DYER | Even with an emergency response plan in place, the town likely will have some tough choices to make in the event of another flood like the one last August, officials recognize.

The town has been formulating an emergency plan. Officials reviewed a copy of it late last week. With the help of the U.S. Geological Survey, which provided it with funding, the town now has access to an early food warning system in the Plum Creek watershed.

Dyer also recently bought a sand-bagging machine, which can fill 1,000 sandbags an hour. About a thousand already-filled sandbags will be stored in various places near the creek.

Even with the machine working, officials calculate they only will be able to deliver and put in place 500 sandbags an hour, Planning and Development Director Rick Eberly said.

The early warning system will give Dyer roughly eight hours advance warning. About 11,000 sandbags will be needed to protect the entire neighborhood along the creek from a 100-year storm.

Eight hours of crews working around the clock means about 4,000 sandbags would be in place by the time the water reached Dyer.

Town officials might have to decide if they want to spread the sandbags evenly along the creek, or place them all in the two areas where there are the most houses, giving those neighborhoods ample protection.

Deborah Fritz, who lives in the Berens Monaldi neighborhood, the hardest hit during the 2007 flood, asked why the town couldn't organize volunteers, who would be ready in case of a flood.

The group could be organized along the lines of Civilian Defense Boards, she said.

"There could be meetings," she said.

She also wondered why the town had planned to rely only on the early warning system. "After about 10 minutes of rain, it's only common sense."

Dyer relied on volunteer help during the last flood, and although the town would welcome help in the future, it also needs a plan in place with town employees, Eberly said.