Public Safety Signals

Damion Steele Says:

Indeed there has been a more concerted effort to get citizens out of harm’s way this go around. Now gun shy, Mayor Ray Nagin knows that the world is watching, as does the President’s administration. While reports are today that the storm has weakened slightly, it will be interesting to see what the response will be and where the storm hits. Finally other states are getting the message that not only Florida needs to be prepared for such emergencies.

Nature found a strange way to mark the anniversary of Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita; yet another blow to an area not yet recovered from such devastation.
Damion Steele

August 31st, 2008 at 3:29 pm

Charles Tiffin Says:

Joe, an advisory was recently issued from the IAEM discussing self deployment. This is very timely as we await an update from the Gulf coast. In our efforts to help, emergency responders should work within the coordinated response framework established to manage the incident and recovery.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by Gustav and my thanks to those in public safety working in the midst of the storm.
Charles

September 1st, 2008 at 3:21 pm

Mark Warnick Says:

While most of you all ready know this, However I feel compelled to share the following information. As anyone who has ever been in a disaster, the disaster after a disaster are uninvited first responders. I received an e-mail notice from the International Association of Emergency Managers that read;
_______________________________________

Attn: IAEM US Members
From: IAEM Headquarters on behalf of Rick Cox, EMAC Advisory Group Liaison / IAEM Treasurer

EMAC Advisory Group Conference Call Notes:
31 August 2008

As the IAEM representative to the EMAC Advisory Group I participated in a Conference Call this morning. The EMAC Executive task force and the EMAC National Coordinating Group (EMAC’s management team) requested the following be distributed via to Associations members of the Advisory Group.

1 – Notify our membership (IAEM-USA) and ask them to pass on the information regarding deployments and

2 – Relay this information to our resources within our jurisdictions.

Deployment Information:

1 – Please do not self deploy to impacted areas; protection of liability, Workers Compensation and recognition of licenses and certifications do not self deploy with you.

2 – Requests for assistance via EMAC are coordinated through the State EOC and the state emergency management agency.

3 – All EMAC deployed resources will have a Req-A (form) authorizing deployments.

If you have any questions regarding valid EMAC coordination please contact one of the following:

1 – Your State EMAC Designated contact in your state EOC

2 – The EMAC web page: http://www.emacweb.org/

Respectfully Submitted:

Rick Cox, CEM
EMAC Advisory Group Liaison
Treasurer IAEM
_________________________________________

Self deployment adds to everyones risk. Please be considerate of other first responders by staying in your area, unless deployed by your state, … Mark

Mark Warnick

September 1st, 2008 at 4:39 pm

R. A. Belflower Says:

I am a resident of western Louisiana. Katrina did not affect us, but Rita hit us very hard.

While I was initially pleased at the preparation for Gustav, since it did little more damage than our typical Louisiana afternoon thunderstorms and tornados, I’m waiting to see the bill for evacuating 1.9 million people from Louisiana, several hundred thousand from the Beaumont area of Texas, and a large number from every coastal county in Mississippi. Not just the cost paid by the states and the feds, but the cost in lost productivity by several million people losing 3 - 4 days work, and the cost to those people of the evacuation. It is also worth noting that every Gustav fatality in the U.S. was an evacuee. No one who sheltered in place was injured.

I’m currently in Florida, so it cost me nothing. But my wife left western Louisiana. She spent about $150 in gasoline she would not have normally spent, and missed 2 days of work (lost wages). Our home town was not affected at all. My son left Baton Rouge, with about the same results. Baton Rouge did lose its electricity, but he could live through that. The cost of the gasoline was something else.

I was very uncomfortable watching the 256th Infantry Brigade with armed patrols in New Orleans. As a retired Army Officer, I do not share the anti-military viewpoint of Tierney, Bevc and Kuligowski (2006), but I am eagerly awaiting an indepth analysis of Gustav and the Insurrection Act of 1807, the Posse Commitatus Act of 1878, and the Stafford Act (as amended in 2007). I am well aware of the revised role of U.S. Northern Command, having served as an Observer/Controller for several of its exercises in 2006 and 2007.

I also can’t help but notice that we did not see that type of response to Fay, and have yet to see it for Hanna.

September 2nd, 2008 at 6:49 pm