The Collin County Observer

After the storms and tornado that hit Plano on April 10, the City of Plano came under some criticism for not sounding the civil defense sirens. A couple of weeks after the storms, the media reported that Plano would be more proactive and "err on the side of caution" when making the decision to sound the sirens.

According to press reports, Plano suffered over a million dollars in damage from the April 10th storm.

The Dallas Morning News reported that "Plano officials who didn't sound sirens during storm relied on TV weather reports." - the Plano Star Courier gave a kinder version reporting that, "On April 10, early on a Thursday morning, the stormy weather which had caused so much havoc and destruction in Plano did not warrant a warning signal from the Department of Public Safety."

However, one aspect of this story seems to have escaped the notice of the press - the role of the North Central Texas Fusion Center.

According to the FAQ the North Central Texas Fusion System (NCTFS) has posted online, its purpose is,

• "Facilitates prevention, early warning and coordinated response to natural, accidental, and intentional disasters"
• "Expands the insight of law enforcement, public health, fire, and emergency management personnel in the field, responding to emergencies, and investigating incidents"

The Fusion System is primarily focused on the prevention and early warning of natural, accidental and intentional disasters in the region."
NCTFS website

No one seems to be asking the questions, "Why have millions been poured into an early warning system, if local officials still believe their best information is from Channel 8?"

"What are those guys doing out there?"

According to the "Project Innovation" fact sheet, "As lessons learned from 9/11 and Katrina, the project looks to provide multiple and linked communications systems such as microwave radio, secure fiber that does not flow through commercial telephone switches, leased fiber, wireless networks, satellite phones and ham radio networks. These layered, linked communication systems are interfaced to take advantage of high accessible bandwidth whenever the particular systems are available... Information is shared across law enforcement, health, government offices and intelligence transportation to authorized personnel – providing the right information to the right person at the right time."

Really? Then why is Plano using the old rabbit ears on the TV set to warn its citizens? Is Plano, the largest city in Collin County, not the "right person"?

I ask again, "What are those guys doing out there?"

Last month I wrote on the failure of the reverse 911 (CodeRED) to warn many people of upcoming storms.

CodeRED is a part of and linked to the county's Homeland Security Department and to the NCTFS.

Bill