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KC RICE 2010. 16:00 June 22, 2010 NOAA Warning. URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 109 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
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16:00 June 22, 2010 NOAA Warning URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 109 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN KANSAS SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA, NORTHERN OKLAHOMA EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 845 AM UNTIL 600 PM CST...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER…THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 100 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF GRAND ISLAND NEBRASKA TO 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TULSA OKLAHOMA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9). REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. DISCUSSION...VIGOROUS TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED WIND MAX WILL BE DRIVING EWD ACROSS THE CENTRAL/SRN PLAINS TODAY. VERY STRONG SHEAR PROFILES COUPLED WITH MLCAPES TO 1500 PROVIDE INGREDIENTS FOR RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLS ALONG AND EAST OF DRY LINE WHICH CURRENTLY IS LOCATED FROM CENTRAL KS INTO NWRN OK. INITIALLY LARGE HAIL WILL BE PRIMARY THREAT WITH TORNADOES BECOMING INCREASINGLY LIKELY BY EARLY/MID AFTERNOON. AS SURFACE LOW NOW WRN KS MOVES NEWD TOWARD SERN NEB CONVERGENCE WILL ENHANCE POTENTIAL FOR POSSIBLE STRONG TORNADOES BOTH AHEAD OF LOW AND DOWN THE DRY LINE INTO NRN OK. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.
08:00 INITIAL CNN REPORT • The Morning News show on CNN reports: “ Kansas City sustained extensive damage throughout the city. Never in US history has one City been hit so hard by tornadoes. An estimated 45 tornadoes hit in and around the Kansas City metro area. Fifteen of the 45 tornadoes were ranked as either a F4 or F5 on the scale. That means the winds in these storms were at least in excess of 300 miles an hour. Seven of those 15 funnel clouds were on the ground throughout the city for more than 30 minutes. Two of the clouds were on the ground for over an hour. A few observers reported funnel clouds over a mile in length. Many parts of the city which were hit had never been hit by a tornado. Whole neighborhoods in the city aren’t there anymore. The communities of Overland Park and Kansas City, KS; Platte City; Gladstone, Raytown, and parts of Kansas City, MO suffered a great deal of damage. The mayor of Gladstone was quoted by a report for the Kansas City Star as saying “Gladstone doesn’t exist anymore”. Many commercial buildings throughout the area suffered extensive damage. Initial guesses of the body count from the storms just in Kansas City puts the count at over a thousand. The city seems in shock at present.”
08:00 INITIAL REPORT • The morning broadcasts at the weather channel tried to explain recent events in Kansas City. They said: • “This strange outbreak of storms was as a result of multiple freakish weather events. Two very strong fronts in the upper atmosphere collided. A category five hurricane storm was heading up from TX to eastern Kansas. At the same time a very, very low pressure front in the upper atmosphere slide down from the Pacific North West to the Kansas City area. A rare stationary high pressure front over MN pushed that front right over the Kansas City area. The collision of the two fronts pushed the hurricane lower warm moist air into the upper dry air from the Pacific Northwest. The air from the sinking large low pressure front acted like a lid on the lower moist air to keep it from rising and dissipating energy by forming the usual rain storms. The usual warm Midwest ground temperatures heated the moist lower air from the hurricane increasing its normal tendency for upwards convection. Eventually the pent up upward convection count not be contained any longer. The release of energy took the form of the many tornadoes.”
08:00 June 23, 2010NOAA Press Release • NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM FINDS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM MULTIPLE EF4 to EF5 LEVEL TORNADOES IN THE KANSAS CITY AREA. INITIAL REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN RACKED BY 45 STORMS, 15 OF THEM AT EF4 LEVEL OR GREATER. MANY OF THE FUNNEL CLOUDS WERE ON THE GROUND FOR MORE THAN 30 MINUTES.
EF5 EF3 EF2 EF4 EF5 EF4 F4 EF5 EF2
08:00 BUILDING INITIAL DAMAGE REPORT GSA/PBS REGION 6 Announces that the following buildings sustained damage in last night’s storm. • 1500 E Bannister - One of the tornadoes touched down on Bannister Road from Holmes to Blue River Road then went up into the clouds. - Damage: Type of damage is superficial except for one situation. The power sub station located on the west side of the complex is off line. It was hit by a car and other debris from the tornado. Power is off to the building. KCPL said it will remain off line for at least a week. Most of the glass windows on the south side of the complex are gone. The actual structure of the building seems sound. • Bolling Building, 601 E 12th Street, KCMO 64106 - One tornado did touch down about 200 yards to the north. That funnel cloud was on the ground for about 400 yards from 10th Street east. - Damage: There is a lot of damage to window panes on floors 5 – 18. The grounds are littered with debris.
