Response to a question regarding the storms and tornado…

Diana () left a comment to my previous post, asking me the following:

So what do you think about the official f2 being here… Will it make a difference in how all the people who had reported damage will be treated? Do you think there is any underlying damage that has not been found yet.

My response was too long to post as a comment, so I have pasted it here, below:

Well, as a guy who’s interested in disastrous weather, I’m excited to find that the storm spawned a tornado with some significant power, instead of just some strong winds. The last tornado we experienced was very short lived and only an F0, back in ’96. If you remember that one, it didn’t do anything major, except destroy a few signs out at the square, and rip a few shingles (as I recall). I’m glad to know that there weren’t any serious injuries and that there weren’t any fatalities (other than livestock). But, I do kind of wish that it had been a bit stronger. Not that I wish destruction against anyone, but I would like to see the community pull together for a disaster again.

Of course the people involved (meaning victims) will have some different treatment for a short period of time. Friends and family will be doing and giving so much to these people over the next few weeks, until they get tired of it. Or, I hope that would be the scenario, anyway. I wouldn’t want to think that these people will be forgotten about.

With any disaster there are hidden damages which will surface later. There will be something to appear later, and who knows how big it will be, or whether it will have any effect on any lives. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Other “hidden” problems did surface from this storm, though. I know that you were asleep when things went down, and that you were pretty much still asleep when things calmed back down, so I really don’t know how much of it you remember. So, I guess I’ll try and run through everything again, as I know it.

When the warning was issued, all on duty officers scrambled to different locations to act as spotters. Within a few minutes, the bulk of the storm ripped through town, power was knocked out, and dispatch became flooded with calls. All officers dispersed, and responded where they could. About twenty minutes later, when things began to become more organized, I went to the office to answer the phones should any calls come in. I was there until 7:30 or so, about a half-hour after power was restored. Roughly six hours of excitement. A lot happened during that short amount of time. A lot went wrong.

There were two things which I know went wrong long before the storm hit, which might not have made a difference in what all transpired that morning–one being the NWS eSpotter system. That morning the NWS realized that they were having issues with the system and were attempting to have it up and running before anything happened. I do not know whether it became functional or not–I was having issues, but am not sure whether it was on my end or theirs.

The other thing which went awry before the storm involves KYWINS. The morning before was the first morning in which I attempted to login. I was able to login, but was unable to download the client list, and was unable to chat with anyone. I do know that the system recognized me, for dad told me he had been sending me alerts via the messenger, but I never received any of them. I know this issue is on Ky’s end and not mine, because I have attempted a login using his computer, and have the same issue using my account.

An issue which will likely arise (meaning: I’m sure someone will cause a fuss) is related to the fact that we hadn’t activated any spotters. Spotter activation wouldn’t have helped to begin with, due to the fact that it was night. It is impossible to spot a tornado at night. Another reason why spotters weren’t activated is that it is understood that spotters in Harrison County are self-activating. All of the spotters on the roster are involved in emergency operations or are avid scanner enthusiasts. At each training session, it has been made clear that for night-time storms, spotters are encouraged to stay at home, and keep an eye out. If the spotters follow this rule, they will be safe, and offer the county better coverage. It had been understood that in Cynthiana, the police department would act as spotters. This was apparently forgotten, because Laytart did not dispatch the units to spot until the alert came through.

Speaking of dispatch, that’s where most of that morning’s issues lie. When the power went out, dispatch essentially died. It has been this way ever since the E911 system was implemented. Our dispatch center does not have an adequate backup power supply. The computers and consoles are on a UPS system which allows barely enough time for someone to turn on the generator. Other “non-essential” and high-power equipment aren’t attached to the batteries, and typically fault when powered back on. If you’ll remember, I had told you once before that several years ago McGuffin allocated a generator which was set to auto-power any attached system when normal sources shut off. This generator was more than able to serve the task of keeping dispatch running–it had operated as the backup system for Bluegrass Airport’s runway lights. As I recall, the city said “thanks, but no thanks” and gave it to Harrison Machine Shop. (I may be wrong.) As a consequence, a good portion of the dispatch equipment was rendered powerless–including the phone system. Dispatch also lost contact with surrounding counties’ agencies where a few radios faulted from the disruption.

Dad was busy most of the morning running around trying to keep the radios working–that’s why I was sitting at the office to answer the phone. He ran to the towers to deliver/fire-up the generators (except for the city fire dept.–they actually handle it on their own), and ran to dispatch to aid in resetting and troubleshooting the equipment.

Other issues? Plenty. How about our understaffed police department? and the fact that we don’t have a take-home fleet? Other officers came on duty, but the few that were in town had to be picked up by those on duty, while others had to drive in. The sheriff’s dept. didn’t have this issue.

What about the government? Brown was out of town–big surprise. Alex, however, was up and came in as soon as he could–he stopped by the office to see what was going on, and to find out what he needed to do.

Why is it that county government runs so smoothly, and the city government has so many issues? I’d wager that the issues with dispatch wouldn’t have happened if it were controlled by the county. Yes, it’s a “joint” venture, but the city has control–it’s attached to the police department. Don’t get me wrong, I do not want to bad-mouth CPD, but they are heavily limited by the city.

I dunno… I could ramble on forever about this…

My biggest sticking point is the lack of organization within the city when it comes to any disaster. Similar events unfolded during the ice-storm and the flood. Harrison County has learned a lot. Cynthiana has not. I can’t wait until they day comes where we either get a good mayor, or the city commission votes to approach the county with the proposal of a merged government. (Yes, the city has to make the decision first. So, chances are, it’ll never happen.)

So, will the families be treated differently? Yes. Maybe their voices will be heard if they decide to call for better organization, though I doubt it, where they aren’t citizens of the City of Cynthiana. Are there any unseen damages which have taken place, or will take place in light of the storm? Undoubtedly. The big question, which you failed to ask, is whether anything has been, or can be learned from it. Only time will tell. Unfortunately, time hasn’t helped us yet.

Further comments are welcome.