The City of Brockville and the County of Leeds and Grenville
By WAYNE SMITH
No. of pages 3
The City of Brockville was well prepared for the arrival of the ice storm of ‘98.
During the spring of 1987, the city had been hit by an ice storm that was much less severe and the lessons learned from that experience were put to good use during the storm of ‘98.
In particular, the communications network located at the Fire Hall had been upgraded and improved. Additional sources of power supply had been installed for emergency use. The station now had access to up to the minute weather reports from Environment Canada that would provide them with several hours advance warning of approaching weather systems. This facility was especially important during the winter and early spring months when the station was constantly on alert for potentially hazardous weather systems.
The Fire Chief for the City of Brockville, Harold Tulk, has had over 20 years experience with emergency measures. His previous position was with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office. With such a wealth of experience to draw from, Harold Tulk was an invaluable resource to those around him. A firm believer in Emergency Preparedness, he had insisted on the implementation and constant review of the Emergency Plan which he had designed for the City. It is a testimony to his commitment that when the State of Emergency was declared in Brockville, reference to the Plan was unnecessary as everyone knew exactly what had to be done. The Mayor proved to be the exception in this case due to the fact that he had just taken office a few weeks before the storm hit.
Barry King, the Chief of Police for the City of Brockville had been previously attached to the Peel Regional Police Force and had also been active in several emergency situations. In particular he had been involved in a massive evacuation in Mississauga during a train derailment that had released chlorine gas over a wide area. Barry King was the communications officer during the storm and prepared hourly bulletins for release to the general public.
The lead authorities therefore, had extensive experience with emergency situations and were well prepared for the emergency that confronted them on the morning of January 8, 1998.
The Police Chief had insisted upon delivering accurate and timely information to a community that was both figuratively and literally ‘in the dark’. This information was essential in order to calm and reassure the community that headway was being made. The fact that this information was coming from a member of the control group, who also happened to be the Chief of Police, gave it a certain authority which might not otherwise have been accepted.
Dorothy Theobald of the Social Services Department of Brockville, was responsible for the organization of the shelters. It has often been emphasized that the Social Services was the lead agency during the storm. Although the general safety and welfare of the community is the responsibility of the Police and Fire departments, there were no serious threats to the city that either department could directly respond to. While certainly not underestimating the exhaustive efforts on the part of either department, Dorothy Theobald gave an accurate assessment of the emergency as it unfolded. The storm affected people in ways which they had never before experienced, and it fell to Dorothy Theobald and her small staff to organize and manage a large scale relief effort to ensure the safety of her community.
The City of Brockville had been divided into four areas for the positioning of the shelters.
The Thousand Islands Secondary School and the new Salvation Army building had been designated as shelters, but neither had emergency back up power. Generators had to be brought in and it took several hours to get them up and running. Grenville Christian College and the Brockville Psychiatric Hospital had more than sufficient back up power on which to operate and were essential facilities during the early days of the storm. The Brockville Psychiatric Hospital, which is scheduled for closure in 1999, demonstrated its effectiveness quite admirably. Its loss to the community will have a severe impact on emergency planning for the future.
Several factors contributed to successful operation of the emergency centres. A Police constable was stationed at each of the shelters 24 hours a day non-stop until they were closed down. This ensured that order was maintained at the shelters throughout the emergency. An amateur radio operator was present at each of the shelters. Telephone lines were down, and although some lines had been unaffected by the storm, they became jammed. The radio operators relieved the situation by communicating with the command centre at the Gord Watts building and relaying vital information back and forth among the various shelters.
At the beginning of the storm, the County had been in a state of disarray. This was due to the fact that many of the emergency services were simply overwhelmed by requests from the community for assistance. Communications within the rural areas and the City were intermittent and the situation was further complicated by the fact that leadership was lacking at the county level. This was solved with the appointment of Howard French as interim Warden who had been co-ordinating relief efforts in his own township of Rideau Lakes.
Damage to the County was sporadic. It all depended upon where you were. Power was lost in Athens, but telephone lines remained intact. The same could be said for Elizabethtown. Shelters had been set up but few were utilized. Power was restored by Sunday evening at both locations and they returned to business as usual. In North Augusta, the situation was desperate. In addition to the extensive damage, an unfortunate fatality occurred which completely demoralized the community and authorities from the City stepped in to take over essential services.
At the outset of the storm Mark Darroch co-ordinated efforts at the county level. He had been in Cornwall at the Akwesasne reserve assisting in the relief effort there since the storm had hit a day or two before it reached Brockville. Throughout the night of January 8th he delivered cots and sleeping bags to 23 shelters which had been set up at various points throughout the County and ensured that supplies of food were also distributed. He continued to monitor the situation non-stop until relieved by volunteers and authorities from the City. As time went on and efforts shifted from the City to the County the situation stabilized, but it took much longer than anticipated.
Although the Police Chief anticipated a certain amount of vandalism and looting, this simply did not occur. Those who chose to take advantage of the situation (three cases) were quickly caught and dealt with to the full extent of the law. A breakdown in law and order simply did not take place.
It was the combination of an experienced leadership and an organized volunteer force that prevailed over the impact of the storm. There were obstacles and problems along the way which were dealt with as quickly as possible in a spirit of co-operation between the various agencies.
The central issue was how long was this going to last? While nobody could provide a credible answer to that question, the various relief agencies and volunteer organizations were prepared to stay at their posts for as long as they were required to do so although it became evident that stress and exhaustion were beginning to wear people down.
All of the individuals interviewed for this study expressed amazement at how well the community came together during the emergency. This was seen in the many acts of kindness and generosity witnessed during the storm. Whether it was the scores of people who volunteered to help out in the shelters or those who took in their neighbours , or organizations like the Standard Church who acted as a food distribution centre for the County, the commitment to help their community was paramount. They were also amazed at the number of volunteers who came from outside the area. Stories of people who took holiday time off to drive to Brockville, some for several hours and at their own expense, and work in harsh conditions to help strangers they had never met were commonplace.
Many life-long friendships were formed as a result of the storm.
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