th in her class), and the start of college (just last week at APSU), where she will put her mastery of math and science to work as a biology major. She’s discovered theater and art, and is addicted to both now, more than willing to be my sidekick as I review Roxy shows this year for this site.

My granddaughter Rochelle got an after school job, bought a used car, dyed her hair a lovely shade of purple (lavender, really), and it seems as if her hair has always been that way. It suits her, and she took a stand with her school about that hair color, opting to exercise her “free speech and freedom of expression.” She is a senior now, looking forward to pictures, prom and graduation, and enrollment at APSU next year — as an earth science major. Sh’s a terrific writer too.
My grandson, Bobby, is a freshman, and thrilled to be in a “construction” class where he will get to work with power tools in addition to his more traditional classes.

We lost one pet, an Iguana named Rosa, in the fire. But Rochelle’s turtle, Cuzco, is still paddling in an oversized tank, rearranging and rattling his collection of rocks in the middle of the night. Bobby’s bearded dragon remains lazy and listless until a tasty bug passes by (then he moves like lightning, predator and prey). Brandi’s puppy, Jack, found another home, since the teens now live in a “no dogs or cats” home now. They have a new Iguana on a growth spurt.

As for the hero dog, KeyKey, well, he is with kelly. He still operates under the assumption that he is human, and is as loveable as ever, still shaking like crazy in storms, barking out his joy at seeing his people coming and going, and gnawing on the regular offerings of juicy bones and occasional treats. He ’s just a little bit spoiled, but he’s earned it. Tonight he’s getting his own steak, T-bone and all. And his favorite doggie treats. And a lot of extra loving, which will be tough, because we max out love every time any of us see him.

So once again, I would say to those whose kindness helped all of through those rough times, thank you.

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.

For Cecil Stout, Director of Emergency Services for the Clarksville-Montgomery County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Wolf Creek is just one more thing to worry about and plan for, not just for the enormity of response such a disaster would require. The Red Cross office and thousands of homes and businesses along the city’s rivers could be underwater if the dam fails. Pictured at right, Logistics Specialist Mike Vogt (l) and Stout (r), looking over a map of potential Wolf Creek flood zones.

Stout said his agency continually contracts with sites that can operate as full service shelters in times of emergency — be it flood, tornado, or any other disaster. Start-up supplies are continually stocked and staged around the city, networks and collaborations to meet community needs already exist and are continually nurtured. His volunteer staff is trained and continues to train for management such disaster scenarios. FEMA, TEMA and other local response agencies have disaster management plans in place for immediate implementation if warranted.

Stout, and logistics coordinator Mike Vogt , have the potential flood area outlined on an oversized map in their office hallway. They already know they would have to evacuate Red Cross headquarters and move to a pre-planned alternate base of operations during such an emergency. They already know that travel in and around the city, and therefore access to emergency services and supplies, would be significantly disrupted.

“My worst nightmare is that the dam and a seismic event like New Madrid would happen at the same time,” Stout said.

Disaster preparedness is a complex process

“We may have to shelter people, feed them, handle communications that will connect them with other family members, and assist with basic needs and links to to other agencies also providing services.” Stout noted that Red Cross Disaster Action teams are part of the first response in many disasters, supporting victims, firefighters, rescue crews and police. But the job doesn’t stop there; Red Cross social services makes referrals to other agencies that can assist with more permanent solutions for displaced disaster victims.

Stout, Vogt, Red Cross volunteers, multiple regional Emergency Management staff and Fort Campbell teamed up recently for back-to-back mock disaster drills for two potential mass casualty events: an F-5 tornado, and the detonation of a “dirty bomb.” Both drills took place on Fort Campbell and across north Clarksville. “Both were excellent opportunities to test ourselves,” Stout said. The results from both drills confirmed the fact that “training” pays big dividends in terms of disaster preparedness and response.

And every time Stout and Vogt move through the Red Cross office, they pass by the wall with the map and the flood stage markings.

