Upson county emergency management personnel met with a delegation of Lamar county officials Thursday afternoon to discuss issues they confronted during and after the tornado of April 28th.
Lamar county emergency management director Billy Campbell told the group that the tornado was the most overwhelming experience of his career and that the entire county is still dealing with a number of issues.
The most difficult problem was access to the impacted areas, emergency personnel were unable to reach all of the victims due to the large volume of debris blocking the streets. The importance of having more than one individual trained in certain positions became critical when personnel either suffered a direct hit by the storm or were unable to cross the line of damage.
Damage assessment, coordinating volunteers, debris removal and communications presented challenges immediately after the storm.
County commissioner Charles Glass stated that the storm had an economic impact of about $500,000 on the county and that with state and federal assistance the final cost to Lamar county may be lowered to around $125,000. The county had no contingency fund for storm related expenses and will have to budget for them.
Fire chief Steve Andrews expressed how critical the management of manpower is following a disaster. Relief personnel for firefighters, EMT’s, law enforcement and volunteers must be planned for in advance, along with locations for relief and rehabilitation stations. Lighter uniforms for firefighters and rescue personnel is needed, the heavy equipment used to fight a fire is very physically taxing in a rescue operation and reduces the amount of time that an individual can work.
Lamar county has 38 members on their Certified Emergency Response Team (CERT) that were instrumental in both the initial response and during the extended recovery effort. Coordination of phone banks, food and supply donations, aid distribution, assistance requests and temporary computer centers to give internet accessibility to affected households were handled by several of the CERT members.
Campbell urged local officials to identify potential locations for FEMA and state response teams prior to a disaster. He stated that mobile first aid units and temporary lighting was needed where victims had no access to transportation. Hospital and school disaster plans are also incorporated into the overall response.
Upson county officials will now evaluate local policies and procedures to determine any improvements that may need to be incorporated into the county’s disaster response program.
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