6161stst Interdepartmental Hurricane Interdepartmental Hurricane ConferenceConference

March 8, 2007March 8, 2007

Mobile County covers 1,644 square miles of land area and bodies of water. Known for its bustling seaport and thriving seafood industry, the county sits in the extreme southwestern corner of the state with a population of more than 400,000 people.

FACTS• Mobile County is bordered on the east by Mobile Bay

• Mobile-Tensaw River Delta - the largest inland delta in the nation

• 10 incorporated cities or towns

• Port of Mobile is the thirteenth largest and the 4th busiest in the nation

• Mobile is served by four major railways

• Two interstate highways, I-10 & I-65, converge in Mobile

• Travel, tourism and special events bring thousands of visitors to the area each year

Hurricane Katrina

August 29, 2005

DISASTERDECLARATIONFEMA-1605-DR ALABAMA• Entire County at risk

• Coastal areas had serious damage

Hazard Risk Reduction through Stronger Partnerships and Alliances

A. Risk Reduction

• Mitigation project through Alabama EMA, FEMA to revise surge maps and slosh models

to one inch contour

• Have a better state of the art notification system

• Increase number of sirens county wide for warning as an all hazards approach

• Improving communication capabilities by adding ACU1000 Interoperability, i.e., satellite phones, land lines, cellular phones, satellite communication bridges (AC1000), Southern Linc, 800 MHZ, amateur radios

• All schools need to have weather radios

• Communicate an aggressive education program to the public

B. Improving Disaster Planning

• Revise evacuation decision making

• Update the Emergency Management Plan

• Have one special needs shelter in place, another one will be completed by November 2007

B. Improving Disaster Planning (continued)

• Establish a county and state wide evacuation system

• Have purchased new equipment along with obtaining equipment through surplus property i.e., generators, boats, trucks, communications equipment

• Have a short and long term recovery plan in place

• We have established a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program

C. Training

• Have the established executive decision making team undergo all levels of National Incident Management System (NIMS) training

• Conduct exercises county and state wide from an all hazards approach, especially for mass evacuation and sheltering

D. Turning technical messages into actionable ones for use by the general public

• Conduct weekly and monthly test of our warning system, sirens, emergency radio checks with all departments and agencies

• Establish citizen education programs through electronic media, brochures, newspaper and community awareness presentations

E. Enhancing information dissemination systems to reach the entire social system of end users

• Currently have dialogic system• Working with disadvantaged organizations i.e., nursing homes, assisted living, hearing

impaired, blind and non English speaking residents to establish informational practices • Establish a media task force

F. Impediments to implementing certain activities and actions?

• Our major issue is having adequate funding for a state of art notification system upgrades and additional warning systems

G. With whom are you partnering to implement the risk-reduction activities or actions?

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service (NWS), National Hurricane Center and key local, state and federal agencies

H. From your perspective, what can we do to build stronger alliances with potential public and private sector partners, which would allow us to evaluate and strengthen the end-to-end tropical cyclone warning system?

• Ensure that we understand all emergencies - our local, state and federal partners must continue to understand when improving technology for tropical cyclones, we must also build the capability to disseminate the information for warning, watches, evacuation and transportation for the citizens

SummarySummary

Although Mobile County has greatly improved in the area of Although Mobile County has greatly improved in the area of warning and notification, we feel technology wise that we need a warning and notification, we feel technology wise that we need a system that will service the entire county and all it’s citizens. system that will service the entire county and all it’s citizens. Especially for those who do not have a means to evacuate i.e., Especially for those who do not have a means to evacuate i.e., disadvantaged citizens, those non-English speaking residents, those disadvantaged citizens, those non-English speaking residents, those in assisted living and nursing homes, hearing impaired and the in assisted living and nursing homes, hearing impaired and the blind.blind.

Our greatest and most urgent need is to have additional funding Our greatest and most urgent need is to have additional funding that would improve our current warning and notification system. that would improve our current warning and notification system. Although we have a total of 47 sirens, a recent study reveals that we Although we have a total of 47 sirens, a recent study reveals that we should have a least 110 plus sirens for which funds are needed.should have a least 110 plus sirens for which funds are needed.

The seemingly increased change in weather patterns in Mobile The seemingly increased change in weather patterns in Mobile County has caused us to consider using our sirens for tornado County has caused us to consider using our sirens for tornado warnings.warnings.