Meaker: seamless response and recovery

It may not have been perfect but Logan Fire Chief Mark Meaker says most responders to last weekend’s devastating landslide feel good about what they call a “seamless” response and recovery operation.At a news conference Thursday afternoon, emergency personnel talked about their experience during a four day search for three victims whose home on Canyon Road totally collapsed. Although a mother and two children died, Meaker says their bodies were intact and their recovery did bring closure to the family.Some of the key people involved in the incident spoke emotionally about the long hours of digging under extremely risky conditions and of the cooperation between various agencies, both local and state. Nearly a thousand pounds of dirt has been taken to the landfill and Logan’s public works department continues the clean-up process.When asked what grade he would give the operation, Meaker said it would be an A-minus.One of the only things he said he feels rescue officials could have done better would have been to better acknowledge the chain of command in elevating the event to disaster status. Meaker said city officials went directly to the state level without going to the county level first. At Thursday’s news conference, Meaker also discussed the cost of the event, including the amount of overtime that would have to be paid to recovery officials. He estimated the cost in the “thousands and thousands” of dollars range, but said an official figure hadn’t been arrived at yet.

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