Outages would be crippling

Southeast Missouri would be equally vulnerable if faced with the widespread electrical outages that have struck the St. Louis area twice in the past six months.

While officials stress their preparedness, they say a major loss of electricity would be debilitating.

"Anytime you talk about an event like that there's going to be major problems associated with it. My true-blue answer is that people need to be prepared to get by in their homes for several days because it's going to be awhile," David Hitt, director of emergency operations for Cape Girardeau County, said.

In subfreezing temperatures like those being experienced now in Missouri, preparedness means keeping warm. Officials said having a working fireplace and, if possible, a generator is the best way to be self-sufficient.

At an emergency preparedness meeting two weeks ago, Hitt was impressed that almost half of the group of about 40 people had generators in their homes.

"I was very surprised at how many people raised their hands," he said.

But those with generators are cautioned to be careful and well-educated on how to operate them properly. Police believe a Glen Carbon, Ill., woman died because she operated a generator without proper ventilation and inhaled carbon monoxide Saturday.

Generators vary greatly in price but are rarely cheaper than $350.

Cape Girardeau assistant fire chief and emergency operations coordinator Mark Hasheider said Southeast Missourians might be better suited than those in bigger cities to ride out the cold at home. More houses locally are equipped with fireplaces than are in St. Louis.

Fireplaces aren't ideal, but they can "keep a house at a reasonable temperature," Hasheider said.

Find a place to stay

Those without access to any heating method will need to venture out to find someplace warm. If, as is the case in St. Louis, some areas have power and some do not, most people are likely to rely on friends and family for shelter.

"We encourage people to make prior arrangements," said Hasheider. "What you find is that relatives are most likely to accept other relatives. Or friends can move in with friends for a couple of days."

But what if the blackout is so widespread that more than half of Cape Girardeau County is without power?

"If it got up to 60 percent, could we respond? Yes. But it would be a humungous challenge which would require moving lots and lots of people," Hitt said.

The Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross would then be key as the organization charged with operating shelters.

"Red Cross has people trained to operate shelters, and it's also for liability purposes, because if someone opens up a shelter they are responsible for anybody that would come through and get hurt," Hitt said.

Cape Girardeau County has 26 possible shelter locations, including churches, recreation centers and schools, Hitt said.

"The real question is which ones out of those have generators and which do not. That's the kicker. Most don't have backup power," he said.

The Red Cross could not confirm the exact number of shelter locations or give the percentage equipped with backup power Monday. Red Cross officials were unable to state the maximum number they'd be able to service at these shelters.

They said they are revising that list, adding there is no ranking of which shelters are opened first and which last. That, they said, is decided on the fly depending on the nature of the disaster.

But sometimes even getting people out of their homes can be a chore.

"We've found that unless they think they're going to die, it's not in their nature to just get up and leave their homes," Hitt said.

That isn't the only deterrent.

"The Red Cross will not take pets other than seeing-eye dogs, so the issue becomes, What do you do?" Hitt said. "I have two dogs and a cat, and I probably shouldn't say this, but I'm not going to leave and let them fend for themselves."

Helping neighbors

In a major blackout, Red Cross officials said, backup would also come from surrounding districts. The Southeast Missouri chapter has mutual aid agreements with surrounding chapters.

For instance, local workers set up a shelter at a community center in Farmington. On Saturday and Sunday nights, approximately 50 people stayed there from both Farmington and outlying areas hit by the ice storm.

"That's a good model for Cape Girardeau where you set up a central shelter and you encourage people to come into it. Of course it depends on the disaster and whether people can drive to the shelter or not," Red Cross executive director Cheryl Klueppel said.

For those unable to leave their homes, first responders will also be asked to spring into action. Hasheider said the emergency operations center which takes its directions from city manager Doug Leslie could quickly come up with a list of patients who require regular treatment (for example dialysis patients) and would dispatch responders to find those people.

Volunteers with four-wheel drive capability may also be enlisted to help those stranded.

Cape Girardeau police chief Carl Kinnison recalled that in the blizzard of 1979 his officers were asked to escort National Guard soldiers to high-risk and elderly patients to ensure they were the first brought to safety.

Another important component will be deposit sites for downed tree limbs and other debris. The public works department would designate those sites and lead the effort to clear roads.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension, 245

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