- Coming up next on IGI, we discuss two potential springtime threats in northeast Kansas: severe weather and wildfires.

We also provide tips on how to prepare for those hazards and possibly minimize the threats they pose.

Stay with us.

(digital bleeping) (gentle music) (bright music) Welcome to, "I've Got Issues."

I'm your host, LeTiffany Obozele.

Spring has finally arrived, and along with warmer temperatures and blooming flowers, spring heralds the return of a couple of threats that are all too familiar to residents of Northeast Kansas: severe weather and wildfires.

Joining us today to discuss those hazards are Chad Omitt, Warning Coordinator Meteorologist for the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Topeka, Dusty Nichols, director of Shawnee County Department of Emergency Management, and joining us a bit later is Eric Ward, Assistant Fire Management Officer with the Kansas Forest Service.

Gentlemen, welcome to "I've Got issues."

First of all, let's talk about last year's weather, Chad, how was it, was it a good year?

Was it a busy year?

Was it average?

- It was an average year by Kansas standards.

And by that I mean, the severe weather that we had, the thunderstorm related hazards, the number of warnings that we issued, the number of reports that we got for large hail, damaging winds was about typical for what we see each year.

However, it was another slow year for tornadoes, and that's a good thing.

We only had 44 documented tornadoes in Kansas last year.

We average about 80.

And so it was a slow year for tornadoes.

It's not bad, but I think we need to be aware and hopefully not complacent as we headed into springtime this year.

- So when we're talking about severe weather, what all does that include?

- Well, thunderstorm related hazards, obviously large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, those are the things I think people are most familiar with.

But it's flash flooding that actually brings the greatest danger when it comes to thunderstorm related hazards.

And by that I mean we lose the most people every year, not only in Kansas but across the country, from flash flooding, and specifically, it's usually people driving into flooded roads at night.

That's how things like that happen.

- And so if people are driving into flooded roads at night, what are some ways that they can be more aware and protect themselves?

- Well, I think number one is just the situational awareness.

If thunderstorms heavy rains are about, and there's a flash flood warning out, hopefully they receive that information.

But really, more or less use your intuition, your instincts and common sense.

And if you've come to a flooded road, turnaround, it's not worth the risk of driving through a flooded road because if it's deep enough and there's a current, you're going to go with that current.

- Okay.

So you were about those tornadoes earlier.

And so, what are some ways that we can maybe stay weather aware?

- Oh, I think there's a lot of ways, especially in current, you know, this current day.

But I don't think we need to rely on technology.

I think that's a little bit of a danger in itself.

You're taking a pretty big risk if you only have one way to get the a warning or a watch.

I totally agree with Chad.

The biggest way is situational awareness.

Before you go somewhere, if you are expecting storms, if you go out and you're in a storm, listen to the local radio.

Many of us have MP3s or whoever we're listening to, or Bluetooth from our phone to music, or even satellite radio.

Make sure you're listening local, 'cause that's where you're gonna get the information that you need to protect you and your family when you're out and about.

So that's really the key is have a way to get information.

- Okay.

And so for those folks that do use their technology, I think sometimes, I'll get a weather alert on my phone and I think maybe people are familiar with hearing the alarm go off.

- Oh, the sirens.

- The sirens go off.

Right.

- Yeah.

I really encourage people, again, goes back to having multiple ways to get the warning.

And I know Chad discusses this when he teaches his class as well, having multiple ways.

The sirens in Shawnee County, and I'll go ahead and speak for my counterparts, Emergency Managements across the state and probably the nation, those are outdoor warning systems.

If you can't hear them inside your house, congratulations, you have a well-built house.

'Cause your houses are meant to keep sound out.

Which is why we're encouraging people to have a weather radio, have cell phone apps, however, don't depend on the cell phone.

You lose battery, cell phone towers go out.

We have lots of different things can go wrong with technology.

So having multiple ways to get that, and don't rely on just the sirens.

And the other thing on the sirens, depending on where you're at, they may have different processes.

Here in Shawnee County, if there's a tornado warning for Shawnee County, we will sound the sirens county wide for three minutes and then we will sound only for the warned area.

