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April 2016 Issue
Shelby County PrepareAthon!
Photo Captions: Left: SCOP Director Dale Lane, standing, kicks off Shelby County’s PrepareAthon.
Right: Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, standing, encourages citizens to join the PrepareAthon.
The Shelby County Office of Preparedness (SCOP), in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), kicked off the Shelby County PrepareAthon on April 21 during a press conference at the Emergency Operations Center. Dale Lane, SCOP Director, welcomed Willie Womack, from FEMA, Jane Waldrop, from TEMA, Gary Woodall, from the National Weather Service, Mark Luttrell, Shelby County Mayor, and the mayors from each municipality. Director Lane issued a “call to action” for Shelby County citizens, businesses, corporations, and faith-based communities to get prepared. The PrepareAthon, April 25 – 29, a week-long event, with each day dedicated to specific action items. They include:
Monday, April 25: Weather Awareness Day. Learn the difference between a weather watch and a warning. Sign up for free weather alerts with ReadyTN and FEMA. Purchase a NOAA all-hazards radio with a battery back-up and tone alert. Heed the watches and warnings.
Tuesday, April 26: Flood Dangers Awareness Day. Flooding, the number one natural disaster, can happen anywhere, any time. Homeowners insurance does not cover flooding. Visit www.floodsmart.gov to learn about your flood risks and how to purchase flood insurance.
Wednesday, April 27: Tornado Drill Day. The outdoor warning sirens will be activated at 10:00 a.m. for the Shelby County tornado drill. Shelter in your “safe place” during the drill. It is best to be underground. If you cannot, go into in a sturdy building, the lowest floor, away from windows, with the most walls surrounding it. Have a NOAA weather radio, pillows, blankets, flashlight, a disaster kit, and a helmet.
Thursday, April 28: Earthquake Awarness Day. At 10:00 a.m., practice the DROP, COVER, HOLD maneuver during the earthquake drill. Drop under a sturdy desk or table, cover your head with your hands, and hold on. Take photos and send them to SCOP.
Friday, April 29: Personal and Business Preparedness Day.
Special Needs Planning: visit www.ready.gov
Red Cross First-Aid Safety Course: visit www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid
SKYWARM Spotters Class: visit www.weather.gov
Red Cross Ready Rating Self-Assessment: visit www.readyrating.org/
Saturday, April 30: Disaster Relief Trials Exercise
The Shelby County Office of Preparedness invites you to particiate in a bicycle disaster relief trial. This exercise will showcase the connectivity of the area’s bicycle infrastructure, the usefulness of bicycles during disasters, and establish a database of citizen volunteers. Participants will travel about 30 miles, stopping at six checkpoints, and simulate carrying 100 pounds of disaster supplies as cargo. Citizens are welcome to join the ride (all bikes are welcome) or volunteer at a check-in station. For more information, please contact Cort Porter at [email protected] or call 901.921.8096. For more information about how you, your family and your business can particiate in the Shelby County PrepareAthon, please contact Shelby Logan, Preparedness Officer, at [email protected] or call 901.222.6700.
PrepareAthon! 10 (more) Ways to Join
PrepareAthon Webinar
Dale Lane, Director of the Shelby County Office of Preparedness, was a featured speaker for the FEMA webinar, “Moving from Awareness to Action with America’s PrepareAthon,” on April 13, 2016. From the Emergency Operations Center, Director Lane shared the agency’s plans for the Shelby County PrepareAthon April 25 – 30. Other speakers included Dr. Beth R. Stewart, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Ashville-Buncombe Technical Community College; Mary Carlson, Senior Manager, Training and Exercises, Amtrak Emergency Managmenet and Corporate Security; and Bart Howard, Deputy Director of the City of Colorado Springs Office of Emergency Management. The webinar will be available on the FEMA website later this month for viewing at www.fema.gov.
Officials Address Sewage Health Concerns
Photo Captions: Left: Memphis OEM Director Lt. Richard Keith and Shelby County Office of Preparedness
Director Dale Lane, far left. Center: Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, left, and Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter, right. Right: Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Helen Morrow
Photos by Steve Shular, PIO, and Michael Brazzell, SCOP Preparedness Officer.
