Dr. Greg Rabidoux

The recent comment by Marsha Blackburn on the floor of the US Congress that she hoped that lawmakers would agree that “We’re not going to cry ‘emergency’ every time we have a Katrina, every time we have a tsunami, every time we have a need for extra spending” was incredibly insensitive, uninformed and embarrassing. Her comments also strongly suggest she is very disconnected from the plight of so many fellow Americans as a result of the billions of dollars of destruction caused by the very real emergency called Hurricane Katrina.

In fact, her comments are especially troublesome given that the Congresswoman is originally from Mississippi, an area so severely damaged by Katrina and considering that so many middle Tennesseans recently were victims of a tornado that ripped through the state. I join the Tennessee Democratic Party in calling upon Blackburn to apologize for such irresponsible comments and invite all Tennesseans regardless of party to demand she makes this apology in the name of simple courtesy. As Tennesseans, we don’t expect our lawmakers to cry over emergencies as Blackburn suggests just to simply call a real emergency an emergency and then do the right thing.

Blackburn’ has responded to the calls for her to issue an apology, brought by the TNDP, the Rabidoux campaign, and others, by claiming that her thoughts simply moved ahead of her speech in a statement released through a spokesperson, seems merely to suggest that what she said was truly what she meant just that maybe. Regardless, the many victims of Katrina and other all too real emergencies, including those families who have suffered through such emergencies right here in Tennessee deserve more respect, understanding and responsible leadership from their elected officials. What was needed was a real, heartfelt apology from Blackburn not a “so-called” apology.

About Greg Rabidoux

The Rabidoux Family

Dr. Rabidoux is the youngest of three children. He and his wife Mara have one son, Valentin. Dr Rabidoux is currently a professor at Austin Peay State University where he teaches politics and law, and heads up the university’s pre law program. His wife Mara, a former NCAA Division I All-American tennis player, teaches Spanish at APSU.

For most of his adult life, he worked full-time while attending school at nights. He received his B.A. from the University of Connecticut in political science and journalism, his Masters degree from American University in Washington DC in public policy. He earned his PH.D from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee in American Government, and his JD from Marquette University Law School. He has practiced law and is a certified professional mediator, having mediated for the US EEOC. After completing his M.A. degree he worked for a US House of Representatives Member and later for the United Nations in New York.

Rabidoux  writes a regular weekly column on politics for The All State Newspaper and on-line editions, and has been published in such publications as The National Jurist, USA Today and Reader’s Digest. He is a lifelong Democrat and currently a member of the Montgomery/Clarksville Democratic Party and State of Tennessee Democratic Party. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Arts and Heritage Development Council of Clarksville, Tennessee which sponsors this year’s (Summer 2009) Writers Conference and Tobacco Heritage Tour. Greg and Mara are Christian, and members of the Clarksville YMCA.

Contact the campaign

You can find more information on the Rabidoux campaign at his web site. You can email him, follow his campaign via twitter, or facebook, and make campaign contributions via his Act Blue Page. You can also contact them via postal mail:

(NASHVILLE, TN), April 16, 2009 – Election laws, economic development, the budget, telecommunications, and violent crime were among a wide variety of issues headlining debate on Capitol Hill this week. However, State Senators also took time on Monday to remember the victims of last week’s tornadoes in Rutherford, Sumner, and Benton Counties and commended emergency personnel for their handling of the disaster.

The worst damage was in Rutherford County where a deadly EF-4 tornado hit Murfreesboro packing winds of 166 mph to 200 mph, killing a mother and her baby. The tornado, which was a half-mile wide and ran a 28-mile path, set a record for the longest EF-4 tornado in history. Seven people were critically injured and about 818 homes were damaged, with 111 of those homes completely destroyed. The cost to businesses and residents has preliminarily been estimated at $40.2 million.

A Murfreesboro Gas station suffered significant damage (Chris Jackson)

“Our prayers go out to those who lost loved ones in this devastating storm,” said Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), whose home came within 150 yards of the tornado’s path. “This is a situation that we never want to face, but I must commend the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), the Department of Transportation (TDOT), the Department of Safety and especially all of our police and highway patrol who have worked overtime to help our citizens. Many citizens have come out to help, and the response from churches in our area has been unbelievable. I will do everything in my power to make sure the residents and responders have enough resources and supplies to continue their recovery efforts.”

“We truly live in a great state,” added Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville), whose district makes up most of the area damaged by the tornado. “I certainly understand why we are called the Volunteer state as we had hundreds of volunteers that helped us go yard to yard to clean up debris. TEMA, TDOT and our state troopers did an outstanding job in assisting our local authorities. This is the worst disaster in Rutherford County’s history and we need to keep all of the folks who suffered losses in our prayers.” Senator Tracy is Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee which oversees state operations of roads and the highway patrol.

Both Ketron and Tracy are working with state and federal officials to request aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for storm victims.

The Good Friday tornadoes have renewed debate on increasing the number of sirens in densely populated areas to warn citizens of a tornado. Legislation has been introduced to phase in additional sirens to ensure that citizens are warned of a developing emergency like a tornado. The bill, SB 88 sponsored by Senator Paul Stanley (R-Germantown), calls on the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) to coordinate with each county to plan to add a certain number of civil defense sirens per year beginning in 2012. The proposal is pending action in the Finance Committees in both the House and Senate.

There have been 120 deaths in Tennessee since 1999 as a result of tornadoes.

State Senators debate bills to protect the integrity of voting process

Several bills to protect Tennessee’s election process were acted on this week by State Senators, including legislation requiring voters to provide photo identification before voting. The bill, SB 150 by Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), provides for various forms of photo identification to be used, including a driver’s license, military identification, a valid passport, government employee identification cards, and any federal, state-issued identification card that contains a photograph of the voter. The legislation does not apply to citizens 65 years old or older and those in nursing homes. It also allows for those who are indigent to sign an affidavit swearing their status as an eligible voter. In addition, the bill provides for a “provisional ballot” which would only be counted if the election counting board is able to verify identification of the voter within three days.

Seven states require a photograph be shown to prove identification, including neighboring states Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana.

Legislation that would give election officials the tools to prove citizenship before registering to vote was deferred upon final consideration in the State Senate on Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville), sponsor of the bill is working with House sponsors to revive the measure in the House of Representatives where it received a tie vote in the Elections Subcommittee of the State and Local Government Committee this week.

The proposal, SB 1999, sets forth the criteria that local election officials can use to establish citizenship upon registration to vote if they are in doubt. The U.S. Constitution already requires citizenship. In addition, federal law makes it a crime knowingly to make a false statement or claim regarding citizenship upon registering to vote. However, local election officials are reluctant to ask due to lack of guidance on what criteria can be used in determining citizenship.

“The dilemma is that election officials in the field have questions about what they can ask for to substantiate that assertion when one checks the box that they are a U.S. citizen,” said Leader Norris. “These officials don’t want to bring it up if they are not authorized to ask for certain identification. What this legislation does is gives them guidance and clarifies what they can ask for if an election official chooses to put that person to the test.”

Another bill regarding elections approved by the full Senate this week, SB 1420, honors the service of those in the military by making it easier for those overseas to access and return the necessary documents to vote absentee. In the last election, many Tennesseans in military serving overseas requested that they be allowed to send their scanned documents by email because they did not have access to a fax in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This legislation, sponsored by Ketron, would allow Tennesseans serving in the military overseas to scan an absentee request or change of address form and attach the document to an email to be sent to the their county election office to make it easier for them to vote. Currently, only a fax is allowed. The local election office would still compare the signature of the voter before mailing the ballot.

Finally, the State Senate gave final approval to legislation, SB 440 sponsored by Senator Doug Overbey (R-Maryville), requiring that convicted felons must pay all court costs imposed before being eligible to have their voting rights restored. Currently, a person convicted of a felony must be pardoned, discharged from custody or supervision, and have paid all restitution to the victim of the offense to have his or her rights of suffrage restored. This legislation would add the payment of court costs as well.

Senate approves Megasite bill to enhance prospects of bringing new industry and jobs to West Tennessee

Legislation that enhances the prospects of bringing new industry to West Tennessee met approval in the State Senate this week and is ready for final action in the House of Representatives. The bill, which could come up for a final vote in the House as early as next week, is the result of a team effort of West Tennessee legislators to bring new jobs to the area.

“The stage is set for success in West Tennessee after passage of this bill,” said Senator Dolores Gresham, a co-sponsor of the bill. Gresham represents Haywood County where the site is located. “This has truly been a team effort. All of our West Tennessee delegation has been pushing for passage of this measure and will continue our efforts until it is signed into law.”

The bill, SB 653, makes numerous changes to the Tennessee Regional Megasite Authority Act of 2007, including the ability for authorities to purchase nearby property to be included in the megasite zone. This provision means a Megasite authority could purchase land for critical infrastructure needs, like a highway ramp or rail spurs in non-contiguous acreage. Currently, additional property within the megasite zone must be contiguous. The legislation also deals with the make-up of the megasite authority, making it much like a local industrial development board to enhance success of the project

Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation

The legislation is in addition to the proposed allocation of more than $27 million in bonds slated for the project in the 2009-10 budget to allow authorities to buy land for the Haywood County megasite. Legislators are hopeful that the measure will have the same impact on the area as the megasites in Clarksville and Chattanooga, where similar projects have landed more than $3 billion dollars in new investments from Volkswagen Group of America, Hemlock Semiconductor and Wacker Chemical, creating more than 3,000 new jobs.

“The West Tennessee megasite is the No. 1 major industrial development site in the state,” said Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville). “It will have a great deal of impact on the future of our region.”

Senate Committees continue to study budgets of various departments and agencies of state government

Committees in the State Senate continued to review budgets of the various departments and agencies of state government. One such agency is the Department of Tourism, where members of the Senate Environment Committee members took an in depth look at financial challenges facing that industry. A major challenge to the Department of Tourism’s ability to expand the economic benefits for travel and tourism is ever-increasing competition from other states.

