Tragedy Reminds Us About Severe Weather Preparation

Associated Press: Indianapolis, IN Monday August 15, 2011— Hundreds of mourners gathered Monday at the Indiana State Fairgrounds to remember five people killed when high winds caused an outdoor stage to collapse onto an audience awaiting the start of a country music concert.

This tragedy reminds me of a concern that I've had for many years. The need for proper and useable evacuation plans at stadiums, ballparks or major outdoor venues.

Right now, most, if not all, complexes have evacuation plans. However, most evacuation plans are pie in the sky blueprints for disaster. Let's face it. Ushering thousands of people into a parking lot or underneath the stadium either creates a bigger problem or is simply wishful thinking.

Off the record, a venue manager told me, "This is the best we can do. It's certainly not perfect!" Granted this issue does not have an easy or good solution. Efficiently moving large crowds is difficult at best. While these plans are made with the best intentions, they are mostly in place to give the venue "legal cover" should any catastrophe happen. Very few places have thoroughly analyzed an effective method of actually saving lives in the event of severe weather.

Now, I don't want to indict every manager at every event. I've dealt with very responsible folks who were greatly concerned over the potential of severe weather. My point goes beyond this fact. It's more the unspoken truth of the near impossibility of making the decision at the appropriate moment.

Aside from the difficulty of moving people, the financial consideration and the timeliness of the decision often weigh into the situation. For some, giving people their money back is the strongest leverage against evacuation during a severe weather outbreak. In other cases, compelling forecasts can come too late or not at all. Either way, the process is paralyzed from the start. Now, you can see my worry.

My solution is thinking in advance before any threatening conditions strike. When I know the forecast calls for great weather, obviously there's no concern. However, I plan accordingly if there's any chance of severe weather. Heading into a stadium, ballpark, or concert, I take a moment to look at the best two evacuation points. Since I'm often with my family, I also think about getting separated. Some might say that I'm paranoid. Maybe, but facing Mother Nature over 25 years, I've found you can never underestimate her power! I would be the first to say that my own solution is not the greatest. At least, it's something.

The best solution is applying pressure to our elected county officials. Who then in turn, apply pressure to the managers of these complexes. Otherwise, we'll all have to live with this unspoken danger. Then again, my fear really is with the people who won't get a chance to!

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