Is city prepared for DISASTER?:Mayor confident about local emergency training
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“Local officials are responsible for the immediate response,” said Davenport of the city’s preparedness for a man-made or natural disaster. “If a disaster happens here, we will hit it with all we’ve got.”
The mayor’s comments come in the wake of Hurricane Rita Saturday morning on the Gulf Coast which hit on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, heightening awareness nationwide to disaster preparedness. While many protested the federal government’s response to Katrina, Mayor Davenport maintains the local government must be accountable for the immediate, short-term response.
“We are mainly concerned here in the city with the response of police and fire and coordinating with the electric system and public works, but those are all immediate responses,” Davenport said. “Longer term assistance in the case of something catastrophic would be handled by the Red Cross and agencies like that.”
The mayor said local responders have drilled numerous times, the most recent coming this past spring, on how to respond to a disaster.
“We have drills and exercises to prepare ourselves,” Davenport said. “We did one drill this spring on a tornado hitting a school and we’ve done others on a violent gunman in one of our schools. I think our people are well prepared.”
Davenport said the city’s response would be coordinated with the Warren County Emergency Management Agency along with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. Mutual aid can also be requested from surrounding counties should more manpower be needed. The mayor can also go through TEMA to request National Guard assistance in the worst of cases. Such a call up must be made by the governor.
While saying local responders would take action immediately in the case of a disaster, Davenport warned that not all facets of a disaster can be planned for and therefore it is important the public takes steps to prepare themselves.
One way is to keep short-term rations such as water, food, medicines, flashlights, extra batteries and a radio in reserve in your family home should you have to go in the short term without essential services. The mayor said a full list of a disaster survival kit items, can be found on the Internet at www.ready.gov.