There are four stages of emergency management in a disaster situation. They include preparation and planning, during an event, recovery and mitigation. “Our primary position is always life safety,” Shadden said. “The stages are trying to return life back to normal as quickly as possible, ensuring continuity of government and either averting a future disaster or preventing one from occurring.”
Thus, the work of an emergency manager begins far before the crisis occurs. The (not so) calm before the storm
“The more you sweat in peace time, the less you bleed in war,” Shadden said. Emergency managers go through hundreds of hours of training each year to prepare for reactions during crisis events. Shadden, a veteran and former EMT, has had his fair share of remaining cool while being thrust into the fi re. “I often fi nd myself at what I call the ‘chasm,’” Shadden said. “It is the point when you are either overwhelmed or about to be so. I always tell myself, ‘Take a deep breath and you can do this—then proceed to do it.’” Conyetta Lehenbauer is the Harper County emergency manager. However, she’s known as the “Weather Lady” by most of the county children. That’s because one of the focuses of emergency management is preparedness, espe- cially in the classroom. “I really like to start with the little ones,” Lehenbauer said. “When kids get something in their minds, they will hound their parents until they do it.” She pushes for families to have preparedness kits using backpacks from
previous school years. These bags contain extra sets of clothes, fl ashlights, a radio and other essentials. She and the kids like to call them “Boogie Bags.” “Because you’ve got to boogie when you go to get it,” Lehenbauer said. In addition to being the mother of two young ones herself, Lehenbauer’s husband Matt is the emergency management director for Woodward County. The Lehenbauers’ youngest son was born the same day a huge grass fi re ran
wild north of Woodward, Okla. Conyetta coordinated Red Cross on the phone to get the fi refi ghters food and water, while Matt handled communications—all from the hospital room.
“Sometimes I would stop and think, ‘You know what, I’m nursing a newborn and talking to Red Cross,’” Lehenbauer said with good-natured humor. “It’s never a dull moment in our house.”
Lehenbauer said the toughest part is hardly seeing their children for days, even weeks at a time, during a disaster event. Because of the profession they’ve chosen that is a luxury they don’t often get to enjoy.
“We tell them we know you are safe with family and we’re always coming back to you, but we’ve got to make sure other kids are safe and have a home to go to tonight.”
She said her kids get excited when they see their parents are helping people. However, she also sees them grow nervous during spring and summer as they have already recognized, for Oklahoma weather, the extreme is typical.
Expecting the unexpected Jim Bauman, sheriff at the Logan County Sheriff’s Department, and his group of volunteer reserves work with emergency managers during unexpected disaster events like tornadoes and fi res.
“We have a strong relationship,” Bauman said. “We can call on each other any time, day or night, and know the other will be there.” Bauman has anywhere from 10 to 20 law enforcement reserves in his depart- ment. These reserves work in the same capacity as deputies and do similar duties a sheriff would do like assisting with emergency management, putting up barricades, patrolling a district or even fi ghting fi res if they had to. “The help they give us is unimaginable. It’s incredible the resources it saves us,” Bauman said.
David Ball, Logan County emergency management director, said he could not come close to doing what he does without volunteers. He recognizes the
Look, listen, what’s that sound? Here’s the intention behind the life-saving tornado siren:
✓ Outdoor warning systems are designed to alert citizens who are outdoors; they are not designed to penetrate buildings and warn those inside structures. ✓ Citizens should not mistakenly wait to hear a siren as their only source of warning information. ✓ A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) All-Hazard radio with
Specifi c Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology is a good method of receiving warning messages indoors.
✓ Additionally, warnings can be received from radio, television, subscription services (that use text messages, e-mails, and telephone messages), social media, and other available sources.
16
WWW.OK-LIVING.COOP
Top 3 Tips in case of an emergency 1. Have a plan 2. Be prepared 3. Stay Informed
Source: Logan County Emergency Management
Watch Warning
Conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop.
A tornado has been sighted by radar or by a trained weather spot- ter. If a tornado warning is in your area, seek shelter immediately.
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