Dyersburg, Dyer County receive StormReady recognition

On March 1, 1997, a weather system out of Arkansas brought a devastating storm of torrential and prolonged rain to West Tennessee. That storm not only caused flooding but brought with it to Dyer County an F4 tornado that stretched 12 to 15 miles long and 100 to 200 yards wide causing much destruction and the death of a 13-year-old girl.

It was from that devastation that Dyersburg and Dyer County officials began looking for ways to help residents be informed, and thereby safe, when severe weather strikes.

"In '97 the seed was planted and we recognized the need -- we realized the community wasn't prepared and didn't have in place an early-warning system," said Capt. Tommy Gibbons, chief of fire administration for Dyersburg. "We felt if a system was in place we could save citizens."

Over the next five years, the City of Dyersburg installed emergency sirens, an 800-megahertz radio system, radar monitoring equipment and constructed an Emergency Operations Center to house the 911 operations and serve as an emergency management headquarters.

Earlier this year, Gibbons and Dyersburg Police Capt. Mark Grant, who's over the department's training and development, approached Dyersburg Police Chief Bobby Williamson and Dyersburg Fire Chief Billy Taylor with the idea of applying for StormReady. The National Weather Service program helps communities prepare for severe weather by aiming to improve communication and weather preparedness by giving clear guidance toward improving warning programs. After approval from Mayor Bill Revell, work on the application began in February.

Their many hours of hard work were recognized Thursday when the NWS recognized the City of Dyersburg and Dyer County as a certified StormReady community.

"A lot of effort has gone into this," said Dyer County Fire Chief James Medlin. "Since 1997 when we had our first tornado with lot of damage and death, we've all come together to make the county safer. I'm proud to say all three cities (Dyersburg, Newbern and Trimble) have siren systems in place and we have the weather radio system to serve all of Northwest Tennessee. All of this was done through the leadership of elected officials. They've done an outstanding job and we appreciate the support they've given."

To obtain StormReady recognition, Dyersburg and Dyer County had to meet very clear guidelines in several areas including communication, weather information reception, hydro-meteorological monitoring, local warning dissemination, community preparedness and administrative excellence. After submitting an application, a team consisting of representatives from the NWS, the State of Tennessee's division of Emergency Management and the president of the Tennessee Emergency Management Association met to verify the criteria was met.

'Now that (StormReady is) implemented, we feel we can provide realistic weather information and early warning to the county," Gibbons said.

Dyersburg is the third city in the state to receive StormReady recognition and the first in West Tennessee. It joins 200 communities and cities in 27 states for the honor.

"There aren't many of these in the Mid-South," said Jim Belles, warning coordination meteorologist with the NWS in Memphis. "This is groundbreaking for this area.

"The recognition of Dyersburg and Dyer County as StormReady results from the city's and county's vision, leadership, hard work and commitment to citizens' safety and well being."

It is an achievement, Revell said, made possible by the work of several people.

"I want to commend Tommy Gibbons and Mark Grant for working since March to reach StormReady status," he said. "Fire Chief Billy Taylor and Police Chief Bobby Williamson made this possible through their support. I also want to thank local HAM radio operators who have volunteered to serve as part of the Real-time Weather Information Team."

StormReady was originally developed in Oklahoma at the Tulsa Weather Service office in the response to the Fort Smith tornado. Belles noted the weather in the eastern two-thirds of the nation works well for StormReady because of the variations of severe thunderstorms, severe heat, tornadoes, winter storms and flooding.

"Real-time reports are vital to provide," said WMC-TV meteorologist Dave Brown, who was present for the ceremony. "I'm a firm believer that people will respond quicker when they hear severe weather, like a tornado, has been spotted in their area and not that Doppler radar has spotted a possible one. I wish every county had it because it would make my job easier and all citizens safer."

Belles noted how from the 1930s through 1950s, tornadoes caused hundreds of fatalities and thousands of casualties because there was no way to prepare people. Through the years, thanks largely to technology and education, those numbers have dropped dramatically.

"Because we see things on a national perspective and put together the criteria, we can see what communities need based on population to prepare for severe weather," Belles said. "This community serves as an example of what we're trying to do -- reduce injuries and deaths due to severe weather. Folks should be proud."

Jim Duke, meteorologist in charge of NWS, said Dyersburg and Dyer County should be applauded for the StormReady achievement.

"When a community is storm ready, it means it's prepared to deal with those events. That's to be applauded," he said. "(As meteorologists) our principle job is to provide cities with the kind of weather information people need to conduct their daily lives. But when bad weather threatens they need to be safe."

That safety comes through information, education and preparation.

"It's clear this community is ready to react and keep its people safe," Duke said. "When you're identified as StormReady, it confirms that mutual watch and that people are ready to react."

"In a tornado, seconds count," Revell said. "The StormReady team at the Dyersburg EOC can get the warning out faster, thus saving lives. Hopefully, we can all sleep easier knowing our 24-hour warning system is at work."

While the StormReady certification has been achieved, Gibbons noted that more work is being done to continue improving preparedness for severe weather.

Gibbons and Grant are currently working with surrounding counties in Missouri and Arkansas to gather real-time weather. Gibbons noted by keeping communication open, "we can tell what weather they're getting, what we can expected in three to four hours and get crews ready," he said. "We also feel with the certification we'll be eligible for federal grants through NWS. We're fortunate to have a system in place."