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City Council Meeting January 8, 2001 Page 11 hundred gallons and it had just undergone maintenance. Public Works personnel were utilized to shuttle additional diesel fuel to the communication tower site as well as to fire trucks and to other facilities requiring diesel generators. City Manager Malone told the City Council that Lt. Hundley, the Emergency Management Coordinator, had planned to open the Emergency Management Operations Center, but after learning the damage to the power grid, he made the determination that there were more resources available at the Police Communication Center including the ARES Radio connection that was already on site, which is the Amateur Radio Operators. Lt Hundley made the determination that the EOC should remain at the Police Communications Center. City Manager Malone said this curtailed the city's abilityto communicatewith the citizens through the local electronic media as radio stations were off the air, as was the Cox Cable System. He said that normally the emergency plan would call for these outlets to be utilized to give information to the citizens. He said the most troubling event of the ice storm was the loss of the central office of Southwestern Bell. By losing the telephone circuits, the Emergency Operation Center's link to KTSU Radio Station at Paris Junior College was lost, and the loss of telephone com communications needed to maintain communication with key personnel was hindered along with receiving and reporting calls for service from the citizens. Also during this period, there was a total failure of the 911 system. City Manager Malone said a part of this deficiency was addressed by the use of the Lamar County Amateur Radio Emergency Service . City Manager Malone said with a member located in the Police Communication Room, communication to people who had phone service allowed the EOC to reestablish contact with outside utilities. He said this radio group includes radio operators at both hospitals, the Red Cross Shelter and others. City Manager Malone said these volunteers passed along over 100 messages. Lt. Hundley utilized officers on patrol to make contact with Lamar County American Red Cross Officials to come to the police station and plan the setting up a shelters. Officers drove to the residences or businesses of key officials to make contact, and to make contact with additional personnel from all the emergency services. City Manager Malone advised that any information that was useful to the general public was transmitted over the Fire, Police, and EMS radio channels for the benefit of anyone that was listening with battery operated scanners. Officers on patrol notified the EOC of locations where power was still available at schools, churches and buildings large enough forshelters. He said representatives of the LamarAvenue Church