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Natural Disaster in Michigan


Kayak1

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I recently finished reading "The Great Deluge" which chronicles the ineptitude of the local, state and federal government in the days before, during and after hurricane Katrina. Does the City of Grand Rapids have an emergency actiion plan in the wake of a natural disaster or a terrorist attack. If so what is the plan and do the residents know what to do?

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I recently finished reading "The Great Deluge" which chronicles the ineptitude of the local, state and federal government in the days before, during and after hurricane Katrina. Does the City of Grand Rapids have an emergency actiion plan in the wake of a natural disaster or a terrorist attack. If so what is the plan and do the residents know what to do?

The GRBJ ran an article no 11/15/05 "Sherriff Coordinates Disaster Response" . . . outlines the funds Kent County rec'd and what was done w/ them . . .

I was also recently reading an article about various cities in the US and the lack of prepardness even now, after 911 & Katrina (for the life of me I can not remember where I read that article . . .) Detroit was dead last on the list for preparedness . . . . . .

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I think that it is a very justifiable question. I know that the municipality that I work for has a situation specific series of plans for different disasters, natural or not. In fact, for some types of funding, municipalities are required to have a plan.

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I think it's a legitimate question, I just didn't get the "Fox News" angle. As far as natural disasters and terrorism, historicallly speaking our "finite resources" would be better invested in terrorism response. Here's a map of natural disasters in the US that I posted a while back:

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But because we are situated between Chicago and Detroit, terrorism is not out of the realm of possibilities. I know there were some terrorist attack drills behind VAA a few years ago.

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The city and metro area may have plans to deal with a natural disaster at local levels. So I'm sure they know what to do. However, after witnessing the federal government's pitiful response to New Orleans's cry for help when Katrina struck, I would not count on the feds helping Grand Rapids if a billion + dollar disaster struck our fair city. Same applies to any other city be it a major city like Chicago or a small town like Sturgis. So in essence, small stuff like a down tree limbs and the occasional telephone poll knocked down by a thunderstorm, I can trust the local authorities to get things cleaned up. But if the city were devistated by somthing like a tornato outbreak or terror attack and cries out to the feds for help, individual citizens had better have there own plans and preperations they can resort to to get them through the disaster because I doubt if there would be any effective help other than the good will of a charity.

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The city and metro area may have plans to deal with a natural disaster at local levels. So I'm sure they know what to do. However, after witnessing the federal government's pitiful response to New Orleans's cry for help when Katrina struck, I would not count on the feds helping Grand Rapids if a billion + dollar disaster struck our fair city. Same applies to any other city be it a major city like Chicago or a small town like Sturgis. So in essence, small stuff like a down tree limbs and the occasional telephone poll knocked down by a thunderstorm, I can trust the local authorities to get things cleaned up. But if the city were devistated by somthing like a tornato outbreak or terror attack and cries out to the feds for help, individual citizens had better have there own plans and preperations they can resort to to get them through the disaster because I doubt if there would be any effective help other than the good will of a charity.

It took you awhile to get to it, but what it comes down to in any catastrophe, you better take care of yourself and not expect others to take care of you, ie. New Orleans.

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Thanks for posting that informative map, 3/Dad. We Michiganders (and our Cheesehead neighbors) are mighty lucky.

Would a major flood of the Grand River reach Eastown, I wonder?

Something tells me in case of catastrophe, bicycle owners/riders are going to have quite an advantage over cagers, but only as far as gasoline is concerned.

Our household doesn't store water or canned goods in the basement. On a logical level, I know it's a sensible idea, but somehow it smacks of Y2K/"Final Days-Rapture" goons cowering under their stairwells.

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Anybody have a good elevation map? I know the West side could flood again like in 1904, but all the way to Eastown? Not very likely.

-nb

According to the Geologic survey maps that I have here, the Grand River would need to raise nearly 40 feet to get to Wealthy and Division and then 80 feet from low ground near Wealthy and Division (646 ft.) to Robinson Road and Lake Drive(725ft.). Even then, the area South of Lake Drive is on even higher ground.

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It took you awhile to get to it, but what it comes down to in any catastrophe, you better take care of yourself and not expect others to take care of you, ie. New Orleans.

Agreed whole heartedly esp, in light of Katrina! If I were in a position to do so, I would also challange GR leaders to look for ways to make the city as self reliant as possible in case it suffered a catastrophic event and the feds did a New Orleans/ Katrina style flop up.

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Would a major flood of the Grand River reach Eastown, I wonder?

Nope, not a chance. The only areas "at risk" near the core are the west side of the Grand River and some of the downtown area, and even the odds of a major flood in those areas are really, really, really low.

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Anybody have a good elevation map? I know the West side could flood again like in 1904, but all the way to Eastown? Not very likely.

-nb

Topozone.com will show elevations. I doubt a flood could make it to Division, let alone to Jefferson.

ETA: Here's our local FEMA map. (It's on the internet, it must be true! And it's from that reliable source FEMA!) http://map1.msc.fema.gov/idms/IntraView.cg...9080&IFIT=1

Last year I was thinking about Katrina and NOLA (where my momma went to medical school) It's a bowl of city inset in the ground, built next to a bowl of water (Lake Ponchartrain), with the levees as built-up rims. [Greatly simplified explanation.] Once the city flooded, there was no place for the water to go until the levees were repaired and the pumps re-started.

With our low lake levels the last few years, seems like there's plenty of capacity for a 100-year flood. We have a functional river that would help contain some of it and get it out to the big lake. Look how fast that experimental "red tide" washed away.

FWIW, my sis-in-law said that they were exploring the possibility of bailing out of Houston during that subsequent storm. She got out her county road maps and bicycle atlases to plan a route that wouldn't lead them to be stranded on an interstate.

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My comment was meant more to knock Fox News, not you...I don't even know you. I wrote the comment because of the title of your thread, "Natural Disaster In Michigan" bam bom bum----"are you prepared?" very fox news - ish. that's all. If you don't get the comment it's a knock on fox news b/c a volcano will erupt in the South Pacific and fox news will run a special on "America's Volcanos....are WE NEXT?" and try to scare you into watching, it's a hack news tactic. whoever made the thread if you were insulted i apologize, as i mentioned above the comment wasn't directed toward you.

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My comment was meant more to knock Fox News, not you...I don't even know you. I wrote the comment because of the title of your thread, "Natural Disaster In Michigan" bam bom bum----"are you prepared?" very fox news - ish. that's all. If you don't get the comment it's a knock on fox news b/c a volcano will erupt in the South Pacific and fox news will run a special on "America's Volcanos....are WE NEXT?" and try to scare you into watching, it's a hack news tactic. whoever made the thread if you were insulted i apologize, as i mentioned above the comment wasn't directed toward you.

Not offended at all. I was just trying to figure out the comment myself.

I think we are very fortunate to live in an area that does not have a lot of natural disasters. I cannot imagine living in an area like the south where every summer there is a good chance that your house will get blown away.

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