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COMMUNITY HAZARDS
In order of potential impact
- Tornadoes
- Severe
Thunderstorms/Hail/Lightning
- Flooding
- Hazardous Materials
Incidents
- Winter Storms
- Grass fire
- Drought
Description of hazards
/perry2_small1.jpeg) 1. Tornadoes –
Kennett is located at the northeastern edge of Tornado Alley. In the event a
tornado strikes Kennett, the Kennett Fire Department and Emergency Management center will work diligently with one another in both emergency operations and damgage assessment. Any extensive damage to a resident or surrounding businesses within Kennett city limits will be assessed as quickly possible. Tornadoes are the most violent weather systems on earth
and the potential for large losses of life and property, coupled with
extremely vulnerable populations at outdoor venues, leads to its
placement as one of the the number one hazard facing Kennett.
2. Severe
Thunderstorms/Hail/Lightning – Thunderstorms are a year
round occurrence in the City of Kennett, particularly in the spring
and, to a lesser, degree in the fall. Kennett has been fortunate to have only a handful of hailstorm over the past few years and with very little damage. When hailstorms have occurred within the City, it came mostly in the form
of damage to roofs and vehicles. Lightning causes several house fires
each year and has life-threatening potential. The Kennett
Emergency Management Center activated storm spotters on several occasions last year, with only a few cases of storm related damage to residental and business.
3. Flooding – The frequency of
thunderstorms with heavy rainfall in a short time span can lead to
flash flooding throughout the City and surrounding area. Kennett is located four miles to the east of the St. Fancis River and 17 miles to the west of the Mississippi River. Although the geographical location puts Kennett in the middle of two vety large river systems, Kennett has been fornuate to nor recieve any major flooding to date.
4. Hazardous Materials
Incidents – Kennett has a significant potential for
hazardous materials incidents due to the nature of manufacturing
facilities and the many transportation routes through the City.
Transportation corridors include US 412, a major truck route linking to I-55 and I-155. I-55 is designated as a
transportation corridor for interstate hazardous materials shipments,
including radioactive wastes. Several major pipelines transit the City,
carrying the entire spectrum of hydrocarbon products. There are
numerous flammable liquid and gas storage facilities astride these
pipelines.
One of the most significant pipeline include the natural gas pipeline owned by the city of Kennett, which runs approxiatemly 17 miles north of Kennett to Cambell Mo. In past years, the Kennett Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team responded
to several haz-mat related incidents.
/ice2_small.jpeg) 5. Winter Storms – Kennett
is vulnerable to winter storms, which can virtually paralyze the City.
This area is much more likely to receive frozen precipitation in the
form of ice rather than snow. The lack of equipment and the
susceptibility of overhead power lines to damage from the weight of
ice compound the difficulty of the situation. The most recent winter storms
occurred in:
2004
6. Grass fire – A recent city ordinance banning opening burning of household trash
has significantly reduced the amount of grass fires with in the city limits. In past years, several acres were burned
and many numerous structures threatened due to grass fires.
/1128861493h3i6z2.jpeg) 8. Drought – This part of Northeastern Arkansas and Southeastern Missouri is subject to extreme weather including short- and
long-term droughts. 1995 had a summer drought that taxed water
resources, firefighters and equipment. Lower than expected rainfall occurred for almost
three months.
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