In order to compete and create new opportunities, Tennessee must take advantage of advancements in technology, especially in the area of web-based travel planning, and find ways to partner with other state agencies and the tourism industry to capitalize on special markets and creative promotions to maximize available financial and human resources.

In the Education Committee, members heard testimony on the budget of the Tennessee Lottery Corporation. CEO Rebecca Paul Hargrove told members that the lottery program currently has a $6 million shortfall in estimated revenues for the current fiscal year. Revenue forecasters had predicted a growth in revenues, but Paul said the revenue growth has been flat.

Thirty out of forty-two states that use lotteries have seen a decline in sales. Tennessee has seen growth in Instant ticket sales, but Powerball sales have lagged by $8 million. The budget for the next fiscal year assumes an increase of $6 million in revenue growth. Hargrove said the last quarter has been promising and that the lottery will continue to develop products to boost funds.

The Tennessee Education Lottery operates entirely from revenue generated through the sale of its products. Net proceeds from sales of Lottery tickets fund specific education programs, including college scholarships, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs. Since the Tennessee Lottery began selling tickets on Jan. 20, 2004, it has raised more than $1.3 billion for these programs.

Crooks with Guns legislation targets repeat violent offenders

Legislation strengthening penalties against repeat violent offenders who use a gun in commission of a robbery was approved in the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. The bill, SB 673 by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville), is one of three bills proposed this year by the Public Safety Coalition.

Tennessee ranks second in the nation in the number of violent crimes. These criminals are often repeat offenders. Sixty-seven percent of those convicted of violent crimes are re-arrested within three years of being released from prison. The recidivism rate increases to 80 percent when you move past that three-year marker.

The bill now goes to the Senate Finance Committee for approval.

Legislation helps children in state custody with post-adoption services

Legislation that aims to improve Tennessee’s success rate in adopting children who were previously in state custody has received the unanimous vote of the State Senate. The bill clarifies state law to provide post-adoption services for child welfare adoptions.

The bill, SB 1702, applies to adoptions when children have been taken into state custody for being unruly or delinquent and parental rights from the biological parents have been terminated. These are some of the most difficult adoption placements for the Department of Children’s Services. However, the rate of success improves if post-adoption services are offered. A few of the services include crisis intervention, family and individual counseling, support groups for parents and children, case management services, and networking of families and community providers.

“Tennessee beats the national average on child adoption placements and we want to see that our success rate improves,” said Senator Doug Overbey (R-Maryville), sponsor of the bill. “These services are proven to help in providing a healthier atmosphere for both the child and adoptive parents.”

Legislation providing more opportunities for Tennessee products to be used in gasoline is approved on Senate Floor

Legislation that allows more Tennessee products to be used in the blending process of gasoline products was approved Thursday in the State Senate. The bill, SB 1931, requires suppliers of gasoline products to make gasoline available to wholesalers in a condition that allows the wholesaler to blend it with ethanol.

The federal government has adopted policies which have encouraged the blending of ethanol and other agriculturally produced products with petroleum-based fuels. Tennessee has also encouraged the agricultural production of crops for conversion into ethanol and biodiesel additives to expand the use of these products.

In 2008, major oil company suppliers began to cut off wholesalers’ access to unblended product. Availability was limited at gasoline terminals to only blended products which resulted in an increase in the price from what local wholesalers could produce. This practice has prevented wholesalers from visiting ethanol terminals within the state and blending the product which has decreased the consumption of Tennessee ethanol.

“This bill is in response to far reaching and swift changes from major suppliers regarding the ability of wholesalers to access unblended fuels,” said Speaker Pro-Tempore Jamie Woodson (R-Knoxville). “Wholesalers in Tennessee have been successfully blending for 20 years. This bill ensures competition in the market and it is a big win for Tennessee consumers and farmers.”

Market Regulation Act of 2009 would modernize state’s telecommunications law

Legislation to modernize state telecommunications policy and promote more competition and choice for Tennessee consumers has been approved on final consideration in the Senate. The legislation, SB 1965 sponsored by Senator Paul Stanley (R-Germantown), allows existing traditional telephone providers to opt into “Market Regulation” so they will be treated on the same terms as their competitors in the cable, wireless and Internet telephone companies.

When Tennessee lawmakers rewrote the state’s telecommunications law in 1995, they retained regulations on existing telephone providers. Since then, new telecommunications companies have emerged using technologies that did not exist when the law was written and that are not under the same regulations as traditional phone companies.

Under this legislation, called the “Market Regulation Act of 2009,” the TRA will continue to regulate wholesale telecommunications in Tennessee for market regulated companies. It also keeps in place government support programs such as the Lifeline to assist seniors and low income consumers. Consumers would continue to have a variety of alternatives for resolving complaints regarding phone rates. However, sponsors feel that the increased competition will keep companies from raising rates as they vie to attract and retain customers. In addition, the legislation includes language to assure there will be no rate hikes in rural areas for at least one year.

Similar market regulation legislation has passed in other states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana, Nevada and Missouri; and is currently pending in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

State budget

Various state departments will see a 12 percent decrease in size by the end of his term in 2010, Bredesen said.

Those cuts will be needed because of lower revenues caused by the recession, he said. He expects to see a decrease of about $1 billion in state revenue this year.

Bredesen unveiled his budget plan last week, which predicts the state budget for four years instead of the normal two.

The education budget remains fully funded, but some other departments may see cuts greater than 12 percent, he said.

The federal stimulus money will mean the state will not have to cut the 2,300 jobs that had been forecast.

However, Bredesen warned the reprieve will be temporary.

“It lets us go on a glide path, instead of diving down there this spring,” he said.

Bredesen predicts state revenues will be flat in 2010, and grow 3 percent in 2011 and 5 percent in 2012.

While overall state unemployment is not significantly higher than national levels, Bredesen said the state will look at how it can help counties that have been hit worst by the recession.

The increase in unemployment has put a strain on the state unemployment fund, he said. At the current rate, the fund will be depleted by this winter.

That will mean increasing the unemployment taxes for businesses, he said.

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- Mariann Martin, (731) 425-9782

Legislation to ban “texting while driving” headed towards Senate floor after approval of Finance Committee

Legislation that would ban “texting while driving” is headed towards the Senate floor for final consideration after being approved by the Senate Finance Committee. The bill, SB 393 sponsored by Senator Jim Tracy (R-Murfreesboro), prohibits sending or reading text messages or emails on a hand-held mobile phone or personal digital assistant while a driver is operating a motor vehicle in motion.

Over two-thirds of those under the age of 24 who were polled have admitted to sending text messages while driving. Studies show that drivers of any age who text behind the wheel swerve out of their lane, with many running into head-on traffic.

Under the bill, a violation would be a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of no more than $50.00. The legislation would take effect on July 1 if approved by the full Senate and House of Representatives.

Legislation allowing legal gun permit holders to “carry” in restaurants that serve alcohol approved in Senate

The Senate voted 26 to 7 on Thursday to allow law-abiding handgun permit holders to “carry” into restaurants or other establishments serving alcohol as long as the owners of the premises have not posted notification that they are banned. The bill is one of several proposals in the General Assembly this year to allow citizens to exercise their second amendment rights.

Those who are in possession of a handgun are already prohibited from consuming alcohol or face a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a $2,000 fine and up to 11 months and 29 days in jail.

The Senate stripped a restrictive amendment placed on the bill in the House to ban permit holders from carrying in restaurants that serve alcohol between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Also removed from the House version of the bill was a provision to restrict the right of a permit holder to “carry” in age-restricted establishments.

The bill, SB 1127, now goes back to the House for a vote on the Senate’s action to remove these provisions. If the two bodies cannot agree, the measure will go to a Conference Committee to work out the details.

Bills in Brief

Tea Time – Thousands of citizens came to Legislative Plaza in Nashville this week to take part in one of the 24 Tax Day Tea Parties across Tennessee. Citizens participated by holding signs and reading speeches to protest the tax-and-spend policies in Washington. The events in Tennessee are part of a larger grassroots movement against government spending called Taxed Enough Already, or TEA, reminiscent of the Boston Tea Party revolt against taxes 235 years ago.

Tennessee’s bond rating — Tennessee Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz appeared before the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee this week where he told members that all three bond rating agencies have confirmed their confidence in Tennessee’s financial standing by maintaining the state’s bond rating and giving Tennessee a ’stable’ credit outlook. Both Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s held firm their rating of AA+ with a credit outlook of stable. Moody’s Investor Service also maintained its rating at Aa1 with an outlook of stable. In February, Moody’s expressed a negative outlook for the broad sector of all U.S. states.

Farmers – The full Senate voted 29 to 3 to approve legislation this week that gives limited immunity to farmers who participate in “agritourism.” The legislation, SB 2164 sponsored by Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville), applies to events like a “pumpkin patch” or “corn mazing” that farmers may want to have on their property. The measure requires the farmer to post and maintain a sign that warns persons of this bill’s limitation on liability

Wine / Shipping – The full Senate has approved legislation, SB 166 sponsored by Senator Paul Stanley (R-Germantown), to allow consumers to ship wine from wineries to their homes. Currently, it is a felony under Tennessee law to transport wine across state lines. This legislation allows wineries to ship up to three cases of wine per year to Tennessee consumers provided they have license.

“2-1-1″ – State Senators approved a bill putting into place a “2-1-1″ advisory council to advise and assist the Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) in establishing statewide standards that will ensure that the citizens of Tennessee are served by an efficient and effective 2-1-1 service. The “2-1-1 service” is a statewide phone number that connects Tennesseans with community services and volunteer opportunities. The legislation to create an Advisory Council, SB 1210 sponsored by Senator Jamie Woodson (R-Knoxville), will ensure that the quality of service is raised to an even higher level.