08:00 GSA CONSOLIDATED BUILDING DAMAGE REPORT CONT. • Whittaker Courthouse KC, MO - One funnel cloud did strike the south side of the court house. -Damage: There is extensive structural damage to the front of the building. The front door is now replaced with a twisted mass of glass and metal. Most of the glass on the south side is gone. There is extensive structural damage to the south side of the building. A good portion of the south part of the building is now in the street. The building is without power or phone service. City streets in the area are closed due to debris.
08:00 GSA CONSOLIDATED BUILDING DAMAGE REPORT CONT. • Department of Transportation Building 901 Locust Building, KC, MO - one tornado came close the building and hit the court house within 50 yards of the building then hooked north behind the building. - Damage: There is some structural damage to the south side of the building. Most glass planes on the south and east side are also gone. The building is without power or phone. City streets in the area are closed due to debris. • Dole Courthouse, KC, KS - One funnel cloud passed 50 yards to the south of the building. - Damage: Structural damage to the south side of the court house. Most glass on the south side is gone. The building is without power or phone service. City streets in the area are closed due to debris. The integrity of the south side of the building is questionable. Some structural parts of the building have been ripped from it and deposited in the street.
08:00 GSA CONSOLIDATED BUILDING DAMAGE REPORT CONT.. • EPA Building, KC, KS - The building had a head on collision with a funnel cloud. -Damage: There is heavy damage to the building. The roof is gone. The east wall is gone. Debris is strewn all over the property. Building seems a total loss. • USDA, 8930 Ward Parkway, KC, MO - Closest funnel cloud was over a mile away. -Damage: No power to the building due to loss to the whole neighborhood. No phone service to the building, either land line or cell phones. Area cell towers are also down.
08:00 GSA CONSOLIDATED BUILDING DAMAGE REPORT CONT.. TSA & FAA facilities at the airport - Funnel clouds came within 500 yards of the buildings. -Damage: Some windows were broken. There seems to be no structural damage. No power to the buildings due to loss to the grid. No phone service to the building, either land line or cell phones. Area cell towers are also down.
08:30 • CNN reports that not only Kansas City was hit bad by tornadoes. Cities across the Midwest report damage from savage tornadoes. The amount of damage varied. Omaha and Des Moines report extensive property damage from EF4 storms that ravaged their towns.
08:30 City Announcement • The City of Kansas City announced that the following areas marked on the attached map were particularly hard hit by the storm.
MAP LEGEND = Area with heavy amount of damage = Area with moderate amount of damage = Area with light amount of damage
08:30 KCTV 5 Broadcast • KCTV 5, Kansas City, MO runs a report on the damage to the downtown area from the storms” • At the start of the report the sound of glass shattering could be heard in the city throughout the day as workers pushed the remains of broken windows, some weighing as much as 200 pounds, out of their frames high above the streets. The KCTV 5 report said "If they were to break loose, there is no telling where they're going to land. You can go for several blocks and see the damage. A city spokesman in the report said that those areas around those buildings are going to continue to keep closed off until we can get up there and take care of those problems. The report went on to say: “Falling glass poses a big threat to people. The threat comes from loose panels falling down from buildings and hitting people below. Half-dozen downtown buildings, many of them high-rises, were slammed by the twisters, leaving broken walls of glass hanging precariously above the streets. "Folks are going to have to understand, this is a natural disaster," said Al Smith, an on-scene Fire Captain, "It's going to cause some inconvenience. People are just going to have to tolerate it.“
08:30 Mayor’s Press Release Kansas City Mayor, Mark Funkhouser released a press announcement that said, “The downtown area would remain closed until officials are sure falling glass and other types of debris are cleaned from the tall buildings and present no threat to pedestrians. “I would urge companies in the downtown area, if at all possible, to hold off on bringing people in. ... We don't want anyone else to get hurt.”
