|
<br /> I
<br />1
<br />..
<br /> I
<br />! I
<br /> I
<br /> I
<br /> 1
<br />, I
<br />"
<br /> I
<br /> I
<br /> I
<br /> I
<br /> I
<br /> 1
<br /> 1
<br /> 1
<br /> I
<br /> 1
<br /> 1
<br />
<br />mobilized successfully to clean up after the City's first recorded 300-year flood(5)
<br />(described previously).
<br />
<br />The City's response was prompt. By 2 a.m., Tuesday, September 13th, only hours
<br />after the flooding began, an emergency command post had been set up at City Hall.
<br />Temporary telephone lines were installed by 4 a.m., and the post was manned by rep-
<br />resentatives of the departments of public works, fire, police, pollution control and
<br />parks and recreation. Radio equipment was provided by the police, fire and public
<br />works departments. Field crews of all departments were dispatched promptfY to pro-
<br />vide relief upon receiving damage reports. At daybreak, when floodwaters began to
<br />recede, the extent of devestation became apparent. Starting that morning, and for
<br />the following seven days, almost all of the City's available manpower and equipment
<br />resources were pressed into emergency duty for flood relief and cleanup. The crews
<br />worked constantly through all daylight hours, including Saturday and Sunday. About
<br />10,000 tons of debris were hauled away. Residents and property owners cooperated,
<br />in both residential and commercial areas, by placing debris at the curbs. City
<br />refuse crews patrolled flood areas around-the-clock.
<br />
<br />On Friday morning, September 16th, the command post was relocated to a church
<br />near the center of the damage areas. The same day, the Governor activated the local
<br />National Guard unit for weekend cleanup activities. This provided 280 trained men
<br />and heavy equipment for the debris removal tasks. The City's command post remained
<br />in continuous operation throughout this concentrated cleanup period, coordinating
<br />city crews and those of the National Guard. Pumps and equipment for sewer routing
<br />were used full-time to assist property owners to clear sewer blockages and drain
<br />basements of floodwaters. The City employed plumbing contractors to assist the gas
<br />service company in restoring natural gas service to furnaces. This was done with-
<br />out cost to individual homeowners when the only need was to clear away floodwater,
<br />relight pilots and verify that automatic controls were functioning safely,
<br />
<br />By Tuesday evening, September 20th, eight days after the flash flood struck,
<br />most of the debris had been removed. Also, a substantial portion of Brush Creek,
<br />where extensive erosion had taken place, had been cleared. Vehicles that had been
<br />retrieved from floodwaters had been reclaimed or disposed of at the owners option.
<br />What was the economic cost of the cleanup effort? Most likely, no one knows. In
<br />any case, only approximate estimates of cost could be made. Complete statistics
<br />are not available, and evaluations of many cost items would be difficult to make,
<br />even approximately.
<br />
<br />REFERENCES
<br />
<br />1. "Thou Shalt Not Silt, Quoth Board", Virginia Sentinel, Fairfax, Virginia
<br />March 4, 1971; p 15
<br />
<br />2. Practices in Detention of Urban Stormwater Runoff, Herbert G. Poertner, Special
<br />Report No. 43, American Public Works Association, Chicago; June 1974, Appendix F
<br />
<br />3. A Report on Improvements to the Boston Main Drainage Systems, (Vols. I, II);
<br />Camp, Dresser & McKee, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, September 1967
<br />
<br />4. "Problems and Research Needs in Urban Stormwater Runoff Control, Planning and
<br />Management", Herbert G. Poertner; in: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the
<br />Water Resources Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 16,
<br />1978; p 2
<br />
<br />33
<br />
|