Agenda - 10-03-2005-WS1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 Preparedness efforts have included; • cinema advertising at Movies at Timberlyne to encourage viewers to construct household emergency preparedness kits • radio advertising on a Spanish radio station (La Ley) to inform Spanish speaking residents of the perils of tornadoes and lightning • the publication of the All Hazard Guide (extract attached) and its distribution to all libraries and senior centers in the County • distribution of preparedness materials provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at street festivals throughout the County • training and preparedness talks for residents on how to prepare for disasters and specific topics such as individuals with special needs • partnerships with the Department on Aging, Public Health, El Centro Latino, the Orange County Animal Response Team, etc. to conduct joint and individual emergency preparedness outreach efforts at events hosted by those agencies • four training exercises over the course of a year, resulting in the training of over 250 emergency responders, which has further improved coordination amongst agencies • Appearance by the Emergency Management Director on a state -wide television program oriented towards senior citizens for emergency preparedness for seniors Although staff has identified review of the emergency plans as part of the 2006 work plan, the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have reiterated the urgency of the review. Since the landfall of Katrina, Emergency Management staff has taken the following actions: • Revisited evacuation planning efforts that would allow for evacuation of a range of population in Orange County, from a small number of residents to the total population of the county. Planning efforts will contain decision making tools to help determine whether sheltering in place (staying in one's residence) would be rnore pragmatic rather than evacuating. • Begin advocating for citizens to store a week's worth of food, water, medications, and essential needs, instead of 72 hour as advocated by federal officials. • Updating a resource list to include local public transportation means (school buses, Orange Public Transportation, Chapel Hill Transit), regional transportation (Triangle Transit Authority, Durham Area Transit Authority), private transportation resources (motor- coach lines, taxi services), as well as support resources such as diesel mechanics, bus repair shops, wrecker services, and fuel support. • Identifying potential sheltering sites outside of the County's normal evacuation area, to include areas west of Guilford County, east of Johnston County, and out of state, to include Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. It is important to note that evacuee destination recommendations will be dependent upon the cause of the evacuation, and the impacted area, as well as potential traffic flow. • Met with human services support agencies that serve Orange County, including the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Salvation Army of Durham County, as well as our normal disaster relief partners, Orange Congregations in Mission (OCIM), and Interfaith Council. Staff is reviewing the current emergency plans and incorporating any necessary changes based on information from our emergency planning, response, and recovery partners, and input from residents of Orange County. Staff immediately identified that plans require the inclusion of National Incident Management System (NIMS) language, and descriptions of how operations