08:30 KC Star on line report about damage The city of Kansas City was struck overnight by up to 15 tornadoes. Other parts of the Midwest were struck by an additional 30 tornadoes. The cities of Omaha, Des Moines, Lincoln and Topeka all report extensive damage, deaths and injuries from tornadoes which hit those cities. Multiple tornadoes ripped through various parts of Kansas City. Some reports put the number of tornadoes up to 15. Seven of these tornadoes were initially rated as EF5 storms, the worst category. Based off fragmentary information it seems that tornadoes have hit the plaza, the airport, north of the river, the downtown area and Kansas City, KS pretty hard. Initial causality reports put the number of injured in Kansas City from the storms at over 500. Along with the tornadoes the storms produced huge amounts of rain and in some parts of the city there were reports of huge hailstones raining down on the town. One storm ripped through downtown Kansas City damaging several buildings in that area. Weather observers in Kansas City, KS report that the BPU building, KC KS City Hall, the Dole Courthouse and the EPA building received damage from the tornado. A few observers said then the tornado jumped into the air and crossed the river. As it crossed the river the waterline seemed to drop. The tornado then landed by the FBI building and proceeded to tear up downtown Kansas City, MO. Many buildings in the downtown area seem to be heavily damaged. Most of the skyscrapers in the area are missing a good portion of their glass panes. A few buildings have debris sticking out of windows on the upper floors. Over turned cars litter the streets. Glass, steel, dirt, rocks, trash, and every other kind of debris imaginable litter the downtown area.
08:30 KMBC News Report Channel 9 reported that, “The storm knocked out electricity to 190,000 customers overnight. The twisters hit just before dark Tuesday evening, just after 6 p.m. Wailing tornado sirens warned resident’s minutes before each tornado hit. "The wind was blowing so fast and all the people were shouting, 'We don't want to die, we don't want to die,' " said Sanu Piya, a worker at the Star printing plant. Various people at the gas station and convenience store across the street huddled together as one of the tornado passed by outside. One man was killed when he was hit by flying debris, and another victim was found dead in a collapsed building by the Star building according to a Kansas City Police Lt. David Burgess. Several victims’ bodies were recovered from floodwaters in the brush creek area as one tornado ripped through that area. Another person drowned, and one is missing and presumed dead after their cars were swept into the Blue River by the Federal Complex in South Kansas City. Two others in the same vehicle were rescued.
08:30FEMA DAMAGE REPORT FEMA INCIDENT REPORT RVI-XX-10 1. TYPE OF INCIDENT: Tornado Disaster 2. INCIDENT REPORT DATE AND TIME: ##/##/## #### CDT 3. INCIDENT: An estimated 45 tornadoes touched down in the downtown area. The tornadoes were on the ground for an estimated 30 minutes. Approximately 15 of these tornadoes were at least EF4 storms or more. There is extensive damage to buildings in the downtown area. Casualties are unknown at this time. There has been no change in damage figures or casualties for the tornadoes. State officials from MO confirm 380 deaths and more than 500 injuries. They estimate that more than 3,500 structures were destroyed or severely Damaged by the tornadoes. KS Officials confirm that they have recorded 250 Storm related deaths and more than 400 injuries. They estimate that more than 2,500 structures are destroyed or severely damaged by the tornadoes. There are currently 190,000 customers without power throughout the Kansas City area. Utility officials expect to have full restoration, where possible, within seven to 12 days for the downtown area. They hope to have power restoration to the outlying areas within the next 21 days. High voltage lines are down throughout the city.
08:30 FEMA DAMAGE REPORT CONT. • 4. STATE/LOCAL RESPONSE: Local police and fire are on the scene. Meetings are scheduled today with mayors of various cities and the Governor’s office to identify critical issues and start response and recovery efforts. • 5. POTENTIAL FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT: FBI, DHS Vice President Biden will visit the area sometime later this week. FEMA Director and Head of Disaster Services for the Small Business Administration, will tour the area with the Governor and members of the Congressional delegation sometime in the next 12 hours. The Emergency Support Team (EST) at FEMA HQ is activated and operating 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. until further notice. Along with FEMA Logistics, Operations and Information and Planning elements, present at the EST are Emergency Support Function (ESF) #3 (Public Works), ESF #6 (Mass Care), ESF #7 Logistics, ESF #8 (Public Health and Medical Services), and Department of Defense. Other federal agencies continue to monitor the situation from their respective operations centers. 6. SOURCE OF INFORMATION: AP Press Report, Observer reports 7. REGIONAL CONTACTS: Local FEMA Region 7 Office
08:30 GSA Consolidated Damage Report Source: Building Managers from the KS, KC North, & KC South Field Offices USDA Building at 6501 Beacon One funnel cloud touched down within 60 yards of the building Damage: Some glass panes on the west side are damaged. Power to the building is out due to power grid failures. Phone service, land and cell service is out. The general grounds at the facility are littered heavily with debris from the Beacon building and from the cablevision building across the street which was also hit head on.
