Contact: Ranjit Arab, University Relations, (785) 864-8855 or [email protected]
KU engineers offer advice for tornado preparations
LAWRENCE -- By all accounts, there was little that the town of Hoisington could have done to avoid the destruction caused by the F-4 level tornado that struck the central Kansas community last weekend.
Still, some residents said they failed to seek proper shelter in time because they were waiting to hear the sirens. Those sirens, emergency officials now believe, may not have sounded in certain areas due to a power outage, and that may have led to at least one fatality.
However, a University of Kansas professor who helps communities throughout the state prepare for such disasters said officials can still take measures to ensure that residents hear the sirens, even when the main power line goes down.
Jacob Kovel, assistant professor of architectural engineering at KU, said community officials not only need to test their sirens before disasters strike, they also need to implement a plan that includes an alternate power source.
"That's a problem that a lot of people have, because they are dependent on the sirens -- more so than TV or the radio," Kovel said. "Unless the siren goes off, people often feel that there isn't a threat."
Kovel and his team of graduate students in the urban planning program at KU inspect communities, helping them develop a proper checklist for response to tornadoes and other disasters, such as floods, grain elevator or chemical explosions, and even terrorist attacks. Currently, they are helping the lone emergency management official in Marion County develop a more complete emergency response plan.
Using a geographic information system that combines aerial photos and topographic maps, the researchers create a series of databases. These databases not only include weather information, such as wind patterns and flooding tendencies, they also contain logistical information about critical buildings, including the number of people that typically occupy each facility.
Ultimately, the KU researchers are able to determine what buildings are in at-risk zones for disasters.
"We're not going to reduce the likelihood of the disaster happening but we can reduce the impact of the disaster once it does happen by taking steps to mitigate it."
These steps include ensuring that the community meets both the state and federal guidelines for emergency response. While most of these guidelines seem like common sense -- things such as testing the sirens and establishing proper shelters -- other steps, such as developing the proper chain of command, can lead to several more questions, Kovel said.
"Do the phones work? If the phones don't work, are there radios there? Are the radios working? Who contacts whom? Does the 911 operator handle calls of this type? If not, who does the 911 operator forward the call to? Who keeps track of where all the fire trucks are? Is there a need to have formal agreements with other counties to provide support?" These are just a few of the questions Kovel helps communities answer.
By and large, Kovel said, emergency planners throughout the state are well prepared for such disasters. Still, he said, he would like to see more state and federal funds available to communities so they can take additional preventative measures, including disaster drills to test communities for their ability to respond efficiently.
Until more funds are made available, Kovel said that the best thing communities can do is make sure their lines of communication can withstand a disaster.
"If your plan is up to date -- if your warning system works -- you're about 95 percent of the way there. There's only so much you can do," he said. "Tornadoes are very unpredictable."
While Kovel offers advice to help prepare communities for disasters, Steve McCabe, professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering at KU, said there are a few measures homeowners can take to fortify their homes against tornadoes.
Although McCabe said he has not done much work on issues related to tornadoes, he has done extensive research on structural damage caused by earthquakes. In November 1999, McCabe and JoAnn Browning, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, toured earthquake sites in Turkey to determine why some buildings managed to survive when others didn't.
McCabe and Browning concluded that in earthquakes -- much like in tornadoes -- survival was a matter of strong connections within buildings.
"You're not talking about the direct hit, but you are talking about the house that is maybe down the street," he said. "You want to have everything tied together, so you want to have the roof trusses securely fastened to the sheathing on the roof -- you want all of that system connected to the walls. There are connection plates a builder can use that are better than just driving nails to make the connection."
These are steps a homeowner can take to feel safer, McCabe said, but the top priority should be to make sure you have a secure area to take shelter. That can include a basement, an interior room away from windows, or better yet, a "safe room" approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said.
There is even a FEMA-sponsored program that contributes funds toward the construction of safe rooms for homeowners in threatened areas such as Kansas. To find out how you can receive help from FEMA to build your safe room, contact the regional FEMA office in Kansas City.
"You work on life safety first, which takes care of the direct hit," McCabe said. "Then you work on the things that are related to the glancing blow."
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