As the outside swirling rings of Hurricane Isabel slammed into the coast of North Carolina this morning, precautions were already taking place in Northern Blair County as events and services have been moved or postponed and local leaders scrambled to protect their residents in anticipation of the worst storm since 1999.
Accuweather meteorologists from the State College bureau are predicting the eye of the storm to pass over this part of the state early tomorrow morning, with the worst of the weather affecting Bedford and Fulton counties. However, a good deal of tumultous weather can be expected here including four to six inches of rain and wind gusts topping off at more than 65 miles per hour.
“Even though Tyrone isn’t going to get the worst of this storm,” said Jim Beckwith, Tyrone fire chief and borough council member, “we still have to be prepared. We feel we’re ready, but you can’t close the barn door after the horse gets out. We have to see what happens.”
Beckwith said his main concern is electricity and outages.
“Our water system here is dependent on electricity,” said Beckwith, noting that the water must be filtered through electrical means. “But we’re taking precautions to make sure the residents have clean water.”
Beckwith said tomorrow morning, officials will be on hand to fill the tanks so there will be at least a three-day reserve.
“If you’re power goes out, the best thing I can say to do is conserve water,” said Beckwith. “Use it for the essentials, such as flushing the toilet and for drinking.”
Beckwith said plans are in the works for the borough to purchase a generator for the plant for when situations such as this arise, but bids won’t go out until possibly next month.
Another concern, although not as important as the electricity and the water, is the sewage treatment plant. Unlike the water plant, there is generator power available at the sewage facility.
“We do have flood control gates there that we can open if we need to,” said Beckwith.
There will be emergency personnel available in Tyrone should the need arise. If anyone is having an emergency medical situation or becomes trapped, Beckwith said to contact 9-1-1 and it will dispatch the proper resources to handle the situation.
“We have four-wheel drive vehicles ready to go in the event of an emergency,” said Beckwith. “All our equipment is fully gassed up and ready.”
In the event of a fire, Beckwith said tankers are prepared to retrieve water from the dam near the paper mill.
There are two areas in Tyrone emergency personnel will keep their eyes on – the Bald Eagle Creek and the Little Juniata River.
Beckwith said there are always problems with flooding with the Bald Eagle Creek, but said the Little Juniata River will also be a focal point because Bedford County is expected to see the heaviest precipitation activity.
“We’ll keep monitoring both areas and make determinations of what we need to next,” said Beckwith. “If the water starts coming up too high, which we hope it doesn’t, we may have to evacuate people. We have enough vehicles ready in case that is the situation.”
Should evacuation become a neccesity, the American Red Cross will help in local cases. Beckwith said first, people could be “put up” in hotels, but if there are numerous people that are in need of evacuation, a shelter will be established at the Tyrone Area High School and ample transportation to the site would be made available.
“The latest update I received from the county was yesterday and they told me the brunt of the storm would hit here between midnight tonight and 8 a.m. tomorrow morning,” he said.
Beckwith said borough work crews have also been busy preparing for the event by clearing ditches and cleaning out drain pipes.
“We’re getting ready for it,” said Antis Township Supervisor Ray Amato. “We’re out making sure all the ditches are clear and there’s nothing blocking the drain pipes. This one’s gonna be a doozie.”
Amato said township crews have been ditching and replacing pipe all summer long, but in the past couple of days, this type of work has been the focal point.
“We’re preparing for the worst,” said Amato. “We’ve been busy getting this place ready so everyone’s safe.”
Amato said the most dangerous areas in the township will be along River Road, because of the river, and in the Pinecroft area, due to the sewage treatment plant and the river.
“There’s really not a lot we can do about it,” said Amato, “only take as many precautions as possible. People just need to be careful when this thing does hit.”
Amato also said the Blair County Chapter of the American Red Cross has offered sandbags to residents. Those needing the sandbags are encouraged to contact 946-6146.
Like in Antis Township and Tyrone Borough, Snyder Township officials have also been busy preparing for the storm by clearing ditching, making sure drainpipes were clear and cutting back trees.
According to Viola Dysart, secretary, the township’s emergency coordinator, Paul Morrison, attended a meeting with county emergency personnel to come up with a game plan for the upcoming events.
“They have decided that municipalities needed to establish shelters for emergency situations,” said Dysart.
Residents in Snyder Township who are in danger are encouraged to take refuge at the Bald Eagle Fire Hall.
“If there’s a problem where someone is trapped or are in need of medical attention, there will be someone manning a phone at the firehall that will be able to get them the help they need,” said Dysart, noting the number to reach these emergency people is 684-5586. They’re figuring the worst of the storm will hit between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. tomorrow. We’ll have people on-call for any emergency situations that arise.”
Emergency personnel tell residents to prepare an emergency first-aid kit, make sure there are batteries in the flashlight and to prepare for the worst.