A press conference was called at the Shelby County Office of Preapredness on April 6 to address public health concerns from a sewage leak on March 31 at Cypress Creek in Southeast Memphis. Cypress Creek empties into McKellar Lake, an industrial and recreational waterway. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, Shelby County Health Department Director, Dr. Alisa Haushalter, City of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, City of Memphis Public Works Director Robert Knecht, and other officials updated the public following a “water contact advisory” from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. McKellar Lake registered high concentrations of E.coli bacteria. On April 7, a bypass was installed by Memphis Public Works to halt the sewage. A second leak was discovered and repaired. On April 8, a Presidents Island tenants’ meeting was conducted to answer the public’s questions. The McKellar Lake boat ramp is closed. Citizens are advised to refrain from contact with the water until further notice. Another leak, near the Loosahatchie River near Sunnybrook Drive, was discovered April 19 and is being repaired. There is no harm to public drinking water. For more information, please visit www.shelbycountytn.gov.
April Do1Thing: Emergency Food
Disasters may result in limited access to food supplies. Do1Thing April suggests stocking up on non-perishable foods to sustain you for at least seven days. Be mindful of those with special diets, allergies, seniors, and infants. Add a manual can opener and disposable utensils. Include in your kit:
Bottled water Comfort food (hard candy, canned pudding) Powered milk Energy, protein, or fruit bars Instant coffee Canned meat, vegetables, soups Canned juice Nuts Peanut butter and jelly Dry cereal, granola Crackers Vitamins Self-heating meals Meals-ready-to-eat
Check your food supply twice a year to ensure nothing has expired. Rotate expired items out and new food items in. For more monthly preparedness tips, please visit. www.do1thing.org.
March Deluge
Photo Captions: Left: Traffic halts at A.W. Willis and Third Street due to flooding. Center: On Stage Road,
yards fill up with rain. Right: SCOP Director Dale Lane speaks to the media as 4 homes were
evacuated at Old Covington Pike and Pleasant Ridge near the Loosahatchie River. Photo by Steve Shular.
On March 10, Director Dale Lane of the Shelby County Office of Preparedness activated the Emergency Operations Center, Level 4, following 2 days of record-breaking rainfall. According to the National Weather Service, 4.53 inches fell on March 9 and 3.43 inches fell on March 10. Flash flooding filled ditches, parking lots, and backed up into the streets. Frayser Achievement Elementary school closed due to roof leaks. Riverside Drive, downtown Memphis, closed after a mudslide blocked the road. River flood warnings were issued for the Loosahatchie at Arlington and the Wolf River at Germantown as they quickly rose to flood stage. Ten citizens living in Northeast Shelby County on Covington Pike near Pleasant Ridge Road were evacuated by emergency personnel using a Hydratrek vehicle as ankle deep water surrounded their homes. The Loosahatchie River peaked at 23.9 feet on March 11 and the Wolf River at Germantown rose to 23.31 feet on March 10. Some of the road closures included: Brunswick from Old Brownsville Road to Jack Bond, Galloway Levee from Collierville Arlington to U.S. 70, Quince and Riverdale; Tchulahoma at Arnold, Hatcher Circle at Old Getwell, Humphrey at Walnut Grove, and Old Covington Pike from Pleasant Ridge Road to Tenn. 14. No deaths or injuries were reported for Shelby County. Memphis Light, Gas and Water reported 1,800 customers without power on March 9. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) activated to a Level 4. On March 11, the EOC reverted back to Level 5, normal operations. The Shelby County Office of Preparedness reminds citizens that flooding, the most common natural disaster, can occur anywhere - any time. Keep a NOAA all-hazards radio with you. Heed the watches and warnings. If you encounter water on the roadways, stay safe, “turn around, don’t drown!”
Photo Captions: Left: TDOT signs cautions motorists about ponding due to excessive rain. Center: A mudslide on
the bluff sent sod and mud into Riverside Drive. Right: Agricenter International saw much of its farmland flooded.
FEMA Reminds You!
