HOMETOWN - Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, two tornadoes, another weather event that seemed like a tornado and a freak October snowstorm made 2011 one of the worst years for weather emergencies.
Those events also made it the best time for Rush Township and Air Products to join forces to create a new emergency management center inside the township building.
Local officials gathered Friday to unveil the approximate 10-by-10-foot room on the east side of the building. The center has its own entrance and is equipped with a computer with a large monitor, wall-mounted paper maps of the entire township, a messaging board, radios for emergency band use and a separate phone line for communication to county, state and federal authorities.
During an emergency, the center can be activated by the township's emergency management coordinator, Lorraine "Sissy" Brill; Paul S. Miller Jr., the deputy emergency management coordinator, or elected officials.
"This room means a lot," said Brill, whose late husband was her predecessor in the position. "Before, we were working out of my house, Paul's house, some documents were at the firehouse. Now, it's under one roof, in one room, and can be taken care of in one place."
Miller, sitting at the computer, said the room was designed to be very functional.
"The screen is very big, so you can see it from across the room," he said. "You can stand in one place, and see what is going on in the whole room."
John Matz, Schuylkill County's emergency management coordinator, further described the new room.
"The room is built around the instant command system, and the emergency support functions in a pod-type layout," Matz said. "The computer, emergency plans, radios, phone and materials are in place and ready for immediate use."
Matz praised Brill for her work, and presented her with maps of the township and the county for the new center.
"Sissy has been consistent in seeking training, attending meetings, participating in exercises and providing timely info to the county EOC (emergency operations center) during emergency situations," Matz said. "The township is fortunate to have two dedicated individuals" in Brill and Miller.
"Emergency management is a very important and often overlooked aspect of local government," Matz said.
Brill appealed to township residents to come forward to identify neighbors who live alone.
"This is confidential information," she said. "Sometimes, there are persons who don't want anyone to know they live alone, and they don't say anything. If they just gave us the information, we could go check on them if there is a power outage or a snowstorm."
Bad weather year
Matz said 2011 was "a very busy, dangerous and costly year for the residents, businesses and municipalities of Schuylkill County."
"The first quarter of the year was cold and icy, and many municipalities depleted their salt stores and road budgets," he said. "The rains of spring started early and held tragedy. Driving through water proved deadly for one man and put a number of first responders in deep danger. My rainfall gauge showed we had 50 inches of rain in 2011, when the average annual rainfall over the last five years has been about 32 inches."
Matz said tornadoes, absent from Schuylkill County for 15 years, returned in a big way in 2011.
"Who would have thought we'd have two EF-1 tornadoes in less than one week?" he asked. "Fast forward to July, and a downburst that made a mess of sections of Lake Hauto. After viewing the effects of the two tornadoes from a helicopter, I can say the amount of damage in Lake Hauto was more concentrated and severe than that was caused by the two tornadoes."
Then summer came, and so did more severe weather that led to a disaster declaration for the county.
"When things calmed down in mid-summer, we experienced an earthquake, just to keep us on our toes," he said. "We dodged Hurricane Irene, and then got a deluge from Tropical Storm Lee."
Matz said the freak October snowstorm caught him with his guard down.
"I'm happy to close the book on 2011," he said.
Emergency generator
As part of the partnership between the township and Air Products, Supervisor Steve Simchak said the township municipal building will be outfitted soon with a standby power generator.
"This will allow our police, fire and EMA to provide emergency services to the residents of Rush Township," he said.
Thomas Gauntner, engineering and maintenance manager at Air Products in Hometown, said the company's partnership with the township serves both entities well.
"We were looking for a site where we could go in the event of an emergency at the plant, should we need it," Gauntner said. "At the same time, the township was considering how to improve its emergency capabilities. We were happy we could help each other."
Gauntner said from his experience at Air Products, officials have to be ready at all times to handle emergencies.
He cited the collapse of a stage at the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 13, killing five and injuring approximately 50 spectators, and a large party at Lehigh University on Dec. 5 which resulted in 44 people being taken to the hospital for drug and alcohol abuse.
"A lot of lessons were learned (in Indiana), and one of them is you cannot become complacent and fatigued when it comes to the planning process," Gauntner said. "You have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, exercising collaborative planning and processes and excellent preparedness capabilities.
"My point is preparedness. We have to try to anticipate and be ready for things that could happen. The more time you spend preparing for them, the more ready you are to deal with them if they happen."