City managers who have experienced devastating tornadoes have been quick to respond to help in hard-hit Oklahoma communities. Claudia Deakins, executive director, City Management Association of Oklahoma, has been in touch with the city managers in Moore and Shawnee, who report they have had plenty of help with the immediate search and rescue operation.

The loss of life might have been greater in less-prepared communities. Over 100 people were found in tornado shelters in Moore who could not get out of them because so much debris had fallen on the shelters.  Moore has a registration program that documents the location of all of the shelters, making it easier for emergency personnel to locate residents quickly and free them.

One reason Shawnee had just two deaths was because the city has an alert system that notifies residents of an emergency. That made it possible for mobile home residents to move to shelters. Although their homes and cars may have been destroyed, the people survived. The recovery process is especially difficult for mobile home residents as their homes often are not insured and their vehicles may not have comprehensive insurance.

Examples of help that has been tapped so far:

• Joplin, MO, city manager Mark Rohr has sent a team to Moore to do a needs assessment
• Woodward, OK, city manager Alan Riffel called Shawnee city manager Brian McDougal to share what he had learned about the special needs of smaller communities
• Nebraska City/County Management Association has offered teams to help with the recovery.

The affected communities have set up a one-stop shop to help residents get in touch with insurance companies. The Oklahoma Insurance Commission also has staff on site to troubleshoot any issues and is a one-stop location for residents to meet with insurance agencies. 

As local government managers know who have experienced a major disaster, many of the greatest challenges lie ahead as communities deal with the slow recovery process.