A bit of Wolf Creek history

Wolf Creek dam was designed and built over a period from 1938 to 1952 as a flood control project, with the added benefits of hydro-power production and recreation via the reservoir (a.k.a Lake Cumberland) created by dam construction. The lake is largest reservoir east of the Mississippi River and includes 1796 feet of concrete dam and 3940 feet of clay embankments. Highway 127 in Kentucky runs across the top of the dam. The dam has been operating with a reduced level since 2005, reducing risk to people and property but also impacting recreational use of the lake. Currently Lake Cumberland is holding at a 680 foot level, but that could be reduced at any time if further problems develop. The Corp monitors the status of the dam and nine others on the Cumberland River system for any change in status that would affect public safety.

The trigger for the problems at Wolf Creek Dam lies in its foundation: a limestone base riddled with cavities and caves and prone to erosion. Limestone is “soluble in weak acid,” and over time that erosion has weakened the very base that supports the dam. Driving through any road cuts in the region offers a first-hand view of how limestones decays and breaks apart. “Karst topography” is a three-dimensional landscape shaped by the gradual dissolution of solid layers of bedrock, often carbonate rocks such as limestone of dolomite, which have distinctive patterns of underground drainage and little or no surface drainage, hence the formation of caves and caverns that undermine the surface, and in this case, the base of the dam.

Serious problems were noted in 1968 when wet areas developed near the base and muddy waters were observed, along with two sinkholes in the embankment, indicators that foundation and dam substances were being washed away by seepage. Emergency action was taken in 1968-69 to fix those problems. A grouting program completed in 1970 injected enough solids into the dam to pave a road six inches thick, 20 feet wide and 5.5 miles long. It solved the problem, and prevented dam failure, until now. Advisors to the Corps recommended construction of a concrete cut-off wall to be build along the axis of the dam under its embankment. In essence, a new barrier to hold back water and stabilize the dam.

Cut-off walls were added to two-thirds of the embankment, a decision some experts felt was “short sighted,” suggesting that eventually, a wall would be needed along the entire length of the embankment. That time has come.

Over the past several years, a combination of visual observations, instrumentational readings, and borings have proven that uncontrolled seepage, which is still occuring, threatens the stability and integrity of the dam.

Peripheral to the structural problems of the dam are other events that could converge to trigger disaster:

• a significant seismic event along the New Madrid Fault could devastate the greater Memphis area but depending on magnitude could be equally disastrous to Clarksville and as far as Wolf Creek.
• a stalled hurricane dumping double-digit rain totals over the region would stress the tributaries feeding the Cumberland River and Lake Cumberland, putting additional pressure on the dam and saturating the land around and beneath it.

So what happens next?

The water level behind the dam is holding at 680 feet, subject to further lowering if the situation warrants. Emergency repairs are underway, with three years (give or take a few months) before the project is done and the dam deemed “safe” again.

Meanwhile, emergency management officials at the federal, state and local level — everyone from FEMA, TEMA, police and fire officials, the Red Cross and others meet regularly to keep tabs on a number of things, including Wolf Creek.

If the Wolf Creek failed, the worst case scenario would be a gradual rise in Cumberland River (and tributary) waters that would bring major flooding to Clarksville within 33 hours. Riverside Drive and all its recreational spots and businesses would be underwater. Bridges would be closed and/or underwater. A number of areas in town would be cut off. Many areas would be completely evacuated. An estimated 3,000 businesses would be affected. Many subdivisions would be flooded or “islanded,” affecting thousands.Water, sewage (waste treatment) and electrical services would be affected in many areas. Should floodwaters travel from the dam to as far as Clarksville, a breach of the Wolf Creek Dam has the potential to affect one million people and thousands of businesses. The dollar value of damage would be staggering.

Emergency management officials note five potential water levels for the Clarksville area, from a modest level one to catastrophic level five. Maps of potential flooding are availabble through links on the Austin Peay State University, Clarksville Red Cross and Wolf Creek Dam websites, with GPS locating that can pinpoint how floodwaters might affect your home and neighborhood.

Even the Red Cross would be relocated since its headquarters off Riverside Drive would be inundated. That’s been planned for, along with a host of responses to projected needs for a potential Wolf Creek Dam disaster.

Should trouble develop at the Wolf Creek Dam, the Emergency Broadcast System would be activated over all weather, radio and TV stations and emergency management offices, beginning with those located closest to the dam and working downstream through Nashville and working downstream. Local emergency management teams are responsible for local notifications and evacuation plans.

Stout suggests that just as residents prepare for severe storms including tornados, they should be aware of the potential of a problem with Wolf Creek and prepare for that possibility as well..