09:00 City Damage Report • Kansas City picks up in wake of twisters Kansas City MO FOX NEWS – A large chunk of the downtown business heart of Kansas City remained off limits today because of the danger from sheets of glass still falling from tornado-damaged skyscrapers. The twisters caused up to $450 million in damage just from the downtown area, an insurance industry spokeswoman said today. ''We're surveying the damage today and it's not a pretty sight. Those figures could go higher'' as adjusters gain more access to damaged areas, said Sandra Ray of the Southwestern Insurance Information Service. An area of 12 square blocks was closed for a second day to all but building representatives and construction contractors, said Pat Svacina, a city spokesman. The metro area of over two million was struck by 45 tornadoes, one of which ripped through downtown just after the evening rush hour. Over 50 people have been confirmed killed - one by a hailstone the size of a softball. Eight of the major buildings in and near downtown were damaged. One, the US Court House looks like it will have to be torn down said many observers in the area. Kansas City Fire Chief Smoky Dyer said at a news conference today that “Other, smaller buildings that were heavily damaged already have been leveled also”. The tenants of Court House which stands at least 10 stories high, include other Federal local offices other than the courts. ''Some of the downtown buildings will have plywood on them five or six months at least,'' said Mayor Funkhouser
09:00 FBI Building FOX News Report The local FBI office in Kansas City seemed to be very hard hit by the rash of tornadoes. The building at 13th and Summit looks like a bomb hit it. The ground around the building is being searched by scores of people. They are trying to determine whether any sensitive confidential documents were blown outside, agency spokeswoman Lori Bailey said today. ''We did lose some information, some documentation from cases, possibly some evidence,'' Bailey said. ''Documents and property were blown out. Work papers may have been on desk tops when the storm hit. At this point we don't know if we lost sensitive files. ''It's hard to say if this will jeopardize cases,'' she said. Bailey said no FBI employees were seriously injured from the storm. Both the MO and KS governors declared the Kansas City area a disaster area. Federal Emergency Management Agency workers were expected to arrive by tonight to determine whether the area should receive federal aid.
09:00 City Announcement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - CITY RESPONSE TO SUPER TORNADOES Due to the recent rash of killer tornadoes the City of Kansas City is forced to take the following actions: 1. No one will be allowed within 12 blocks of the downtown Kansas City area unless the City Manager’s office approves admittance. 2. The public should expect certain roads to be closed to traffic. Several major roads are closed due to storm debris. Public works crews are working as fast as they can. When those roads are clear they will be open up. Right now these roads are closed: Wornall Rd from 75th north to 43rd. Main from 47th to 12th St Troost from 95th to 33rd All of 63rd Street within the city of Kansas City This list surely will grow as city government becomes aware of other problems. 3. Looters will be shot on sight. 4. The City will be filing a request with the Governor’s office soon to ask for Kansas City to be declared a disaster area. 5. All citizens should beware of flash flooding. There is a significant danger of flooding in low level areas. 6. If citizens come across dead bodies they should leave the body alone and tell authorities the location of the corpse. 7. Citizens should stay home unless they absolutely have to leave. Please leave the roads clear for emergency response personnel. Mayor Mark Funkhouser
09:00 City Damage ReportCNN Reports • Right after the storm cleared the downtown area the city of Kansas City had a news conference. There officials gave the media a quick run down on the damage. The city emergency manager said, “Eight of the major buildings in and near downtown were damaged and one, the Federal Courthouse building, might have to be torn down. It seems the tornado hit the courthouse head on. The main Federal building at 601 E 12 St also has suffered extensive damage, but most of it superficial from debris hitting the glass windows. The AT&T Tower down the street was really hit hard. It looks like that might have to be demolished. Some of the downtown buildings will have plywood on them five or six months at least, much of the glass used in some of the high-rises has to be specially manufactured.” • The Mayor of Kansas City, Mark Funkhouser says a large chunk of the downtown business district, especially around the Federal Buildings will remain off limits because of the danger from sheets of glass still falling from the building and other tornado-damaged skyscrapers. Approximately the 12 square blocks in the downtown area will be closed to all but building representatives and construction contractors.” • Other parts of Kansas City were also hit pretty hard. The airport area was really damaged. It will remain closed for a while. Airport officials report that their facilities were heavily damaged. The storm did catch several planes on the ground. One 737 was picked up by the storm and slammed back down onto the terminal building. Pieces of the plane were scattered everywhere. Aviation fuel on the plane ignited setting the terminal building on fire. • Various other neighborhoods throughout the city report extensive damage. Some of the tornadoes which hit the city destroyed more than 10,000 homes in neighboring suburban towns and damaged many more others. Many residents spent the night in their cars in their driveways rather than leave their damaged homes. They were afraid that rumors of on going looting might be true.
