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Good news marks fifth anniversary of 2009 winter storm
Story by David Altom, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Logistical Support Areas provide over two million bottles of water and supplies to the citizens of Kentucky during the state’s severe ice storm. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Fredrick P. Varney)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Army National Guard has been recognized for the top Army emergency management operation in the nation, according to a report from the Army National Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The report, which comes five years after the winter storm of 2009, is seen as a benchmark for the Kentucky Guard’s readiness to respond to natural disasters and emergencies on the domestic front. In January of 2009 more than 100 counties declared states of emergency, necessitating the mobilization of the entire Kentucky National Guard. More than 4,000 troops were deployed across the state, delivering water, food and fuel during freezing temperatures and hazardous conditions. Guard members also conducted door to door wellness checks to ensure the safety and welfare of local citizens.
Click here to see more photos of the Kentucky Guard’s response to the 2009 winter storm.
A Kentucky National Guard Soldier conducts a wellness check following the winter storm of 2009. (Photo by Spc. Ellie Waters, 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
“This is good feedback that we’re doing the right thing,” said Warrant Officer Charlie Harris, an emergency management coordinator for the Kentucky Guard. “We’ve worked hard to make sure that the Guard can respond effectively and efficiently in a time of crisis.””We have to take care of ourselves so we can take of our communities. The winter storm of 2009 was a wakeup call in that regard.”
By regulation, the Army Emergency Management Program “serves as the single integrated emergency management program for the planning, execution, and management of response efforts … to mitigate the effects of an all-hazard incident, to include but not limited to, natural, manmade, and technological disasters, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) incidents and accidents on or affecting Army installations, facilities, and/or activities….”
In other words, if there’s trouble, the Kentucky National Guard has to be ready to respond. This means Guard facilities must have plans and redundancies in place to minimalize the effects of a disaster or incident, allowing the troops to focus on the local community instead of itself. For example, armory generators have to be ready to go and vehicles pre-placed for rapid deployment when needed. This in addition to training Soldiers on what they are expected to do.
“We have the plans in place, we conduct our exercises, and we’re able to get back to those mission essential items as soon as possible because people are depending on us,” said Harris. “Our program is so good other states are asking for help. And we’re helping them.
“This is something we take very seriously.”
Staff Report
Kentucky will participate in the 2013 Great Central U.S. ShakeOut today, Oct. 17 at various locations around the state. The exercise is an annual event to remind citizens to prepare for earthquakes. (Illustration courtesy of shakeout.org)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — September is National Preparedness Month according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But FEMA also advises that safety precautions be considered throughout the year. As an example, each October, more than 40 states and territories and millions of people participate in earthquake safety activities nationwide.
In the middle of the country, including Kentucky, the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut occurs on the third Thursday of October. During the self-led drill, participants practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”. More than 12 million people are expected to participate in ShakeOut drills nationwide. In addition to safety drills, many participants take extra steps to become more prepared for earthquakes.
Many know about the risks that earthquakes pose here in the U.S. and around the world. Some have heard of the New Madrid Earthquake Zone located in Western Kentucky, but the truth is, earthquakes can happen any time, anywhere throughout Kentucky.
According to FEMA, several thousand shocks of varying sizes occur annually in the United States, and 70 to 75 damaging earthquakes occur throughout the world each year. All 50 states and all U.S. territories are vulnerable to earthquakes. Where earthquakes have occurred in the past, they will happen again. The largest earthquakes felt in the United States were along the New Madrid Fault in Missouri, where a 3-month-long series of quakes from 1811 to 1812 included three quakes larger than a magnitude of 8 on the Richter Scale. These earthquakes were felt over the entire eastern United States (over 2 million square miles), with Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi experiencing the strongest ground shaking.
The New Madrid Siesmic Zone can be seen in the red and orange colors along the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois. The colors indicate a higher threat of a severe earthquake occurring in the area. (Map courtesy of the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency)
It is critical that our citizens, communities and schools are prepared for natural disasters. A catastrophic earthquake in the New Madrid Zone would impact not only Kentucky, but several surrounding states, as well. The overall impact could make the disaster of Hurricane Katrina pale in comparison.
