William M. Chornyak

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• William M. Chornyak
• Deputy Director, Kansas
• Homeland Security Emergency Management

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Kansas Heart of America
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Midway U.S.A.
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82,277 square miles
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State of Kansas Pop. 2,764,075
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Kansas 2007 Presidential Disasters

• Dec. 31, 2006 - Winter Ice/Snow Storm -
  44 counties
• May 4, 2007 - Greensburg Destroyed by
  Tornado/Flooding in NE KS - 41 counties.
• June 30, 2007 - Record setting floods in SE
  Kansas - 23 counties.

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Kansas 2007 Presidential Disasters

• 2007 Disasters in Kansas typically fall on Friday
  nights before a holiday.
• 447.7 million current estimated cost of 3
  disasters

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Western Kansas Winter Storm-Jan 2007
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SE Kansas Flood Disaster June 30, 2007
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NE / NC KS Flooding May 4, 2007
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State Emergency Ops Center Topeka, KS

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Greensburg, KS
Established in 1886 Population 1,400
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1 Fatality
1 Fatality
1 Fatality
11 Fatalities
Two tornadoes from same wall cloud
EF-5, 1.7 miles-wide for 22 miles Winds of 205
mph, traveling 20 mph
The tornado minutes before destroying Greensburg
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Tornado Sirens Sounding
Approximately 6 minutes prior to strike
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Greensburg Tornado Facts

• EF-5 Tornado (205 mph)
• Direct hit at 942 PM
• 1½ to 2 miles wide
• 95 of town destroyed
• 14 Fatalities (11 Greensburg)

UNCLASSIFIED
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Before
After
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Initial Information to SEOC

• Approximately 945 PM
• SW Regional Coordinator reports I think I am
  standing on Main Street and it is GONE..
• No additional communication for over 45 minutes
• Radio and Cell towers down
• Cell towers overloaded
• Next 1.5 hrs sporadic communications

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Initial Report from Greensburg

• 1100 PM
• Initial damages in Greensburg gt 60 destroyed
• Main Street up to US 54/400 is leveled.
• There are 20-30 people trapped in the hospital.
• Tank cars with oil and natural gas at the
  railroad overturned.

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Warning Notification for Greensburg

• What Worked
• Weather warnings
• NWS coverage was exceptional
• 20 minutes of advanced warnings
• Outdoor warning sirens effective

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Initial Response to Greensburg

• What Worked
• KS National Guard Scout program on the ground
• Secondary confirmation of damage assessment
• Mutual Aid from surrounding counties
• KS Highway Patrol assumed perimeter command
• Command structure disjointed (no initial
  inter-agency operability)

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State Response

• State EOC activated within one hour
• Communications on Wheels (COWs) and National
  Guard Incident Response Vehicle was deployed and
  on the ground
• Storm impact not limited to Greensburg
• State resources held in reserve

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Aerial view of Greensburg looking south-east
High School
Main Street
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Saturday, May 5th
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GREENSBURG, KANSAS INCIDENT BASE MAP 5/12/2007
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• 27. EPA
• 28. Courthouse (Shelters on west side)
• 29. Sheriffs Dept.
• 30. Small Business Association
• Heart to Hearth (First Aid) Two blocks west on
  Florida Main

• Incident Command
• FEMA (Red Oct.)
• Logistics, EOC
• FIRE Operations,
  Credentialing, Public Information (JIC)
• FEMA State Housing
• FEMA Planning
• FEMA Individual Assistance

8. Public Health 9. FEMA OPS Logistics 10.
FEMA IT Support 11. National Guard Operations 12.
Army, Air Force (JOC) 13. Law Enforcement
Staging 14. Law Enforcement OPS 15
Copy/Meeting Tent 16. Communications

• 17. Kiowa County Sheriff
• 18. City Hall
• 19. City Hall
• 20. Storage
• 21. National Guard
• 22. Salvation Army
• 23. Mental Health
• 24. EMS (staging)
• FEMA Public Assistance for city
• FEMA PA for city

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FEMA Town
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Response Challenges

• Unable to identify who had responded
• Massive spontaneous response
• Immediate safety issues (combination of
  chemicals, debris, darkness)
• ICS initially not followed
• Town evacuated/sealed
• Citizen re-entry expectations (kept citizens out
  gt 72 hrs)

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Response Challenges

• Accountability of Greensburg citizens
• Citizens relocated in various directions
• Patient tracking (legal implications)
• Too noisy for Search and Rescue
• (media / spectators from the air)
• Weather warnings continue for 3 days
• Limited storm shelters for responders

