lawrenceburgnow.com

Monday, May 3, 2010

Agencies Work Diligently To Ensure Safety Of Residents During Storms

   Workers with various agencies across Lawrence County rose to the occasion during the stormy weekend to ensure the safety and security of area residents.

   From standing at the ready to offer food and shelter, to literally hitting the trenches to repair damages to roadways and such, to taking to the water to rescue those who found themselves stranded and in peril, the efforts of our local workers did not go unnoticed when flooding began to rear its ugly head in Lawrence County once again Saturday and Sunday.

   Some eleven people were reportedly killed in Tennessee as a result of weekend storms, with another four lives claimed in Mississippi, where the storms originated. Reports indicate that ten individuals perished across the state as a direct result of flooding. The eleventh was said to have died as a result of tornadic activity.  

Water filtration operations

   Wayne Davis with the Lawrenceburg Water Filtration Plant said Monday morning that a total of 7.74” of rain was measured at the facility during the two-day period. Situated adjacent to Shoal Creek, Davis said that they were forced to shut down operations Sunday night when water rose to the point that it covered the intakes. Operations were suspended throughout the night but resumed Monday morning after flood waters receded. Davis said that although the halt in operations caused reserves to be slightly low, “after a day of operation it should be pretty much back to normal.” Utilities Director Vic Pusser emphasizes that the situation did not cause any issues as far as water quality was concerned.

Electricity operations

   Pusser said that local problems with electrical service was “isolated and scattered.” While there were some minor outages attributed to downed tree limbs and such, and power was disrupted when a few poles were washed out by flooding, the problems that arose were handled in a timely and efficient manner. Most crews were called in to assist during the weekend only because the outages were scattered so widely.

   “The biggest problem we had,” Pusser said, “was getting where we needed to go. We were often forced to take some alternate routes due to flooding.”

   “Overall,” he points out, “We faired pretty well. It could have been a whole lot worse.”

   While no one has taken them up on the offer to date, Pusser said that they have offered their assistance to counties that sustained far greater damage.

Highway Department

   Road Superintendent Donnie Joe Brown was out of the office Monday and in the field, lending assistance in the hopes of more quickly making local roadways passable once again. A department representative explained that crews were diligently working to repair damages throughout the county. Numerous road and driveway culverts were washed out due to flooding, in addition to other damages. These damages left some residents trapped at their homes, unable to exit their driveways.

   Crews, she pointed out, are turning much of their initial efforts to roadway repairs since these affect the greatest number of motorists. They will then work to repair driveway damages; though these, too, will be completed as quickly as possible. Crews are working from early morning until around 7:30 p.m., taking advantage of the daylight hours. They hope to have repairs completed within the next couple of days.

Schools

   Problems with the roadways lead Director of Schools Dr. Bill Heath to close schools on Monday and Tuesday. Since all extra days built into the school calendar had already been used, students will be required to make up this time away from the classrooms.

Emergency agencies

   All local law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, rescue workers, and firefighters were quick to answer calls for assistance throughout the weekend. All were kept busy conducting rescue operations, directing traffic and doing whatever they could to assist those in need.

   Lawrenceburg Fire Chief Don Kelley said his department was called upon continuously throughout the two-day period. Members of the department’s Swift Water Rescue Team, which includes a couple of members from Lawrence County Fire and Rescue, were summoned to assist in rescue operations throughout Lawrence and surrounding counties.

   On Saturday the department was put on standby by Maury County. One crew was sent there until they were needed here in Lawrence County.

   The Swift Water Rescue Team was dispatched to Lewis County Sunday where Kelley said they rescued individuals from flooded homes and vehicles, then assisted in the rescue of family pets. From there they made their way to Wayne County, then back to Lawrence County.

The team was able to rescue two individuals who had become trapped inside their home in the Summertown area before moving on to the Ethridge area. They then moved on to Giles County where two persons were rescued after becoming stranded in flood waters when their car stalled. One was trapped inside the vehicle while the other made it onto the roof.

   “They had to start prioritizing their calls,” Kelley explained, “responding first to the scenes that posed the greatest danger.”

   While the team was being dispatched from county to county, other members of the fire department were readying for more dire circumstances from the flooding. As the waters of Shoal Creek continued to rise, officials worried that the western end of the county might become cut off from emergency services altogether.

With that in mind, one fire crew, along with a crew from the Lawrence County Ambulance Service, posted themselves on the west side of Shoal Creek. A makeshift nursing station was established at West End Fire Hall until the situation returned to some semblance of normalcy.

   “I would like to say a special ‘thank you’ to our local ham radio operators and Sky Warn Weather Spotters who worked so hard during the crisis time,” Kelley said. “They always help out so much – and they’re the ones who let us know what’s out there.”

American Red Cross

   In all the hustle and bustle that ensued during the weekend, members of the Lawrence County Chapter of the American Red Cross stood alert and ready to offer assistance to storm victims. Chapter Director Jenny Benson expressed Monday, “We were so fortunate.” Benson said that although flooding was a factor throughout the area, the chapter did not establish any shelters throughout the two-day deluge. “Everyone said they had friends or family members they could stay with…We didn’t have to put anyone up.”

   “We’re in pretty good shape here,” Benson pointed out, “We will just be providing assistance to a few families for such things as cleanup.” Other areas, she points out, were not so fortunate. Flooding crippled the Nashville area during the weekend and had devastating results for residents of Hickman County as well.

   “We are looking to assist Hickman County as much as possible,” Benson pointed out. “They were hard hit and many are without water or power…We plan to focus much of our efforts on offering assistance there.”

   Anyone who is interested in offering any type of assistance to these hard-hit areas is urged to contact the Red Cross office at 762-1599. “We can find them somewhere to help,” Benson said.

 

Tell a friend about this page!
Their Name:
Their Email:
Your Name:
Your Email:

Free JavaScripts provided
by The JavaScript Source

.