Agenda - 04-17-2012 - 8a - Laserfiche WebLink

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Official's Guide to Disasters Recovery involves all of the activities that are necessary to be able to return the area to normal. This involves decisions and actions related to rebuilding homes, debris removal, replacing property, resuming employment, restoring businesses, and permanently repairing and rebuilding infrastructure. Recovery is often the hardest part of the response to disasters and may continue for an extended period of time. As soon as it is safe to do so, the County, with assistance from the municipalities, first responders and local community groups, will conduct preliminary damage assessments to determine the level of property damage and the parts of the critical infrastructure that may be damaged. During the recovery phase, you may find it helpful to get briefings from County staff as to the extent of the damage and status of the recovery process. These briefings will be held regularly and scheduled, as the conditions require. The overall priority for service is the same across all jurisdictional lines. These include: • Life safety • Critical facilities/ Incident stabilization • Property damage Residents have their own priorities, which may be different from those of the County. Citizens are often unaware of the scope of the disaster or incident; they may have • unrealistic expectations about what local government can do for them as everyone works to recover. Some of the biggest issues that occur after the disaster or incident involve the following: • Debris Removal: Debris removal on private property is typically not covered by FEMA or the County and is the property owner's responsibility. If you have a constituent who has a significant problem with debris removal, call Orange County Emergency Services (919-245-6150), not 911. • Rebuilding: Residents may want to rebuild their house or business in the flood plain. This brings up zoning and ordinance issues. Vulnerable residents and populations may also face problems with the cost of rebuilding. • Response Time: Residents may think that government is slow to respond. It typically takes the federal government at least 72 to 96 hours to respond to a local emergency. • Public Information: Residents may report difficulty getting critical information about the disaster or incident from the news media. Despite our efforts to communicate through the media, by issuing regular news releases, local media often choose to edit the information significantly, which can make it inaccurate, or not use it at all in their reports. However, we are continuing our efforts to foster positive working relationships with the media as these relationships are critical during times of disasters. Emergency Management Cycle Page 3.4 Version Date-April 9, 2012