Watching on her TV the devastation left along the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Betty McDowell began to wonder what would happen if Orion Township were hit with such a disaster.
It won’t be a hurricane, but it could be a tornado, terrorist attack or even another wide-scale blackout like the one the area experienced in 2003, said McDowell, an Orion resident.
‘We do not need to be paranoid, but we do need to be prepared,? she told the Orion Township Board of Trustees at its Oct. 17 meeting.
McDowell called township supervisor Jerry Dywasuk to find out if the township had an emergency plan in place. She told him she would be happy to serve on a committee of citizens to help the cause.
‘He said he thought the fire department and police would handle the problem,? she said. ‘He was polite and said thanks.?
Not satisfied, McDowell decided to take matters into her own hands.
‘So I am now in the process of getting a group of concerned people to get a plan started,? she told the board. ‘One of the big problems we face in this community are the roads.?
McDowell said with the traffic on Baldwin, Joslyn and Lapeer; the township’s three major roads; in the event of an emergency, cars would be creeping, not knowing where they were going or if they will make it.
McDowell’s husband Jack is a member of the Michigan Minutemen Platoon, a group of volunteers that work with the Pontiac Police.
‘I would like to encourage people (in Orion) to start such a group,? she said. ‘Anyone can be a member, male or female, as long as they do not have a (felony) against them.?
The Michigan Minutemen Platoon, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1370 in Pontiac, is a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), training in Pontiac to assist the police department there.
Jack is a spotter for the group, meaning that during an emergency situation he would be watching over things and radioing in with any disturbances he sees.
‘We ride along with the Pontiac Police and assist them during events,? he said. ‘They do a background check on anyone who wants to join.?
Along with Jack, Orion residents Jerry Hinsperger and Keith Phillips are also members of the Michigan Minutemen Platoon which meets once a month.
Phillips has been involved with the group for three years. He said a lot of times their job is just ‘looking out for people.?
‘It’s a great involvement for the community,? he added. ‘More people need to get involved. This is our country.?
Currently the group has about 43 regularly attending members, including four women.
‘We are always looking for donations of equipment,? he said. ‘And we go wherever we are needed. We have people in the group from Holly, Metamora, Lapeer…all over.?
The Michigan Minutemen Platoon has their own 20-foot trailer that is loaded with lights, generators, water and other emergency supplies.
Each member of the group carries with them a bag full of emergency supplies. Members also have training in first aid and CPR, as well as search and rescue.
The group underwent search and rescue training at the CREST Center at Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills.
McDowell would like to see Orion start such a group, and she is volunteering herself to head a committee to work on developing a plan.
‘Watching the hurricane in Louisiana got me thinking about it,? said McDowell, who has lived with Jack on Baldwin road since 1959.
‘Our government is supposed to get people trained,? she said. ‘Rochester Hills did a training class for their citizens.?
McDowell spoke with Gail Novak, chief of Oakland County Emergency Response and Preparedness, but wasn’t satisfied with her response either.
‘I plan to ask the (township board) to offer training for people at the (Oakland County Sheriff’s Department) substation,? she said.
At the Oct. 17 board meeting, Dywasuk said the township did have an emergency plan in place.
?(Orion Fire Chief) Jeff Key is working with the village to bring a plan up to date,? he said. ‘But I appreciate (McDowell’s) efforts…sometimes it takes a citizen to bring these things to our attention.?
Dywasuk said the township’s plan is an ‘ongoing? project.
‘Regarding the issue of evacuation, it’s not like we’re in a hurricane area,? he said. ‘It would really depend on what the situation was.?
Dywasuk said Key is the township’s chief officer where the emergency plan is concerned. The township and Village of Lake Orion maintain separate emergency plans, but do work together.
‘These guys are here all the time,? he said of the various township departments, as well as the fire department.
‘The fire department is constantly training.?
According to Novak, the county does have a plan in place, and leaves it up to local municipalities to devise their own plans.
‘We have samples of disaster plans available,? she said. ‘The county’s plan gives us guidelines and policies, as governed by law, to provide emergency planning.?
The county recently adopted a hazard mitigation plan, which Novak said identifies hazards in all the county’s communities, and allows the county to be eligible for any pre-disaster mitigation money.
‘It’s up to the local communities to choose how to respond to their own disasters,? she said.
The county’s emergency plan is updated every four years and reviewed every two years.
‘We don’t have an evacuation plan, per se, for Oakland County,? Novak said. ‘But we have been working on that…we got a little taste of it with the blackout.?
The county’s plan does address ‘in place sheltering,? which would provide citizens with guidelines for making their home a safe place to be during a specific incident.
‘Such as a chemical incident,? said Novak. ‘We have developed literature for creating an in-place shelter…allowing them to make it safe to stay there, if it’s safe enough to stay in their home.?
The county provides individual communities with sample plans, and allows each to determine who their chief emergency management officer will be.
‘Each community is different,? Novak said. ‘For some it’s the supervisor or mayor, and for others it’s the fire chief or chief of police. They choose the person responsible for that community.?
McDowell doesn’t want Orion to have to rely on the county’s plan.
‘Health-wise, I’m not the best person to be doing this,? said McDowell. ‘But I’m hoping other people will join in.?
McDowell envisions a group that could meet bi-weekly, or maybe once a month, to form evacuation plans as well as plans for storing supplies in a food bank.
‘Say a tornado rips through a whole subdivision,? she said. ‘Those houses will fall like matchsticks. Then you have whole families that need a shelter for the night.?
McDowell believes the area around Metro Detroit is also ‘wide open? for terrorists, with the population and the malls in the area.
‘When you panic and don’t know what to do, that causes more turmoil,? she said. ‘Like when we had the blackout…the roads were clogged. People were going everywhere trying to get gas.?
McDowell believes forming a plan is not only the local government’s irresponsibility, but the citizens? as well.
‘I don’t want to see one life lost due to negligence of the government or us people,? she said.
According to the Michigan Citizen Corps, which hosts CERT training with the CREST Center, ‘the American people are the ultimate stakeholders in the homeland security mission and must be an integral component of national preparedness efforts.
‘Those in the emergency management community have a irresponsibility and obligation to educate the public on preparedness, provide emergency skills training and provide opportunities for citizens to participate through volunteer service to support local first responders on an ongoing basis and during an event.?
Michigan Citizen Corps program director Gary Zulinski can be reached at (517) 241-3867, or zulinskig@michigan.gov.
The website is www.citizencorps.gov/councils.