Florence County Emergency Management Division officials say they learn from natural disasters like the deadly tornado that touched down in Joplin, Missouri as they try to prepare for the possibility in Florence County.

The images of the destruction left behind by the tornado in Joplin serve as a grim reminder to Dusty Owens that something that devastating could happen here.

Owens is the director of Florence County Emergency Management Division.

"We all are very conscious that eventually it's not a question of if but when we will have a major disaster," said Owens.

Owens says Joplin is very similar to the City of Florence and that's what troubles him.

"It's very, very similar both population and size wise with the city of Florence and so if you can imagine that extent of damage through the middle of downtown Florence it kind of puts it in perspective that it is easier for us to understand how totally devastating to a community this is," said Owens.

He says his department is prepared as best they can for the possibility of major tornado in Florence County.

Owens said, "No one can be 100 percent. There's no such thing as an unsinkable ship, any disaster given enough magnitude can overwhelm any agency. Preparedness is not a destination, in other words we just one day become prepared. Preparedness is a journey."

He says even though they're not 100% prepared, they work all year to become as prepared as they possibly can through numerous training exercises. He says the training is key to their preparation and response.

"There's always new techniques that we're learning to do respond with and new equipment to train on, so it's a constant process," said Owens.

He says during disasters he communicates with officials in all nine municipalities in Florence County. He says the county doesn't use tornado sirens, because it would be too expensive. Owens says they rely on weather alert radios and information from the National Weather Service as well as local television stations.

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