AFTER THE STORM

Posted June 30, 2009

The following  is extracted from “Hurricane Planning for SLCCV (Revised 6/30/2009).  The plans therein have been reviewed by Neighbors-Helping-Neighbors and others involved in the original efforts.  The emphasis below is for that period immediately after a storm hits SLCCV.  If you have suggestions or comments please send them to WBMCCUR@Yahoo.Com.

THE COUNTY, THE SHERIFF, COP (CITIZENS OBSERVATION PATROL) AND

CERT (CITIZENS EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM) PLANS

■  The County & Sheriff will make an assessment of damage county wide.  Results will guide the county’s response and the Sheriff’s actions related to SLCCV.

■  The County & Sheriff will be making decisions on allowing any traffic in the Lakewood area.  Afterwards decisions will be made on curfews.

■  As soon as possible after the storm passes a patrol car may be posted at the entrance to control entry. Residents should carry personal identification with them.  The new SLCCV picture badge would be very helpful  The  Park plans to provide the Sheriff’s car with one of the park’s two way radios to link with the park’s command center and to link the Park with the Sheriff if other communication is out of service.

■  When the COP car is returned to SLCCV it’s communications resources would add to resources available in the community.  There are several CERT volunteers who are residents in the community who would be available under the direction of the Sheriff.  

■  If conditions warrant the Sheriff will order COP to do a complete house check in SLCCV. This would follow strict guidelines and might involve calls for a deputy backup and other resources (e.g. Red Cross).  NHN information, especially on households at risk, will be made available to assist in the house check.  NHN volunteers would need to be available to assist.  Coordination will be facilitated with COP and CERT having a table at the Longevity Center command post.  Checking “Red Tagged” homes would be a priority.

PARK MANAGER’S PLANS

■ Once any leaks have been handled water would be on.  A 72 hour boil water order will be effective and residents should have at least a three day supply of drinking water.

■  The Longevity Center will act as command center.  The Park manager, his staff, COP, CERT members and NHN personnel would be assembled and ready to respond.   The building has a generator to supply power.  All key park personnel will have a special two way radio.   The center will have provision for a NHN desk to coordinate their activities.  It shall also have a desk for the SLCCV Web Site and associated computer.  That computer would also provide access to NHN data and recreation Department data (e.g. emergency contact information.).    Having all of these groups physically close to each other will facilitate rapid response to changing circumstances.

■  It would be highly desirable to have up to 4 to 6 golf carts, with two person teams, available for running errands and to help locate and assess damage.

■  The club house will be opened as soon as possible as an information center.  They will try to have coffee and may be serving meals to park workers. 

■  Planning is underway to deal with two major problems experienced in the past related to contractors and the permitting process.  First there will be a Park plan to certify that contractors appearing in the park after the storm have signed in and have presented identification that they are licensed.  There will also be strong recommendations to residents about the amount to put down as a deposit for repairs and rebuilding

Second, representatives from the county building department will be asked to describe how residents can apply and obtain permits quickly for common problems (e.g. storage sheds, car ports) without the necessity to pay a contractor for securing a permit.  Such generic plans and permits should facilitate getting bids from contractors and speed the process of repair and reduce costs.  The life for the generic plans will be 6 – 8 months after the evacuation is called.

NEIGHBOR-HELPING-NEIGHBOR (NHN)  PLANS

■  Although everyone should be watching for warnings and evacuation orders, NHN volunteers should alert as many people as possible when these are issued.

■  Urge evacuation!  If NHN volunteers are aware of someone who will not evacuate, urge them to tie a length of emergency tape to their door handle.  This will be a signal to first responders to check on persons who have stayed.  (Tape will be available at the desk in the club house and from coordinators.)