And the warned area, usually looks like a fan on your television, that's the sirens that we're gonna sound.

So if you're in a situation where you're hearing sirens, that means do something, that means take shelter.

That is a warning.

- Okay.

- Do something.

- Okay.

I'm gonna come back and talk about a warning, but I wanna talk about that radio.

Where can someone get a weather radio from?

- Always online.

You go to the Amazon.

- Okay.

I love the Amazon.

- Obviously you can get there.

But just about any local grocery store, department store, any store here locally.

I know I've seen them in just about all the stores I go to.

But they're really easy to get ahold of now.

And if you have trouble programming them, if you need to do that, there's YouTube videos.

You can call my office, Shawnee County Emergency Management.

You can find us online.

We will walk you through it or we'll meet you somewhere.

Sometimes we do these gatherings at grocery stores or something.

And then we will program weather radios as well.

- Okay.

So if you use the term weather warning, what's the difference between a weather warning and a weather watch?

- You wanna take the watch?

- Sure.

You know, it's conditions are favorable for storms to develop.

And if those storms do develop, they will have the capability to produce bad things like large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes.

So a watch is be ready, get set, be ready.

Situational awareness should be higher than normal, but it's not time to take shelter at that point.

The watch is just be ready to go in the event that a warning is issued.

And so, maybe change your behavior just a little bit.

Start looking at the radar app on your phone if you're outdoors, so that you have time to get to maybe home before the storms arrive.

But that's the difference between a watch.

A watch is sort of a, alright, this is sort of the first step before a warning's issued.

Be ready to go and get yourself in the situation where you're not as vulnerable as you might otherwise be before a warning's issued.

- And that warning is always do something.

- Okay.

- It's an action.

Just like in your car, if your warning light comes on, you have to do something.

If you hear a smoke alarm or something, or a fire alarm go off, that's do something.

That's to get your attention.

And that's simply the best way to think about.

It is a warning means do something immediately.

A watch is increase your awareness.

- Okay.

And if somebody's got plans that they're doing or getting ready to go out, and we're under a watch, do they need to cancel their plans?

- No, I don't think they need to cancel their plans.

But one thing we talk about is the importance of awareness, of watching the weather maybe on your mobile device.

There are so many different ways to receive information, including radar information now on phones.

And you don't have to be a meteorologist to have a basic understanding of where the storms are, where they're moving and when they might get to you.

That's just an example of how you can use information to help reduce your vulnerability.

- We were talking about folks who live in mobile homes or who live in apartments, and maybe their situational awareness when a weather watch comes on and opportunities you have for helping them.

- Sure.

If a lot of people who live in mobile homes don't have immediate access to a cellar or a basement or a situation that could provide some level of protection in a short notice.

So that means they're gonna have to make a plan a little bit more advanced.

Whether that means time to travel across the trailer park or to go to somebody's home, et cetera.

So developing a plan early before anything has happened, and enacting that plan without hesitation, and maybe even take some steps earlier if possible.

But knowing what your risk is is really key.

And as Chad mentioned, tornadoes is up there, but you do have to deal with floods.

You might have multiple threats to deal with, whether in a thunderstorm you have high winds, hail, and then a possible tornado.

So if your plan is to step outta your mobile home and go to the the shelter that's 10 minutes away, do you have a plan to do that when there's hail and high wind?

So think these things through.

Critically think your plan, what might happen, and then mitigate those things as much as you can, or lessen the effects of those things as much as you can to get protection for you and your family.

- Okay.

Now Chad, for years people have talked about tornado alley being in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Is tornado alley moving away from our area?

Is the threat of tornadoes decreasing?

- No, it's not.

Over the last 10 or 15 years, what we've seen is an expansion, if you will, of what we would call tornado alley.

They call it Dixie Alley, which is an area down the southeast Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi.

They've seen a lot of tornadoes over the last 10, 15 years.

But Kansas has not seen a reduction in the numbers of tornadoes.

We still rank either number one or number two, depending on how you look at it, for the number of tornadoes we see each year across the country.

- Okay.

Another condition that we deal with is heat.