I can remember as a child how much fear I had of the word “tornado”. Like most children who grew up in the seventies, our first exposure to exactly what those terrible storms were, came from the yearly airing of “The Wizard of Oz”. I can remember a few times where tornadoes touched down near our home in the Salem community, and even one time when some shingles were blown off our roof while we were out having fun at Opryland.

I’m not a scientist, and certainly not a meteorologist, but it seems to me that in recent years we have had to endure far more of these storms then we ever did when I was a child. Those who have lived longer than me seem to agree. No, I don’t think it’s global warming. I think weather patterns like most things on earth run in cycles. In 1998, a powerful twister ravaged downtown and eastern Nashville. Of course every Clarksvillian remembers 1999, when historic downtown Clarksville was ripped apart by an category 5 storm that destroyed a number of historic buildings, including the old Bailey Building which once housed 54 WDXN AM, where I worked right after college. We are barraged with so many tornado watches and warnings nowadays that it’s easy to become dismissive of them.

On Friday, April 10^th

I was at my office in Murfreesboro, when I was reminded of just how seriously we need to monitor and heed those weather warnings. I had just returned from lunch at about 12:30, the skies were starting to darken and droplets of rain were beginning to fall. I had just gotten online in order to monitor the weather, when our lights blinked once and then went out completely. Our company President gazed out at the street and noticed that cars were starting to pulling off the road. Beginning to comprehend our danger, we rushed to the safest room in the building. One of my co-workers was visibly shaken. She had just walked into her office with her lunch only to glance out the window and witness the monster twister. She called another co-worker for confirmation after dropping her lunch on the floor in horror. Other co-workers had been in restaurants and had been even closer to the storm. Everyone was unnerved to say the least. I must confess that the old newsman in me wanted to shoot some video with my camera phone and after it was clear that imminent danger was gone I went outside and surveyed the skies, but it was all over. I had heard that the Blackman area of Murfreesboro was hit hard. So the first thing I did was to make sure that a friend of mine who lived there was safe, despite the damage all around.

Most all of my co-workers make the growing town of Murfreesboro their home. Reports were starting to come in of damage to their homes and property, but it was not complete destruction. I was thankful for their safety, and hopeful that all of their families were fortunate enough to escape unharmed. We waited for a couple of hours while watching police, fire trucks and ambulances speed down North West Broad St. in front of the office. It was soon clear that we were no more than a half-mile away from likely enduring some of that devastation. As our power remained off after a couple of hours and the gravity of the situation set in, we began to leave the office. It took quite a while to get out of town and the devastation was jaw dropping. The gas station where I had stopped to buy juice Friday morning was totally destroyed. A nearby car garage had a gaping hole in the roof and then business across the street was smashed to the point it was hard to tell what sort of business it had been. As I slowly made my way past the destruction I snapped a few photos from my phone and finally was able to head off towards home.

A nearby gas station suffered significant damage. Click to Enlarge (Chris Jackson)

You could no longer tell what type of business it was. Click to Enlarge (Chris Jackson)

Tornadoes are incredibly random events, seemingly hand picking what to destroy and what it leaves intact, and it seems to hurt or kill with no rhyme or reason. We’ve made tremendous strides in detecting and warning people of when these storms have the potential to develop. Hopefully one day soon we can scramble the Apache helicopters to somehow fire a de-pressurization weapon to dissipate these monster storms. I’m sure somewhere someone is probably working on that concept. After witnessing Friday’s heartbreaking disaster, I hope it comes soon.

“Good luck happens when preparedness meets opportunity” – Anonymous

The key to emergency preparedness is an accurate understanding of the risks and challenges you face. Underestimating your risks leads to complacency and failure to prepare effectively. Overestimating your risks leads to the Armageddon Fallacy and failure to prepare effectively (if at all) because of the enormity of the imagined potential disaster.

The harsh truth is that the calculus of survival is not entirely within our control. No matter how many risks we address, there are situations which are simply unforeseeable or unaddressable. However, by taking effective action to minimize the likely risks, we can greatly increase our chances of survival in an emergency or disaster situation.

This Diary marks the conclusion of this series. In this final installment, we will complete our discussion of material preparations, discuss personal security, and bring this series to a conclusion. In Part 4 of this series, we covered the majority of the material preparations required to support most emergency preparedness plans. Today’s installment will cover the remaining material-prep topics, as well as personal and group security in various situations.

Shelter

While we have discussed Environment in some detail (see Part 4), shelter deserves a category of its own. Your correspondent confesses that it would have been more logical to cover Shelter immediately before Environment; this will be corrected in any derivative versions of this work.

Your preparedness plan MUST address the following scenarios:

1. Your primary residence is habitable; what materials and tools do you have on hand to keep it that way if it is damaged?
2. You are forced by circumstances to spend a night outdoors but in the vicinity of your home, e.g. in a yard or park; what shelter can you provide for your household?
3. Your home or neighborhood is not habitable and you decide to evacuate by car; do you have a list of places you could stay along the likely escape routes from your region, at various distances?

EMERGENCY REPAIRSIn your correspondent’s opinion, being prepared to make minor emergency repairs to your home is one of the least expensive and most effective things you can do to prepare for the aftermath of a disaster. While specific techniques vary depending on construction, the type of damage likely in your situation, and so forth, there are certain common materials which are incredibly useful for tactical repairs during or after a crisis:

Tools & Fasteners:

• Basic toolkit; see the Allied 39031 kit as an example. Even if you already have a set of tools, consider setting aside one of these self-contained all-in-one kits for emergencies.
• Utility knife with spare blades (even if kit has one)
• Hand drill, e.g. Fiskars Hand Drill
• Drill & screwdrive bit set, e.g. Black & Decker 109pc
• Nails
• 3″ drywall screws
• 2″ wood screws
• 2 large rolls duct tape

Materials:

• 1 roll plastic sheeting (”tarp on a roll”) in thickest gauge available
• 2×2 stock in 6′ or 8′ lengths
• 2×4 stock in 6′ or 8′ lengths
• Plywood sheeting suitable to your needs

EMERGENCY OUTDOOR SHELTERPlan A: Acquire a tent large enough to sleep everyone in your household. This is dual-use equipment, and the author highly commends the practice of taking your family camping to build character and self-sufficiency in situations outside normal routine.

Plan B: Use plastic tarpaulins and/or plastic sheeting to construct an improvised shelter. This is not as easy as it sounds. Seriously, a tent is a much better choice. If you must go this route, use features of your environment as an integral part of your shelter, i.e. use the back corner of your wooden-fenced yard as the starting point. Having suitable materials will make this task much easier:

• grommeted, opaque woven-plastic tarps
• anchor stakes
• nylon cord

EVACUATION SHELTER POINTS

A critical element of any evacuation plan is knowing where you’re going. Spending a few minutes identifying and noting likely shelter locations along your probable evacuation routes now means much less stress when a crisis occurs. Shelter locations may include hotels, motels, campgrounds, highway rest areas, and houses of friends or family. Even if you are fortunate enough to have a second home (e.g. a vacation cabin) you must still have a plan in case your alternate location is unreachable.

Be sure to record all relevant information for your identified shelter points in your disaster plan; for hotel/motel sites, record both the local phone number and the national reservation number(s). Also consider your means of payment for accomodations. A credit card will be required to secure a phone reservation, and you do NOT want to be caught without a reservation when you arrive at the hotel.

Finally, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has made it obvious that everyone in a region at risk of natural disaster (e.g. virtually all of us) should consider where we could take refuge without ruining our family finances. Staying in a motel is neither cheap nor pleasant over the long haul, and counting on government funding to offset these costs is foolhardy.

Medical (first aid/trauma)

In normal, everyday life, few injuries are truly life-threatening. In a disaster, minor cuts can become infected, and if left unchecked the infection can cause the loss of a limb or even cost the life of the patient. The key, in either situation, is early, effective treatment.

The reader should keep in mind that the medical materials recommended for dealing with first-aid or trauma situations are not intended to equip the reader to go forth and treat the wounded masses. Carefully distinguish between supplies intended to preserve and ensure the health of your household, versus those which could be used to help others. Your correspondent, for example, maintains a personal first-aid kit separate from the supplies in his disaster-response gear.

A good starting point for first-aid preparedness is a Red Cross first-aid/CPR class. Similar classes are offered in affiliation with CERT programs (as discussed previously). Practical, hands-on training is a must, as you learn the material in ways that are simply not possible when studying written or online materia.

It is far easier to deal with injuries if you’re properly equipped. For most people, the easiest road to success is to start with a prepared kit, and then add tools and supplies to complete the package. Recommendations:

• The REI Backpacker First Aid Kit (at right) is as close to a perfect base kit as your author has found; at the time of this writing, the REI Outlet has the 2004 kits on clearance
• 1 bottle Povidone-iodine disinfectant solution (Betadine) sealed in zip-lock bag
• 1 tube Neosporin + Pain Relief ointment
• Nexcare Liquid Bandage Drops — see below for additional comments on this important item
• 1 box Telfa non-stick pads, repackaged into 1-2 zip-lock bags
• 1 roll of one-inch-wide cloth First Aid Tape
• Blue Nitrile EMS gloves, stored 10 per ziplock sandwich bag
• CPR mask — a MUST for administering CPR without risk of infectious disease
• EMT shears for accessing wounds in clothed areas
• Protective eyewear with splash resistance
• Filter mask(s)
• 1 white-LED micro flashlight such as PT Pulsar
• 1 blue-LED micro flashlight (as above, but in blue) for spotting blood
• 1 bottle aspirin
• 1 bottle ibuprofen
• 1 bottle acetaminophen
• 1 bottle liquid Benadryl with means for dispensing measured doses
• 1 package Pepto-Bismol tablets (not liquid)
• 1 package anti-diarrheal tablets

A note regarding one very special item in the list above: in your correspondent’s estimation, one of the most underreported recent developments in wound care is the adaptation of surgical superglue (cyanoacrylate, or “CA” glue) to the consumer market. A wound sealed with sterile CA glue, such as the Nexcare product linked above, will stop bleeding immediately, and generally will not require a separate bandage.If you have first-aid kits already, add the Nexcare product to all of them at your earliest convenience. It’s that good. Don’t bother with the other products that require you to use special activator swabs, go for the Nexcare product. Your correspondent recently sliced down the dorsal surface of his left index finger from the second knuckle to the fingernail with the tip of an extremely sharp knife. Conventional wound care products were mediocre at stopping the bleeding, and did nothing for the pain. The Nexcare drops not only took care of the bleeding, but by sealing together and immobilizing the edges of the cut, stopped the pain from the exposed nerve endings.