09:00 City Announcement • MEMORANDUM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE • SUBJECT: ACCESS TO DOWNTOWN 1. The City of Kansas City continues to keep the downtown area closed for at least the next week. All traffic, vehicle and pedestrian will be banned from the area. The exclusion zone will extend for a 12 block radius around City Hall. Approved traffic for entrance into the downtown district which is allowed into the downtown district can come in only from Hwy 71. 2. Due to the nature of the damage from the storms in southern Kansas City the city will be setting up a second exclusion zone around the Federal Complex at 1500 E Bannister. All vehicle traffic and pedestrians will be excluded from a 6 block radius around the complex. Approved traffic for entrance into the zone will have to come past 95th and Wornall. 3. The bridges out of the downtown area will be closed for all traffic. ----- Mayor Mark Funkhouser
09:00 KC Star Report It seems that the economic health of the area has already started to take a nose dive. The very contractors businesses, homes and insurance people depend on to help in reconstruction may themselves be trying to rebuild and unable to help out. It seems that industrial parks where these businesses were located also were funnel clouds touched down. Industrial parks in Olathe, Lenexa, Kansas City, KS all lay in destruction after funnel clouds landed in their areas. Even if the business survived intact, their employees are also trying to piece together their lives and homes. They are not going to be ready to help out their neighbors very easily since they themselves are without roofs. Some of the local areas which had a high number of blue collar union voters were also victim to the funnel clouds. Also the local government movement restrictions will affect the ability of the few surviving contractors to get around town to the job site. At the present time it seems that fear of looting and refugees overrides the desire to start cleanup
09:00 State of MO Press Release Office of the Governor of the State of MO Immediate Release To ensure public safety and cut down on secondary problems from the super tornadoes which hit Kansas City, the State of MO will close down the highways around the downtown Kansas City area. Specifically I-70 will be closed at the Paseo Street exit. I-29 will be closed at the Paseo Street Bridge. Hwy 71 will be closed at the 33rd Street exist. This action will continue for at least the next 24 hours. I will be deploying units of the National Guard into the city to assist local authorities with disaster help. The State Adjutant General will name the units for deployment at a later date. These units will be in a Title 32 status fulfilling their State duties. Governor Jay Nixon
09:30 AARP Press Release The AARP is very concerned for the scores of elderly struck by the recent spat of super tornadoes which have ravaged Kansas City. Specifically they are concerned about their patrons’ ability to access the services guaranteed them under the Social Security System. It seems that the tornadoes have knocked out Social Security Offices in Gladstone, Independence, Kansas City, KS, and Kansas City, MO. The nature of the damage shown on TV news networks makes it seem all of Kansas City will be on their back for months to come. Past experience with Hurricane Katrina has reinforced the opinion of AARP that recovery might be months or years in the making. AARP wants to warn the Federal Government not to neglect the needs of the elderly in the name of immediacy of the moment. We have seen how that can be stretched out for months or years. Right now we have whole sections of the city, thousands of AARP patrons who will not have Social Security Services. Specifically when can the AARP membership be allowed to petition the government and especially Social Security for their rights and benefits?
