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County preparing for dam break, possible flooding in Adair
"Three and one-half hours after a Wolf Creek Dam failure, flood waters could be in Adair County," Greg Thomas, Adair County Emergency Management Coordinator, said, adding, "that's something few Adair Countians know about." Melton and Thomas were interviewed in a recemt meeting I requested on the Adair County Response to a possible Wolf Creek Dam breach. -Ed WaggenerThomas and Adair County Judge Executive Ann Melton have been working on Adair County's response to such a catastrophe, which is a high risk possibility at this time. Judge Melton has been concerned with both Adair County's humanitarian response in case the event becomes a reality, as well as the reality of the impact the news of the dam's imperiled situation has created on Adair County's tourist industry.. The Adair County flooding, Thomas said, would include the Crocus Creek areas below Melson Ridge, in the very southern end of the county. At the time of the interview, Thomas was unsure of the exact houses which would be threatened. It's a sparsely populated area, but some homes could be flooded, he said. Crocus Creek Road is one of the areas which could see flood waters, Thomas said. The Corps of Engineers has announced that it is making maps available today, with houses noted. The Adair County Public Library is to be one of the locations where citizens can check out the homes at risk, but not immediately. The maps had not arrived at the office of Judge Melton this morning, and Lee Ann Jessee, Director of the Adair County Public Library, said that maps had not be received there at 8:40am Monday. Director Jessee called the Corps of Engineers and was told that the library is not on the list to receive them, but she is making follow up calls to try to secure the maps. Later, she said that the Somerset office of the Corps of Engineers said they will have a map of the Adair County area which might be impacted in about one week, and maybe a full set of maps will be here. "Their concern," Jessee said, "is for Homeland Security. They don't want these maps to get into the hands of terrorists." Jessee said she was told that all homeowners in the areas which may be flooded have been notified.County could see increases as well as decreases in tourist dollars spent here "We may lose tourists who pass through Adair County going to Lake Cumberland," she said, "but we also have to look at the number of people who will be coming to Green River Lake because they won't want to be on Lake Cumberland with all that is going on." The county is applying for grants to lengthen the ramps at Mt. Carmel and Arnold's Landing on Green River Lake in Adair County, Judge Melton said, and hopes to get money to add picnic shelters and better lighting in both locations. Thomas said that Adair County's biggest concern will be to deliver aid to Cumberland County. Russell County will be largely working with Casey, Boyle, and Pulaski Counties, he said. And many Cumberland Countians will be depending on Clinton County and most are being told that, in the event of a dam failure, they are to evacuate to high ground in Clinton County. But many would come to Adair if the dam should fail. Russell County would not have as much flooding, as Cumberland, Thomas said, but problems would abound. A major one could be helping boaters. The U.S. Coast Guard would be involved in that," Thomas said. "If you are on the lake in a boat, what you will notice, for quite some time, is the receding shoreline. If you weren't watching that, you wouldn't realize that the dam had failed." For brief time, Adair County will be on its own Should a breach in the dam occur, Thomas said, an Emergency Operations Center for Adair County will be set up at the Adair County Jail. "We'll be on our own for 48-72 hours," he said. "If FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is called in, that will be after Judge Melton declares a disaster and requests FEMA participation." Adair County Emergency own first responders will be made available to Cumberland County, under existing mutual aid agreements, Thomas said. The Adair County Rescue Squad is the one local unit which will remain in Adair County. It would be operating at Thomas' discretion. Road crews would also be at Thomas direction. There is more room in the Annex basement, he said, but the jail is better in many ways. "Most important," he said, "is the fact that the jail is secure. The annex is not. Dispatchers are already set up there. There are sleeping areas at the jail, and the jail has a full kitchen. That will be important for the Emergency Operations Center," Thomas said. Adair County will then be able to call on first response units to the north, should our first responders move to Cumberland County, Thomas said. "That's the way it works. Taylor, Green, Marion, and other counties would be on call to help us if our people move into a Cumberland County disaster area." Adair one site under consideration for moved Coast Guard EOC There is a possibility that the United States Coast Guard Emergency Operations Center, now designated to be at the Cumberland County Hospital, could be moved to Columbia, KY. "We're one of the areas mentioned," Thomas said. Adair is ahead on CERT training Adair is ahead in the area of Community Emergency Response Training. Three classes have been through the courses, Thomas said. "We're the only county with ongoing CERT classes," he said. Thomas said that having these people in place is added comfort. Adair will participate in Joint Information Center practice If there is a disaster, a JIG, or Joint Information Center, will be set up. A practice one, with Thomas, and Billy Pickett and Bub Polston, attending for Adair County, is set for March at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset. Housing