Such possibilities demand attention and planning, which is why the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management (KYEM) participates in several annual exercises to ensure the right people are in the right place and know what to do.
“We recognize that a major earthquake is our largest natural threat,” said Buddy Rogers, public information officer for KYEM. “By preparing for an earthquake our citizens, and officials should be prepared for any natural disaster and when such a event occurs the Commonwealth Emergency Operations center would be instrumental in the response and recovery.”
Kentucky also has a new tool in its own safety preparedness in the new emergency operations center, recently completed in Frankfort, Ky. Rogers said the replaced EOC handled more than 5,000 statewide incidents in the first 10 months of the year.
“We certainly would require full capacity involvement from our 15 Emergency Support Function partners and the CEOC will run 24/7 for a long duration,” he said. ” You never know, the next call could be a catastrophic earthquake.”
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Story by Capt. John T. Stamm, 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Volunteers for the National Disaster Medical System carry simulated patients off a C-130 during a earthquake-response exercise held May 18, 2011, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. Operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with volunteers from multiple agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs, NDMS was created to manage the federal government’s overall medical response to major emergencies and disasters. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Dale Greer)
Click here for more photos on this story.
KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Amidst the chaos of moans, groans and cries for help, members of the 123rd Airlift Wing conducted patient triage and provided emergency medical care for more than a dozen men and women badly injured in an earthquake and subsequent plane crash here May 18.
Paul Beard (left), a mental health professional at the Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville, and Troy Colón, an assistive technology professional at the Louisville VA hospital, carry a simulated patient off a Kentucky Air National Guard C-130 during earthquake-response exercises held May 18, 2011, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. The exercises were designed to test the capabilities of government agencies following a major earthquake along the New Madrid fault line. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Dale Greer)
Fortunately, the patients were volunteers, and their injuries weren’t real. Instead, they were part of two simulations designed to test the disaster-response capabilities of the Kentucky Air Guard medical group and multiple federal agencies, including the Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville.
Tech. Sgt. Heather Speidel, a medic with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Medical Group, simulates inserting a breathing tube in the windpipe of a notional plane-crash victim during earthquake-response exercises held May 18, 2011, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. The exercises were designed to test the ability of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Kentucky Air Guard to provide medical care following a major earthquake along the New Madrid fault line. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Dale Greer)
In the first scenario, a C-130 carrying injured earthquake victims landed at the Kentucky Air Guard Base, where medical personnel were standing by to carry them off the plane and prepare them for transport to local hospitals. Many of the “patients” had been evacuated from simulated hospitals and nursing homes in the notional earthquake zone, which meant they required special care as soon as they arrived in Louisville, according to Lt. Col. Beth Leistensnider, medical readiness officer for the 123rd Airlift Wing.
Although medical personnel from the wing assisted with patient care during the first scenario, the event primarily was intended to test the VA’s support of the National Disaster Medical System, Colonel Leistensnider explained. Operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NDMS was created to manage the federal government’s overall medical response to major emergencies and disasters. In addition to the VA, the NDMS also partners with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Defense, state and local departments of health, and private hospitals.
“In the event of a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake, the Louisville VA will be responsible for setting up a patient reception area on our base,” Colonel Leistensnider said. “Under NDMS, federal authorities will arrange for patients to be flown here from affected areas, the patients will be received by the VA, and they will be transported to local healthcare facilities.”
The partnership between the VA and the Kentucky Air Guard is a valuable one, according William Young, emergency response coordinator for the Louisville VA.
“The base’s involvement in this operation is very critical,” Mr. Young said. “We don’t have the manpower or support to do this by ourselves. Additionally, the medical staff here provides us with invaluable training on how to provide the best care to a large number of patients.”
Colonel Leistensnider agreed that joint exercises offer tremendous benefits for patient care.
A member of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority Fire Department responds to a simulated plane crash during earthquake-response exercises held May 18, 2011, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. The exercises were designed to test the capabilities of government agencies following a major earthquake along the New Madrid fault line. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Dale Greer)
“The more contact we have with the different agencies we may be involved with during an emergency, the more effective we all become,” she said.
