Minutes 10-16-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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21 Commissioner Rich said she was on the Chapel Hill Town Council during the discussions about closing the clinic years ago, and she did make comments about the closing. She said it is a good idea to make sure the towns know that it was a commitment from a prior Board of County Commissioners to bring dental services back to the southern part of the County. She said she also agreed with providing services for assisted livings and group homes. Commissioner Burroughs said this is exciting, and she appreciated this item being brought forward. She thinks it is a nimble solution that will serve many, as well as meet past commitments made by the BOCC. Commissioner Price appreciated this as well, and would encourage them to work with the schools, in case the mobile unit needs to stay longer than 2:30 p.m. Chair Dorosin said this is a great idea. He said there seems to be general Board consensus to move forward, and asked if doing so would make more space available to the Department of Social Services (DSS) in the SHSC. Bonnie Hammersley said DSS has indicated it would like more space, and staff would have to reevaluate the available space for all the departments. c. Hurricane Florence Operations Review and Debriefing The Board received a presentation and discussed the County’s preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation strategies during and following Hurricane Florence. BACKGROUND: The response to Hurricane Florence involved a multijurisdictional and interdepartmental effort to ensure the safety of residents in Orange County. Although Orange County avoided widespread, devastating impacts, the storm had significant localized impacts and tested the County’s emergency response and recovery operations. Attachment 1 details the timeline of the storm and the County’s response to it. Preparedness Starting on September 7, Emergency Services began closely monitoring what would become Hurricane Florence. During this time, Emergency Services communicated with key response partners and provided situational reporting. On September 9, Emergency Services activated the Severe Weather Annex of the County’s Emergency Operations Plan. The Emergency Operations Center was partially activated on September 10, and the Chair of the Board of Commissioners signed a State of Emergency Declaration. On September 11, 2018, the County held a department directors meeting to discuss the potential timing, intensity, and impacts of Hurricane Florence. Department directors reviewed internal communications, facility vulnerability and capacity, potential alternative work sites, fuel availability, and cost accounting practices. Department directors also discussed a public communications strategy, vulnerable areas in the community, potential mass care sheltering, and areas where residents could access cooling and electricity in the event of prolonged, widespread power disruptions. The Department of Social Services in cooperation with Emergency Services also began pre-storm shelter activation, and a public information line was activated for residents seeking information about the storm and potential sheltering needs. On September 12, approximately forty-eight hours before the storm’s projected landfall, Orange County remained in the forecast of probable impacts. The Emergency Operations Center began twenty-four (24) hour activation with all emergency support functions represented. The County proactively opened two no barrier, pet friendly mass care shelters at 6:00 PM at Stanford and Smith Middle Schools. The shelters were staffed by the Department of Social Services, the Health Department, and Animal Services.