for any flood refugees is already planned Thomas said that the numbers of flood refuges from Cumberland County would not be large, and that plans are already set up to house and feed them. "In the past," he said, "the Sparksville School would have been one of the sites. But since it has now been closed, churches and locations in Columbia will be more important. He said that he will coordinate with Superintendent Darrell Treece for other school use. Judge Melton had been concerned with that Adair County be able to live up to its responsibilities in the event persons displaced by the flood waters should arrive here. She said she was relieved to see that flood victims would be provided for here in a relative degree of comfort. "Handling disaster refugees is nothing new for us," Thomas noted. "We had Katrina refugees in Columbia, you remember." Church groups would be expected to play a big role Thomas said that among others, the American Red Cross will be here to set up kitchens. He expects churches to play a big role if the worst occurs. "People just came in and cooked for others at Barnett's Creek United Methodist Church and at Cane Valley Christian Church during our last local disaster," he said. "They will do that again, I'm sure." And he expects church groups to be here. "There will be Baptists with chainsaws, and Mennonite volunteers," he said. They were here during the last Cane Valley and Barnett's Creek tornadoes," Thomas said. Handling the funds Judge Melton said that as county funds are expended for a disaster, there will be a special unit in county government to track the costs. "Barry (Barry Corbin,Adair County treasurer) and Gale (Gale Cowan, Adair County Finance Officer) will set up an office to keep track of the money we (Adair County government) spends, so that we can ask for re-imbursement after the initial emergency." Private contractors may be hired during the emergency, Judge Melton said, "But they have to have a contract in place, at a stated cost, to be used." No local water shortages affected by dam break, ACWD's Stone says Should the dam break, at least temporary water shortages will be likely in Russell, Clinton, Wayne, and Pulaski Counties, Thomas said. For most of the communities in those counties, Lake Cumberland is the sole supply of water. Adair County, on the other hand, gets water now mostly from Russell Creek and from Green River Reservoir. When the new Adair County Water Treatment Plant is complete, almost all of the county's water will come from Green River. Lenny Stone, General Manager of the Adair County Water District, (ACWD) said that some water for Adair County does come from Lake Cumberland. That is scheduled to change, he said, when the new Adair County Water Treatment Plant comes on line. That time is expected to be in August, 2007. "Then," he said, "if the new 12-inch line and water storage tank is complete, we'll be in a position supply all our water from the new plant." Stone said that he expects the bids to be let shortly, and that the expected completion date for the 12-inch waterline and Shepherd facility will be in the August to October 2007 period. The ACWD is working on contingency plans to help towns dependent on Lake Cumberland for water should the need arise. "In fact," Stone said, "David Bowles of Monarch Engineering has been working with the Corps of Engineers and he will report to us at our regular meetings at 4:00pm (Water Treatment Plant Board) and at 6:00pm (ACWD board) meetings. "I think we're in good shape to handle our own needs," Stone said, "we can always buy more from Columbia and Campbellsville before the new plant is on line," adding, "and, after that, we'll have all we need and still be able to sell to other water systems." Electricity problems and possible affects on Adair The loss of the hydroelectric power generated at Wolf Creek Dam would be minimal, but the overall effect of a dam failure would be disastrous downstream. Three coal-fired generating plants within the Cumberland Basin could be imperiled by a Wolf Creek Dam failure, the Corps of Engineers says, and this would "present a significant threat to the regional power network," according to the Corps' Memorandum for the Record, Subject: Wolf Creek Dam Interim Risk Reduction Measures Executive Summary (online). Most of Adair County's power comes from generating plants northeast of the county, but the need to supply more power to the Cumberland basis might affect the power grid supplying Adair County at present. If it happens, listen to local, NOAA weather radio Adair County is in a similar situation with Cumberland County in that county-wide warning sirens are not set up now. Local radio stations will be important sources of imformation, he said. And, as in Cumberland County, Greg Thomas says, Adair Countians are urged to listen to NOAA on a battery-operated Weather Radio to in case of emergency. "You can buy one of the weather radios at a local hardware store or at Wal-Mart," he said, "and that is recommended." Public Meetings Schedule from Corps of Engineers website These meetings will address the construction efforts to manage the seepage issues at both Wolf Creek and Center Hill Dams, interpret the inundation maps and the recent announcement to lower the lake level at Wolf Creek Dam, in Russell County, KY, to 680 feet, in response to independent studies that have classified the dam as being high risk. Tuesday, February 6, 2007: Nashville, TN Related:Click Here for overall, official, information on the Wolf Creek Dam Seepage Rehabilitation Project. Page is headed "Hot Topics," and has numerous links to extensive information about the situation. Click Here for the Corps' Gateway to the Lakes website. To call for information:
This story was posted on 2007-02-05 10:57:33
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