UPDATE: Two other emerging technologies which are revolutionizing trauma wound management are QuikClot (currently available only to emergency services professionals) and SEAL-ON/m*doc, which is available over-the-counter. The author can personally attest to the efficacy of SEAL-ON products for stopping severe nosebleeds and scalp wounds.

If you are interested in preparing to deal with traumatic injury, such as might reasonably be expected in the aftermath of a natural disaster, please seek appropriate training. Reference books, while useful, can be difficult to employ effectively in stressful situations.

If you do decide to pick up a book on emergency medicine, keep in mind that in a disaster the conventional strategy of “keep the victim alive until the cavalry arrives” does not apply. You must assume that any lifesaving measures must be capable of sustaining the victim without immediate medical attention by a pro, and plan accordingly. Unfortunately, this sometimes means that the victim will die. If you take a CERT class, you will learn more about how to assess a victim’s chances of survival, a process called triage.

Medical (sustaining care)

File of Life is your portable medical record

At a minimum, every copy of your preparedness plan should include a detailed list of prescribed medications for each member of your household, as well as contact information for the prescribing physician.

A separate sheet should detail all known food, drug, and environmental allergies for each individual.

If appropriate, request your prescribing physician(s) to provide prescription forms for an emergency supply of maintenance medications. Pay attention to any must-be-filled-by policies in force in your state. Note that certain medications are prescribed on forms which are only valid for 14 days after the date written on the form by the doctor.

Finally, be sure to keep an emergency supply of any equipment required to administer required medications, as well as anything needed to safely dispose of waste generated in the process.

Medication management

It is strongly suggested that, to the extent that it is practical, a 14-day supply of all required medication(s) should be stored in the home preparedness kit. It is further suggested that a 5-day supply be stored in the vehicle and/or work preparedness kits. When storing medication, which has a limited shelf life, keeping track of expiration dates is key. Expired medication can be worse than useless, it can be dangerous.

Your correspondent uses the following plan to manage medication stored in emergency kits. No doubt, commenters will come up with many inventive and workable alternative plans for meeting this need. This is presented as an example of a plan that works, not as The One True Way.

Separate and distinct from the prescribed-medication list referenced above is a medication log kept in each kit with stored medication. This log is kept in pencil on a designated page in a Rite in the Rain spiral notebook, which is also used as an equipment log. A pencil is affixed to the notebook on a cord long enough to permit writing.

Each medication is logged in using the notebook, including quantity, expiration date, and do-not-use-after date if different from the expiration date. This includes not only the prescription meds, but also the over-the-counter meds and supplies with limited shelf lives.

Whenever possible, prescription meds are stored in an original bottle with the actual expiration date written on the top of the bottle. (It’s usually the case that the meds in the bottle are newer than the label would indicate.)

Knives and Multi-tools

Leatherman multi-tool

Your humble correspondent must disclose up front that he has been carrying a Leatherman pocket tool daily for over a decade, after having tried various other types and brands of implement. He would no more be caught without his Leatherman Charge XTi than without his cellphone or wallet.

It is certainly open for debate whether it is useful, in most emergency situations, to have a fixed-blade knife as part of your preparedness kit. In the author’s opinion, a traditional fixed-blade knife is more of a liability than an asset due to its bulk, its intimidating appearance but limited usefulness in personal defense, and its lack of flexibility compared to a multi-tool.

At a minimum, every emergency kit (home, vehicle, work) should contain a cheap, lower-quality multitool such as this one. While your correspondent is somewhat hesitant to recommend such a cheaply made piece of equipment, the fact is that a low-quality tool beats the hell out of having no tool at all.

However, if you have any choice at all, invest in a higher quality tool, from a name-brand manufacturer. The author’s Leatherman Super Tool was recently refurbished for free by the factory after 8 years of daily use, and is now oiled and stored in a vehicle preparedness kit. Other brands of multi-tool, notably Gerber, are known for similar levels of durability and longevity in service.

If you are going to spend a few dollars on a multi-tool, a very important safety feature is having locking blades and tools. Your author can attest, from painful personal experience, that having a razor-sharp blade suddenly snap shut on your fingers when applying heavy pressure to the knife is a Very Bad Thing.

Kits, storage, and go-packs, oh my!

While we have discussed certain approaches to organizing and storing equipment along the way, it’s time to pull together all the various material preparations you may choose to include in your plans.

As has been mentioned throughout this series, you should consider creating the following preparedness kits with materials relevant to the risks you face:

• 3-day vehicle kit for each vehicle in the family
• 3-day work kit for each person who works outside the home
• 14-day comprehensive home kit, with a subset of that kit suitable for adaptation into a 3-day travel kit

Recommendations for packing items into kits:

1. Seal all individual items in durable waterproof packaging, such as heavy-gauge ziplock freezer bags
2. Line backpacks and utility bags with heavy-gauge plastic bags, e.g. those sold as 55-gallon drum liners (extremely tough); when the bag is packed, press out excess air, roll the end of the bag over at least three times, and secure with a velcro strap or similar fastener
3. Group items by function, and pack items likely to be used together into the same bag or container.
4. For critical items such as flashlights, can openers, and so forth, pack spares and alternate items in separate locations.

A small nylon backpack works well for work and vehicle kits. A second bag may be required for clothing and footwear; be sure you can carry both bags comfortably.Home preparedness kits should be assembled into containers, each of which must be labeled with its contents. Be sure not to over-pack individual containers to the point that they are difficult or impossible to lift. The author is a big fan of Rubbermaid Action Packer containers, as they are lockable, watertight, stackable, and extremely durable.

Storage

Having access to your preparedness kits, especially your home kit, is a critical goal you must take into consideration when planning where to store your gear. Residents in earthquake territory have different needs than those in, say, blizzard country.

First, consider safety. If you are storing any significant quantity of emergency fuel, you need to store it outside your home and preferably away from any exterior walls.

Next, consider the risks to the safety and accessibility of your preparedness materials. If you live in an area at risk of earthquakes, for example, your preparedness kit won’t be of much use stored under the stairs if your house is too dangerous to enter post-quake. Consider installing a locking outdoor storage container such as the Rubbermaid XL Deck Box, which is large enough to store a tremendous volume of gear and supplies safely away from your house. Be sure to equip any outdoor storage containers with a waterproof outdoor combination lock.

An inexpensive alternative is to pack your home kit into wheeled trash cans. This has the advantage of being more easily portable if you need to relocate a short distance, e.g. to a nearby park.

Go-packs

As previously mentioned, a portion of your home kit should be easily portable. In addition to items previously discussed, your household go-pack plan should include your critical papers, such as birth certificates, loan documents, insurance docs, and so forth. Here’s the real test to see if you’ve done this right: if your house caught on fire and you outside with your family, your pets, and your go-pack, would you be able to begin putting your life back together? Consider keeping backups of critical computer data in your go-pack, such as CDs containing your family’s digital photographs.

Security measures for personal and group safety

Ezekiel 25:17 – according to Quentin Tarantino, that is:
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. [...]”

The sad truth is that during times of crisis, both the noblest and the basest parts of human nature are laid bare for all to see. In desperate situations, people will commit acts unthinkable in times of plenty. It is prudent to plan to protect yourself, your family, and your community.

Personal security

Some of the readers of this series adhere to a philosophy of non-violence, which the author respects. This does not preclude the use of nonlethal means of self-defense. At a minimum, the author recommends that you include at least one large OC (pepper) defensive spray and at least one contact-type stun device with spare battery in each emergency kit.

The OC pepper spray is dual-use; it can be used to deter human harassment or assault, and it will send even the largest hungry dog running for the hills. NOTE: OC pepper spray (or any chemical spray, for that matter) should NEVER be discharged in an enclosed space unless life is at stake. The electric stun device is easily concealable, and at a minimum each female member of your group old enough to handle one safely should have one.

Group and site security

Your preparedness both increases your chances of survival and puts you at risk. In a situation where resources are scarce, people who have not prepared to deal with that situation may be driven to desperate acts.

Your first line of defense is to maintain a low profile. Running a generator 24×7, powering bright lights, and cranking up the music and TV will draw attention. Your goal should be to minimize your profile, and give no hint that your household is any better off than the surrounding community. Be cautious in discussing details of your preparedness plans with anyone outside your household. That information is on a need-to-know basis, and most people just don’t need to know.

You should, however, be prepared to defend yourself, your family, and your resources against those who would do you harm. Yes, folks, it’s time to talk about guns.

Before you purchase a gun, you MUST learn how to store, handle, and use one safely. Your correspondent offers free basic firearms instruction to residents or visitors in the San Francisco Bay Area. Introductory classes are available in most cities at indoor and outdoor ranges, gun clubs, and through various NRA programs.

After you purchase a gun, in addition to storing it safely, you MUST practice with it at least once per year. This has the dual benefits of maintaining your familiarity with the firearm ,and verifying that the firearm remains in good working condition.