So tell us how we can maybe have some preparedness when it comes to planning for heat.

- There's multiple threats just that in living in this part of Kansas.

Obviously we talked about the thunderstorm threat, but there's heat and very extreme cold temperatures.

Both of those we've experienced yearly, I mean extreme high temperatures.

Those also lend themselves to very, very serious health issues.

So again, it goes back to making a plan similar to trailer park tornado situation, finding places, whether it's a movie theater or the library, or wherever you can to stay cool.

Know the effects of heat on your body, know when to get out, get outta the heat, get in the shade, whatever you can.

Having somebody you can call to maybe check on you or take you to the hospital if you live alone.

Those kinds of things.

Those are really key, especially in the summer in Kansas.

And the other side of that is the extreme cold temperatures, which we've just experienced this past few months.

You should be pre preparing for the winter stuff in the summer and preparing for that summer stuff in the winter.

So when those things aren't on you, so- - Okay.

- the sooner the better.

- What about our pets?

- Oh, same thing.

If you have a pet, you know they are your family.

They are part of your family there.

In some cases like a partner or a child.

So you have to treat 'em as such.

Prepare them.

If your dog or cat or your pet has a medication, make sure you have those on hand as part of your plan.

Planning is a really significant part of living in northeast Kansas.

- Well Chad and Dusty, thank you again for being here today.

Stick around everybody.

Eric Ward is gonna come join us and talk about wildfires, and we'll be right back.

(bright music) - [Narrator] Here's to the things that can keep us safe.

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(singing in Spanish) - Welcome back.

Joining us now is Eric Ward, fire planning specialist with the Kansas Forest Service.

Eric, thank you for being here today on IGI.

I wanna talk with you about wildfires.

So what is a wildfire?

- Basically, a lot of people don't think we have wildfires in Kansas 'cause they picture the big forest fires of the west.

And wildfires really anytime vegetation is burning and shouldn't be.

So does not include the prescribed burns that are common in the Flint Hills, but any other time vegetation's burning, that's a wildfire.

- Okay.

And so at the beginning of this program, we kind of got a year in review for what was going on with severe weather.

And we learned it was an average year.

So what is the year in review for wildfires here?

Was it an average year?

Severe year?

- Last year was actually fairly average.

We didn't have an unusual number of fires.

We didn't have an unusual number of major fires.

We did have at least 20 that were considered large, and a number of fires that required a fairly extensive response, and in some cases, required several days to get fully managed.

But it was overall a fairly average year.

In Kansas, we typically have at least 5,000 wildfires a year, which surprises people because we're actually one of the top five states in the country for the number of wildfires that burn every year.

- Okay.

And what are some of the factors that are contributing to these wildfires?

- There's a number of things that go into it, and we've actually seen an increase in bad wildfires, as in the worst ones, over the last six straight years.

Part of it is weather and climate.

We've been in a hotter and drier trend.

It's been windier than average.

Part of it is land management practices.

We have a lot of areas in the state that have not been as actively managed as they once were.

Areas where eastern red cedar is moving into what used to be grassland.

And it's a whole lot harder to put out a fire when a bunch of those are burning than when it's just a bunch of prairie grass.

More people moving out into rural areas, in some cases, more people recreating in the outdoors that in some cases maybe don't know how to be safe with a campfire, whatever.

All of those things roll together to create the situation we're in, both in Kansas and nationally.

- Okay.

And when we have these wildfires, who's at risk?

- Potentially anybody.

People think of wildfires as, in Kansas anyway, people think of that as a rural problem.

And at one time it mostly was, but we've seen the city of Hutchinson's had several really serious ones that have burned through parts of town.

We've seen other communities in Kansas, we've seen in Colorado and California in recent years where, you know, fires have started as a vegetation fire and has moved into really becoming an urban fire.

So even in an urban area like Topeka, you may not think of wildfires.

And yet, if it starts in a park or it starts at the edge of town and the wind's blowing the right way, it could be burning house to house through a fairly urban area and still be a threat.

- Okay.

So like in Topeka, if there's like an overgrown area or if there's areas that maybe have a homeless populations, are those areas that maybe might be at risk for having wildfires?

