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Hugo Tornado Disaster May 25, 2008 — Successes <br />Council and staff commitment to the residents and lack of egos made the immediate and <br />following week effort smoother for the residents, volunteer organization, and city <br />personnel. All personnel stepped up to the occasion and the shared leadership style of <br />Hugo City Hall provided the right atmosphere to handle the situation. City staff also <br />covered for others in alternative roles to create free time to relieve stress. <br />Early Notification — Public Works, Hugo Fire Department, and City Staff were alerted <br />quickly by department heads and were able to be on the scene quickly. <br />Public Works — Public works responded immediately to clear streets for emergency <br />vehicles, and contacted utility companies to turn off utilities immediately. <br />Hugo Fire Department - started immediate search and rescue of residents and requested <br />mutual aid from surrounding Fire and Police departments. <br />Busses were also called to relieve congestion and take residents to Oneka Elementary <br />School where a resident care center was set up. <br />Map of Area — City Staff had been working on GIS mapping of areas in the city for the <br />fire department, and had just mapped Creekview Preserve area the week prior to the <br />tornado. The maps allowed for easier resident search, utility shut -offs, and building <br />inspections. <br />Oneka Elementary School — Having a strong relationship with the school district allowed <br />Oneka Elementary to operate as a care facility for displaced residents and restored a sense <br />of calmness to the situation. <br />Residents — Getting residents back into their homes as soon as possible and having <br />nightly meetings to keep residents informed of the progress and continuation of work for <br />the week helped residents understand the clean-up process. <br />Credentialing of Residents and Contractors — Credentialing of residents and contractors <br />along with security checkpoints at the entrance of the neighborhood allowed the residents <br />to feel comforted that their belongings' would be secure as well as kept storm chasing <br />contractors from preying on Hugo residents. <br />Hugo Relief Fund — Establishing a fund within the first day, at both Lake Area Bank and <br />US Bank, allowed for the City to capture support during the most visible time of the <br />emergency. Donations were also taken care of through the volunteer organization and <br />city staff to keep politics out of the picture. <br />Hugo Fiscal Management — Allowing the city to bank reserves of funds through council <br />policy over the years expedited the clean-up effort since the City had the wherewithal to <br />cash flow the emergency. <br />