Finally, be realistic regarding the circumstances under which you might need a gun at all, much less use it against another person. For example, the author submits that a citizen shooting someone more than 100′ (30m) away calls into question (a) how much of an immediate threat that person really was, (b) how you clearly identified that person and the threat they presented, and (c) whether you were shooting without regard to anyone near or behind the target. Just because it’s a disaster zone doesn’t mean the shooter won’t end up explaining this to a judge and jury in the future.

= Shotguns =

If you’re going to buy a single gun for defensive purposes, the author recommends a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun with an 18″ barrel. The Remington 870 Express Synthetic is the standard in this area, and at under $350 retail is very affordable. Other options to consider include the Mossberg 500 SP series.

However, the blast and recoil from a full-power shell in a 12-gauge shotgun can be quite startling, or even painful, for inexperienced shooters. The author strongly recommends the use of reduced-recoil ammunition, such as Remington Express Managed-Recoil Buckshot, as well as the use of an aftermarket rubber recoil pad securely affixed to the butt of the shotgun stock.

The addition of a sling, which can be quite inexpensive, is likewise strongly recommended. If you have to shepherd your group on foot out of the disaster zone, you’re not going to want to carry a shotgun in your hands the entire way.

Finally, a “defensive shotgun” or “introduction to shotgun” class is highly recommended for all authorized users. Many people are surprised at the difference training makes when it comes to effectively using a gun which seems as simple and straightforward as the shotgun.

= Rifles & Carbines =

While most people are conceptually familiar with rifles because of TV and movies, few people understand the difference between a rifle and a carbine. The simple explanation: carbines are shorter than the full-size rifles, and fire bullets with less velocity and impact energy, resulting in shorter range and striking power. This is caused by the use of a shorter barrel and/or a less powerful cartridge compared to a rifle. Many carbines are chambered for pistol ammunition (specifically, revolver ammunition) rather than rifle ammo.

In keeping with the author’s admonition that the maximum range for a defensive firearm is 100′ or less, even in a disaster situation, a good potential alternative to the Remington 870 shotgun above is a Winchester Model 94 lever-action rifle. Most people would instantly recognize this as a classic “cowboy rifle”.

Your correspondent specifically recommends the Winchester Model 94 Trails End in the .357 Magnum caliber. This means that the rifle fires relatively inexpensive and plentiful .357 Magnum pistol ammunition, but at much higher velocity and energy than a pistol due to the longer barrel. Recommended accessories include a sling and a red dot sight with spare battery.

A word about handguns…

If you are unfamiliar with firearms, and intend to purchase a gun for home defense, a handgun is not necessarily the best choice. However, in disaster situations, handguns do offer certain advantages:

• pistols can be concealed on one’s person or carried in a non-obvious fashion
• pistols are lighter and less bulky than rifles or shotguns

When selecting a handgun, be sure to shoot it or an equivalent model before you decide to purchase. That Casull .454 monster revolver might seem like a manly choice in the gun store, but it’s useless if you’re incapable of firing it without flinching. (For the record, the author considers the Casull .454 to be ridiculously overpowered and refuses to shoot it or its giant-caliber brethren.)Your correspondent is comfortable with a wide range of handguns, but prefers the .40 caliber H&K USP and the .45 caliber SIGarms P220R. His first choice for a concealable handgun is the somewhat expensive and exotic 9mm H&K P7M8, but reluctantly concedes that the SIGarms P239 and GLOCK 26/27 are more practical and affordable choices.

CONCLUSION

I hope that this series of articles has been useful to you, rather than overwhelming. I urge you to ‘eat the elephant one bite at a time’, that is, to break down the process of moving into a state of preparedness into manageable steps. Don’t be self-conscious if you start off taking only modest steps towards preparedness; even that is a huge improvement over failure to prepare.

Remember, preparedness as a state of mind is at least as important as having a pile of store-bought stuff in any kind of disaster. Always have a plan, and a backup plan in case your first plan doesn’t work out. (And, if nothing else, have a good communication plan to fall back on!)

I will be posting a couple of follow-up diaries in coming days and weeks to stimulate further discussion regarding preparedness in our homes, our communities, and our workplaces. Please be sure to share any insights or adventures you encounter as you work developing and implementing your preparedness plans.

Thank you to all the folks who have read and recommended the Diaries in this series.

“In the first 48 to 72 hours of an emergency, many Americans will have to look after themselves.”

– David Paulison, 2005 FEMA Director Nominee

Preparedness for emergency situations is not a solitary pursuit.

Each of us lives in the context of a larger society. Few among us could survive for long without the support of myriad other people and institutions we depend upon for our daily needs. A realistic disaster plan must balance these dependencies against the stark truth that you are likely to be required to survive outside this system for days or weeks at a time at some point in your life.

Being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive. In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I’ve learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

This is the third installment in a multi-part series on personal disaster preparedness. Your humble correspondent is a Silicon Valley technical executive with both professional and personal experience in risk assessment and disaster-readiness planning. Links to reference materials, including planning guides and reference information, will be found at the end of the final Diaries in this series.

WARNING: This Diary series discusses a wide range of disaster-related subjects in a straightforward, honest fashion. Some people may experience a strong emotional reaction to reading about or discussing situations which are normally avoided in polite conversation. You have been warned.

Previous Diaries in this series have addressed the basic principles underlying preparedness, including some elementary disaster psychology. The remaining installments, beginning with this one, are sharply focused on the practical aspects of planning and preparation to survive a disaster.

When disaster strikes, will you be prepared?

In this installment, we will complete our discussion of step 2, planning to address risks. As mentioned above, today’s installment is sharply focused on the practical aspects of preparedness planning.

The AlphaGeek approach to disaster preparedness

The field of preparedness planning is an interesting one, full of colorful characters and hair-raising tales. Your humble correspondent is not an ex-Special-Forces badass, nor is he a buckskin-clad outdoor survival specialist. My “specialty”, if you will, is preparedness planning for suburban and exurban environments. Above all, I focus on pragmatic, sustainable plans which recognize the common failure modes for family- and community-level crisis management.

In a nutshell, I believe that family-level preparedness plans (and material support for those plans) should meet the following criteria:

• Any critical element of each plan must have at least one clearly explained alternate solution
• All plans must be in written form, ready to be executed by anyone entrusted with the safety of your family
• A written copy of your plan must be available in any context in which you might need to execute said plan (e.g. home, work, vehicles)
• Everyone involved in your preparedness plans (e.g. out-of-state relatives) must review their part of the plan and understand their role
• Material preparations must not require inspection more than once per year, and must still be capable of meeting minimum requirements if left unattended for 4 years

Red Cross survival gear for your home can be packed in a single tub with a lid

The fact is, folks, that people are lazy, your correspondent included. If your disaster plan depends on dumping and refilling bottles of water every 3 months, let’s face it — at some point, you ARE going to get slack and lose the motivation to keep to the schedule. It takes a pretty deep-seated insecurity complex to consistently maintain your preparedness materials every 90 days over a span of years, and most people just can’t sustain that level of effort. Having bad bottled water and canned food three years past its expiration date isn’t an inconvenience in a crisis — it’s dangerous, because in extremis you might be tempted to use it anyway.

A realistic preparedness plan, in your author’s estimation, should address the following objectives. Remember, tomorrow we will discuss all of the tips and tricks needed to implement a preparedness plan centered on emphasizes practicality and cost-efficiency. The fifth and final installment in this series will detail your correspondent’s preparations for each of these situations, but keep in mind that your preparedness package must address your risks, not those of some guy in California earthquake country.

Communications and rendezvous plan

Cellphones may or may not work; depending on the disaster, towers and power lines may be down.

In a crisis, you are likely to be separated from at least one member of your family. Start with the assumption that your family is at its most vulnerable, i.e. at maximum separation in your daily routines. Your rendezvous plan should address the possibility that family members at work and/or may need to evacuate quickly.

Your communications plan should have two priorities: advise concerned parties on your situation (safe, injured, etc.) and propagate information between people in the disaster zone who may not be able to communicate directly.

House fire: evacuation, response, and aftermath

No explanation needed. If you don’t know what you’re going to do in case of a house fire, you are at significant risk of dying in one. If, after failing to plan, you get out alive the aftermath is likely to be extremely difficult.

Any number of organizations offer complete guides on how to prepare for a home fire emergency, including the Red Cross. Download and use one of these guides today.

Home refuge with no services: Ten (10) days self-sufficiency

Yes, that’s right, folks: 10 days with no running water, no grid electricity, and no natural gas and/or propane delivery. This is most likely to occur during inclement weather (see: natural disasters) so assume that you will need to deal with extremes of heat/humidity or cold. Sanitation and medical requirements for high-needs individuals will both be challenging; plan accordingly.

Open-space refuge with no services: Five (5) days self-sufficiency

If your house is unfit to occupy, you may still be able to set up camp nearby. For this situation, assume that you can recover a significant fraction of your home preparedness package. Identify several likely locations near your home where you might set up a temporary refuge. (NOTE: This is primarily applicable in communities at risk of severe earthquake damage.)

Refuge in/near vehicle: Three (3) days self-sufficiency

Can you live in your vehicle for 3 days? Principal concerns are food, water, clothing and sanitation. Fuel: you either have it or you don’t, and most people won’t/can’t carry an emergency supply large enough to make a significant difference.

Work refuge with no services: Three (3) days self-sufficiency

Assume that the preparedness kit in your vehicle is inaccessible, e.g. the parking garage fell down on your car when the quake hit. How will you get through three days at your place of employment, assuming that movement outside the premises is too hazardous to attempt?

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Red Cross volunteers staffed shelters to assist survivors of that storm

Evacuation to community shelter: Three (3) days self-sufficiency

Relocation to a community shelter is not the end of your worries. (Exhibit A: New Orleans Superdome. Exhibit B: New Orleans Convention Center.) Are you prepared to be self-sufficient within this environment for up to 3 days with minimal/no access to services?

