Emergency management chief outlines potential hazards for Midlothian Rotary members
An emergency such as the long-track tornado that struck four states this past weekend is something that Midlothian is continually striving to be as prepared as possible for, the city’s emergency management coordinator said last week before the so-called Quad State Twister raked a 200-mile path from Northeast Arkansas well into Kentucky.
Tonya Hunter spoke to the Midlothian Rotary Club and outlined the services that the city provides. Hunter works with the Midlothian Police Department to execute the city’s emergency plan.
The biggest threat to city safety is weather-related in the form of severe thunderstorms containing potential tornadoes, hail, lightning, straight-line winds and flooding rains, Hunter said.
“We are not immune to disasters,” she said. “Back in May we had 30 inches of rain in Midlothian, and we have 12 dams in the city.”
Hunter mentioned the Oct. 20, 2019 tornado that struck the north and east sides of the city, destroying a church and causing heavy residential damage but no injuries. That was only the third tornado to touch down in Midlothian city limits in less than a decade.
Midlothian is a four-hour drive from the Gulf Coast but isn’t immune from hurricane effects, according to a video from the North Central Texas Council of Governments presented by Hunter. Landfalling tropical disturbances can spread heavy rain and storms well inland.
However, another weather-related event that affected North Texas was last February’s winter storm, which dropped thermometers to minus-2 degrees Fahrenheit on the morning of Feb. 16. The extreme cold caused numerous water pipes to burst and led to massive electricity shortages that made things worse.
“Our police department was on a generator for two and a half days,” Hunter said. “We had city staff that were sleeping at our water treatment facilities to make sure we still had drinking water and running sewers.”
Hunter said adding generation capacity to a rapidly-growing state — either by renewable or non-renewable means — is crucial to preventing future power cuts in cases of extreme winter weather.
On the other extreme, Hunter said periods of drought and prolonged heat have affected the city in the past, forcing water conservation measures to take place.
Other potential sources for an emergency in the Cement City are man-caused, Hunter noted. Hazardous chemical spills from local industry are always a possibility as well as spills from transport on the two major highways and two railways that serve the city, she said.
Several major oil and gas pipelines crisscross the city, including two large ones that pass very close to Heritage High School along FM 1387, Hunter noted.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that began in earnest in March 2020 is being addressed by a testing kiosk at MISD Multipurpose Stadium that is open seven days a week. Results are available with 48 hours, Hunter said.
Other events Hunter said the city must be prepared for are things that don’t leap immediately to mind, such as plane crashes, cybersecurity and terror attacks. Hunter said the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is considered one of the top terror targets in the world because of its large population.
Hunter, who said she remains a certified firefighter and emergency medical technician, also said the city is preparing for active shooters and has an exercise planned at MISD Multipurpose Stadium in May 2022. The Mansfield Timberview school shooting in October drove home the need to be prepared.
“People are going to say it can’t happen here,” Hunter said. “It can happen here.”
What can individuals do to be ready in the event of an emergency? Hunter encouraged families to put in place a communication plan in case cellphone towers become overwhelmed. Supplies should also be purchased in advance.