In 2011, the south was struck with terrible tornadoes that wreaked havoc across many states. There were 244 confirmed tornadoes between April 25-28 with 340 confirmed fatalities which occurred just from 8 a.m. April 27 to 8 a.m. April 28. Many homes and businesses were also damaged in the storms. In the aftermath, people are wondering how to better prepare for storms which may be seen throughout hurricane season. For Fred Borman, a forester for Rockingham County’s University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, the answer was to create a “what-if” scenario.
As the final project in his homeland security class, Borman decided a plan should be created for a major natural disaster. He took an inventory of a small sample of trees within the city’s rights of way and within 50 feet of the rights of way on private property. He found that if a devastating storm were to hit Portsmouth, 33,000 trees could fall into the city’s rights of way, creating over 35,000 cubic yards of debris. It would take 8,600 hours to clean up and would cost $1.3 million not including the private property.
To help the city, Borman create a manual which includes the inventory data, recommendations for maintaining the health of Portsmouth’s tree resources, FEMA guidelines for applying for federal assistance and debris management, and resources developed by other communities that suffered tree damage from major storms. He hopes this will give a better understanding of what the affects of a storm could be and how lives can be saved by knowing these details.
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