Coalition examines power outage response

The main disaster response coalition for Jefferson, Broadwater and Lewis & Clark counties is working to solidify joint emergency planning in the wake of the mid-December windstorm that dealt much of Jefferson County its longest power outage in decades.

At its Dec. 23 meeting, the Tri-County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), which was founded in 2017 to help coordinate disaster response and deliver services during disasters, acknowledged that emergency shelters had been slow to open during the outage. 

The Red Cross, a medical services nonprofit and COAD member, maintains pre-arranged shelter sites in Helena, Boulder, and Butte. When the storm hit, COAD prioritized Helena because the Boulder shelter at the Church of the Latter Day Saints lacked a backup generator.