Hailey Heseltine
ECB Publishing, Inc.
When a dangerous storm heads our way, we all know it's time to prepare. We stock food and water, trim trees, make sure our vehicles have plenty of gas, secure loose yard items, and may even board up the windows and evacuate. We often think of these tasks as ways we can prepare for an emergency as everyday citizens, but what about our county officials? What do they do to prepare an entire community to face a disaster?
Planning for any hurricane is a rigorous and complex affair, especially when your focus is beyond just your family. County officials are tasked with caring for the needs of thousands of people, and much careful planning is needed for their efforts to be successful. A plan must be made, and pieces of that plan must be divided among officials in our community, such as the Sheriff's Office, Police Department, Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Fire Department, City Officials, County Commissioners and even the National Guard.
In preparation for Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall in Jefferson County during the early morning of Aug. 30, a meeting was held at the local Emergency Management Center. There, dozens of county officials met to discuss the most recent weather predictions and how they could act accordingly. Since there was a lot of uncertainty about if the storm would shift east or west, they prioritized creating a plan of action that was organized yet flexible.
“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” says Sheriff Mac McNeill, explaining the county's approach.
He also explained that one of their top priorities in relief efforts was clearing the roads as soon as possible. Though we may not immediately understand the importance of having clear roads, consider that safe roads allow emergency vehicles to reach people in distress, and electric company vehicles can then begin restoring power. Having power during this time of year is essential, because August and September's notoriously high temperatures can be insufferable without air conditioning. This operation was quite successful, given that power was established in the city of Monticello within only a few days, despite the initial dire prediction of two weeks.
Of course, resources—both for the community and for repairing the community—had been prepared well in advance. The local Emergency Management Center, run by Paula Carroll, was primarily responsible for ordering supplies and ensuring they were ready for action. The county provided free sandbags and directed people to the Jefferson County K-12 school, which is used as an emergency shelter. Essentials, such as water and tarps, were ordered from the state EOC. Vehicles were pre-staged with equipment, and backup communication was established so that restoration work could continue in an orderly fashion even if cellular signal was lost.
Another important responsibility was keeping the citizens updated on the storm's path, including issuing updates via Nixle and the mandatory evacuation for residents of mobile homes, which Sheriff McNeill said was “a strong suggestion. We just want to give the citizens the information they need to make the best decisions possible for their families.”
“As a small county with limited resources, we feel good about our plan to get our community up and running as soon as possible,” says Sheriff McNeill. “We're here to help our citizens, and that's what we're doing.”
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