09:30 Kansas City MO City Government Announcement • Due to a combination of tornado and flood damage the City will have to regretfully close the following bridges and roads in the interest of public safety: 1. The Gregory Street bridge in Swope parkway 2. Raytown Rd from 63rd north 3. Red Bridge Park 4. Holmes Road at 98th Street. 5. All roads over Brush Creek east of the Plaza. 6. The Plaza is closed 7. The part of Southwest Blvd which lies within the City. 8. Access to the west bottoms and Kemper area will be restricted to only residents and property owners in the area. ----- Mayor Mark Funkhouser
09:30 GSA Damage Report • MEMORANDUM FOR REGIONAL GSA ADMINISTRATOR SUBJECT: BUILDING DAMAGE REPORT SOURCE: CONSOLIDATED DAMAGE REPORTS FROM PBS FIELD OFFICES Crews have been able to review in greater detail storm damage to Federal Buildings in Kansas City. The following buildings have only superficial damage inflicted upon them. Most of the damage on these buildings is minor in nature like broke windows, lost power and/or debris scattered around the area. They will be ready for occupancy within two weeks depending on the ability to find vendors to come in and fix the damage. 1500 E Bannister, Kansas City MO 601 E 12th St, Kansas City MO Dole Courthouse, Kansas City KS 6501 Beacon, Kansas City MO These buildings are either damaged to the point beyond repair or will require a rebuilding project amounting to years of work EPA Regional Office, Kansas City, KS US Courthouse, Kansas City, MO
09:30 GSA Damage Report Continued The owners of these lease buildings have indicated that their properties are so damaged they are unfit for habitation for at least three months SSA Office Independence, MO SSA Office, 63rd and Paseo, Kansas City, MO SSA Office, Gladstone, MO SSA Office, Kansas City, KS
10:00 KC Declared a Disaster Site. President Declares Major Disaster For Kansas City area WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that President Obama has declared Kansas City a disaster zone. This was from the effects of severe storms and tornadoes during the period of June 22/23rd 2010. This declaration allows assistance to be issued to residents. This aid is to be coordinated by FEMA, can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance.
10:00 City Announcement • MEMORANDUM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SUBJECT: CITY RESPONSE TO RECENT SUPER TORNADOES The City has activated its emergency response plans already to start rebuilding the city and helping citizens in distress. All departments of the city are mobilizing all resources in response to the disaster. All leaves and vacations are canceled now indefinitely for City employees. All employees of the Police and Fire Departments are on duty. The calls to the 911 system has increased five fold. Due to the vast influx of calls City employees will respond to the calls on a priority basis. The previously announced parts of the city will remain closed for the time being. City Public Works Department has crews out now clearing storm debris from roads. The plan to clear the roads will work the same as clearing the snow off of the roads. Emergency snow routes will have first priority for clearance. Various charities are setting up aid centers throughout the city. The Red Cross has set up more shelters throughout the city. For an exact list of those sites please consult the Red Cross. Methodist and Catholic charities are setting up aid centers in the churches left standing in the areas of town hit hardest by the tornadoes. Citizens are urged to check with their local church for a list of aid centers. ----- Mayor Mark Funkhouser
10:00 KCP&L Press Release MEMORANDUM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SUBJECT: POWER OUTAGES The recent spat of super tornadoes which ravaged Kansas City has severely damaged the KCP&L power distribution system. Our initial estimates are that we have 190,000 customers without service all throughout the service area. The highest concentration of those without service are in the plaza area, downtown Kansas City in selected spots, south Kansas City and the area around the airport. KCP&L crews are already out trying to restore service. Our crews will be augmented by crews from all over the Midwest. Those crews are in route to the city. Priority restoration of service will go to hospitals, schools, government buildings, homes, then businesses. We estimate power will be restored to 50% of our customers within 7 days. The rest of the customers will have service restored within 14 days.
10:00 AP Report on Law & Order Problems • Kansas City AP – Hurricane Katrina has changed the playbook on disasters for all time. It seems that the frustration connected with the storm has pushed many over the edge. There have been isolated reports of looting breaking out all throughout the area. Most of the looting has occurred in the parts of town most ravaged by the storm. One report had over 100 people breaking into a bread store in one part of town. There have been numerous reports of looting along the Prospect corridor in Kansas City, MO. The crowds, just like in Katrina are going for the basics plus whatever is in reach. Some of the targets were pawn shops and liquor stores. Local police is overstretched responding to the storm on search and rescue missions. One reporter interviewed a looter coming out of a liquor store with a case of whiskey and the looter said “We have to live. I have to have my stuff. With the tornadoes I am not sure when this store will be open again” A few reports have the crowds moving outward to other parts of the city. One unconfirmed report had a mob marching westward down 47th St. in Kansas City. At this time the City has very little to comment on. All a spokesman would say is “all citizens are expected to stay at home and obey the laws of the land”. There have also been isolated fires breaking out all over town. It seems that the cause of fires are from tornado damage such as severed gas lines. A fire at the airport is still burning out of control The fire was caused by a tornado picking up and dropping an airplane onto the terminal building. And has consumed most of the terminal building at this point. Crews from all over the Northland have responded in addition to the normal crews at the airport. Firefighters are trying to contain the fire to save the rest of the airport from being damaged.
