Disaster puts preparation plans to test

Emergency management agencies say they learned valuable lessons.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The floods of 2003 were the disaster everyone was preparing for.
New emergency management agency operation centers in Trumbull and Mahoning counties were given their first use, communication systems in Columbiana County performed as designed, and Trumbull County's year-old mobile command center -- a retro-fitted mobile classroom -- proved its value as a temporary headquarters for Trumbull County 911.
Summer flooding gave emergency management agencies in the three counties an opportunity to test plans to see what worked well and what could have worked better.
"It was a learning experience," said Trumbull County EMA director Linda Beil. "Luckily, it was a good learning experience."
In Trumbull County, the floods caused the biggest EMA mobilization since a tornado swept through Niles in 1986, Beil said.
One area where the agency could have been more prepared was in dealing with the aftermath, she said.
The agency's emergency plan did not have a section specifically dealing with debris removal, which became a problem as victims began hauling ruined carpet and furniture from their homes.
The Ohio Department of Transportation helped remove the piled-up trash, and the Trumbull-Geauga Solid Waste District eventually took the lead in paying dumping fees to get rid of it, she said.
"If they didn't step forward to do it, I don't know what we would have done," she said.
The crisis also taught Trumbull County officials the need to have volunteers on hand to help with cleanup, she said.
Columbiana County
In Columbiana County, the main lesson learned was the importance of quickly getting out to assess damage, said EMA deputy director Mary Smith.
With the rapid succession of floods in July, workers had not even finished looking at one area before another was hit, she said.
Initial damage estimates have to be forwarded to the state within 48 hours if an emergency is to be declared, she said.
The agency is looking at developing a larger damage assessment team, she said.
Mahoning EMA director Walter Duzzny said his focus is now primarily on preventing floods.
"We have to aggressively address flooding issues," said Duzzny, who recalls flooding 10 years ago that was just about as bad as this year.
"We need to move water, not people," he said.
A Mahoning County program has made $3 million available to people who need a sump pump in their basement or a trap valve to prevent sewage from backing up, he said. Duzzny hopes another program will get weather radios into more homes in the county.
One thing this disaster pointed out was the need for greater coordination among the 30 or 40 charitable organizations that wanted to help out after the flood, he said.
"We need to mobilize those folks a little quicker," he said.