Eureka Springs has no official shelters for natural disaster

Becky Gillette – If a natural disaster occurs, where do you go for shelter if you live in Eureka Springs?

“We have no shelters,” Eureka Springs Fire Department Chief Randy Ates told the Independent. “To have a recognized, certified shelter you have to meet all the qualifications and standards of the agencies involved. We don’t have any official shelters of that sort. No one has stepped forward and said, ‘You can use my place,’ and taken steps to establish a shelter.”

What could be done instead, Ates said, is have churches or schools volunteer to provide shelter after a disaster. While there probably wouldn’t be much in the way of food and water supplies, or cots and bedding material, having a school or church open to take people in could save lives.

“Let’s say, for instance, an area of town is without electricity on a cold winter night,” Ates said. “We can contact various churches, places with a bathroom and kitchen, that would open up their doors and house residents. I believe the school would be willing to open up the gym or cafeteria until the event passes.”

Ates suggest consideration of setting up a shelter at the new community center. It is centrally located, and tourists could find it.

“It would be awesome if we could set up a shelter there, especially for stormy weather,” Ates said. “It would increase the value of the community center.”

One of the most likely natural disasters that could affect Eureka Springs would be a tornado. Some people think the city is less prone to have a tornado than more flat areas of the country, but Ates said Eureka is not immune to tornadoes.

“If you watch the weather, it is easy to believe that,” Ates said. “Storms will start up in western and mid-Oklahoma. By time get it gets here after dark, often the storms break up with different paths of air flows. But we have had several near misses in recent years. One passed over Highway 23 between Chana’s and Turpentine Creek, and tore up some chicken houses. And then the year before that we had one that went around the south edge of our area at the Madison County line and destroyed several farm buildings.”

The city is working to provide better tornado protection for the community. Ates said the city has applied for a tornado siren grant from USDA, and has made it through the first half of that selection round. The grant would be used to install three tornado sirens in town.

Local schools practice diligently to be prepared for a tornado or other natural disaster, and the Eureka Springs Hospital and local nursing homes have emergency action plans in place and backup electrical generators.

“Tourists are the ones who can be caught flat footed, but many hotels have plans where they can move guests into more secure areas such as hallways and sublevels,” Ates said.           

Disasters are a major test of a community’s resilience, including the willingness of people to volunteer to help after the disaster.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is in the event of a disaster, emergency services will take care of everything,” Ates said. “It is simply not possible. While we will most definitely do our best, it overwhelms the ability of our people to cope. People need to be prepared themselves until emergency services can get to them. We have to gain access to the most dangerous areas first, and care first for those with the most serious injuries.

“In the event of a true disaster, we won’t be able to call in other resources because they will be coping in their communities, as well. The saving grace is this area has more than your average number of people who will step up and lend a helping hand.”

Ates recommends having an emergency preparedness kit for anything you can’t do without for 72 hours after a disaster. A waterproof tote can be used to keep a flashlight with spare batteries, a battery powered portable radio (keep in mind that in a true disaster, cell phone and land lines will be useless and the main way of finding out what is going will be the radio), a change of clothing, prescriptions and a copy of important documents including prescriptions, a driver’s license, and a Social Security card to prove you are a resident. Put several bottles of water and some food in your tote. In case the water system is contaminated, it is a good idea to have a case of drinking water stored. Having some cash can be handy because without electricity, debit cards and credit cards won’t be working. A first aid kit is also recommended along with a gas camp stove for cooking if you don’t have a woodstove.

It is also good to have phone numbers written down, including those of family and close friends and your insurance company. If your cell phone battery is dead and you borrow a phone from someone else, it is good to know what numbers to dial.

It is important to have situational awareness. For example, if it looks like some bad weather is in store, make sure to fill up the car with gas because if the electricity goes out, gas stations are unable to pump.

Don’t forget to look out for others.

“Do you have neighbors who live in homes that are not secure in high winds?” he asks. “Neighbors who might not have a back-up source of heat if the electricity goes out? We are a small community and help each other, but sometimes people get overlooked.”

For people who want to know more about how they can help after a disaster, training is available through the Community Emergency Response Team program. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community. If you are interested in receiving CERT training, visit the website ready.arkansas.gov/getInvolved. Classes are held on demand.