10:00 CNN Report Kansas City - Mayor Mark Funkhouser ordered all police to leave their search-and-rescue mission Wednesday night and return to the streets of the beleaguered city to stop looting that has turned increasingly hostile. “They are starting to get closer to heavily populated areas — hotels, hospitals and we’re going to stop it right now,” Funkhouser said in a statement to The Associated Press. Looters used garbage cans and inflatable mattresses to float away with food, blue jeans, tennis shoes, TV sets — even guns. Outside one pharmacy, thieves commandeered a forklift and used it to push up the storm shutters and break through the glass. The driver of a nursing-home bus surrendered the vehicle to thugs after being threatened. Police were asking residents to give up any firearms before they evacuated neighborhoods because officers desperately needed the firepower: Some officers who had been stranded on the roof of a hotel said they were shot at. Police said their first priority remains saving lives, and mostly just stood by and watched the looting. But Barnes later said the looting had gotten so bad that stopping the thieves became the top priority for the police department. Tempers were beginning to flare all over the city in the aftermath of the storm. Police said a man fatally shot his sister in the head over a bag of ice in Kansas City, KS. Over a hundred people broke into a day old bread store in Grandview, MO in search of food, Grandview wasn’t even hit as hard as other parts of the city.
10:30 City Health Department Warning MEMORANDUM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL DANGERS FROM SUPER TORNADOES Kansas City Public Health Department issues the following warning that debris and secondary effects from the round of super tornadoes might present health dangers to citizens. These dangers will be most acute for first responders and those trying to re-enter their property. Preliminary environmental tests of the air, dust and water in certain areas of Kansas City hit hard by the storms have revealed some troubling readings. These tests have revealed considerable amounts of asbestos dust and heavy metals detected in dust samples throughout the area. These readings come from buildings hit by the storm. Initial surveys from the MO State Environmental Agency have pinpointed the precise locations of hundreds of asbestos "hot spots" on rooftops, buildings and streets throughout the area, including some that were half a mile or more from the nearest collapsed buildings. Independent unverified reports in the press have said that dust on the ground and in the air downtown is highly caustic, with alkalinity levels that made it as potent as household drain cleaner. State officials and fire-fighting experts were well aware, from previous studies of a handful of spectacular and tragic fires in hotels, commercial buildings and downtown areas, that fires combined with damage to buildings are capable of releasing a witch's brew of some of the most toxic substances known -- including mercury, benzene, lead, chlorinated hydrocarbons and dioxins. At this time it is undetermined if that danger exists at the airport. People are urged to not go back into damaged buildings until an environmental survey is conducted.
10:30 Pitch Warns about Dust Dangers Right now Kansas City is in danger. Recent tornadoes have thrown up tons of hazardous dust into the air. This dust presents a health hazard to all in the area. Such environmental health problems are not new. New York City reported several environmental health issues from the debris with 9/11. A survey of three residential areas near the site, conducted quietly in October by the Centers for Disease Control and the city's own health department, revealed just how widespread such symptoms were: Nearly 50 percent of those questioned reported physical problems likely to be related to the Trade Center collapse, such as nose, throat and eye irritation, and 40 percent said they were suffering from persistent coughing. Like other disturbing information about the environment around Ground Zero, the public never heard much about this survey. The results were released quietly by the health department in a press release late one Friday afternoon in January 2002 -- three months after it had been conducted -- and received virtually no media attention. Yet there were too many people getting sick to ignore them all. According to a February 2002 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, at least l0,000 people in Lower Manhattan suffered immediate health problems from exposure to the air near Ground Zero. Faced with a massive public outcry and growing doubts about the environment, federal and local officials hunkered down and kept repeating the same line: Any respiratory problems were temporary, a result of smoke and dust from fires that would soon be extinguished. While such symptoms were discomforting, the officials claimed, they posed no serious short-term or long-term dangers.