- Yeah, certainly.

Any place where you have a lot of dry vegetation that is close enough to ignite a building, there's a risk.

- So what are some things maybe we can do to start planning and protecting ourselves from property fire damage wildfires?

- I think that a lot of the stuff that Eric mentioned, if you think about that around your home, that's the first step.

Where is this stuff collecting dry leaves, dry grass?

Maybe it's in your gutters.

Clean out your gutters, brush alongside your house, make sure there's some distance there.

Have a way to identify it when it happens.

Whether you have cameras systems in your home or smoke detectors, et cetera.

But cleaning stuff out, it goes a long way.

Removing the fuel for those things to happen is pretty key.

- Okay.

And are you familiar with the Kansas Wildfire Risk Assessment portal?

- Yeah, that's a new tool that's just been established in the last year.

It was a multi-year project to put that together.

But it's an online mapping tool.

It's at kansaswildfirerisk.org and it's available to anybody.

It's a free tool that you can click on a community, you can narrow it down to a neighborhood, you can narrow it down to an individual property, and it will tell you the relative wildfire risk in that location.

And then there's an Advanced User option that a person can sign up for a free account, which is designed more for emergency managers, fire chiefs, community planners, and people like that that can get into much more detail and can actually print a multiple page report on actions that might need to be taken.

- Okay.

So you said there's the potential for anybody to be at risk if the circumstances were to come together.

So what do you do if you find yourself in the path of a wildfire?

- If possible, get out of the path.

That would be number one.

Be prepared to be self-sufficient.

And that probably applies equally well in the earlier segment as as well.

But if there's a major wildfire coming, do not expect a firetruck at your house.

No community has enough fire trucks to put one at every house that might be in the path of a wildfire.

And I don't care whether you're talking to the smallest town in Kansas or the biggest town, there's only so many.

So having prepared your home, like what Dusty just described, to make it survive on its own and not require fire department help, gives you a much, much better chance of coming home to a intact healthy house.

- Yeah, I would also just kind of add, know your limitations as well.

- Okay.

Okay.

- Don't necessarily go after a wildfire with a garden hose.

- Yes, yes.

- You need to call 911 and protect your home and stuff.

But yeah, know your limitations.

- Okay.

Dusty, I wanna talk with you about some safety planning.

Is there a way to safety plan for a wildfire?

- Oh, absolutely.

I think there's a basic plan that everyone should do, and it starts with identifying the need.

If you don't need to do it, then why would you do it in the first place?

So identifying your need, whether it's an individual plan, a family plan, or you're planning for an elderly family member in another home or across town or just somebody you're trying to help.

So I think initially, why are you planning in northeast Kansas, we discussed with Chad the severe weather threat, the wildfire threats or home fire threats, just a regular house fire, that could obviously happen.

If you're not taking those steps to reduce that risk, then I think you need to prepare even more.

So there's a lot of places you can go.

You can go to www.ready.gov and there's a whole list of planning elements that you can go into to include communications planning, which I think is absolutely key.

Reduces your anxiety and your worry should something happen with your family members.

But you can also talk to your insurance agents.

'Cause if you do some of these, excuse me, if you do some of these mitigation measures, it might actually lower some of your insurance payments.

- So how does somebody who's interested in thinking about, they've looked at the why, they've looked at the where, how do they start creating these safety plans?

- Sure.

I think it's gonna vary from family to family.

'Cause there's a lot of limitations for different families in different situations.

I think, I will say this right out the gate, if you ever get stuck, go to the experts.

I know Eric and his team is always available to answer questions on their websites or phone calls or wherever else.

Same with National Weather Service, same with any emergency management, fire station, police station.

They can help you at least start planning or at least give you that perspective.

I think part of it is literally sitting down with the people that you're planning for.

'Cause planning a vacuum makes no sense.

You have to share this information, and it's increasing the expectation of surivability.

So if I'm sitting down with my teenage kids and I'm telling you, when this happens, I expect you to go to this neighbor's house so I know where to find you, or I expect you to call this number.

Because families are separated now.