■  Try to check with households at risk to be sure plans are working out for them. (We still need to identify resources that could help if any household appears to have serious last minute problems, e.g. confusion, sudden illness. A 911 call is one response.)  Please note: The County EOC has assured us that there will be a phone contact a few days before a storm with those who have registered for the Special Needs Shelter to learn their current situation and transportation needs.  If this call does not come someone should check with the County EOC (461-5201)

■  Shut off water to your unit and throw main circuit breaker. 

■  NHN volunteers should give priority to handling serious problems found in their own homes.  NHN volunteers are urged to check in at the club house when returning to the community.  An effort will be made to keep all NHN people informed on the evolving situation.  Please check in even if phones are working when you return.   We will need 4 – 6 golf carts with teams of two to help evaluate damage

■  Check on the situation of homes in each area and communicate results to NHN volunteers at the club house.  Do not, however, risk going through debris.   When the web site is working a channel of communication will be available for residents away from the community to ask about the condition of their homes and for relatives to learn the status of residents here.  NHN volunteers and others are needed to assist with securing this information.  Also, be especially alert to any observed water leaks and report them immediately to the Park command center in the Longevity Building

■  Before telephone service is reestablished, NHN volunteers are urged to check in at the Club House to get updates to be able to inform neighbors.  Also, consider ways to relay requests for emergency assistance to the Command Center at the Longevity Center where links to county services should be available (e.g. through the Sheriff),   If cell phones are working, and if individuals with them are willing, establish ways for your area to use them in the event of an emergency

■  Volunteers will be needed at the Club House and Longevity Center. Volunteers will be needed to support Robyn at the Club House, to assist NHN coordination and to assist the Park Manager e.g. handling phone calls.  If possible recruit neighbors to help.

■  Touch base with other NHN volunteers in the area to update your area’s plan for communication.  Please relay these plans to the NHN desk at the Club House.

■  Volunteers may be needed to assist those at the entrance who will be controlling who may enter the community.  If so some form of shelter may be needed at the entrance.

SLCCV WEB SITE PLANS

■  SLCCV’s Web Site ( SLCCV,ORG )has the potential to provide significant help to the Park Manager, to the Wynne Corporation, to residents who are away and to concerned out-of-town relatives of residents who may be here.  This potential is illustrated by what was done in the instance of Hurricane Frances in 2004.  (See below)

■  Space will be provided in the Longevity Center to operate the Web Site until park-wide power and phone service is restored.  In the Center there will be power for a computer and access to phone lines when they are available in the Center.    At present there are three individuals who can serve as operators (Bill McCurdy, Frank Buzzelli and Jim Brooks). 

■  The same computer will also store all the information now in NHN’s data base, in other data bases maintained for SLCCV and in data bases maintained by the Recreation Department.  This would facilitate quick retrieval of key information if needed in the recovery phase.

HOW THE WEB SITE CAN SERVE IN A HURRICANE

This is based on our 2004 experience with Hurricane Frances.  This happened because one of us (McCurdy) was in Maine and was able to run the site from there and to receive Emails and phone calls.

Using email addresses we have on the site we alerted residents that the web site would be open during and after the storm.  As status reports were received (e.g. from residents who got into the park quickly and could phone or Email or after calls to the Sheriff) they were published on the web site. .  As Emails or phone calls were received raising questions about the condition of homes and residents they were published on a continuous, “Last Received, First Listed” basis.  These were date and time stamped and Email addresses (and/or phone numbers) were included.  Similarly answers to questions (from Email or phone calls) were posted.  At its peak these pages were published two and three times daily.

Park status reports (e.g. on phone service, power and water status, access status, etc.) and management communications were published as received (by phone or fax.)  Links to other sites (e.g.TCPALM.COM) were posted and updated as information came in.  Over a 7-8 day period we received an average of well over a hundred emails a day and dozens of phone calls.  In one day alone we had over 1,000 hits on the site.  A key aim was to provide a way for individuals who were on the scene to respond directly to those with questions on homes and people.  We have heard of many instances where information was sent directly to the person asking.