10:30 State Report • STATE OF MISSOURI, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, OFFICE OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL The State of MO will be taking the following actions: The State Emergency Operations Center has been activated at Level II. SEMA coordinators are maintaining communications with local officials. MO State Highway Patrol Officers are dispatching officers to the area to assist local officials with security needs. Additional officers from other state agencies will respond later. Mobile communications gear is en route to the Kansas City area. MO Division of Fire Safety will send 450 people to conduct light search and rescue operations in the Kansas City area. Under state wide mutual aid packs 55 other fire fighters will respond from unaffected communities in the state. MO ARNG will send in an initial evaluation party of 40 soldiers from State Headquarters in Jefferson City to arrive in the evening of June 24, 2010. Other units will arrive later to augment the efforts of local officials to deal with the crisis. The Department of Health and Senior Services is deploying staff to Kansas City to evaluate the status of local provider networks, evaluating food service facilities, lodging facilities, and to check on food and water safety issues.. MO Department of Agriculture will deploy animal specialists to assist local officials to round up stray, loose, or abandoned animals in the impact areas.
11:00 AP Story about Labor Problems • KCPD Chief says manpower woes slowing responsesAP These labor shortages that have rocked Kansas City area businesses. Various businesses have already announced they will be closed for at least the next two weeks. The damage by the storm has already flooded key vendors like roofers with enough work to last for months. The work demands created by the tornadoes have also hit the local police forces hard. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, forcing detectives to don uniforms and patrol neighborhoods to cover the additional work. Kansas City Police admitted they are doing the same thing to accomplish the extra work. Traffic officers for various departments too, have been reassigned to patrol duties, helping out in neighborhoods but drastically reducing the number of speeding tickets being written these days. As a result, city governments will suffer a revenue shortfall. Family seems to be the main motive for the exodus of workers from the Kansas City work force. According to a spokesman for the Kansas City Economic Development program. Spouses and children who were uprooted by the storm have started too relocated to other cities. When forced to choose, many people moved to be with their families. “The work force for Kansas City will be turned upside down for some time to come. “
11:00 Warnings about Contractor Fraud • The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state of Missouri warn disaster victims and non-victims alike to be wary of fraud and misinformation. Disaster victims should be sure they are dealing with FEMA officials before providing any personal information. Victims will not be eligible to receive FEMA aid dollars until the President declares the area a disaster zone. That hasn’t happened yet for Kansas City. • And everyone should be on guard against fraudulent claims made by third parties through word of mouth or in print. Clever minds can find many opportunities for fraud. Some of the troublesome claims incorrectly promise that FEMA will reimburse individuals for equipment purchases such as air purifiers. This is rarely true. FEMA programs have very specific eligibility criteria, and FEMA cannot reimburse individuals for purchases not eligible for federal or state assistance. • Disaster victims should also be aware of individuals claiming to represent FEMA and attempting to collect personal financial information or money. When you deal face-to-face with individuals, be sure to ask for identification. If you have registered with FEMA for assistance you will have been given a case number. Anyone who represents FEMA should be able to tell you your case number. If they can’t, walk away or hang up the phone. • If you have questions or concerns regarding your registration or eligibility for disaster assistance, more information is available on the FEMA Website, www.fema.gov, or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585. To report fraud, call the Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721. • FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.
11:30 Security Issues Kansas City MO (CNN) -- Violence disrupted relief efforts Thursday in Kansas City as authorities rescued desperate residents still trapped in the damaged areas and tried to evacuate thousands of others living among corpses and human waste. An unnamed local MO State Senator told the KC Star it seems that relief workers are attempting to work "under conditions of urban warfare." Police snipers were stationed on the roof of their precinct buildings in the Central City trying to protect it from armed miscreants roaming seemingly at will. Officers warned a CNN crew to stay off the streets because of escalating danger, and cautioned others about attempted shootings and rapes by groups of young men. Residents expressed growing frustration with the disorder evident on the streets, raising questions about the coordination and timeliness of relief efforts. Pentagon officials said the first contingent of 100 military police officers would arrive at Forbes Field Topeka International Airport at 10 p.m. (11 p.m. ET) -- combat-ready for immediate deployment into Kansas City. Gov. Nixon said recently that he has requested the mobilization of 2,000 National Guard troops to restore order and assist in relief efforts.
11:30 FEMA Disaster Centers Opening FEMA to Open Disaster Recovery Centers in Kansas City on Tuesday to Serve Storm Victims Release Number: 004Kansas City MO -- To help meet the ongoing needs of those who suffered damages from the severe storms and tornadoes, which struck June 23, 2010, the MO State Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announce that two Disaster Recovery Centers will open in the Kansas City area on next Tuesday, June 29. The centers provide a single location where people are able to talk face-to-face with recovery specialists. The exact location of these centers will be announced shortly. Federal Officials are still working out the details of the leases on this property. When that is completed the locations of the centers will be released to the public.