ARES emergency teams respond to Missouri dam break

When millions of gallons of water breached the wall of a mountaintop hydroelectric reservoir in rural Reynolds County, Missouri, December 14, an ARES emergency net was quickly established on the Van Buren repeater. The deluge washed down the mountainside, sweeping away
homes and vehicles and flooding the valley below.

A dwelling occupied by a park superintendent, his wife and three children was among those washed away. The family was found a half-mile away, and the children all were hospitalized, at least one of them in serious condition. The town of Lesterville was under a voluntary evacuation order.

ARRL District G Emergency Coordinator Dave Hannigan, KN0D, reports stations checked into the net from Poplar Bluff, Piedmont, Eminence, Elsinore, Van Buren, Redford and Koshkonong. The net also heard from mobile stations near Leper, Piedmont, Van Buren and Ironton.

The reservoir breach reported occurred after a pump failed to shut down at utility Ameren UE's Taum Sauk hydroelectric plant, which stores water from the Black River in an upper reservoir, releasing it to a lower reservoir to generate electricity. Hannigan said HF and VHF stations activated at emergency operations centers in Shannon and Carter counties.

"I was contacted by the Shannon County sheriffs dispatcher through the NPS [National Park Service] dispatch," Hannigan said. "The various net controllers kept me updated as I was working but had a 2 meter [equipment] with me. No emergency traffic was passed but it was a good exercise, and I was really proud of the rapid wide-area VHF radio coverage."

In all, 16 stations responded to the emergency callup.