Post-tornado community response efforts in America's heartland

DSTR 8

Harry J. Elston, helston@midwestchemsafety.com, Midwest Chemical Safety, 9380 Wandering Trails Ln, Dawson, IL 62520
Springfield, a community of approximately 110,000 with a number of unincorporated areas within the confines of the city limits, met two F1/F2 tornados between 8:25 PM and 8:30 PM on 12 March 2006. The storms cut diagonally though the city and left a path of wreckage that had not been seen in several decades. We will discuss the response efforts of the government and local community during the immediate post-disaster recovery and follow-up through the summer months.