Jim Proce - Leadership During an Emergency or Disaster
•
0 likes•73 views
1) Effective leadership during an emergency or disaster requires extensive pre-planning, including developing relationships and mutual aid agreements with other communities and agencies, and conducting training exercises to test emergency plans. 2) When a tornado struck the City of Rowlett, Texas on December 26, 2015, causing widespread damage, the city's emergency operations plan was activated and staff immediately began assessing conditions and coordinating response efforts. 3) Key aspects of the city's response included expediting damage assessments using GPS, coordinating preliminary damage assessments with FEMA and the state, and pursuing an alternative funding procedure to maximize debris removal reimbursement from FEMA. The presentation emphasizes the importance of planning, preparation, and learning from experience through debrief
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to Jim Proce - Leadership During an Emergency or Disaster
Similar to Jim Proce - Leadership During an Emergency or Disaster (20)
More from Jim Proce
More from Jim Proce (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Jim Proce - Leadership During an Emergency or Disaster
- 1. Leadership During An Emergency Or Disaster Jim Proce, Assistant City Manager City of Rowlett Texas
- 2. Stuff to talk about… • Preplanning – relationships, mutual aid agreements, working with other communities, preparedness • Emergency Operations Plan (exercises, planning and preparation) • Consortiums of staff and/or equipment (loaning people, resources, equipment pools) • Utilizing contractors and contracts • Flow of communication, communications plan, community outreach • Background stories and things you should know
- 3. December 26, 2015 • Staff was staged • EOC staffed at 2:00PM • Monitoring the weather all afternoon • Communicating with team • Business as usual = MEANS: we didn't expect a HIT • Impact 6:45PM - EF-4 tornado • Within minutes after the impact our EOC was fully activated • Working through the night we immediately began assessing conditions • It was evident that we were in for an adventure… Jim
- 9. Path of Destruction • 3.5 miles long • Half mile wide debris field • 1110 homes affected • 19 commercial facilities
- 10. Preplanning for the Unknown • Things that are crucial to your success • Table top exercises • Relationships • Mutual aid • Working with other communities and agencies • Understanding the rules and processes • Overcoming unforeseen obstacles and challenges • Preparation is key • Determining who is part of your planning and responses teams?
- 11. Table Top Exercise A tabletop exercise was held on September 28, 2015 Many similarities between the TTX scenario and the impacts from the December 26th tornado Formation, path, and intensity of the tornado I-30 incident Post-impact response issues Recovery issues Key Takeaway: Make the most out of every exercise!
- 12. Relationships • City, Special Districts, County, State, DOT, FEMA • Who are these folks and how will you find them? • Engage your neighbors and other agencies formally and informally • Professional Associations (APWA) • MPOs, Council of Governments • Public Works Emergency Response Team (PWERT) • Other Agencies • Historical • Archeological • Understand what others are doing • Obtain and share copies of contracts for resources
- 13. Mutual Aid • Formal agreements • Public Safety is common • What about Public Works • Informal agreements • Can you lend a helping hand? • Public Works Emergency Response Team (PWERT)
- 14. SO Many Rules… • Do you know the rules? • Does your emergency manager know the rules? • Does your team know the rules? • When do the rules go into effect? • Do you have contracts, agreements, and resources in place? • Are your purchasing folks up to date on the regulations? • DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING FORGRANTED!
- 15. Reference Materials – Stuff You Need • FEMA Guidance Documents • Contacts for State agencies– Who are these guys (and what do they do when during times when there is no emergency?) • TCEQ • THC • TDEM • Prepare for Regulatory Invasion • ACOE • OSHA • Designated staff for records management • City staff • Temps • Consultants – We hired to navigate the reams of paperwork
- 16. Preparation • Are you ready? • Are you ever ready? • Good teams know their roles! • Things we do ahead of the event • Maps • Duty rosters • Schedules • Supplies • ESF/Annexes • Training – ICS • Staging of equipment and resources
- 17. Challenges… • Public Works staff unfamiliar with “the process” • What exactly are 214s? • Documentation • Photographs • Receipts • Purchasing requirements • Who will be accountable? • Thousands of volunteers on the ground • Who is responsible for these folks? And does it even matter?
- 18. Challenges • Employee departures and turnover • Landfill overwhelmed • Promises made by FEMA and State reps • Staging areas – preapproved? • Tires • Fuel
- 19. Contracts • Consortiums • Prepositioned – FEMA compliance • FEMA Certified? What is that? • Right to landfill • HAZMAT • Fuel and tires and fuel and tires and fuel… • Negotiated costs? • Legal advice – your city attorney…?
- 20. Damage Assessments Damage assessments were expedited through the use of GPS units Preliminary damage assessments with FEMA/TDEM teams were made easier through the use of GIS maps • 1110 homes • 298 vehicles towed • Damaged drainage systems • Traffic signal and signs • Road and utility impact FEMA/TDEM PDA 01/02/16
- 21. FEMA/TDEM Recovery Process Public Assistance Alternate Procedures Pilot Program • The City chose to pursue Section 428 funding, in order to maximize reimbursement for Category A – Debris Removal • 85% - first 30 days • 80% - 31 to 90 days • 75% - 91 to 180 days • After 180 extensions can be requested but for exceptional conditions
- 24. • Variable message boards • Emergency Response Trailer: traffic control, cut saws, chainsaws, generators, air compressor • Radio cache, portable signal, dynamic message boards • Light tower/generators
- 25. PWERT 2015 Grant Equipment Cache Locations
- 26. Cool Stuff We Did… • Mark the streets – all the landmarks and signs were gone… • Landfill passes • Bagsters • Closed the road to work – when possible • PW Emergency Response Team • Suspension of out of state contractors • Long Term Recovery Committee
- 27. More Cool Stuff We Did… • Web site • Video footage – RowlettTexasVideo on YouTube • Newletters in the field, mailed, handouts • Social media blitz • Surveys • Public Forums • Long Term Recovery Committee (LTRC)
- 28. Yet More Cool Stuff We Did… • GPS handheld units and GIS maps to track everything • Tabulation and estimation • Signs • Signals • Debris piles • Damaged houses • Damaged vehicles SIGN AND SIGNALS DAMAGED VEHICLES
- 29. Yet Even More Cool Stuff We Did.. • We hired consultant to package the entire submittal to FEMA • Writing all of the project works sheets • Reviewed and tabulation of the 214s • They do this all the time and hopefully you never have to do it again • WHY hire a consultant?: Because you have a City to run and the sooner you get back to it the better • And yes it is reimbursable by FEMA
- 30. After Action Report • Debrief – AAR • If you don’t have a process in place then start here: • Debriefing at the end of projects or incidents is a powerful tool. 1. What went well? 2. What went poorly? 3. What could we do better? 4. What did we learn? 5. Actions for follow-up? • There are many others out there and some more formal requirements may exist in your agencies
- 31. Key Points – Summing It Up • Plan • Prepare • Train • Network • Execute • Debrief • Celebrate Any questions? Email me at jproce@rowlett.com