The second exercise held May 18 was limited to the wing’s 123rd Medical Group, whose members were tasked with rendering aid to earthquake victims who were subsequently involved in a plane crash. The scenario required triage of difficult and combative patients and emergency medical care under field conditions, with cases ranging from head trauma and fractured bones to a heart attack and a woman in labor.
“After notification of the incident, we set up our medical control and emergency operations center, set up our communications channels, practiced our system of patient tracking and provided treatment as patients arrived,” Colonel Leistensnider said.
“We didn’t know what was coming at us, which is a very realistic possibility. But we met our objectives by creating a realistic environment and performing our duties using the equipment we had available. With each exercise, we improve. The next time, we’ll be even more prepared.”
Both exercises augmented National Level Exercise 2011, a weeklong event designed to test the local, state and national response to a simulated earthquake along the New Madrid Fault. NLE 2011, which concludes May 20, includes participation from emergency responders in eight central states, the National Guard and multiple federal entities.
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Pictures courtesy of the Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs Office
Brig. Gen. John Heltzel, director for Kentucky Emergency Management, briefs Kentucky Government cabinet members, Kentucky National Guard members, and Kentucky Emergency Management members during the National Level Exercise 'rock-drill', or rehearsal.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 15, 2011) – Beginning Monday, Kentucky and several Central U.S. states, along with federal government agencies, volunteer organizations and the private sector will begin a week-long preparedness exercise based upon a catastrophic earthquake in the New Madrid Earthquake Zone, which is located in the heart of the United States.
The National Level Exercise 2011 (NLE 11) is part of the National Exercise Program (NEP). The NEP provides the opportunity to practice existing capabilities to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from major disasters, man-made or natural, and other emergencies in an integrated fashion. Participation includes Federal to the State agencies, military, local governments, private sector, volunteer organizations, private citizens and the President of the United States.
NLE 11 exercise will practice initial incident response and recovery capabilities, and test and validate existing plans, policies and procedures, including the Federal Interagency Response Plan – Earthquake (FIRP-EQ 2011) and State and regional New Madrid catastrophic plans.
“Is Kentucky ready for a 7.7 earthquake? No. Are we more prepared than we once were? Absolutely,” said John Heltzel, director for Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM). “We learn something with each event or disaster, such as the historic flooding Kentucky just experienced. The trick is to take lessons learned and turn them into lessons applied. This is the overarching objective of this signature exercise.”
While the exercise is designed to assess response and recovery capabilities both nationally and regionally, Kentucky will use the exercise to update and rewrite the Commonwealth Earthquake Response Plan.
The NLE 2011 is expected to be the largest joint exercise in United States’ history, and for the first time it is being based on a natural threat. Everyone from private citizens, businesses, military, all private sectors and centers of government are invited to participate and exercise their own earthquake preparations.
The NLE 2011 will include activities with local responders, federal and state emergency management officials, private sector partners at multiple venues around the region, as well as in Washington D.C. and various FEMA regional offices. Private citizens who complete daily participation will be sent a link to a downloadable KYEM NLE 2011 Certificate of Participation recognizing their individual efforts to better protect and prepare themselves and family in the event of a catastrophic disaster.
For more information on the NLE 2011, scheduled daily participation links and to register as a participant, visit www.kyem.ky.gov/nle2011.
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Kentucky Government cabinet members, Kentucky National Guard members, and Kentucky Emergency Management members attend the National Level Exercise 'rock-drill', or rehearsal.
Brig. Gen. John Heltzel, director for Kentucky Emergency Management, briefs Kentucky Government cabinet members, Kentucky National Guard members, and Kentucky Emergency Management members during the National Level Exercise 'rock-drill', or rehearsal.
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As published in the Courier-Journal, 18 April 2011
Written by Pinky Mehta, Associated Press
The New Madrid fault lies in western Kentucky and a major earthquake has been predicted for years. The 1812 earthquake along the New Madrid fault was the largest in U.S. history; it caused the Mississippi River to temporarily run backwards, with major damage as far away as Lexington, Kentucky.
