Emergency

DFEST Natural Disaster Operational Plan

This portion of the Dfest Tulsa Police Operational Plan addresses natural hazards preparedness and response. There are four significant hazards that might be expected in the location specified in that time of year: extreme heat, lightning, hail, and tornadoes/high winds.

HAZARD OVERVIEW:

Extreme Heat

Extreme heat is adequately addressed in other Dfest Operational Plans, so will not be addressed here.

Lightning
Lightning is the most constant and widespread threat to people and property during the thunderstorm season. According to the National Lightning Safety Institute, an average of 58 people per year were killed each year by lightning between 1990 and 2003 in the United States. (NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-193)
Lightning can strike ten miles out from the rain column, and lightning deaths and injuries often occur under a clear sky ahead of the storm. This is because people frequently wait until the last minute to seek shelter. (Tulsa World, May 23, 2002)
People need to move into buildings (any substantial building will do), or vehicles with a roof. (Contrary to commonly held belief, vehicles don’t protect someone because of rubber tires. But a metal vehicle allows current to flow around someone to the ground.)
Warnings of lightning in the area should be conveyed to Dfest HQ and relayed to personnel working with band setup and operations, in order that sensitive equipment may be protected from devastating voltage spikes.

Hail
A hailstorm is an outgrowth of a severe thunderstorm in which balls or irregularly shaped lumps of ice fall with rain (Gokhale, 1975). Extreme temperature changes from the ground upward into the jet stream produce strong updraft winds that cause hail formation.
The size of hailstones is a direct function of the severity and size of the storm. High velocity updraft winds keep hail in suspension in thunderclouds. The greater the intensity of heating at the Earth’s surface, the stronger the updraft will be. Higher temperatures relative to elevation result in increased suspension time, allowing hailstones to grow in size (Bryant, 1991). A severe storm warning indicates the possibility of hail at least ¾” in size.
There has only been one reported death and three reported injuries from hail in the country in the last 10 years, so the actual risk from hail is very low. If rain and hail begin, people will most likely begin to move on their own to shelter. Anything with a roof will do – buildings, covered vehicles, parking garages, underpasses, etc.

Tornadoes/High winds
A tornado is a rapidly rotating vortex or funnel of air extending to the ground from a cumulonimbus cloud. When the lower tip of a vortex touches earth, the tornado becomes extremely destructive. The width of a tornado on the ground is generally less than half a mile, but the path length can vary from a few hundred yards to dozens of miles. A tornado moves at speeds from 30 to 125 mph, but can generate winds exceeding 320 mph. While tornadoes can and have happened any time of the day, the most likely times (over 70%) occur from 6pm to 9pm. Dfest will be occurring past the normally designated tornado season from March to June, but tornadoes have occurred in Oklahoma in every month of the year.
Tornadoes and high winds will be the most likely serious threat to the Dfest crowd. For safety, people need to be in a substantial building with walls. The threat from a tornado is not from the wind, but from wind-driven projectiles. The average time from a tornado warning being issued until one touches down somewhere averages 4-7 minutes. Therefore, people leaving in their vehicles is ill-advised. Even a small tornado can flip a moving vehicle.
Straight line high winds, while not as strong as an F1-F5 tornado, can present similar safety concerns if the wind is strong enough to produce airborne debris. A Severe Storm Warning will be issued if the National Weather Service feels conditions indicate wind speeds in excess of 58 mph (50 knots) or hail greater than ¾ inches.