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Response Challenges

• Government officials unavailable
• City/County officials were victims
• Unable to find local authorities to take charge
• State Incident Mgmt Teams acting on behalf of
  Kiowa /Greensburg authorities
• IMT concept initiated

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Primary Response Issues

• No power, fuel, food, water for miles
• Searches conducted in darkness
• No landmarks to direct response
• No lodging for responders/citizens

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ESF 1 Transportation

• What Worked
• Major east-west highway thru town closed for 30
  days
• 4-wheelers

• Lessons Learned
• Tire repair resources
• Fuel allocation tracking system with local
  supplier

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Landfill (1.5 miles)
Temp Morgue
Staging Area
Base Camp
Temporary Citizen Housing
Unified Command
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ESF 2 Communications

• What Worked
• 1610 AM radio transmitters
• 2-1-1 system resources
• Command Vehicles / COWs
• 9-1-1 calls re-routed according to
  pre-established protocols

• Lessons Learned
• COW interoperability capabilities
• Inconsistent cell phone coverage

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ESF 3 Public Works/Engineering

• Lessons Learned
• Established a debris specialist position
• Debris separation sites established
• Landfill became quickly over extended

• What Worked
• Cooperative state and county debris removal
  effort (vs. contract support)

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And the clean-up and recovery begins
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Debris Removal / Safety Concerns

• Landfill/burn pit issues
• Hazardous materials, asbestos, U.S. 54
• Build additional landfill

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Abandoned Property

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Cubic Yards Hauled by Day
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Truck Loads Hauled by Day
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Debris Issues

• How long to use State resources
• National Guard
• KDOT - other disasters going on
• Mutual Aid vs contract labor
• who pays?
• Who has authority over debris
• FEMA, EPA, KDHE, Corps of Engineers, County
• Debris sorting management location

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ESF 4 Firefighting

• What Worked
• Immediate collapsed structure rescue of 30 from
  hospital
• Massive response from neighboring jurisdictions
  (initially and sustained)
• Donated response equipment

• Lessons Learned
• Reimbursement issues associated with 24 hr shifts

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ESF 5 Emergency Mgmt

• What Worked
• IMT deployments (2 months)
• Daily conference calls
• Multi-agency coordination center
• Situation reports / IAPs
• FEMA liaison in SEOC
• WebEOC documentation

• Lessons Learned
• GIS capabilities
• State agencies acting on own authorities without
  coordination
• Documentation is critical
• SEOC staffing for long-term 24 hr EOC
  activations

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ESF 6 Mass Care, Housing, Human Services

• Lessons Learned
• Unaffiliated volunteers caused accountability
  problems
• Shelters up to 2 hrs away

• What Worked
• Disaster Recovery Center one stop shop
• VA / SRS located clients provided support
  quickly
• FEMA Base camp provided food and shelter
• Shelters closed within one week
• AmeriCorps / VOAD participation

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ESF 7 Resource Support

• What Worked
• Coordination in SEOC for mission tasking
• Counties readily offered resources
  (personnel, equipment, etc)

• Lessons Learned
• Overwhelmed with calls from around the country
• Need for a logistics management system
• Donations too much of the wrong type of stuff
  and unable to store items

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ESF 8 Health Medical

• Lessons Learned
• Patient tracking inhibited by privacy laws
• Official records for fatality identification
• gt 60 of population were elderly
• Consideration of special needs

• What Worked
• Expeditionary Medical Support EMEDS
• Medical surge
• Behavioral Health Teams

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EMEDS in Greensburg
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ESF 9 Search and Rescue

• What Worked
• USAR team Lincoln, NE
• CERT provided logistics support

• Lessons Learned
• No grid patterns established initially (3x)
• No standardized marking system
• Lack of interoperable communications

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ESF 10 Hazardous Materials

• Lessons Learned
• Multiple authorities involved in environmental
  issues

• What Worked
• Regional HazMat response teams
• Air quality monitoring
• Separation collection of hazardous waste

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Hazardous Waste Collection Sites
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ESF 11 Agriculture Natural Resources

• What Worked
• Animal Health deployed veterinarians to run
  make-shift shelters
• Wildlife Parks handled domestic animal capture

• Lessons Learned
• Massive numbers of animals running loose - small
  animal sheltering capabilities overwhelmed
• Exotic animals posed potential threats to public
• Care, Feeding, Owner reunification issues

