This city seemed to be lacking a bit in disaster preparedness when the recent Derecho blew through town. Its not like they are lacking in tax revenue, the citizens of Ames are most certainly in the upper percentile of taxation when compared to all of Iowa. The windstorm that came through 11 am Monday morning exposed all the weaknesses of their nonexistent plan. This is child’s play!

You coordinate essential services beforehand with:

• a grocery store
• a home improvement store
• a retail / grocery store
• a gas station
• a radio station

If other outlets want to get in on the action, that’s great, but you make damn sure 1 of each of these essential services is. After an emergency with extended no power, people need: gasoline, food, toiletries, information. The shit barely hit the fan (let alone a full blown SHTF) and Ames is crippled. No one has a damn generator for their store! How new homes and businesses can be built without generator capability built in is beyond me. Ames I’m sure has a disaster coordinator, so who did he coordinate with? Nothing was open for 24 hours! That guy needs to be the first one fired. You contract with someone (how much could it cost? They’ll be the only game in town in the immediate aftermath) to damn well be open.

One of the most obvious to go with food, gas, water, was information. TV is obviously not the medium with no electricity. Your webpage is not the answer with no internet/cable. The newspaper is too limited in scope. What does that leave? The damn radio you morons! The local radio station KASI does not have a backup emergency transmitter tower or generator. They didn’t step up to the plate, they didn’t know where the damn plate was! It was like 4 days before they were back on the air. Its not much of an Emergency Broadcast System, if it collapses at the first sign of an emergency.

Don’t let them give you any damn shit about the cost of a transmitter and generator, a small emergency tower that can cover a 5 mile radius can be stored till needed and erected anywhere. Were not talking 50,000 watts here, 100 (to cover the entire city of Ames only requires a 5 mile radius). In order to get a damn license every few years they are supposed to demonstrate their community service. Like all government agencies, the actions of the FCC are dictated by cronyism. Servicing the monopolies, keeping out the competition.

Disaster hits and the city is out to lunch, as are government licensed entities not fulfilling their license requirements.

A Webster City radio station was the one giving out emergency information! Webster City! Information is critical in a disaster. With no power people are up a creek. But not with a battery operated or car radio! “This is the Emergency Broadcast System!” Except when it ain’t because we give licenses out to morons! Except when there’s an actual emergency. Then they’re no where to be found. “A storm might take out the tower?” Shazzam! “We might be with out power?” Shazzam! There was no EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM.

People didn’t know who was open, where they could get gas, food and water. We pay so many billions of dollars for FEMA, and Homeland Security and this agency and that agency, and when push comes to shove: nothing. WHO in Des Moines? Useless! They were running Sean Hannity! They’ll take Rush off for a cloud in the sky, but when people really need information after a disaster? Nothing.