Siren test Saturday

As part of a public education series going out to members of the entire county, the Hot Springs County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) has issued detailed information about what they do and why.

The LEPC is a community meeting of emergency management, first responder agencies, town, county, state agencies, business members and citizens wishing to take part or listen.

The next monthly meeting of the LEPC is Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m. at the Thermopolis Fire Hall. Everyone is invited to be part of this important planning process.

Recently the LEPC has focused its attention on community response to a Boysen Dam failure. Though extremely unlikely, it would be devastating.

The next scheduled outdoor alert siren test will be Saturday, Oct. 1 at noon. The siren demonstration will be the “Hi-Lo” tone which is reserved only for a Boysen Dam collapse. A sample can be heard at hscounty.com.

For most residents the response is one immediate thing, evacuate. According to Hot Springs County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Gordon, were it to actually occur you would get calls on your landline phones, cell phones, email, texts, Cable TV and Radio. Gordon says there is no better way to receive any such messages than to have a NOAA All Hazard Radio in your home and at work. You can set these radios to alert in the middle of the night at a volume that is sure to wake you up.

Gordon reminds people it will not be a time to call 911. It will be a time to evacuate. In the extremely unlikely event that Boysen Dam fails, within 30-45 minutes, at most, the river in Thermopolis will begin to rise significantly and water will begin running down the streets. Over the next hour to hour and a half, the water will rise to the height of over 70 feet deep at the stop light.

There will be no time to set up shelters. The only option will be to evacuate. If you are unable to evacuate on your own, make arrangements for neighbors or family members to help you. Even if you live above the flooded area, you will have no power, no telephone and no services.

Initially, the evacuation routes are Highway 120 and Highway 20 North. At some point, Highway 20 North will no longer be an option. Do not walk to nearby hills. You may end up trapped there for a long time. The only option will be to leave. There will be no services locally. It is important to think now about friends or relatives in neighboring counties or states who might take you in. Eventually Gordon plans to coordinate with the other counties in the Bighorn Basin to set up reception and screening centers there when Hot Springs County residents arrive.

Gordon also reminds citizens of the importance of a family plan. He said it has been demonstrated over and over… when a disaster happens, the first thing people want to know is “How are those I care about?” Once you know where they are and how they are, a huge weight will leave your shoulders and you can get about the business of your own safety and welfare.

Take the time to have a plan for when a disaster strikes. There are many kinds of disasters. Some will allow time for help to come to you. If Boysen Dam were to collapse, there will only be minutes to act. Nobody will be coming to help or save you. Set a timer for 10 minutes after hearing notification of the failure and when the bell rings, take what you’ve gathered, your family, pets, neighbors unable to leave on their own and evacuate. Leave the area.

This Saturday, Oct. 1 at noon, listen for the alert siren test and know this particular “Hi-Lo” tone is reserved only for a Boysen Dam collapse. In the case of an actually Boysen Dam failure, the tone will mean to evacuate immediately. The sirens will sound for three minutes.