@BlogKCThe Star’s Dave Helling examines local disaster plans in light of the debacle on the Gulf Coast. While most people don’t except a city-wide evacuation on the scale of that in hurricane territory, there are possible scenarios involving tornado damage to power plants, floods, chemical spills, etc. Planners have identified at least 60,0000 people without cars, and that’s just in KCMO.
The most likely scenario might be the opposite of an evacuation, the influx of hundreds of thousands after an earthquake on the New Madrid fault. While KC isn’t expected to see much serious damage from a New Madrid quake, St. Louis and Memphis could be devastated on a scale approaching New Orleans. As the nearest major city, KC could be on the front line of receiving masses of injuries and refugees. Baton Rouge is facing a similar experience with it’s population doubling almost overnight, a scenario that hasn’t barely been considered here.
When a pebble is thrown in a pond, the ripples get “longer” and “deeper” the further they travel — same with earchquake shock waves. KCMO is in a position to get the brunt of those long waves if the New Madrid fault pops. Potential worries and damage … taller buildings (especially larger hospitals; water mains and sewer lines; bridges; water processing plants; specialized, high capacity pumps delivering water from artesian wells; storage tanks, especially those containing chemicals; dams/large lakes; levees; rail yards with chemical tank cars.
KCMO should hope for the best but plan for the worst.
What’s my plan in case of emergency? I’m going to stay over with my good friend Mayor Kay. You are all welcome to come. I got dibs on the couch.