State Emergency Operations Center

John H CampbellOperations ChiefMO State Emergency Mgt Agency

Disaster Operations

Agenda

Role of the State Emergency Operations Center in response and recovery operations

Specific actions in previous disasters

The Philosophy of Emergency Management

All disasters begin and end at local level

Local officials are in charge of response and recovery activities

State, Federal, and non-governmental organizations (NGO) resources support local efforts when needs exceed local capabilities

What is an EOC?

Multi-agency coordination center

Central focal point for an organization to execute a coordinated, effective response

Encourages collaboration within/between response disciplines

Redundant communication systems

EOC Missions

Maintain situational awareness Allocate existing resources based on

guidance contained in emergency plans and guidance from policy-makers

Determine critical, unmet needs; seek assistance on filling unmet needs

Provide timely information to public Support responders in the field

Typical EOC Organization

Operations/Coordination Section

Typical EOC Activations

All EOCs are typically activated based on a rapid assessment of an incident or disaster

Emergency Operations Plan will outline who has the authority to activate the EOC

Emergency Operations Plan will also detail circumstances during which an EOC will “automatically” be activated

Activation Levels

Three levels of activation for the State and Local Emergency Operation Center

Minimal—Emergency Management staff onlyPartial—Staff from selected agenciesFull—Staff from all response agencies

Disaster Response

2009 Ice Storm

Overview

Severe winter storm pounds southern part of the state on Jan 26-27.

Widespread power outages result; several electric providers lose 90% of system

Cascading effects result in interruptions of food, water, and fuel supplies

State and Federal agencies, in close coordination with volunteer agencies work to support mass care and electric needs

• 3,461 individuals sought refuge in 61 shelters totaling 11,040 occupied sleeping spaces.

• On Jan. 29th the shelter population peaked at 2,344 people in 30 shelters.

Response

ESF #6—Mass Care

ResponseESF #6—Mass Care

• Water and Heater Meals

• 41 truckloads of water purchased and donated (900,000+ bottles)

• 6 truckloads of heater meals/MRE's purchased (132,180 Meals)

Hot meals served – 76,421 Snacks served – 169,525Fixed feeding sites – 2Kitchens – 2 (SBC)Salvation Army Canteens – 6 ARC Emergency Response Vehicles – 8

ResponseESF #7—Resource Support

SEMA & Office of Administration- 194 generators deployed

Dept of Corrections- Transportation Support

Response

ESF #13–Public Safety & Security- MO State Highway Patrolo 150 Trooperso 4 Radio Technicianso 2 Pilotso 2 Mechanicso 6 Camden County

Deputy Sheriffso Aircraft, Mobile Command

& Communications Units,

- MO State Water patrolo 16 Personnelo Trucks & Supply Trailers

- Dept of Conservation

Response

ESF #4—Firefighting

ESF #10—Hazardous Materials• State Fire Marshal & Mutual Aid

- 14 Firefighters- 4 Water Tankers- 3 Incident Support Teams (IST)

• Dept of Natural Resources- 2 State On Scene Coordinators for Carbon Monoxide Checks

ResponseESF #16—Military Support

MO National Guard- 359 Army National Guard- 44 Air National Guard- Generators, Chain Saw

& Vehicles

Damage incurred

Number of counties affected: 21Damage to local infrastructure: $49.4MDamage to Electric Cooperatives: $143.9MSEMA Response & Support Costs: $2.1MMO National Guard Costs: $350K

Total Cost Estimates: $195.75M

Lessons Learned

Conference calls were less effective than in previous disasters (now looking at one daily call vs two)

Communicating status of resource requests—now looking at staff within SEOC to fulfill liaison roles

Finding logistical staging areas was problematic early on in disaster—now researching sites to fill this role

PSC Questions on Response

Pre-storm Response Actions??

Q. What actions can be taken ahead of time to get things in place? Is it necessary to wait for an emergency declaration?

A. Certain actions can be taken in advance of storm, assuming agencies have authority and can pay for those actions out of existing budgets; however, uncertainty in weather patterns makes it difficult to predict what actions will mitigate impacts

Immediate Response Actions??

Q. Can things be done that would accelerate the timeliness of response efforts (i.e. activating National Guard sooner to clear roads)?

A. Use of the National Guard is determined on a disaster-by-disaster basis, based on impacts to communities, potential missions, and availability of other resources.

Summary

ALL disaster begin and end locally

EOC Mission is Situation awareness, resources management, public information, and support of responders in field

Subject Matter Experts for ESF(s) maintain visibility of issues in their area providing situational awareness for the Planning and Logistics Sections

Questions?