OTTAWA — The example of the cleanup of Harveyville, which was severely damaged by a tornado last week shows the value of the state’s regional approach to dealing with major disasters, said Franklin County emergency management director Alan Radcliffe, who gave county commissioners a review of last week’s storms during their meeting Monday. Radcliffe, who was a team leader of the regional group that helped the small east-central Kansas town recover, said workers cities and counties from Kansas Division of Emergency Management’s Northeast Region, helped Harveyville clean up by the end of the week, except for six damaged homes. He said those were left because authorities were still seeking permission from the owners to demolish those homes. The cleanup included 50 dump trucks and heavy equipment from several cities and counties, he said. Security was provided by several law agencies, including officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and the Ottawa Police Department, he said. All of the rescue and recovery efforts were coordinated by regional teams following procedures outlined in the National Incident Management System, he said. The regional teams helped coordinate efforts until local authorities could take stock and then take over the effort themselves, he said. What’s more, the only expense to the city of Harveyville was the cost of renting portable toilets for workers and residents, he said.
Tuesday, March 6, 10 a.m.
