Category Archives: Disasters

Disasters, SKYWARN

State of emergency declared in Fort Wayne and Allen County

The Allen County office of public information issued the following statement:

STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED IN ALLEN COUNTY; WINTER WEATHER TRAVEL WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 P.M. MONDAY

A STATE OF EMERGENCY is now in effect for Allen County as declared by the Board of Commissioners, and the City of Fort Wayne, Allen County, and New Haven have issued a WINTER WEATHER TRAVEL WARNING. The emergency order and travel warning are in effect until 6 p.m. Monday.

Travel is restricted to emergency workers only. All other individuals should refrain from all non-emergency travel. Comply with necessary emergency measures. Cooperate with public officials in executing emergency operations plans. Obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

The public’s help in staying off of streets and roads will allow crews to continue with plowing operations to allow for fire, law enforcement, and ambulance services to meet the needs of the public.

Two shelters are open to provide a place for individuals in need of shelter. The shelters will remain open until further notice. Plans could change as needed.

Shelter locations:
* Salvation Army, 2901 N. Clinton St.
* Public Safety Academy, 7602 Patriot Crossing, led by the American Red Cross

In addition, the City’s Parks & Recreation Department will open four warming stations beginning on Monday for individuals in need of a location to stay warm for a shorter period of time. It’s expected the warming stations will be open through Tuesday. Plans could change as needed.

Warming station locations:
* Community Center, 233 W. Main St., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
* Jennings Center, 1330 McCulloch St., Noon-8 p.m.
* Weisser Center, 802 Eckart St., Noon-8 p.m.
* Cooper Center, 2300 Clinton/Lafayette streets, Noon-8 p.m.

Disasters

Volunteers invited to help with tornado relief in Washington, Ill.

Operation Blessing photo of person clearning up after tornado in Washington, Ill.
Operation Blessing photo

Associated Churches Active in Disaster (ACAD, the disaster ministry of Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County) has learned of an opportunity for Christians to be part of the body of Christ serving the victims of the tornado disaster in Washington, Illinois.

Christian relief organization Operating Blessing, with which ACAD has a relationship, is on the ground in Washington and coordinating incoming volunteers daily except Sundays. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, must provide their own transportation to the volunteer reception center in Peoria and from there to and from work sites and must provide their own lodging. Read more on the Operation Blessing Facebook page.

A member of the ACAD leadership team volunteered with Operation Blessing in Moore, Okla. last summer and found it to be a well-run operation.

Please share this information, and the information linked above, with members of your congregation and others who might wish to volunteer. Volunteers may travel to Illinois as individuals and/or they may travel together in mission teams.

For more information on this opportunity, please contact Operation Blessing directly at volunteer@ob.org or 757-226-3407.

Disasters, SKYWARN

Indiana & Michigan Power gets post-storm communication right

Photo of crews replacing utility poles
I&M crews replace several poles broken by the Nov. 17 severe thunderstorm. (Jay Farlow photo)

I’m really impressed with the communications staff at Indiana and Michigan Power, the AEP branch that sells electricity in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I live. Here’s why:

After the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes of Nov. 17 rolled through, thousands of I&M customers were without power, including our neighborhood. We live half a mile north of a stretch of road where the wind below down at least seven utility poles in a row.

I&M very effectively used its web site to provide regular updates on the situation. There, I could see estimates of when power would be restored in various locations, or if such estimates were not yet available, estimates of when the estimates would be available! The Web page also provided an explanation of the seriousness of the problem (e.g. the number of utility poles blown down) and information about the utility’s response, including the number of staff members and contractors who were working on service restoration.

I&M published on the same page the date and time of the current update, and the date and time to expect a new update. They updated the page frequently, even outside of business hours.

For me, however, the icing on the cake is this text, which appeared on the page today:

Additional Information
We will be flying Transmission lines in central & western Indiana to inspect the lines for vegetation resulting from the storm. I&M customers may see the helicopter in the Muncie and Fort Wayne areas. Tail Number N105JD Black with Grey Stripes in color.

Look at that! There’s no need for I&M customers who read that Web page to worry when the inspection helicopter flies by. Readers know exactly what to expect, right down to the helicopter’s tail number!

Any company, agency or organization that’s involved in any kind of public service and/or emergency response would do well to pay attention to how effectively I&M communicates information about major power outages. Clearly, I&M understands the value of keeping the public as informed as possible on a very regular basis.

Disasters

ACAD: Outside help not yet needed in Indiana tornado disaster areas

ACAD logo

Associated Churches Active in Disaster (ACAD, the disaster ministry of Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County) put out the following message on the Associated Churches Facebook Page this morning:

Regarding the tornado disaster in Kokomo and other parts of Indiana, Associated Churches Active in Disaster (ACAD) is in communication with Indiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (INVOAD), which will coordinate any volunteer response from outside the affected areas. During a conference call late yesterday afternoon, INVOAD indicated that no volunteer resources from outside the disaster areas are needed at this time.

The ACAD leadership team strongly recommends that well-meaning volunteers stay away from disaster areas until and unless they are part of a coordinated response. ACAD will remain in contact with those who are coordinating responses and will inform local Christians of response opportunities as they arise.

Please watch the Associated Churches Facebook page and Twitter feed for updated information.

Peace,
Dan Layden, ACAD Chair

Disasters, SKYWARN

Decatur, Indiana: Severe thunderstorm leads to … gas main break?

Scene photo from WANE TV
WANE-TV photo

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”

Reports indicate that electric utility crews in Decatur, Indiana were digging a hole to plant a pole to replace one broken by Sunday’s storm when … they hit a 4-inch gas main.

According to this report from WANE-TV, the gas leak forced Decatur officials to close U.S. 27 (the city’s main thoroughfare) and evacuate about 50 homes.

As if storm damage and power outages weren’t enough!

Disasters, SKYWARN

Update: Red Cross to open shelter in SE Fort Wayne

Red Cross disaster services logo

This just in from the American Red Cross Facebook Page:

For those affected by yesterday’s storms and without power, we are opening a shelter at Bethlehem Lutheran, 3705 S. Anthony. The shelter will open tonight at 7:30 p.m. Please bring any medications, personal hygiene items, a sleeping bag and pillow for comfort on the provided cots. Please share with family and friends who may not see this post.

Shelter will be important tonight for 5,400 I&M customers who might be without power until as late as midday Wednesday. The overnight weather forecast calls for a sub-freezing low temperature of 28 degrees, with wind gusts to 20 mph.