“Emergency Management protects communities by coordinating and integrating all activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the capability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from threatened or actual natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters.” Federal Emergency Management Agency, n.d.
A Regional Emergency Management Planner follows all these aspects by developing regional plans and conducting trainings and/or exercises with localities and private sector or non-profit entities. As the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission’s (MPPDC) Regional Emergency Planner, I support their localities’ emergency management staff on a variety of planning needs which are not limited to preparing regional planning documents, hosting regional exercise/trainings, and more. We’ve recently completed these three projects:
• Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for Gloucester County. A COOP is an effort within individual executive departments and agencies to ensure that Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) continue to be performed during a wide range of emergencies including localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies.
• Regional Debris Management Plan. The purpose of a debris management plan is to provide for coordination of efforts in the clean-up, removal, and disposal of debris following a major emergency or disaster. Further, debris management planning restores essential services within a jurisdiction, helps ensure the safety of residents, and facilitates a more comprehensive reimbursement effort for federal funding sources.
• Regional Re-entry Access and Authorization Plan. Re-entry planning is critical to ensure the safe return of citizens to their homes and businesses following an evacuation from a terrorist or natural disaster while developing a strategy to screen out potential terrorists from infiltrating and taking advantage of a recovery operation.
Regional planning can be the difference between thousands or millions of dollars in the cost of a disaster. Awareness of regional plans and practices is the best guarantor of an effective regional response in the future. The MPPDC’s Regional Emergency Management Planner assists both the general public and emergency staff in the Middle Peninsula and adjacent localities to better plan for, respond to, and recover from all emergencies within their communities, such as hurricanes, cyber-attacks and accidental or deliberate man-made attacks. Further, the MPPDC’s Regional Emergency Management Planner supports the localities within the Middle Peninsula with funding opportunities that allow for a more resilient region. Are your emergency management plans up to date? Contact Darren Coffey (darren@bgllc.net) or Drew Williams (drew@bgllc.net) if you would like assistance planning to avoid and mitigate risks.