COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County 911 Director Bob Swick reported to the 911 Communications Board on Wednesday that dispatchers handled 231 calls in less than two hours on the evening of March 30 when severe storms rocked the area.
It all started at 4:39 p.m. when a severe thunderstorm warning was issued by the National Weather Service.
The first of the storm related calls came in at 5:01 p.m.. Swick said all of the tornado sirens were activated at 5:10 p.m., two minutes after a tornado warning was issued.
The Lakeland Fire Department was told at 5:12 p.m. to watch the track of the tornado as it was heading to their area. Lakeland firefighters were then asked to come to their station on a non-emergency basis.
Severe thunderstorm warnings were then issued at 5:21 p.m. and 5:25 p.m..
Swick reported that incidents in St Joseph County were being re-routed to Branch County as their 911 lines were inundated with calls. He said, “Instead of transferring callers back to St Joe, Branch County took the information (non-emergency calls) and compiled a list that was given to St Joe when they were available. This put a large burden on our dispatchers however they knew that St Joe was not able to answer all of their calls.” Nearly 40 such calls were handled by Branch County dispatchers.
Branch County Central Dispatch spent six minutes just before 7:00 p.m. giving the Branch County Road Commission the list of the trees and wires down in the county.
In other business during a brief and mostly routine 10 minute meeting, Swick said he still had five full time dispatchers with four in training. A potential hire turned down an offer due to pay and family matters.
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