Evacuation from disaster zone: by vehicle

Similar to the refuge in/near vehicle requirement above, but with the added requirements of routing, fuel supply, and so forth. How will you evacuate when the gas stations are closed and/or sold out and the fuel gauge is on ‘E’?

Evacuation from disaster zone: on foot

In dire circumstances, it may be more dangerous to stay in your community than it is to attempt evacuation without the benefit of car. You should have a plan to walk/bike/sled/swim 30 miles over the course of 72 hours to reach safety. This is generally a plan of last resort.

Key planning considerations for your preparedness plan

As you put together your plan for each element in your risk-assessment list, consider how you will address the following needs:

• Environment (heat/AC)
• Electricity
• Water (Stored & portable)
• Nutrition (Stored & portable)
• Food preparation
• Food preservation
• Lighting
• Active communications (cellphone/payphone/radio/Internet)
• Passive communications (radio/TV)
• Entertainment (books/games)
• Clothing
• Transportation
• Shelter (Permanent & portable)
• Medical needs (maintenance medication)
• Medical needs (first-aid/trauma)
• Sanitation (personal hygiene, human wastes, trash/garbage)

Risks, training, and community

Local Red Cross chapters offer basic First Aid, CPR and fFirst responder Training as well as instruction in shelter operations and other fields

In Part 1 of this series, you were asked to consider the risks you face where you live. If you did your homework, you now have a prioritized list of risks that you should plan to address.

In Part 2 of this series, we discussed the psychology of disaster preparedness, and the relationship between FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) and effective crisis response. The prescription for avoiding FUD or shock-induced catatonia is simple: training and practice.

In addition to dry-run rehearsals of the preparedness plans you assemble to address your risks, you should plan to rehearse your fire response plan on a regular basis — at least once per year. Pick a holiday which you normally spend at home, and make that “drill day”.

You’ve heard this before, but please listen anyway: every adult should take a combination First Aid/CPR course at least once every 10 years. Yes, you need to take CPR more often to maintain your certification, but at a minimum everyone should take the combo course every 10 years.

In any disaster, community plays a huge role. The time to forge the bonds that hold a community together is not in the aftermath of a disaster. Fortunately, many communities in the US already have programs in place which encourage outreach and relationship-building.

In your correspondent’s experience, the most useful program is CERT, short for Community Emergency Response Team. The CERT program provides a free 16-20 hour training course which covers disaster preparedness, fire suppression, medical operations, light search-and-rescue, and disaster psychology.

Beyond CERT, however, strong community organizations are needed to provide mutual support in a crisis. Many cities with significant disaster risks support and encourage the formation of neighborhood associations. These organizations both raise awareness of the need for preparedness planning and encourage neighbors to get acquainted instead of keeping to themselves.

Urban dwellers, particularly those in high-density housing such as high-rise apartment buildings, are strongly encouraged to reach out to neighbors and openly discuss the need for preparedness.

Scenarios

Scenario 2 – Heat wave

Description: An unrelenting summer heat wave spreads across the Southwest. Daytime temperatures of over 110F are common. The electric power generation and distribution systems, strained by the load, suffer widespread failures.

Scenario profile:
Family separated: NO
Immediate evacuation required: NO
Post-event evacuation required: POSSIBLE
Services interrupted: YES (electricity)
Mean time to restoration of services: 3 days
Period of initial isolation: not applicable
Communications: minimal disruption
Secondary risks: Medical services overwhelmed by heat-related casualties

Requirements for survival:
Environment: YES, daytime environmental cooling
Electricity: YES, food preservation and environmental control
Water (stored): NO
Water (portable): YES, required in case of relocation
Nutrition (stored): YES, fresh food may spoil
Nutrition (portable): YES, required in case of relocation
Food preparation: YES, if kitchen is all-electric
Food preservation: YES
Lighting: YES, but minimal – night-time use only Alternate active communications: NO, phone/cell network functional
Passive communications: YES, need to stay informed
Entertainment: YES, can’t go outside
Clothing: NO
Transportation: YES, in case of relocation or medical emergency
Shelter (permanent): NO
Shelter (portable): NO
Medical needs (maintenance medication): YES, 1-week supply
Medical care (first-aid/trauma): NO
Sanitation: NO

This one is a double whammy — a major heat wave leading to electricity outages. Heat waves are likely to be accompanies by a drought, greatly increasing the risk of fire danger in outlying areas.

One assumes that you will have the sense to stay out of the sun as much as possible during this crisis. Your author is no expert on heat wave survival, so a bit of Googling found this great city-government page titled Drought & Extreme Heat Survival. Here’s what they have to say:

Doing too much on a hot day, spending too much time in the sun, or staying too long in an overheated place can cause heat-related illnesses. To avoid developing these illnesses, learn the symptoms of heat disorders and overexposure to the sun, and be ready to give first aid treatment.

Before the extreme heat:

To keep cool air inside and warm air outside…

• Install air conditioning.
• Insulate around window air conditioners, ducts, and doors. Weatherstrip doors and window sills.
• Consider leaving storm windows up all year. They can help keep heat out during the summer months as well as keeping the cold out in the winter.
• Install reflective film or shades on windows. Outdoor louvers or awnings can reduce the heat entering a house by as much as 80 percent.
• Use fans to keep the cool air circulating.
• Plant deciduous trees around your house that block the heat in summer and let the sun shine through in winter.

During periods of extreme heat:

To avoid the effects of heat waves, observe the following Heat Wave Safety Rules:

• Slow down. Your body can’t do its best in high temperatures and humidities, and might do its worst.
• Heed your body’s early warnings that heat syndrome is on the way. Reduce your level of activity immediately and get to a cooler environment.
• Dress for summer. Lightweight, light colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your thermoregulatory system maintain normal body temperature.
• Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods (like proteins) that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
• Don’t dry out. Heat wave weather can wring you out before you know it. Drink plenty of water while the hot spell lasts.
• Stay salty. Unless you’re on a salt-restricted diet, take an occasional salt tablet or some salt solution when you’ve worked up a sweat.
• Avoid thermal shock. Acclimatize yourself gradually to warmer weather. Treat yourself extra gently for those first critical two or three hot days.
• Vary your thermal environment. Physical stress increases with exposure time in heat wave weather. Try to get out of the heat for at least a few hours each day. If you can’t do this at home, drop in on a cool store, restaurant, or theater – anything to keep your exposure time down.
• Don’t get too much sun. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult.

An 1895 New madrid qauke registering 6.8 has far greater impact than a similar 1994 quake in California measuring 6.7

Scenario 3 – Earthquake

Description: A magnitude 7.4 earthquake centered on the Hayward fault (Editor’s Note: Clarksville in within the impact range of the New Madrid fault line) strikes the San Francisco Bay Area at 1630PDT (4:30pm) on a weekday in October. One adult from the household is at work on the Peninsula, 20 miles away, when the quake occurs. The other adult is at home in Fremont. One child is at the elementary school walking distance from the house. The other is at preschool 10 miles from home.

The home suffers minor structural damage, but appears fit to occupy. Bay Area bridges are declared unsafe pending inspection; extensive damage to overpasses and roadway make highway travel hazardous or impossible.

Within 4 hours of the quake, 7,000 Bay Area residents are dead and 27,000 require medical attention. The vast majority of these are in East Bay cities within 5 miles (8 km) of the Hayward Fault. Emergency plans go into effect across California, and within 24 hours, martial law is declared in Fremont, Union City, and Oakland.

Scenario profile:
Family separated: YES, worst-case scenario
Immediate evacuation required: NO
Post-event evacuation required: POSSIBLE
Services interrupted: YES (all municipal services including sewer)
Mean time to restoration of services: 10+ days
Period of initial isolation: 7 days
Communications: wireline phone network down hard; mobile voice network extremely unreliable for outdial, indial impossible; mobile data network mostly functional
Secondary risks: Numerous, and all bad.

Requirements for survival:
Environment: YES, night-time lows of ~45F
Electricity: YES
Water (stored): YES
Water (portable): YES
Nutrition (stored): YES
Nutrition (portable): YES
Food preparation: YES
Food preservation: YES, short-term (until fresh/frozen food consumed)
Lighting: YES, but minimal – night-time use only Alternate active communications: YES
Passive communications: YES, need to stay informed
Entertainment: YES
Clothing: YES, replacements for contaminated/damaged clothes
Transportation: YES, local and/or evac
Shelter (permanent): NO
Shelter (portable): YES
Medical needs (maintenance medication): YES, 2-week supply
Medical care (first-aid/trauma): YES
Sanitation: YES

As the observant reader might gather, this is a scenario your correspondent has listed as a primary risk in his preparedness plan. Unfortunately, the death and injury toll numbers aren’t made up or exaggerated. They’re drawn directly from a FEMA study used in CERT training, and they’re not even the worst-case scenario. What follows isn’t the complete response plan, but enough of it to give you a good understanding.

Earthquake damage in California

After the quake hits, each adult moves immediately to a safe location. If mobile-network voice calling is down (very likely) SMS text messaging is used to notify spouse and out-of-state relatives of event and status. If mobile-network data services are functional, email is sent from mobile devices as a backup to SMS messaging. If mobile network is down hard, proceed immediately to nearest pay phone with phone card and call out-of-state contacts with event and status. (Multiple pay phone locations marked on emergency maps in all preparedness kits.)