I mean they're playing softball or baseball or whatever they got going on in their families.

So they're not always connected.

But don't rely on those cell phones.

So please set up that plan.

My cell phone's not working, my mom and dad are gonna expect me to be over at this person's house or this business should something happen.

So I think that's really key to reduce the anxiety.

The other thing is, it goes back to knowing your limitations.

If you have a disability, if you have to have medications, think those things through.

Do not make the assumption that something is going to be there for you.

Assumptions kill.

So make sure connect all those dots, put it on paper, share that plan with people to include people who may not be part of the plan but they may need to know how to find you.

- Okay.

- That's key.

And if you do have ADA issues, I encourage you getting ahold of the sheriff's office, talking to dispatch and let them know that, hey, I'm gonna be here.

I can't evacuate, I can't do certain things.

'Cause they're gonna be able to need to know where to go to find you too.

- Okay.

So we've got this plan put together, we've thought about our why, we know our how.

And so, what's the best thing someone can do once they've created a plan for themselves to make sure that it's gonna work?

- Practice it.

I'm glad you mentioned that.

No plan is finished until you've practiced it.

Or we call it exercising.

So on a safe day when there's nothing going on, when you can walk through it, pretend.

Pretend that that bad things happened and you're gonna walk through it.

And the more you can make it real as far as actually going to those locations versus just what we call table topping it, the more you can actually walk it and pace it out, the more effective that plan's gonna be.

'Cause you're gonna find sometimes that there's limitations to the plan.

It's not gonna work quite the way you thought.

So I highly encourage you if you have a plan, practice it.

- And can we do this for each of the things we've talked about?

Earlier we were talking about severe weather, we've been talking about wildfires, we talked about cold weather, we talked about hot weather, for all of these conditions, is this something we can safely plan?

- Absolutely.

I think any anything you can do, what we call mitigate, anything you can do to lessen the effects or rid the effects completely of something you can't stop.

And most of these weather conditions you can't stop.

So you have to do something to lessen those effects.

Anything you can do to lessen those effects, you can absolutely plan for it.

You can absolutely practice it and you should.

- Eric, I wanna go back to talking a little bit about wildfires.

And earlier you were talking about W.A.R.P.

the new system, are there any other new tools or technology that are out other than W.A.R.P.

that can help people with wildfires for preparedness or prevention to help them in safety planning?

- Not so much on the preparedness and prevention side, but on the response side, there's a couple new tools that have been in use for the last 2, 3, 4 years in the state.

The National Weather Service started a few years ago doing fire notifications based on satellite imagery, where they'll actually pick up the hotspot on satellite imagery, and then fire officials and emergency managers and folks can be signed up for text alerts.

And in some cases, those have notified of fires well before a nine one one call was placed.

And as fast as a fire can spread, that four or five eight minutes might make a real difference in getting to it when it's small and manageable versus letting it become catastrophic.

So that's been a really helpful tool.

Sometimes it's duplicate, sometimes it's like, yeah, we already know that, but it's still helpful.

I'd rather hear about it twice than not know until it's really big and bad.

The other tool that's fairly new in the state is the use of aircraft on fires.

It's something that was never available in Kansas, widely used elsewhere, but it's a fairly new tool in Kansas, and we've actually got a half a dozen aircraft now on contract that are fixed wing air tankers as well as one helicopter that can drop water on fires if the situation warrants.

And it's an expensive tool, it adds additional risk and complexity to the fire, but there's times that it can make a real difference in stopping something before it gets to the point of being catastrophic.

They've been used at least a couple different fires in Shawnee County- - Yeah.

Last week.

- including one what?

A week ago?

- A week ago.

Yeah.

- And been used a couple times already this spring around the state.

Last year, they were flown a couple dozen different times on fires in the state, and it can make a real difference.

- Oh wow.

Well, that's all the time we have for this episode of IGI.

If you have any comments or suggestions for future topics, send us an email at issues@ktwu.org.

If you would like to view this program again or any previous episodes of IGI, visit us online at watch.ktwu.org.

For IGI, I'm LeTiffany Obozele and thank you for watching.

(bright music)