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Executive Director's
Report- Fall Issue 2004
"If you don't have it, that's why you need it"
Former baseball player and now nationally treasured icon, Yogi Berra, is featured in a popular television advertisement in which he says, "If you don't have it, that's why you need it." Mr. Berra's words were expressed in the context of a health insurance product but they seem equally appropriate when used in the context of emergency management. Like health insurance, emergency management is something everyone knows they need but do not like to think about or pay for. But they sure are glad to have it when it's needed.
Alabama, like other states, is subject to natural disasters. From ice storms in north Alabama, to flooding in the central and south regions, to occasional tornados, and of course, hurricanes that come from the Gulf of Mexico. Man-made disasters could also occur in the state, but fortunately none of wide-spread magnitude has occurred.
Weather-related disasters, by their nature, are unpredictable. About 10 years elapsed between hurricanes Opal and Ivan, both of which caused serious damage in the state. Tornados show up just about every year some place in the state. Floods are often associated with hurricanes, but are just as likely the result of prolonged periods of heavy rain. We get excited about such disasters when they occur and promise ourselves that we will be better prepared for the next one. As the months and years go by we tend to forget our promises and when the next one occurs we find that we are no better prepared.
This discussion, which has been held many times before, leads to the obvious conclusion that all levels of government in the state, as well as appropriate portions of the private sector should prepare for natural and other disasters. Considerable attention has been given to this matter through the years. The Alabama Legislature, in 1955, passed what is referred to as the "Alabama Emergency Management Act" (Act). The Act established a state emergency management agency, authorized the establishment of local emergency management organizations, and conferred certain powers upon the governor and local governments. The idea was and is to equip our state and local governments with authority to prepare for, respond to and manage disaster situations.
Key among the provisions of the Act is authority for governmental entities and private agencies to enter into mutual aid agreements through which they may assist each other in times of disasters. Such agreements would foster orderly and systematic approaches to the rendering of assistance. Such agreements would also help to ensure that governmental entities and private agencies, through proper coordination, would be able to receive from state and federal sources reimbursement for costs associated with rendering assistance.
An effort has been underway in the state for a year or more to develop a uniform mutual aid agreement. It makes sense for all appropriate governmental and private entities to enter into a uniform agreement. The effort has been slow and at this writing is still ongoing. When Hurricane Ivan roared through the state several weeks ago we had no mutual aid agreement. "If you don't have it, that's why you need it."
When a disaster occurs the emphasis immediately turns to emergency response. Among members of the emergency management community, emergency response generally refers to the provision of law enforcement, fire and medical services. I have on a number of occasions during discussions of the mutual aid agreement and other matters relating to disaster assistance and management pointed out that another important component of emergency response is debris removal. I have made my point by asking, "How can emergency responders get into an impacted area if trees and other debris are blocking the roads?" Verbiage is now included in the latest draft of the mutual aid agreement which recognizes debris removal as a component of emergency response.
It has always been my assumption that immediately following a disaster County Commissions in areas not affected would be more than willing to assemble crews and equipment and send them into impacted areas to lend assistance with debris removal or other needs. I still think that assumption is correct. However, it was not until the day after Hurricane Ivan passed through the state that I realized that talking about it was one thing and actually getting it done was another.
Early on Friday morning after Hurricane Ivan passed through the state, ACCA Assistant Director Sonny Brasfield and I showed up at the office intent on contacting officials in affected counties to determine whether or not we could arrange assistance for them from other counties. The first problem we encountered was the absence of electricity in the building. That meant that the telephone system would not work because it is operated by a computer, which could not work without electricity. I arrived a few minutes after Sonny and found him sitting at his desk in the dark and talking on his cell telephone. His success in reaching appropriate individuals in impacted counties was mixed. Some could not be reached because of electricity and telephone problems. Others were simply too involved in pressing problems to be found. He was, however, successful in reaching a few individuals, most of whom were county engineers. Several indicated a definite desire to receive assistance. He then turned his attention to contacting officials in counties that were not affected by the hurricane. Officials from at least five counties, generally in the northern part of the state, indicated a willingness to put crews together and head south. That was followed by a series of telephone calls aimed at determining what kind of assistance was needed and where. Those calls revealed a number of logistical problems. Officials in one county were willing to respond to a need in another county for heavy equipment to remove debris from roads but found that it had no means of moving its equipment out of the county. Officials in another northern county had all the means to move men and equipment but learned that the county in need of assistance had no capability to feed and
house crew members. These are examples of a number of practical and logistical problems we encountered.
As it turned out only two counties eventually sent equipment and personnel into affected counties. I think everyone in the county government family will agree that there should have been at least a dozen counties providing assistance in impacted areas of the state. I am convinced that this had nothing to do with a lack of willingness on the part of county officials. It is my view that the situation is plain and simply a result of the fact that county officials have never come together and discussed the matter. No effort has ever been undertaken to put in place among county governments a predetermined plan for requesting and rendering assistance.
This subject was discussed at a recent meeting of the ACCA Board of Directors. The Board members instructed the staff to begin a process of developing a system through which county governments in the state can be prepared to assist each other in times of natural and other disasters. The staff will soon be contacting appropriate county officials and employees requesting that they participate in this project. "If you don't have it, that's why you need it."
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