Each adult then moves quickly to secure their location and ensure access to disaster supplies. The person at home immediately performs a rapid structural assessment. (Assume that both adults have self-treatable minor injuries, at worst.) If the house looks safe for the moment, homebody executes the following tasks:

• NatGas to OFF (wrench and/or emergency tool in multiple locations)
• Water to OFF at master valve (mandatory) and curbside valve (optional)
• Master power breaker to OFF, individual circuit breakers to OFF
• Pull emergency release on garage door and open manually if possible; move car out of garage into driveway
• Relocate containerized camping gear (incl. clothing duffel), go-packs and bicycles to back yard
• Relocate documents container and firearms to secure location
• Relocate fire extinguishers to back yard
• Relocate ice, frozen and refrigerated goods to 5-day coolers in back yard
• Relocate certain kitchen appliances, canned and dry food supplies from kitchen cupboards to back yard
• Advise contacts of status, and intent to retrieve older child from school
• Retrieve older child from elementary school, return home
• Advise contacts of successful retrieval of older child from school, status of child at preschool (unknown/unretrieved, etc.), advise other adult of any aid needed at school
• Enlist older child in setting up temporary camp, kitchen, sanitation station in back yard

The adult at work on the Peninsula secures the work location and activates the company disaster plan. If the parking structure is intact, relocate vehicle to secure location. For safety and security reasons, travel is deferred until at least 0100PDT/day2. “Combat nap” time after setting up overnight watch schedule. Relocate to Fremont, taking at least one other Fremont-bound employee as a passenger. Note: do not issue firearms to unqualified passengers. Drop passenger at safe point near destination, review emergency-contact procedures in case retrieval is required.

Three of four family members rendezvous at home by 0400PDT/day2. “Combat naps” for adults. Refuel vehicle from emergency reserve, assess situation in Fremont using all available info sources, plan retrieval of fourth family member to start at first light (0630PDT/day2). Execute retrieval op, verify that disaster plan is being executed correctly at preschool for remaining kids. Provide first aid as needed, leave emergency food/water supplies if required. Return to home.

I’m going to truncate the explanation of this plan at this point, as it then goes into plenty more detail not necessarily useful to this conversation, such as CERT operations and camp management.

Something bad is going to happen, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

Preparing to deal with a disaster is like going off of a ski jump. If you put off your planning until things start happening, it’s far too late to make much of a difference. Once you’re headed down that ski jump, the time for planning and preparation is over.

On the other hand, being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive. In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I’ve learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

This is the first installment in a multi-part series on personal disaster preparedness. Your humble correspondent is a Silicon Valley technical executive with both professional and personal experience in risk assessment and disaster-readiness planning. Links to reference materials, including planning guides and reference information, will be found at the end of the final Diaries in this series.

Tornados pose a constant threat to Middle Tennessee

Series Index: Are YOU ready for disaster?

1. Assess your risks!
2. Plan to survive! (part A)
3. Plan to survive! (part B)
4. Emergency gear and supplies
5. Material preparations continued; Conclusion

When disaster strikes, will you be prepared?

Despite what you may have gathered from reading guides to readiness from the government, the Red Cross, or other organizations, you should not begin with a spending spree at the local hardware store. When you strip away all of the bureaucrat-speak, there are three basic steps you must follow to be ready for disaster:

1. Assess
2. Plan
3. Prepare

In this installment, we will discuss step 1, assessment of risks.

The psychology of disaster preparedness

In order to effectively prepare for disaster without becoming overwhelmed, you must be able to make realistic judgments about risks. On one hand, it is an effort for most people to “think the unthinkable”, to contemplate scenarios which are far outside the routine of their daily lives. It is difficult for most people to imagine a world where fresh water does not flow from the taps, electricity is something you can’t take for granted, and the grocery store shelves are empty… assuming the stores are even open.

On the other hand, there’s a phenomenon I think of as the “armageddon fallacy”. This is the temptation, once that our Pandora’s Box of fears and concerns has been opened, to imagine extremely unlikely events as real threats. We must be cautious to exercise good judgment when considering risks, as the “armageddon fallacy” is a surprisingly easy trap to fall into. Keep in mind that your plan, at some point, will be shared with friends and family. This incents most people to stay clear of the Crazy Talk Express to Armageddon Town when making a plan.

Assessing your risks: take a look around

Each city, state, and region of the country has its own unique set of risks. For example, your humble correspondent’s home in Fremont, California is unlikely to be threatened by a hurricane — but that home is only a few miles from the Hayward Fault, and surprisingly, is in a “dam failure inundation area”. Many homes in America are subject to hidden or unseen dangers such as this; in the Southwest, for example, the dangers of flash floods in an otherwise arid environment are well known, yet people die (surprised, in many cases) in flash floods every year. (Editor’s Note: Clarksville lies in the flood zone for a potential failure of Kentucky’s Wolf Creek Dam).

Your first task in building a disaster-readiness plan is to assess the risks particular to the areas where you spend significant time. In America’s car-centric suburban culture, many people work 20 miles or more from their home. The risks at work and at home may differ considerably, and should be assessed separately.

Here is a brief listing of risk categories you may find useful in putting together your list of potential emergencies in your area:

• Domestic risks (house fire, carbon monoxide, medical emergency)
• Industrial accident risk (refineries, chemical plants, rail lines transporting hazardous cargo such as liquified chlorine)
• Natural disasters (heat waves, forest/grassland fires, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis)
• Secondary disaster risk due to primary natural disaster (e.g. the reservoir dam which may fail in an earthquake and flood Fremont)
• Civil disturbance (riots, terrorist attacks, acts of war)

These risks are listed in the order in which you should consider them. Please note the “civil disturbance” category is last — this is because one of the principal goals of any disaster plan should be to minimize your exposure to civil-disturbance risks. The next installment of this series will discuss the use of risk-avoidance strategies in detail.

A good source for risk information is your city or state Office Of Emergency Services website, or its equivalent. Other good sources for detailed risk information include the following local resources:

• building permit authority
• fire department
• police department and/or sheriff’s office

There exists one more category of risk which you must consider: risks to your freedom of movement. As you go about your business for the next week, consider the following:

• Do you know of any alternate routes between work and home?
• Does your primary route include bridges or tunnels
• Does your primary route pass under any high-voltage power lines?
• Do you regularly drive past refineries, chemical plants, or rail lines carrying tank cars?
• Does your neighborhood have above- or below-ground power distribution?
• If you need to leave your city or region, how many routes can you think of without consulting a map?
• Do you have reasonably current paper map of your region in each of your family vehicles?

Homework time!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a list of as many disaster risks as you can think of. Get your significant other or your kids involved, and make it a competitive event. Be lenient, at first, when considering whether something is a likely risk. Be sure to include all of the places where you might find yourself when disaster strikes — home, work, school, church, shopping, and so forth. Don’t consider the list closed until you’ve visited each of these places and looked, with a critical eye, at the risks we all ignore on a daily basis.

NEXT TIME: Phase 2 of increasing your preparedness: put together a plan for dealing with the risks you consider likely in your locale.

Update [2005-9-9 16:50:27 by AlphaGeek]: By popular demand, expanded the not-intended-to-be-comprehensive list of natural disasters. Added heat wave, forest/grassland fires, and tsunamis.

The day after a night of storms dawned with many families still without power and emergency response teams pouring into Montgomery County to undertake the task of restoring power, removing downed trees from power lines and roadways, and setting the process of recovery in place. Weather officials estimate that four F-1 tornadoes touched down across the county, three hitting the Palmyra area. The fourth hit Clarksville. F-1s have winds ranging from 86-110 miles per hour.

No place was the pressure felt more than at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Chapter of the American Red Cross, which just two weeks ago sustained a disaster of their own when an arsonist torched the agency’s Emergency Response Vehicle [ERV] filled with disaster response equipment. Faced with the devastation of a tornado, its victims, and a horde of emergency responders to assist, Red Cross volunteers rallied, utilizing many of their own resources in the first hours after the disaster.

Emergency Services Director Cecil Stout was at the Red Cross office within minutes of the storm report, facing the challenge of no power, no computers, no working phones, and no way to easily find the supplies and equipment needed to respond. Stout found himself literally feeling his way in the dark, hand over hand, as he located a battery-operated power source and tapped into that, ultimately using a projector as the main light source.

The midnight tornado was a reality check, Stout said, noting that the absence of the ERV created some delays in responding to this crisis, just as its presence would have made the delivery of services “much easier and more efficienct.” Stout said Nashville was sending a truck to Clarksville “for two days” to assist in recovery efforts. “But this shows us just how desperately we need a fully equipped ERV.”

In the back rooms of the Red Cross, volunteers were assembling “comfort kits” for victims, pulling together first aid and other supplies, and handling the flow of victims and survivors in need of assistance.

“They can’t wait until we have a truck or get our power back on,” Stout said. “They [victims] need us now.”

Volunteer Sharon Black noted that despite the challenges, the Red Cross had served over 100 meals and provided services to three families by morning. Red Cross is now asking for volunteers with chain saws to help residents clear debris, since power company crews will clear power lines but will not cut away the hundreds of trees and limbs covering homes and yards.

As the Red Cross seeks to both replace its ERV and meet this newest demand for assistance from disaster victims, it is asking the community for help. Donations can be made to the Clarksville Chapter of the American Red Cross for either general operating funds [which includes funds for direct assistance to victims] or for the needed Emergency Response Vehicle by making a check to the agency. Checks can be mailed to the Red Cross at 585 S Riverside Drive, Clarksville TN 37040. For more information, call 645-6401.

~~ The Storm ~~

With forecasters eyeing a strong front that ran from Chicago to Texas, it was no real surprise that severe weather would eventually land in Tennessee. Throughout the day the news was full of reports from Missouri and Arkansas of killer storms. Severe thunderstorms began in this area by late day with a tornado watch issued through midnight Friday (May 2). The storm front slowed, seemed to stall at the Mississippi River and over Land Between the Lakes, before sliding into Middle Tennessee.

