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Editor’s note: The Reporter received this letter regarding Sunday’s storms that swept across Hamilton County. The author of the letter originally addressed it to Westfield Mayor Andy Cook, Westfield PD Special Services Commander Captain Mike Vickroy, and Westfield FD EMS Division Chief Patrick Hutchison.
Dear Mayor Cook, Captain Vickroy, and Chief Hutchison:
I am writing to you about a public safety issue at Grand Park.
Yesterday, I was at Grand Park with my son and husband for a baseball tournament. Late yesterday afternoon at 3:30 a tornado warning was issued and the weather warning system activated telling everyone to go to their cars.
As we were walking to the car, I received an emergency alert from the National Weather Service on my iPhone notifying me of the tornado warning and advising to seek shelter immediately and giving further direction to seek shelter in a building or ditch if you were in a vehicle. We got in the car but quickly realized that the weather situation was dangerous and decided it was not safe to be sitting in the car in the parking lot.
I left the car with my son and walked to the Bullpen Tournament building by Parking Lot B (we were parked in parking lot B). I remembered seeing a “tornado shelter” sign next to one of the doors on the south side of the building. I saw the sign and tried to open the door, but it was locked. The restrooms were next to the tornado shelter and unlocked, so I told my son to go in the men’s restroom and I went in the women’s restroom. Several of my son’s teammates and at least one dad were in the men’s restroom seeking shelter.
After five to 10 minutes in the bathroom, I was told by a female that was apparently working for Grand Park (or Bullpen) that I had to leave the restroom. I told her I would if they unlocked the tornado shelter. She again told me to leave the restroom and I refused. I opened the restroom door to check the status of the weather and was approached by a male in a black shirt who told me I had to leave the restroom. I questioned him about the tornado shelter. He told me it wasn’t a tornado shelter to which I replied, then why is it signed as a tornado shelter? He told me it was not a tornado shelter because the City of Westfield did not approve it as a tornado shelter.
I suggested that since they were not going to unlock the tornado shelter that they allow us to stay in the restroom because sitting in a vehicle during a tornado warning was dangerous. He refused. As I was walking away, I noticed he had removed the tornado shelter sign with a drill right before I walked out of the restroom. My husband questioned why he removed the sign and he said because it isn’t approved as a shelter. I told him that if anyone was hurt, I would be suing the facility and again asked why we couldn’t stay in the concrete walled restrooms until the warning passed but received no explanation.
During the entire span of the first warning (3:30 to 4:00) and the second warning (4:00 to 4:30), the grounds workers (they all appeared to be teenagers) were sitting outside. From the time we were kicked out of the restroom before the first warning expired until the end of the second warning, we were sitting in our cars or standing outside near the restrooms to run in if a tornado was spotted. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and no tornados touched down in Westfield.
Something has to be done to protect the youth and their families and the workers while at the facility during a tornado warning. Sending people to their cars is not the solution and directly contrary to the National Weather Service Guidance.
First, people have to walk from the fields to their vehicles. That can be a long walk depending on where you are playing. Second, even if you wanted to get in your car and leave to seek shelter elsewhere (which would be contrary to the NWS recommendation to seek shelter immediately) because of the backup of cars attempting to exit the parking lot in most cases that cannot be done in a timely manner.
It was totally unacceptable to make us leave the restrooms when we were exponentially safer there then in our cars. It is also totally unacceptable to sign something as a tornado shelter and lock the door during a tornado warning. Worse yet is to deny that it is a tornado shelter and remove the tornado shelter sign during a tornado warning while kicking people out of the concrete windowless restrooms during a tornado warning.
The evacuation plan found on grandpark.org/safety refers to a shelter building. The Emergency Management Plan also found at grandpark.org specifically states that in the event of a tornado warning attendees at Grand Park will be directed to evacuate or take shelter.
We went to the shelter. It was locked. We went to the next safest place – the restrooms. We were kicked out.
Then, personnel tried to cover up the fact that the building was signed as a “tornado shelter” by removing the sign in the middle of the tornado warning.
Please do better.
Allyson Breeden
Evansville, Ind.