KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The May tornado in Portage is apparently resulting in changes in how Kalamazoo County will respond to emergencies in the future.
The retirement of Mike Corfman as emergency management director comes after some of his responsibilities were shifted to the county administrator.
Last night board member Jeff Heppler applauded Administrator Kevin Catlin’s successful efforts to secure state disaster funding.
Catlin says the state money will reimburse them for funds they allocated to the impacted jurisdictions and the drain commission for cleanup.
FEMA notified local officials late last month that federal funding will not be allocated because the damage did not meet their threshold.
Sheriff Rick Fuller gave the board a report on the response to the tornado, saying they may propose unifying how emergency sirens are managed in the county.
Fuller says most residents he talked to said they got their first warning about the tornado from their pockets and purses.
He says after phones went off, those that could went to their TVs and after that, the sirens sounded.
Currently weather sirens are operated by local officials in townships, villages and cities in Michigan. There is no state requirement that they have them, and no uniform rules on when they are triggered, and that can delay warnings.
Fuller says they have prepared a 15-minute video of clips recorded by the body cams worn by deputies who responded to the tornado. They plan to post on their website.
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