FRANKFORT, Ky — About 255,300 Kentucky residents and more than 2.1 million people in a wide region of the central United States have registered to participate in the area’s largest earthquake disaster preparedness drill.
The Kentucky Division of Emergency Management is asking participants to “drop, cover, and hold on,” at 10:15 a.m. CDT April 28.
Spokesman Buddy Rogers said the region’s next big earthquake can’t be predicted but damage will range in the billions of dollars. Schools, businesses, individual citizens, and government officials are expected to participate in the drill.
Dubbed the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, the drill will be a coincidental prelude to a weeklong national earthquake preparedness exercise starting May 16.
Like other states along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the New Madrid fault is one of several faults that crisscross Kentucky, KDEM director John Heltzel said.
The April 28 shakeout will take into account emergency response lessons learned from the severe winter ice storms in 2010-2011. Emergency Management improvements include quicker response times and improved communication.
Heltzel said the response posture has changed.
“Typically Midwestern states normally think of response in terms of days. In Kentucky, under the governor’s leadership now, we think in terms of hours,” Heltzel said.
Communication systems have also been tweaked. Emergency Management has partnered with more than 120 amateur radio operators in every county, alternated bridging and routing and prepared additional satellite communications.
The National Level Exercise 2011 will simulate what would happen if a 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes the New Madrid Seismic Zone — comprising three different fault lines loosely joined — in western Kentucky.
The simulated impact on the commonwealth would include 235,000 people seeking shelter, while 330,000 households would be without power. Critical infrastructure would be destroyed or damaged, including 250 bridges. Communication would fail or be greatly impaired. Emergency responders would scramble to get information and local emergency management would be limited in getting information out.
But Heltzel said his team would be prepared in this “what if” scenario.
“I think we have absolutely the best response plan in the history of the commonwealth,” he said.
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Story by the Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs Office
Photos by Staff Sgt. Michael J. Oliver, KYNG PAO
Kentucky Air Guardsmen install the Small Portable Initial Communications Equipment satellite antenna at Boone National Guard Center State Communication Exercise in Frankfort, Ky., April 1.
FRANKFORT, Ky-The Kentucky Guard and Kentucky Emergency Management hosted a mobile communications capability “Rodeo” for state public safety agencies at the Boone National Guard Center on Friday April 1. These agencies also participated in the state-wide communication exercise in preparation for the National Level Earthquake Exercise (NLE) scheduled for mid-May.
Chuck Stribling, OSH Federal-State coordinator with Labor Cabinet, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Barker, JFHQ wireless IT manager, discuss logistics in the labor cabinet mobile center for the state communication exercise.
“It’s a definite ‘win’ when we all can get together, work together, and problem-solve together as one Kentucky before an emergency, “said Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Barker, KYNG Wireless Manager. “When we had the ice storm of 2009, we asked the Florida Guard to provide communication resources that we now know we have in Kentucky.”
The COMEX and Communications rodeo was comprised of over 300 personnel from the Kentucky Army and Air National Guard, the Kentucky Emergency Management, Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Kentucky State Fire Commission, Kentucky Labor Cabinet, Murray State University, and Lexington Fayette Emergency Management.
Several state agencies participated in the communication 'rodeo' and COMEX at Boone Center, 1 April 2011.
The COMEX involved setting up primary communication of voice and data required to serve Kentucky in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, as will be simulated during the NLE.
This specific earthquake exercise, known as NLE 2011, will model the decisions and actions that officials will take in the first 96-hours after a 7.0 earthquake. This is the first NLE to focus on a natural hazard, rather than a terrorism scenario.
“Is Kentucky ready for a 7.7 earthquake? No. Are we more prepared than we used to be? Absolutely!” said John Heltzel, director for Kentucky Emergency Management. “The ice storm of 2009 taught us many valuable lessons which we have continued to build from. From our lessons learned, we now have a fully staffed resource management section. Prior to the ice storm, we didn’t.”
The NLE 2011 will include hands on training with local responders, federal and state emergency management officials, and private sector partners throughout the Commonwealth. FEMA and Homeland Security officials are scheduled to participate in NLE 2011 as well.
The NLE 2011 is expected to be the largest joint exercise in United States’ history, based on a natural event.
