OxfordPress.com

The wind storm of Sept. 14 taught Warren County's emergency responders these lessons:

• The county's disaster plan needs to be updated with current cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses for key government, hospital and utility companies.

• Bigger back-up generators are needed for county government offices and the 911 emergency phone system.

• Agreements are needed to secure locations for temporary shelters.

• Electricity was not restored in parts of the county for a week because wind and falling trees damaged power lines but in other areas like Lebanon power was back on quickly because trees had been trimmed away from power lines.

• With electricity and phones not working, some communities like Mason solved communication problems by sending police and firefighters door to door to check on residents without power and delivered water and ice.

"Overall, I was pleased with the way the residents reacted," said Warren

County Commissioner Dave Young. "The people took care of themselves. Warren County didn't wait around for the federal government to help out."

Commissioner Pat South said the moderate temperatures were a blessing for residents without power but the storm revealed the contact information in the county's Emergency Operating Policy was "sorely outdated."

"We created a new plan as we went," South said.

Warren County Emergency Management Director Frank Young said people he needs to keep in contact with had not provided updated cell phone and e-mail addresses. He did not receive updates from DP&L, which provides electricity to 3-5 percent of county residents and Duke Energy did not restore power to the new mental hospital in Mason until Tuesday because of confusion about its location.

Young said he plans to address the communications issues.

South was also critical of the American Red Cross which she said was not as prepared as she had been led to believe. The Red Cross had no agreements with community groups to provide locations for shelters and only opened one in the county in Franklin, South said. No one spent the night there but residents stopped to pick up water, Red Cross officials reported earlier.

A Red Cross spokesman could not be reached for comment.

South said the Red Cross should have provided a more centrally located shelter.

The county government needs to buy larger backup generators for its facilities, South said. The 911 emergency phone system was out for about an hour on Sept. 14 because of power failures.

South said she will push for a phone information hotline that provides general information and estimates for when to expect power to be returned, roads cleared and other details residents needed in the week after the wind storm.

Young said the county emergency management agency was able to coordinate delivery of water to residents in Carlisle, where many people depend on wells that couldn't operate without electricity.

Mason officials are proud of the response city emergency workers provided residents during and after the Sept. 15 wind storm that damaged houses, businesses and schools across Warren County.

Police Chief Ron Ferrell said police, fire and public works employees were out in the neighborhoods almost immediately and they stayed in daily contact with residents without electricity.

City employees brought ice and in some cases batteries to residents each night and the public works crews will be working for weeks to clear brush from downed trees.