Once here, it began to wreak its fury, first with fiery bursts of lightning and blasts of wind, then long rumbling rolls of thunder. A few “meso cyclonic” indicators were noted, and the tornado watch was extended a half hour to 12:30 a.m. At three minutes past midnight, the sirens wailed and the storm was already here. The front itself was stuck fast, dumping more and rain before finally sliding east after 2 a.m. So much for the “storm moving at ‘xxx’ miles per hour.” It was, but then it hit the brakes. Over Clarksville.

~~ Palmyra ~~

As for the storm, it first hit on Harris Circle in Palmyra, a winding hillside road that today was littered with debris from a skyline of shredded trees and badly damaged mobile homes.

Jeremy Durkin never heard it coming. Asleep in his bed at midnight, he never heard the wind. His girlfriend, Jennifer Rewczuk did. She bolted from her bed and raced to her son’s room, throwing herself over him as the tornado struck, tumbling the mobile home from its foundation, rolling it across the road, where it came to land on its side against two trees. Jeremy was able to crawl from the trailer, but Jennifer and her two-year-old son “J” ["just "J"] were trapped. The bedroom windows were crushed against the ground; the door leading out to the hall was now the ceiling. Jeremy had to demolish the wall of the trailer to get them out. Apart from bumps, bruises and scratches, they were relatively uninjured.

“Jeremy just kicked the wall out,” Jennifer said. “But we had no warning. Nothing. It happened so fast, and it was over in a minute.”

For Jennifer, this is the second disaster in two years; in 2006 her home was completely destroyed by fire. “We lost everything in that fire,” she recalled, adding that she almost feels like an expert in disaster. That doesn’t keep her from feeling “numb,” for stepping back and look at the remnants of her home with a dazed, disbelieving stare. In the neighbor’s driveway, a few bags and boxes hold all that was recoverable from the wreckage, all that is left of their lives. Their family cat was (as of 2 p.m. Saturday) still trapped in the wreckage. Amid fears that the rest of the mobile home would collapse, it was deemed too dangerous to try and reach the animal.

Next door, Cody Lasley was stading inside what was left of his home, his blond head clearly visible where things like a wall, a ceiling, and a roof should be. Instead, the home was in sections, sliced in half by a tree trunk that cut through his bedroom. The mobile home was surrounded and all but covered by debris.

From inside, Cody simply shook his head, slowly picking through the pieces in search of something to salvage. The pickings were slim.

~~ The Fairgrounds ~~

Splinters. That just about all that’s left of the pavilion at the Clarksville Fairgrounds. At one corner, a two story chunk of storage and office space stands roofless and open to the elements, a stairway now wide open and rail-less, coming and going nowhere. The parking lot is cordoned off for utility vehicle only: phone, electric, and assorted repair and or demolition crews with cherry pickers for high wire work.

Pieces of the building have been pushed into a pile not unlike a tossed up package of children’s “pick up sticks.” Lumber littered the roadside and a good portion of the pavilion was blown across the street, pieces blended in a Cole Slaw mix with tree limbs and downed power lines. The finely shredded roofing shingles were generously laced throughout the chain link fence at both the fairgrounds and the neighboring Clarksville Jaycees.

The Kiwanis Rodeo was curtailed Friday because of the pending line of severe thunderstorms approaching the region; it was lucky break for rodeo fans who would otherwise have been caught in heavy thunderstorms and possibly the tornado itself, with potentially fatal implications. The bleachers in which fans would have been sitting sustained considerable damage, though the livestock brought in for the rodeo, huddled in pens beyond the pavilion area, were unharmed. On Saturday, in light of the destruction and lack of power, a convoy of trucks was loading up the horses and bulls, heading out to their next location.

At the duck pond, the deck designed for handicapped accessibility to the water was damaged, some of its railings ripped apart. One portable toilet sat at a 45 degree angle on the water’s edge, while another appeared to be submerged mid-lake with a dozen turtles happily sunning themselves on its roof. The ducks and geese waddled their way through debris, oblivious to the chaos all around them.

On the highway, hundreds of cars passed by with area residents wanting a peek at the damage.

A new mini mall under construction a few lots down from the fairground had most of its tin roofing twisted up pretzel-fashion, hanging from its roof line to the ground. A power pole and three transformers at Gary Matthews Motors were blown down, draping hot wires over 2008 SUVs. On Saturday, Pike Co. drilled the old post from the ground and replaced it with new transformers. One of the old transformers had split apart; when asked about the potential for PCB contamination, it was learned the new transformers use a soybean oil rather than PCBs.

~~ Hickory Ridge ~~

Driving through Hickory Ridge was a challenge, since several streets were still completely obstructed by downed trees or trees suspended in the hammock of power, cable and phone lines on Saturday.

Shaun Azlin walked along one road, working with the buzz of his leaf blower in his ear, sweeping the nozzle from side to side, blowing smaller pieces of debris from the road. Trees took out power to his home, but the gas-fired tool gave him other clean-up options for his neighborhood.

For Johnny Keykendahl, it was another story: he was watching TV, watching the storm line “move toward us.”

“I just heard a roaring sound, and as I watched the rain went from straight down to coming in sideways,” he said. “From somewhere outside it sounded like someone was shooting machine guns…”

Keykendahl looked out his back window and saw, “well, I’m not sure what I saw. Maybe a funnel. Blue, with lightning… I didn’t waste anytime figuring it out.” Within a matter of minutes, his trees tumbled through his roof and into his home, followed by torrents of rain that left three inches of water in his home. “It all happened within five minutes,” he said, still visibly shaken, but grateful to be alive. “The [tornado] lasted just a minute, then it was gone,” he said. Leaning against the tailgate of a pick-up truck, he spoke with animated hands and a tired look on his face as his sons and neighbors moved about. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

Alan Goldstein, the vision behind Photography by Alan, fare better than many of his neighbors; his home had little structural damage, just a lot of debris to be racked up or bundled up. Cable lines hung loosely at the edge of the road by his driveway. “I just heard an enormous noise,” Goldstein said. “And then it was over.”

His neighbor Doris Hodess wasn’t as lucky.

Doris was at work when the storm hit, and was met halfway home by a friend who wanted to “prepare her” for the destruction on her property.

My whole [chain link] fence is down with a tree in,” she said, noting that a neighbor’s tree now covered her back yard. Another tree straddled her garage. Cracked and broken tree limbs were scattered everywhere and both home and property sustained far more significant damage than Goldstein, who voiced support for his distressed neighbor.

“I have no power, I don’t know if I can sleep here tonight,” Hodess said. “There’s a tree on my house.”

We found Sherry Nolen outside her daughter’s home, where their gas grill had been effectively relocated to a neighbor’s yard along with a basketball hoop. “There’s quite a lot of damage behind the houses,” she said, noting that she was originally planning to help her daughter, Tina Milton, move this weekend, since the house had been sold. behind the home, the heavily wood land was a tangled mire of wood shards and vines.

Apart from the obvious streetside damage, the view in the heavily wooded backyards of the Hickory Hills neighborhood was a spectacular display of Mother Nature run amok. Many trees were sheered off halfway up, with branches of different trees tangled together in a chaotic web.

~~ High Street – Madison Street – Downtown ~~

The last area to sustain significant damage was the High Street area and sections around Crossland and Madison. As the storm blew through, sirens wailed but with barely enough lead time to wake residents, many of whom said they “never heard the sirens.”

“What sirens,” said CO Publisher Bill Larson, who dropped work to dive under his computer desk as the roaring wind passed overhead. “Then the power went out.” Across the street, Greg Schlanger’s children popped bike helmets on the heads and dove into the cellar. A few blocks away, this writer, who couldn’t keep her eyes open, awoke from sleep and flew out of bed at the howling wail of the tornado siren, hitting the floor of the hall closet/shelter at a dead run. The storm took out a number of trees but left the homes unscathed. Larson and Schlanger were just one street away from much heavier damage. [In the absence of power, Larson and I opted to survey the damage, posting our first report at 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning -- with photos.]

In those first minutes after midnight, it was a different story one street over, where felled trees blocked roads and punched holes in roofs, where power lines looked like spaghetti on a plate. The music of the day Saturday was the buzz of chain saws, the sound of rakes and shovels, and not a little groaning from people with increasingly achy backs.

Barbette Norfleet and her daughter Rebekah, 12, were cleaning up their yard.

“I never heard it,” said Rebekah, who slept through the storm. Barbette did, though, and for her it was a scary night. As she worked to clear her home of rubble Saturday, she was very careful of her hands, which, as a massage therapist, are her stock in trade. “I have to make a living with my hands,” she said, using caution as worked. While the storm was severe, Barbette said that “after [the tornado in] 1999, this was a lot easier.”

The tornadic activity stopped just short of the downtown district.

Photos by Bill Larson, Aerial photos by Bobby Melton

[Show as slideshow]

In the dark of night, lit only by shards of lightning, families in the High Street area surveyed the damage from what at this writing appeared to be a tornado strike just missing downtown Clarksville. Several homes were damaged by trees; power lines, downed signs, blown transformers littered the landscape. Widespread power outages were noted throughout south Clarksville. Initial reports from police and fire crews indicate that at least one twister may have touched down. No injuries were reported at this time.

Along Highway 13/48, the fairgrounds pavilion was demolished and its debris effectively relocated across the street by Mother Nature. At Gary Matthews, transformer poles and power lines were blown down and draped over brand new 2008 SUVs. Police cordoned off the road to all but emergency vehicles as they worked close to the fairgrounds section. Red and blue flashing lights brightened the night sky across the area.

Just a few minutes after midnight, after a day of waiting for the slow moving storms to arriv in Middle Tennessee, sirens roared to life even as the tornadic winds instantly killed power to homes and businesses. CDE, Cable, Highway Department and police and fire crews will have their hands full with clean-up operations in the wake of the storm, which dumped several inches of rain and triggered flash flood warnings for southern Kentucky counties.

In looking over the damages early this morning, Clarksville Online publisher Bill Larson took this gallery of photos. We will continue to follow this developing story.