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) added a new feature to their mobile app called, “Set a Reminder.” Citizens receive “push notifications” reminding them to perform preparedness tasks including: test smoke alarm, practice fire escape plan, and update emergency kit. Once you receive a reminder, you can reset it. If you have uploaded the FEMA app, the feature went live April 6. To upload the app or for more information, please visit: www.fema.gov/mobile-app.
Weather Events / Outages
Photo Captions: Facebook images of students wading through flood
waters at Millington High School, March 31.
National Weather Service (NWS) in Memphis Reported:
March 3: Flood advisory, Mississippi River at Memphis.
March 9: Flash flood watch and warning. River flood warning, Loosahatchie at Arlington. Sam Cooper at East Parkway flooded.
March 10: Flood watch and warning. Loosahatchie at Arlington, Wolf River at Germantown. Wolf River Blvd flooded.
March 11: Flash flood watch and warning. Baptist East Hospital parking lot flooded.
March 12: Flash flood watch and warning. River flood warnings continued.
March 13: Flash flood warning. Severe thunderstorm warning. Tornado watch and warning. River flood warning. Loosahatchie and Wolf Rivers at flood stage.
March 22: Wind advisory.
March 30: Flash flood watch. Flash flood warning. Tornado Watch.
March 31: Flash flood watch. Severe thunderstorm watch and warning. Flood warning, Loosahatchie at Arlington.
April 9, 10: Wind Advisory. Memphis Light, Gas and Water Outages:
March 3: 7,331 outages. Whitehaven substation down.
March 8: 12,000 customers. Midtown substation down.
March 9: 1,800 Frayser customers. WMC TV went off the air (used Facebook to broadcast).
March 15: 4,000 Germantown accounts.
March 16: 5,000 East Memphis and Germantown accounts.
April 6: 1044 customers.
Mississippi River at Memphis
Photo Captions: Left: Mississippi River, Mud Island. Right: NWS hydrograph on April 22.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service reports the Mississippi River at Memphis stage is 14.94 feet on April 22. Flood stage is 34 feet. Please visit www.weather.gov for the latest river stage information.
Communications Drill
Photo Caption: SCOP Reserves, Rosalinda
Melena, left, and Steve Smith, right
“Attention all stations!” began Rosalinda Melena, SCOP Reserve and net control for a communications exercise Saturday, April 2. The Shelby County Office of Preparedness (SCOP), in partnership with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) held the auxiliary communications exercise from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., inviting licensed ham radio operators to check-in. Once they checked-in with Melena at the Office of Preparedness, she instructed them to switch to a designated simplex frequency by reprogramming their radios. The hams then checked-in a second time with Reserve Ham Hilliard, net control, at the Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington on simplex. Eugene Jones, SCOP Officer, compared check-in lists and noted that Melena and Hilliard had most of the same check-ins. The successful drill tested ham operators’ ability to transmit through a repeater to Melena, listen to her instructions, follow them, and check-in using the simplex frequency to Hilliard. Jones thanked all those who participated in the drill. Per Jones, the next Shelby County “aux com” drill is scheduled for May 5 – 7, 2016. Visit www.staysafeshelby.us for more information or to register. All licensed hams are welcome to check-in to Shelby County Office of Preparedness Emergency Reserve Net (SCOPERNET), Mondays, at 6:00 p.m., 147.09 repeater, tone 107.2. Ned Savage, Reserve, is net control. The net is also activated during weather warnings.
Hazardous Materials Awareness
Photo Caption: Left: Erin Meier, instructor, Right: 2016 ERG
Hazardous Materials Awareness Level was presented on April 9 by Erin Meier, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency District Coordinator, at the Shelby County Office of Preparedness. The class focused on recognizing and identifying hazardous materials on fixed facilities and in transit. Once a hazardous material was identified, Meier instructed students how to stay safe and keep others safe. Students learned how to use an Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) with a group exercise at the conclusion of the class and what pertinent information would be helpful to report to authorities. For more information on preparedness classes, please visit www.staysafeshelby.us.