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ESF 12 Energy

• What Worked
• Adaptability of first responders

• Lessons Learned
• City owned utility destroyed financial impact

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ESF 13 Public Safety Security

• What Worked
• Quick evacuation of town
• Controlled access perimeter security
• KHP coordinated law enforcement missions thru
  SEOC
• Surplus law enforcement vehicles acquired

• Lessons Learned
• Multi-disciplinary ICS training must be ongoing
• Security needs changed as event unfolded
• Organizations with their own agendas

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Law Enforcement
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Fire Department
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Greensburg Ambulance
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Other Challenges
Locating Returning Property to Residents
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ESF 14 Long Term Recovery

• What Worked
• Involvement of state agencies and organizations
• Town Hall meetings
• Public Square program Governors initiative
• FEMAs long-term recovery team
• Federal Disaster Loan programming
• Dept of Labor grant usages

• Lessons Learned
• Timely restoration of infrastructure
• Early commitment from private sector to return
• City left without revenue generating income
• Off-site data storage
• Need for specialists
• Local codes interfere with rebuilding
• How to pay for recovery?

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County Government
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City Administration
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Community Services
Volunteer Fire Department
Kiowa County Memorial Hospital (Only hospital for
30 miles)
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Kiowa County Signal (Newspaper Office) and
Daylight Donuts (Local coffee shop)
Main Street
Post Office
Kiowa County Library (books on the shelf)
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Fleeners Furniture Store (Only furniture store
in county Established in 1907)
Note the red farm equipment in the rubble was not
an original part of the store!
Dillons Grocery Store (Only full-service grocery
store in county - triage center after tornado)
Suttons True Value Hardware Store (Only
full-service hardware store lumber yard in
county) 02
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Before
Historic Twilight Movie Theatre
(Community-owned theatre that had a pressed-tin
ceiling and first showed silent films in 1917
Most recent admission prices 4.00 for adults
and 2.50 for kids)
Duckwalls (local five dime)
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Pre- Post-Tornado
Greensburg Tractor Implement (Local John Deere
Dealership)
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Greensburg High School Gym 2 weeks before
Graduation
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Elementary School Jr. High
New Practice Gym (and maybe bleachers from
football field?)
Storm Shelter of Grade School)
Football Field missing bleachers
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Christian Church
Churches of Greensburg (11 Total)
Methodist Church minus steeple roof
Baptist Church
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Landmarks Destroyed Worlds Largest Hand Dug
Well
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ESF 15 External Communications

• What Worked
• Local JIC was positioned close to Incident
  Command
• Controlled media entry escorts
• Daily bulletin distributed to local citizens

• Lessons Learned
• Availability of trained PIOs
• Rumor control issues
• Dissemination of accurate information
• Plan for 2 phases
• Responding to the media
• Providing info to victims
• VIP visits

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Greensburg Media Monday, May 7th
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Public Affairs Support
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Presidents Visit Wednesday, May 9th
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National Guard Responds 500
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State Response

• 34 State agencies responded
• NG and KDOT provided most of the debris missions
• 635 missions tasked from SEOC logistics
• 8 weeks of intense response recovery activities

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FEMA Trailers
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KEY LESSONS LEARNED

• Relationships are the key to success
• Recovery issues are very complex and not often
  planned for
• Documentation, documentation, and more
  documentation
• ICS does work / Unified Command

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KEY LESSONS LEARNED

• Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) vital one stop
  shop
• Full implementation of the Incident Management
  Teams
• Coordination of air missions Civil Air Patrol,
  Air Guard, KHP

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KEY LESSONS LEARNED

• Definition of catastrophic event varies
• Planning needs vary community to community
• Ensure communication flow
• all operational levels
• County to state
• PIOs and Public Affairs
• FEMA with State
• Plan for multiple disasters at multiple locations
  at once.

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KEY LESSONS LEARNED

• Train State Emergency Operations Center personnel
• provide position checklists of tasks
• Accurate, timely and regular media public
  briefings
• Ensures public confidence
• Be first, be right, be credible
• Be prepared to respond to promises elected
  officials make

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Key Facts of May 4 7, 2007

• 15 lost their lives
• Hundreds injured
• Greensburg Destroyed
• Over 500 million in insurance payments for homes
  and business
• 32 counties with over 12 million in PA losses
• Over 1 Million in IA program payments

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OVERALL ASSESSMENT

• Homes (1,700 Total in Kiowa County) Destroyed
  961 Major Damage 105 Minor Damage 78
• Businesses Major Damage 110
• Minor Damage 24

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GreensburgToday

• (Going Green)

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