September is Preparedness Month in Kansas. Governor Sebelius is encouraging communities, businesses, families and individuals to review emergency plans and check emergency supplies. And those in charge of emergency preparedness in Sedgwick County say they're already prepared whether the threat is a devastating flood, tornado or severe winter storm. And the threat is real. "It's not only possible it's statistically just a matter of time before a large damaging tornado comes right into the heart of Wichita," says Dave Freeman, KSN Chief Meteorologist.
It's Randy Duncan's job to plan for the worst. Even though a tornado seems more likely to hit our area, Duncan says the biggest threat is flooding.
"It's the single-most frequent disaster, not only in Sedgwick County but in the entire United States. And because of that we really have more experience with floods than any other type of disaster. We're very fortunate that the big ditch protects us from basically the one hundred year flood."
But Duncan admits even the best planning won't always prepare a city for unusual events like Hurricane Katrina.
"We always look and see if our plans have at least the potential to help us deal with that sort of thing. We certainly did that after September 11th and we did that after Katrina."
