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April 07, 2006
Severe Storms: "We Are Prepared"
Local officials said this afternoon that a line of severe storms could bring tonadoes, flash floods and hail to the region by as early as 6:00 tonight, but that emergency management preparations have been made.
"We're dealing with a potential -- a potential for bad, severe weather," said Hamilton County Emergency Management Services Director Don Allen. "Whether we'll get it, the good Lord knows. We've done, we think, all we can to prepare. We're as prepared as we know how to be."
Officials said tonight's storms could include flash flooding, cyclonic winds, cloud-to-ground lightning and stright winds up to 70 miles per hour. Allen said two tornadoes from the storm front had touched down in northern Tennessee, and the region had experienced hailstones two inches in diameter. National news reports confirmed these sightings.
Chattanooga Police Chief Steve Parks said 36 dispatchers -- 18 city, 18 county -- would be answering local 911 lines tonight. Mayor Ron Littlefield said the emergency lines, under fire in recent weeks for missing calls, were staffed "more than ever. ...We are prepared to take the calls tonight. I'm not surprised or offended that you would ask that. [But] we have a veteran group here. They've been through the blizzard of '93 and the tornadoes of '97, and numerous smaller incidents. We know how to prepare. We know how to respond. We're ready for what happens."
Allen said that citizens should be alert but calm. "We do not want to get the community to panic," he said. "I'm not advocating everybody go hide under their beds." He suggested that people buy bottled water and battery-powered flashlights in case of power outages.
County Mayor Claude Ramsey concluded the official remarks at the 911 Communications Center on Amnicola Highway: "The last thing would be, pray that none of this happens."
News Update | By mesh | 04:43 PM
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