Gillett prepares for local disaster

Even before a tornado destroyed much of Dumas in February 2007, officials in Gillett were worried about what would happen if such a disaster struck their isolated town. Spurred on by that disaster — and the tornado that struck Stuttgart May 10— officials developed a response plan. Last Thursday, they revealed the plan to the public in a meeting at Gillett High School.

The plan details responses to floods, earthquakes, toxic spills on the highway, chemical spills from the Pine Bluff Arsenal and weather, but last Thursday’s meeting concentrated on response to a tornado because “that’s the most likely event and that’s what’s on people’s minds,” Mayor Layton Mattmiller said.

The plan, developed from an outline provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), divides responsibility for disaster response into 10 areas, each with a coordinator and one or more volunteers (see list below).

“In an emergency, one or even two or three persons won’t be able to handle everything,” Mattmiller said. “That’s why we broke [planning the response] into sections. Each unit will worry about what it’s supposed to do, and, supposedly, it will all come together.”

The first step in the plan is to get a list of people in Gillett with special medical needs — individuals who are on oxygen or are or confined to beds or wheelchairs, for example — and who may need special assistance. The city has collected some names; others with special needs should register by calling Gillett City Hall at (870) 548-2541.

In the case of disaster, the first step will be to initiate a house-by-house search-and-rescue mission by chief Monty Young and other members of the Gillett Fire Department. Meanwhile, the town will be sealed off with official entry points at The Rice Paddy and Gillett Grain. Officials will contact Entergy and CenterPoint Energy to handle downed power lines and broken gas lines.

“All this will take place in the first 20 minutes” after the disaster, Mattmiller said.

In the first two hours, according to the plan, a command center will be established, and a medical triage and care center will be set up in the GHS gym. A shelter for victims who lose their homes will be established in Gillett United Methodist Church. (If that church is damaged, the shelter will be moved to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church or Gillett Baptist Church.)

“We figure we’ll need to be able to take care of our people for up to five or six hours, in case outside help is delayed,” said Susan Williams, RN, health and medical coordinator under the disaster preparedness plan.

One important part of the plan is making sure that people who can help the relief effort are allowed into the city, while others are kept out.

Cities that experience disasters, especially tornados, often have problems with “people coming in to rubberneck or loot,” Mattmiller said. “We want to be sure we don’t have that problem here and that [outsiders] don’t get in the way of relief efforts.”

Mattmiller stressed during Thursday’s meeting that the plan was still in the development stage.

“We’re spending a lot of time on this [plan] because, when the time comes [to implement it[, we have to have it perfect on the first lick; we won’t get a second shot,” Mattmiller said. “We might have lives lost if we don’t do it right.”

“We can’t be a town full of victims,” Williams added. “We have to be proactive” in developing a plan.”

Mattmiller said the City of Gillett would develop its plan further and would likely hold further meetings in the future.

Gillett Emergency Officers

City emergency coordinator and damage assessment officer — Layton Mattmiller. Volunteer: Don Hubsch.

Law enforcement officer — Billy Truax. Volunteers: Arkansas County Sheriff’s Department, Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Highway Patrol.

Communications and warning officer — Jennifer Lowe.

Emergency public information officer — Marsha Sullivan.

Fire and rescue officer — Monty Young. Senior fire officer: Steve Ringo. Assistant fire chief: Larry Bauer. Volunteers: Gillett Fire Department members.

Engineering officer — Bill Pratt.

Shelter and evacuation officer — Patricia Young. Volunteers: Donna Barnett, Gayle Womack.

Resource and supply coordinator — Walt Sullivan.

Health and medical coordinator — Susan Williams, RN. Volunteers: Sue Fuhrman, Kim Branham, Leigh Ann Haynes.

Volunteer coordinator — Geneva White. Volunteers: Linda Cover, Rose Ella Smith, Sammie Bohnert, Jayce West.

Volunteers are still needed. To volunteer, call Gillett City Hall at (870) 548-2541.

Gillett prepares for local disaster

Even before a tornado destroyed much of Dumas in February 2007, officials in Gillett were worried about what would happen if such a disaster struck their isolated town. Spurred on by that disaster — and the tornado that struck Stuttgart May 10— officials developed a response plan. Last Thursday, they revealed the plan to the public in a meeting at Gillett High School.

Board mulls school policy changes

After a long and often convoluted discussion of attendance policies, the DeWitt School Board voted to let each school adopt whatever policy suits its needs, as long as it meets state standards.

Council takes few actions

The DeWitt City Council took few actions in a 42-minute meeting Monday night.

Stuttgart cleanup going ‘smoothly’

A month after an EF3 tornado hit Stuttgart May 10, the cleanup “has gone extremely smoothly,” Mayor Marianne Maynard told members of the Arkansas County Intergovernmental Council last Friday.

JPs hear of county disaster relief

Things were relatively quiet at this week’s Quorum Court meeting. After a moment of silence in honor of Leonard Bisswanger, County Judge Glenn “Sonny” Cox applauded the large turnout of seven people.

Dragons fare well in 7-on-7 games

The DeWitt Dragons competed in the Sonic Air Raid 7-on-7 Tournament at Harding University June 7.

Obituaries

Leonard Harvey Bisswanger

DeWitt Police Report

DeWitt Police reported answering the following calls May 31-June 6: