Delaware County dispatch team honored for Lake Delhi emergency

MANCHESTER - When disaster looms and all 10 phone lines are ringing, “it can get a little nerve wracking,” said Loretta Welcher, the lead dispatcher at the Delaware County Communications Center, which was recently recognized for its handling of massive flooding caused by the breach of the Lake Delhi dam on July 24.

“We knew we were in trouble when a torrential rain started falling” on top of an already flooded Maquoketa River about 9:30 p.m. July 23, said Welcher, 57, an 18-year department veteran.

Tension gripped the small dispatch office at the police station until the following afternoon, “when we found out the dam failure was not going to be catastrophic,” she said.

The Delaware County crew was recognized as the team communicator of the year by the Iowa chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. Recognized as telecommunicator of the year was Robert Lane Jr. of the Jackson County 911 Center in Maquoketa, nominated for his handling of the July 4 Bellevue parade tragedy, which resulted in one death and nearly 30 injuries when a team of horses stampeded through parade spectators.

Manchester Police Chief Bruce Trapp, who supervises the Delaware County Communications Center, praised the “extraordinary effort” of the dispatch team, which includes Welcher, Linda Fangmann, Mary Kleinschrodt, Kathy Corkery, Margie Recker, Carrie McNamara, Tracey Baldwin, Reenie Breyer and police Sgt. Rick Carnicle.

After receiving word at 4:45 a.m. on the July 24 that the dam would likely fail later that day, the dispatchers braced for action, coordinating more than 20 boat rescues of flooded Lake Delhi residents.

With the phones ringing constantly, Breyer stayed after her overnight shift to help, and Welcher, who had the day shift, called in Fangmann to help.

“At 7 a.m. they told us the dam was going to breach, and that's when the excitement really intensified,” said Welcher.

The dispatchers worked closely with sheriff's deputies and volunteer firefighters who went door to door warning downstream residents to get out of harm's way.

“We had no idea what would happen when the dam went out. The fear was that a wall of water would rush downstream, threatening rural residents and residents of Hopkinton and Monticello,” said Fangmann, 55, of Earlville.

At the height of the crisis, floodwaters damaged a fiber optics cable, crashing the county's 911 system and forcing the dispatchers to operate on their six administrative phone lines.

The worst-case scenario was averted when the rapidly draining Lake Delhi spread out across farmland, dissipating its force and volume.

Multi-tasking and prioritization are the keys to effective crisis communication, according to Welcher. “Can I put you on hold? Can I put you on hold? I don't know how many times we asked that question,” she said.

Earlier that month in Maquoketa, Lane was alone in the communications center when the radio started squawking and “the phones started ringing like crazy” with reports of the stampede that killed Janet Steines, 60, of Springdale, a passenger in the buggy driven by her husband Mardell.

Lane, who was described as the calm voice in a war zone atmosphere, dispatched and coordinated 12 ambulance services, two fire departments, two helicopter services and law enforcement.

“You have to stay calm and think your way through things,” said Lane, who has worked 24 of his 47 years in the Jackson County center, most recently as supervisor.

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