Anniston Star
September 14, 2003

Most of 'special needs' group now have preparedness equipment

By Sara Clemence
Star Staff Writer
09-14-2003

Nearly all of Calhoun County’s “special needs” population is finally equipped with chemical protection gear, according to contractors hired to provide the equipment.

About 3,800 Calhoun County residents have been identified as special-needs individuals — people with mental or physical limitations, or latchkey children — who might not be able to evacuate or create safe rooms in their homes if a chemical weapons accident were to occur at the Anniston Army Depot.

Some of those residents are unable to pick up the protective masks, duct tape, plastic sheeting and air filters being distributed to Calhoun County residents.

Others are unable to seal their windows with plastic, or can’t get out of bed to switch on a filter, or have homes that are too drafty to be sealed..

Contractors say they have delivered equipment to more than 1,000 special-needs residents, and are completing home repairs for another 160.

“The big push for the hundreds of special-needs population has been completed” in terms of delivery, said Danny Spillers, general manager for the equipment distribution center run by Centech.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which is repairing or enhancing homes, expects to be nearly finished by Oct. 1, said Denny Tutwiler, project manager for the Corps.

“We could have all of them, but I’m not going to be that optimistic,” he said.

Construction began about a week ago, after the homes had been identified and assessed, and property access had been granted, he said.

The company responsible for identifying and tracking the special-needs population started the project four years ago, said Vanda Holt, owner of Metro Mail Services.

Under a contract with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, the company annually sends out a questionnaire to every household in Calhoun County, s well as homes in Cleburne, Talladega, St. Clair, Clay and Etowah counties.

The form asks a series of questions to identify residents who might not be able to respond to an incident at the depot, where 2,253 tons of chemical weapons are stored and are gradually being destroyed.

Metro Mail created a database from the responses, one that is constantly in flux.

“People die, move away, become sick,” Holt said.

When the equipment became available earlier this year, Metro Mail staffers began calling people in the database to remind them to pick up the gear if they were able.

The company is required to try at least five times to reach people in the area immediately around the depot, said Sherry Johnston, project coordinator for Metro Mail.

“We normally call eight or nine times,” she said. “We’ll find somebody who lives close to them and call them.”

If there is no response, the company sends a postcard, she said.

From those calls, the company also assembled a list of people who needed the equipment delivered to them. The list was passed on to Centech.

Spillers said the company had finished deliveries Sept. 5, although it will continue to service additional residents who are identified.

“It’s just a matter of working through the appointments,” he said.

During those appointments, workers noted whether residents needed more help, or home repairs.

Those names, as well as any gathered by Metro Mail, were passed on to the Corps of Engineers.

Tutwiler said another contractor has been visiting the homes for the Corps of Engineers, and assessing what needs to be done.

“Then they’ll come back to us, and we’ll review it and get right of entry from the owner and then we’ll go out and do the work,” he said.

Most of the houses require some caulking and sealing, he said.

“There’s some homes where we’re going to have to replace sheet rock inside, because the walls are in bad condition, and put storm windows outside and put doors inside with weather stripping,” he said.

The only homes they may not complete are those where there have been delays in getting legal access, he said.

In recent months, some residents have complained about the speed at which the work has taken place, or have voiced confusion over who is entitled to what help.

The Corps is only fixing homes in the Pink Zone, the area immediately around the depot.

Residents in the Immediate Response Zone, just outside of that, can have equipment delivered to them. People who live in the Protective Action Zone, the outer ring, can ask to be transported to the distribution center, Holt said.

There have been several challenges to overcome in maintaining the database, Johnston said.

Phones are disconnected, people move and don’t leave forwarding addresses. Sometimes the handwriting on a form can’t be read.

Occasionally, there can be a mistake.

“It’s like typing, you can’t help but hit the wrong letter sometimes,” she said.

Holt said it is sometimes difficult to persuade residents to respond to mailings.

“A lot of people are reluctant because they think you’re trying to sell them something, or you’re trying to get their social security number to take advantage of them,” she said.

Metro Mail is preparing to do another mass mailing, as well as to send update forms to people already on the list. They will continue to add to the list as long as there are names to add, she said.

“This is not just a six-week program,” Holt said.

Residents who feel they need to be added to the database can call Metromail at 236-8041.