Windstorm shows need for 911 alternative
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - During last December's deadly windstorm, worried and impatient Washington residents overloaded the 911 phone system, showing the need for a non-emergency information line, state officials said Monday.
Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, the governor's top emergency management official, and Mark Sidran, the state utility chief, listed the 911 problem as one of many lessons the state learned from the worst natural disaster here since the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
The Dec. 14-15 windstorm cut power to about 1.5 million people in the Puget Sound region and was blamed for 15 deaths, from drowning, falling trees and carbon monoxide poisoning as residents turned to generators, charcoal grills and propane heaters during the cold snap.
The storm was described as a mid-latitude cyclone with once-a-decade wind velocity, but once-a-century in its damage because the soils and tree roots were so saturated from record rainfalls.
Flanked by Lowenberg and Sidran, Gov. Chris Gregoire released a review of the storm, which includes little criticism of utility crews, government agencies or first responders, but outlines a long list of gaps that were pointed up by the multiple failures.
Although the emergency response went well, there is much to do to get ready for the next major disaster, such as a large magnitude earthquake, Lowenberg's draft report said.
Gregoire said she will ask the Legislature for $8.2 million in emergency money as the state's match for the federal relief that is expected. President Bush last month declared a major disaster in 19 Washington counties and approved federal money to help with state and local recovery efforts.
Follow up plans include:
-911. Lowenberg said the 911 system, the main contact point for people with true emergencies, was badly bogged down with people calling to report outages in phone or power service, asking for progress updates, or even asking the operator to send out a load of firewood.
The report said the state 911 Advisory Committee and state, local and federal agencies should deal with the problem, investigating the cost and feasibility of an alternative phone line, such as 211, for non-emergency calls for help.
-CARBON MONOXIDE. Loss of power, coupled with language barriers, caused a big problem when some residents brought charcoal grills, generators and other devices in for cooking and heating. This accounted for about half of the storm-related deaths.
The report said public health officials, the media and others should do more public awareness campaigns, in multiple languages, soon and repeatedly.
-COORDINATION. The various public and private agencies and utilities need to synchronize their work better. An example is quicker road clearing by county crews where utility linemen need to get to the poles to make repairs.
-SHELTERS. Although there were apparently enough shelter beds for all storm victims, emergency responders need to improve planning, particularly for vulnerable populations, such as people in nursing homes or group homes.
-EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION. The state Military Department and 12 agencies or jurisdictions are linked by crisis information software, but the state should continue improving emergency communications and coordination of response, the report said.
No single agency or level of government can deal with big emergencies, and a strong, well-linked partnership is crucial, the report said.
Gregoire generally supports the recommendations and will give Lowenberg and his Division of Emergency Management her backing once the final report gets to her desk, said spokeswoman Holly Armstrong.
Sidran said utility crews did admirably, but that the power and phone companies need to do a better job of keeping their customers informed before and during emergencies.
Weather experts gave 72 hours notice that the storm was rolling in, and homeowners should have gotten ready for outages, he said. This includes tanking up the family car, because gas pumps need electricity to operate, he said.
Sidran suggested further work on moving utility lines underground and dealing with trees on private property that threaten power lines.
Gregoire said the storm and power outages were frustrating and difficult, but also brought out the best in Washingtonians. Out-of-state crews repeatedly remarked about the resilience, friendliness and gratitude of local residents - and will be back in a heartbeat if there's another emergency, she said.
Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, the governor's top emergency management official, and Mark Sidran, the state utility chief, listed the 911 problem as one of many lessons the state learned from the worst natural disaster here since the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
The Dec. 14-15 windstorm cut power to about 1.5 million people in the Puget Sound region and was blamed for 15 deaths, from drowning, falling trees and carbon monoxide poisoning as residents turned to generators, charcoal grills and propane heaters during the cold snap.
The storm was described as a mid-latitude cyclone with once-a-decade wind velocity, but once-a-century in its damage because the soils and tree roots were so saturated from record rainfalls.
Flanked by Lowenberg and Sidran, Gov. Chris Gregoire released a review of the storm, which includes little criticism of utility crews, government agencies or first responders, but outlines a long list of gaps that were pointed up by the multiple failures.
Although the emergency response went well, there is much to do to get ready for the next major disaster, such as a large magnitude earthquake, Lowenberg's draft report said.
Gregoire said she will ask the Legislature for $8.2 million in emergency money as the state's match for the federal relief that is expected. President Bush last month declared a major disaster in 19 Washington counties and approved federal money to help with state and local recovery efforts.
Follow up plans include:
-911. Lowenberg said the 911 system, the main contact point for people with true emergencies, was badly bogged down with people calling to report outages in phone or power service, asking for progress updates, or even asking the operator to send out a load of firewood.
The report said the state 911 Advisory Committee and state, local and federal agencies should deal with the problem, investigating the cost and feasibility of an alternative phone line, such as 211, for non-emergency calls for help.
-CARBON MONOXIDE. Loss of power, coupled with language barriers, caused a big problem when some residents brought charcoal grills, generators and other devices in for cooking and heating. This accounted for about half of the storm-related deaths.
The report said public health officials, the media and others should do more public awareness campaigns, in multiple languages, soon and repeatedly.
-COORDINATION. The various public and private agencies and utilities need to synchronize their work better. An example is quicker road clearing by county crews where utility linemen need to get to the poles to make repairs.
-SHELTERS. Although there were apparently enough shelter beds for all storm victims, emergency responders need to improve planning, particularly for vulnerable populations, such as people in nursing homes or group homes.
-EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION. The state Military Department and 12 agencies or jurisdictions are linked by crisis information software, but the state should continue improving emergency communications and coordination of response, the report said.
No single agency or level of government can deal with big emergencies, and a strong, well-linked partnership is crucial, the report said.
Gregoire generally supports the recommendations and will give Lowenberg and his Division of Emergency Management her backing once the final report gets to her desk, said spokeswoman Holly Armstrong.
Sidran said utility crews did admirably, but that the power and phone companies need to do a better job of keeping their customers informed before and during emergencies.
Weather experts gave 72 hours notice that the storm was rolling in, and homeowners should have gotten ready for outages, he said. This includes tanking up the family car, because gas pumps need electricity to operate, he said.
Sidran suggested further work on moving utility lines underground and dealing with trees on private property that threaten power lines.
Gregoire said the storm and power outages were frustrating and difficult, but also brought out the best in Washingtonians. Out-of-state crews repeatedly remarked about the resilience, friendliness and gratitude of local residents - and will be back in a heartbeat if there's another emergency, she said.