OPERATIONS PLAN:
Pre-incident, continuous
Warning is the most critical issue. Tulsa Police Department has a person monitoring NOAA All-Hazards radio and in contact with the Tulsa Forecasting Office of the National Weather Service on a continual basis at the TPD Mobile Command Post (CP). This is a person trained in hazard identification for natural hazards. Communications is addressed in the Logistics Requirements section of this plan.
Pre-incident, immediate
If a hazard is identified as imminent, efficient communications throughout the venue becomes key. Security is well dispersed and maintained at every indoor/outdoor venue. Communications is maintained with on-duty and off-duty Police Officers and t-shirt security from the CP. T-shirt security will, in addition, be encouraged to maintain a liaison at the CP. The dispatch at CP will have a brief script for the various hazards available (see Attachment A).
Response, immediate
Hail – As identified above, hail is not a significant issue. People will move on their own. And there are many restaurants, stores, vehicles, parking garages and other covered areas around, so finding a quick place to go for all individuals is not an issue and should not require a coordinated response from security. The primary concern will be warning musicians and other individuals with equipment that they need to get it under cover. This will be handled through normal communications channels with Dfest staff in the loading and stage areas.
Lightning – As mentioned above, lightning can strike up to 10 miles out from a storm. The majority of deaths and injury from lightning occur when it’s not raining, so the hardest thing for security will be to convince people to move when there is no obvious risk. Training will be provided for security and staff prior to the event so they are fully cognizant of the hazards. And a pocket card will be provided with simple, clear language they can use to speak to attendees. While many people may refuse to move, every effort will be taken to assure that Dfest staff and management have provided all due diligence possible.
Tornado/ high winds – This will be the biggest challenge, since the only effective response is to move people in a very short period of time into a sturdy enclosed structure. While there are a many smaller venues (restaurants, store fronts, etc.) most have glass fronts, which means people will have to move into the interiors of the buildings for safety.
Outdoor Venues: There are two significant structures in the immediate area of the two major outdoor venues that will be used for the majority of the outside attendees.:
•    The Development Authority Hartford Building between 1st & 2nd Streets and Greenwood & Hartford Avenues, and;
•    The Williams Parkade west of Cincinnati Ave. opening onto 2nd St.
Both of these structures are less than half a block from the respective site. Contact information for these two sites is maintained by Dfest management.
Once the need for an alert is determined:
(1)    An alert will be issued by weather monitor at TPD Mobile Command to all security and Dfest HQ.
(2)    Dfest HQ will forward alert to all Dfest staff other than security.
(3)    Outdoor security will immediately begin moving people toward the above mentioned chosen shelters. All available avenues of communication will be used for crowd notification, including stage loudspeakers, PD/FD vehicle loudspeakers, or one on one interaction. Personnel will be identified in advance as to who will be issuing the warnings from the stages. Warnings will include a message that leaving in one’s vehicle can be dangerous and should be avoided.
(4)    Procedures for moving individuals efficiently are covered under standard Tulsa Police Department protocols and in other areas of this Operational Plan.
(5)    Once inside the structures, security will remain with crowd to assure appropriate crowd control.
(6)    A representative of security will be designated as information liaison to convey updated weather information to residents.
(7)    TPD Mobile Command Center staff will be evacuated to the nearest sturdy structure.
(8)    Dfest staff other than security will take cover in the interior of the nearest sturdy structure.
It is a given that, in spite of best efforts, many people will choose to leave the event by vehicle or on foot in order to be with their families or check on the safety of their home. While this is inevitable, due diligence must be ensured to minimize this occurring as much as possible. Dfest security and staff should be discouraged from staying longer than necessary to coax stragglers or give warnings to people attempting to leave in their vehicles. This would only put Dfest staff personnel in harm’s way.
Indoor Venues: People in indoor venues will be encouraged by security present to move to indoor areas of the structure – restrooms, offices, walk in coolers – away from windows and exterior walls.
Additional Concerns: If any large tents are set up, precautions must be made to evacuate people from those tents if wind speeds are expected to exceed design specifications for the tent. The incident at Octoberfest two years ago, where dozens of people were injured and a significant number transported to local hospitals following a tent collapse, highlights the concern of a major tent failure.
In addition, procedures are in place, developed following incidents in previous years, to quickly move people away from an area where large exterior fences are compromised by high winds. Immediate repair and recovery of those fences is necessary in order to avoid compromising security for the event. Procedures for this are included in other areas of the Dfest Operational Plan.