Working with the Media
Photo Caption: Jerry Wells, center, instructor
“Working with the Media: A Short Course for Rural First Responders,” a FEMA seminar, was presented at the Shelby County Office of Preparedness on March 22. Jerry Wells, master instructor with Eastern Kentucky University, presented the fine points of working effectively with the media. Emergency professionals from Shelby County, including several local public information officers, attended the 8- hour class. Wells, with 32 years in law enforcement, gave his students this sage advice, “The media is a business with a bottom line. Remember your five W’s +1: who, what, when, where, why and how. Always be honest and tell it like it is. Try to put your information out first. Don’t be afraid to use social media. Do all you can to build trust and be positive!”
Disaster Exhibit
The awesome power of tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes are some of the natural disasters you can see, hear, and feel at the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis. “Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters,” interactive exhibition is showing through May 1 at 3050 Central Avenue. The Field Museum in Chicago developed this educational program. For information, visit www.memphismuseums.org.
Cell Phones Predict Quakes
Cell phones are being used to help detect and predict earthquakes. The University of California at Berkeley developed a free phone app called “MyShake.” The app uses smartphone sensors to detect strong movements caused by an earthquake through the accelerometer. If a phone detects a 5.0 magnitude quake, it sends a message to a central server. Scientists offer the free app to help collect data in hopes of creating an early warning system for quakes. Visit www.myshake.berkeley.edu.
Reserves Complete EVOC Training
Photo Captions: Left: Tonya McCoy, EVOC training instructor.
Right: Reserves drive the obstacle course
The Shelby County Office of Preparedness Reserves completed Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) training on March 19. Instructor Tonya McCoy presented the Vanessa K. Free Drive Training Program. The course emphasized “Do No Harm” and reviewed the Tennessee Code Annotated laws, rules, and regulations for operating an emergency vehicle. After the lecture, videos, and a post-test, the Reserves were given a driving skills test to complete the training.
Preparedness Training
Photo Caption: Active Shooter Awareness
presented to Reserves by Officer Eugene Jones
Visit www.staysafeshelby.us to sign up for FREE public safety and preparedness classes. SKYWARN:
On-line: National Weather Service: Visit: www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=onlinespottertraining
On-line: Comet/MedEd: Visit: www.meted.ucar.edu/training_course.php?id=23 FEMA Independent Study: FREE self-paced courses. To register, visit: https://training.fema.gov/is/ Run, Hide, Fight: Surviving an Active Shooter Event. YouTube: https://youtu.be/5VcSwejU2D0
Volunteer with SCOP! If you have the heart to volunteer and are interested in public safety, the Shelby County Office of Preparedness (SCOP) is recruiting for the following programs. Join us!
Reserve Program: Reserves attend monthly meetings, teach CERT classes, attend community events to hand out brochures, and assist the staff during activations. A minimum of 4 hours a month volunteer time is required. Email Shelby Logan, Coordinator, at [email protected] or fill out an application at www.staysafeshelby.us.
Shelby Cares Program: Reserves assist staff if sheltering is needed. Email Terry Donald, Coordinator, at [email protected] or visit www.staysafeshelby.us for an application.
EOC Activations
The Shelby County Office of Preparedness (SCOP) is at Level 5, Normal Operations. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is at Level 4, Elevated, on April 22, 2016.
Preparedness Resources
Shelby County Office of Preparedness: www.staysafeshelby.us, 901.222.6700
SCOP@SCOP_HLS_EMA
Shelby County Citizen Corps: email [email protected]
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): email [email protected]
Shelby Cares Faith-Based Sheltering Initiative: email [email protected]
Storm Shelter Registry: email [email protected]
Shelby County Office of Preparedness Reserves: email [email protected] Shelby County: www.shelbycountytn.gov
Shelby County Medical Reserve Corps: www.shelbycountymrc.org
Shelby County Public Health Emergency Preparedness: www.schdresponse.com
American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
Center for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov
Center for Earthquake Information and Research: www.memphis.edu/ceri
Federal Emergency Management Agency: www.fema.gov, www.ready.gov
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA): www.tnema.gov
Memphis Light, Gas and Water: www.mlgw.com, www.mlgw.com/residential/outagemap Emergency: 901.544.6500, Downed Lines: 901.528.4465
National Weather Service: www.weather.gov, www.weather.gov/memphis, 901.544.0399
United States Geological Survey: www.usgs.gov EMERGENCY: Call 911
Preparedness Word Cloud
