Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacob’s Weekly Update. скачать в хорошем качестве

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacob’s Weekly Update.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacob’s Weekly Update. TRANSCRIPT: “It’s Friday. Time for another weekly update. Our neighbors in West Knox County have had a rough week. The National Weather Service confirmed that a EF2 tornado, with 130-mile-an-hour winds, touched down in the area. It was part of a system of storms that reached from Georgia to New York. Across the country, two people were confirmed killed. While we suffered no loss of life and no serious injuries that we know of, property damage was significant. The Lovell Crossings Apartment complex was evacuated due to some of their building’s roofs being blown off and windows broken. Covenant Health’s corporate headquarters next door suffered similar damage. And trees on Bob Gray Rd, along with the electricity lines there, were knocked down. The damage was spotty and localized, but, if you were one of the people displaced, had your home damaged, or lost your power, it was a serious event. When events like this happen, I am always amazed at the response from emergency management, all their partners, non-profits, and the private sector, and even friends and neighbors. Obviously, the priority is life safety, ensuring, that the area is free of hazards as much as possible. In this situation, with widespread downed electricity lines, the utility providers cut power to the area. This can be a dicey proposition because, due to how the grid is a kind of patchwork constructed ad hoc over years, sometimes the electricity is coming from a different substation than you might expect. That’s why it is very dangerous to be around a downed power line. Even if you think the power is cut off, it might be fed from somewhere else, and the line might be live. It is also important to remember if you are running a generator to ensure that it is not feeding back out to the grid as that can seriously injure, even kill, line workers. Once the power is off, our road crews coordinate with the electricity providers to begin clearing the roadways, both so residents can get around, and so that line workers can get into the area to begin repairs. First responders and law enforcement are on standby in case of medical emergencies. Evacuations may also be ordered as they were at Lovell Crossings. From there, cleanup begins, including restoring electricity. With the severity of the damage, this process has taken a few days. Dozens of electric poles were down. Since it takes 8-12 hours to put up a new pole, this is an arduous, time-consuming process. KUB and LCUB both deployed dozens of line crews, including some from outside of our area, to get the power back on. Unfortunately, our road crews cannot complete their work until it is safe to do so, so we have to wait until the line crews have fixed the down lines. As you can see, with electricity lines in the middle of a brush heap, it can be a very dangerous situation. I applaud everyone who has been working so hard to get things back to normal. From the line crews to our road crews to law enforcement and first responders to churches and non-profits, the private sector, and friends and neighbors. It’s the worst of times that bring out the best in us and this episode was no exception. We have a pop banner on the KnoxCounty.org website with a link to a webpage on which you can find contact information for resources to help with the recovery. Again, that’s KnoxCounty.org and look for the pop-up banner. Until next Friday, God bless, and I hope everyone has a great week.”