Callie presents the case by describing the human and economic impact of the deadliest tornado event in Kentucky’s history. Although the devastation from the “violent” level tornadoes spanned multiple states, Kentucky had the highest number of human casualties. Allowing this event to be labeled as a federal disaster by President Biden and facilitating the rapid mobilization of resources, aid, and assistance. Even though early warning systems were activated, Callie makes an interesting point that they may be less effective during the hours that people are usually sleeping, thus hindering response to the alerts. The slow civilian response may have played a role in this disaster as well as the vulnerability of the populations that live in the southern U.S. states.
Download Callie’s case study here.