INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
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A group of volunteers dedicated to emergency preparedness in Independence are worried that changes at the city level have left that relationship in limbo, and they worry it leaves residents vulnerable in a future disaster.
The concern comes after a thunderstorm with 60 mph winds struck Historic Independence Square on Sept. 6 during SantaCaliGon Days — damaging tents, destroying vendor merchandise and leaving thousands scrambling for cover.
Justin Gann, vice president and board member of Volunteers of Independence Prepared for Emergency Response (VIPER), said the storm exposed a gap in the city's preparedness.
"I know that if we had been operating the way we have in years past — with people here (at the Square), people at the EOC (emergency operations center), my storm spotters out in the field — I feel like we could have probably, not probably, I know we could have provided a bigger lead time,” he said. “That's what we've done in the past, and that's why we do what we do.”
Minutes matter in an emergency situation and the storm that impacted SantaCaliGon Days formed quickly and without much warning.
“We had gotten a weather alert that there was potential rain coming in, and then we saw a little bit of lightning, but it was still over 20 miles out,” Valerie Byrnes, the president of the Independence Chamber of Commerce, said on Sept. 7. “The report that we had gotten (from the National Weather Service) was that we might get rain in about 30 to 40 minutes and winds up to 35 mph, but that it was moving only at 15 mph.”
Organizers set out to spread the word, warning people to shelter in place.
“That was our initial instructions to get out and do that, and our teams had disbanded to do that,” Byrnes said. “Two minutes later, they (the National Weather Service) said change in plans — 60 mph winds, batten down the hatches and then, all of a sudden, it was here.”
Weather in the midwest can be fickle, but Gann said that is why it is important not to rely strictly on radar for assessing safety concerns.
“You can't stop the storm, but, if they had had an extra maybe 10 minutes, more people could have been able to lower their tents or get them better secured,” Gann said. “More people could have been off the street. There would have been damage, but I definitely feel like we could have helped mitigate that, and that's the whole purpose of emergency preparedness.”
Independence declined multiple requests from KSHB 41 News for an on-camera interview with city staff for this story. Responding to a series of questions via email, the city acknowledged that its emergency preparedness division has been in flux in recent years, moving among several different departments, but it defended the plan in place for SantaCaliGon Days.
“Overall, the emergency management structure operated as intended during the severe weather affecting SantaCaliGon Days,” the city said via email from a spokesperson. “One of the strengths identified was the direct and continuing communication with the National Weather Service as conditions developed. The city also identified an opportunity to increase participation in its opt-in text alert system.”
VIPER was formalized in 2019, but Gann and others have volunteered with the city's emergency preparedness efforts for more than a decade. He said communication between his organization and other volunteer groups started to break down with the city as it shuffled emergency preparedness from department to department.
"For me, it's frustrating because it feels like it was a more passive effort than what in years past has always been a very proactive effort," Gann said. “It just felt like all of the years of experience, actual real world experience, and the hours, hundreds of hours in some cases, of certifications and FEMA courses, it didn't really make any difference.”
The city said it “has been conducting a broader review of volunteer policies across the organization, including access to city equipment and vehicles, liability and insurance coverage. Those changes are not specific to emergency preparedness or to VIPER.”
Volunteers said that impacted planning ahead of SantaCaliGon Days.
"The city had also undergone some financial changes, and said that volunteers no longer had that kind of base level of insurance, so that means that I can't put spotters in the field,” Gann said. “We can't have people here on site to do public safety. We weren't even really allowed to come into the emergency operations center. So, all the things that we would normally have volunteers doing, there was no way to do that because the city said, basically, just said no.”
Gann and two other volunteers took their concerns to the Independence City Council on Sept. 21.
Gann, a trained storm spotter among other qualifications, said four days later he was asked to return a city radio he had been issued and that his access to the emergency operations center was cutoff, though he acknowledged that it could have been a coincidence given the ongoing changes.
Emergency preparedness returned to the Independence Fire Department in July, and the city has hired a new emergency manager who joins city staff next month. The future of VIPER's relationship with the city remains unclear.
"All of us volunteers are still hoping that maybe once this new person comes in, they'll want to sit down and kind of help reestablish things," Gann said. "I just want the city to be prepared.”
Below is the city's full statement in response to questions KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer had about the state of the city’s emergency preparedness administration.:
"Emergency preparedness has been housed in several areas of the city organization over the past several years as leadership and operational needs have changed. The function was previously housed within the Independence Fire Department before moving to the City Manager’s Office, where it remained for approximately two years. Following a change in staffing, emergency preparedness transitioned to the Health Department in fall 2025.
"In 2026, the city began transitioning emergency preparedness back to the Independence Fire Department. Health and fire worked together during the transition, including during the World Cup, before fire assumed responsibility following the event. The change was part of the city manager’s broader review of organizational functions and where they are most appropriately housed. Emergency preparedness and emergency management functions are commonly aligned with fire departments, and the city determined that structure made sense for Independence.
"The city is also preparing for the arrival of a new emergency manager and has been reviewing its emergency management resources, including volunteers, equipment and existing partnerships. The Medical Reserve Corps remains connected to the Health Department, while volunteer resources associated with emergency preparedness are being evaluated as part of that transition. The city has continued to offer opportunities for volunteers to remain involved while the new structure is put in place.
"At the same time, the city has been conducting a broader review of volunteer policies across the organization, including access to city equipment and vehicles, liability and insurance coverage. Those changes are not specific to emergency preparedness or to VIPER.
"Overall, the emergency management structure operated as intended during the severe weather affecting SantaCaliGon Days. One of the strengths identified was the direct and continuing communication with the National Weather Service as conditions developed.
"The city also identified an opportunity to increase participation in its opt-in text alert system. The service was made available to staff, partners and vendors, and five weather-related notices were sent to those who had opted in. Increasing vendor participation in future events would provide another direct way to receive information and reduce reliance on word-of-mouth or in-person notification during rapidly changing weather conditions.
"The city will continue strengthening its emergency plans, communication procedures and coordination with both professional and volunteer resources."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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