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Tornado Scenario
The NCDC (National Climatic Data Center) database logs 149 tornadoes with a Fujita rating of F3 or higher in Tennessee between 1950 and February 28, 2009. Virginia records 33 F3 (or higher) tornadoes during the same period. North Carolina had 75.
Tennessee tornadoes: 1950 to present (105 F3, 43 F4 and 1 F5)
Selecting a scenario tornado
Selecting a representative tornado for our tornado scenario was challenging. Since F3 rated tornadoes were more common than F4 or F5, we sought an F3. We needed a thorough narrative of events to bring the scenario to life. Lastly, we wanted an example with impact on a city comparable to those in the Tri-Cities and Southwest Virginia.
Americus, Georgia
On March 1, 2007, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued warnings for Eastern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and much of Georgia of severe weather.
“There is a high risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of…”1
“Major outbreak of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms possible across much of the central and southern United States today and tonight.” 1
Local Storm Reports (LSR) issued by the Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) were inaccurate due to confusion between the event and spotter location and the wind direction. Typically such local reports rely on software designed for county monitoring which cannot provide the adequate granularity to report the specific tornado locations. 1
Students at a high school in nearby Enterprise, Alabama, sheltered in place for over 2 ˝ hours as successive rotating storms passed through the region. 1
The lead time for Americus, Georgia, between tornado sighting and impact, was 29 minutes. 2
The F3 tornado tracked 32 miles, cutting directly through the small town (population 17,000) of Americus, Georgia. As it ripped through Americus, the tornado was a mile wide. Sumter Regional Hospital narrowly avoided a direct hit. A significant portion of Sumter Regional Hospital was destroyed.
"The damage to the hospital itself seems staggering. This is where all the patients, doctors, and nurses were when the storm hit. All the glass is broken, the roof is blown off. Staff spent much of the night transporting patients from the hospital to other facilities.
The governor was here Friday morning, and declared Sumter one of six counties in a disaster area. 'I was shocked,' said Sonny Perdue. 'It was worse than I had feared. The hospital was hit, but the devastation within the area of Sumter Co. and Americus was more than I imagined. The businesses around the hospital are totally destroyed. Power is still not restored I many places. It's just a blessing frankly that we didn't have more fatalities than we did.'" 3
Hundreds of homes and businesses were totally destroyed or sustained substantial damage. Within Americus, over 1,235 structures were damaged or destroyed, including 217 businesses and one fire station. The tornado was accompanied by substantial rainfall.
The NCDC reports that the storm repair costs exceed $110M.
Staff reports from Sumter Regional Hospital indicate that patient records were lost in the disaster and that hardcopies of patient information were found as far as 40 miles away. They were able to begin treating patients in M.A.S.H. style tents the subsequent day, and later moved into facilities provided by FEMA. They expect to move back into the hospital in 2011.
Sumter Regional Hospital, Doctors Parking Only, courtesy NOAA
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Winn-Dixie, Americus, Georgia, courtesy NOAA
A long red light, Americus, Georgia, courtesy NOAA
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Sumter Regional Hospital, courtesy Don Smith
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View a slideshow of other Americus photos
References
1. U.S. Department of Commerce report, “Tornadoes in Southern Alabama and Georgia on March 1, 2007”, http://www.weather.gov/os/assessments/pdfs/AL-GA_tornadoes07.pdf.
2. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~652156
3. WALB News, http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=6168189
4. Wikipedia (for reference only) "February-March 2007 Tornado Outbreak"
How would an identical disaster impact your organization's ability to provide service to customers, the community or patients?
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