Emergency Ops Heads Efforts In Case Of Tornado

A tornado that tore through Nashville, Tennessee has prompted Indianapolis officials to review emergency procedures here.  

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homeland Security Bureau heads efforts to prepare and respond to catastrophic events in the city. Much of this work is done at the Emergency Operations Center where first responders receive training and resources. 

Commander Tom Sellas says it’s a myth that cities are less likely to be hit by a tornado.

"And when you do know that you have severe weather," says Sellas, "there are certain precautions and planning that you can do ahead of time to ensure that, if it does strike, you do have some course of action already in place."

The center coordinates with public health, safety and other agencies to plan responses if a tornado does strike the city.  Any large outdoor events are required to have safety procedures in place. Individuals should also have severe weather plans.

"To have an understanding of how you are going to approach this, to make sure that we are doing this as efficiently as possible and priorities correctly," says Sellas. 

There have been 45 recorded tornadoes in Marion County and no fatalities.