The Newton County Local Emergency Planning Committee will take up the subject of search and rescue at its next meeting set for Monday, Dec. 9. It will be held at the Jasper Methodist Church Fellowship Hall beginning at 10 a.m.
At the October LEPC meeting, Maggie Reyes, the acting Middle District interpretive lead for the National Park Service at Tyler Bend, outlined search and rescue protocols on the Buffalo National River. Search and rescue is limited to staff and current groups where agreements are in place, however, outreach plans are being developed.
The committee met last Nov. 18. Reyes could not attend, but members of the committee continued the discussion focusing on needs of the county's various emergency service providers, particularly in regards to search and rescue capabilities.
Newton County OEM Director Shane Kilgore said the county needs to assess its resources where search and rescue is concerned.
There is is a growing need for qualified manpower and there was talk about ways of introducing young people to search and rescue training and limited participation to familiarize them with search and rescue rules and regulations.
There has also been a growing interest by some in the community about becoming certified in amateur radio operations since demonstrations by local ham operators were presented to the public at the American Legion building in 2023. Later that year a radio operators course was given by Terry Atwood. Atwood said recently that one of the students passed the FCC examination and four others are almost ready total the test. The possibility exists for another class to be held early in 2025. The goal would be to have enough licensed ham radio operators to form a club in the county. It could provide radio communications in times of emergency.
It has been "drought or drown" recently, said Jasper Mayor Michael Thomas. He was talking both about drought conditions that prompted burn bans in October and a break in a main water line serving communities receiving water from the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority. The 6-inch line that broke at a pumping station in Lead Hill prompted customers to conserve water. Some customers were without water when their water systems' storage tanks were empty. While Jasper never ran out of water, the city's public works department did manage to reactivate the city's well, Thomas said.
Then in early November heavy rain caused flash flooding across the county. Some areas received up to 15 inches of rain over less than a two-day period. It called attention to the city's drainage needs. The mayor said a plan is progressing to alleviate excessive runoff from state Highway 7 south to the Little Buffalo River.
Keeping the community and its customers up to date on the water crisis was difficult and the city will be considering subscribing to a telephone messaging service similar to one used by the Jasper School District to keep students and parents of school closures and other important information, the mayor said.
Near the end of the drought, a grass fire broke out on state highway 7 north field by dry leaves, said Jasper Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Pam Emerson. There was enough water to fight the fire, but water could have been drawn out of the city's well if it became necessary.
Kilgore said he has been in communication with the Community Matters Coalition of non-profit and service organizations serving Newton County residents. It has been suggested that a preparedness exposition be held as part of next April's Employment and Information Fair put on by the City of Jasper that is held in Bradley Park. Different agencies could spread information tot he attending public about actions to take and procedures to follow in case of any natural disasters or other emergencies.
