Emergency Management

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you have a question please send it to the Lincoln County Emergency Management Director by clicking on the colored hyperlink..

Q. What is Emergency Management?

A. It is the entire process of planning and intervention for rescue and relief to reduce impact of emergencies as well as the response and recovery measures, to mitigate the significant social, economic and environmental consequences to communities and ultimately to the country, usually through an emergency operation center, EOC.

Emergency Management is divided into four separate but related phases. These are:

Mitigation:
Mitigation is any action “determined to be cost-effective which substantially reduces the risk of future damage, hardship, loss, or suffering in any area affected by a major disaster” (Stafford Act, P.L. 93-288, as amended, Sec 404). Proactive mitigation (to reduce the likelihood or lessen the potential effects of disasters) programs include flood plain management, fire prevention, building codes and development of structural standards, land-use regulations and advocacy with urban planning and zoning commissions to factor emergency management considerations into community design. Reactive mitigation (to reduce effects based on past experience) programs include flood insurance, disaster preparedness improvement grants, and development of predictive models of damage based on past experience. Mitigation is the foundation of an all hazards, risk-based emergency management program. It saves lives, reduces property damage, and helps to preserve the economy in the disaster area, thus reducing disaster assistance costs.

Preparedness:
Preparedness is planning how to respond should an emergency or disaster occur, and working to increase resources and the ability to respond effectively. Preparedness involves actions that will improve the speed and coordination of the response to an emergency or disaster. Planning, forming emergency organizations, training and exercising are all preparedness activities. Emergency management assists state and local government agencies and private sector organizations to develop plans for natural disasters such as floods or winter storms and technological emergencies such as hazardous materials incidents. Public awareness and information outreach programs that change seasonal focus throughout the year are significant campaigns by state and local emergency management agencies. Disaster preparedness exercises, ranging from tabletop activities to full-scale simulations of disaster situations involving several counties, responder organizations, elected officials and others should be conducted to assure that proposed plans and coordination activities will work. Additional preparedness activities ensure that effective communication systems, operating facilities, and specialized equipment are in place to support emergency response and recovery operations. Communication and/or urgent information to the public are vitally important in an emergency. Local and state emergency management officials working with regional radio, television, and print media coordinate these efforts.

Response:
Response actions cover the period of time shortly before, during and after a disaster, during which activities are conducted to save lives and minimize damage. Activation of the local and State Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), search and rescue, and reception and care of disaster victims are some of the response actions. During this period, emergency coordination functions are generally carried out in the local and State EOCs. The EOC houses representatives of each department and organization involved in response activities in order to ensure cohesive response to the situation and to ensure the public is given concise, meaningful and timely information regarding the disaster.

Recovery:
Recovery is that period when the immediate threat to life and property has passed. Activities such as cleanup, repair, and restoration become a priority. This stage will continue until all life support systems are returned to normal or near-normal operations. Debris clearance, damage assessment, and reconstruction are some recovery measures. Local, State and Federal damage assessment teams, as the situation dictates, may survey damaged areas. The local emergency manager is generally expected to work closely with the teams to ensure swift completion of the assessment process. On-site Disaster Centers may be established within affected communities. These centers provide a convenient place for victims to meet with representatives who can help them solve problems.

Q. What is meant by the All-Hazards approach?

A. Emergency management must be able to respond to natural and manmade hazards, homeland security-related incidents, and other emergencies that may threaten the safety and well-being of citizens and communities. An all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness encourages effective and consistent response to any disaster or emergency, regardless of the cause.

Q. I hear the term “base flood” or “one-percent flood” used when people talk about flooding, what does it mean?

A. A term used in the National Flood Insurance Program to indicate the minimum size flood to be used by a community as a basis for its floodplain management regulations; presently required by regulation to be “that flood which has a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.” It is also known as a 100-year flood or one-percent chance flood.

Q. I hear the term “biological agent” used in the news and papers, what does it really mean?

A. Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or incapacitate people, livestock and crops. The three basic groups of biological agents that would likely be used as weapons are bacteria, viruses and toxins. Most biological agents are difficult to grow and maintain. Many break down quickly when exposed to sunlight and other environmental factors, while others, such as anthrax spores, are very long lived. Biological agents can be dispersed by spraying them into the air, by infecting animals that carry the disease to humans and by contaminating food and water.

Q. What is “bioterrorism” and how can it affect me?

A. Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or incapacitate people, livestock and crops. The three basic groups of biological agents that would likely be used as weapons are bacteria, viruses and toxins. Most biological agents are difficult to grow and maintain. Many break down quickly when exposed to sunlight and other environmental factors, while others, such as anthrax spores, are very long lived. Biological agents can be dispersed by spraying them into the air, by infecting animals that carry the disease to humans and by contaminating food and water. It is not likely you would be affected by this in Lincoln County.

Q. What is meant by “business continuity” and why is it important to me as a business owner?

A. Business continuity is the process of identifying the impact of potential losses on an organization’s functional capabilities; formulating and implementing viable recovery strategies; and developing recovery plans, to ensure the continuity of organizational services in the event of an event, incident, or crisis. Failing to plan for your business to continue operations after a natural or man-made disaster can mean the difference between staying in business or going out of business.

Business continuity – emphasis on “continuity” – is the ability of a business to continue operations in the face of a disaster condition…. Business continuity means:

•       identifying critical business functions

•       identifying risks to critical functions

•       identifying ways to avoid or mitigate the risks

•       having a plan to continue business in the event of a disaster condition

•       having a plan to quickly restore operations to ‘business as usual’.

Disaster recovery is an integral part of business continuity. Business continuity does not replace insurance. It is a form of insurance, and should include insurance for life, health, facilities, product and business interruption.

Q. Is Emergency Management the same as Civil Defense?

A. No, Emergency Management evolved from the Civil Defense era in the mid-1970’s. Since the early 1900’s disaster response and mitigation was a local responsibility without Federal government assistance. Since the 1970’s Emergency Management has evolved into a formal program; which was dramatically changed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was developed after 9/11 and contains the core principles of emergency management that we use today of preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery, along with communications. The National Response Framework (NRF) formally known as the National Response Plan (NRP) contains annexes for emergency response and is the basis for our Lincoln County Emergency Operations Plan.

Q. Does the Emergency Management Director work with all agencies and organizations within the county and the State and federal levels?

A. Yes, at the core, success depends upon robust and adaptive collaboration—between the public and private sector, among different levels of government, among multiple jurisdictions, and among departments and agencies within a single jurisdiction. Collaboration encompasses a wide range of activities (e.g., joint planning, training, operations) aimed at coordinating the capabilities and resources of various entities (agencies, organizations, and individuals from many tiers of public and private sectors) for the common purpose of preventing, protecting against, responding to, and recovering from intentional as well as natural threats to people or property. As such a critical element, collaboration can thus be viewed as the foundation upon which success in all four mission areas [prevent, protect, respond, recover] depends.

Achieving full integration and interconnectedness between the public and private sector, among different levels of government, among multiple jurisdictions, and among departments and agencies within a single jurisdiction requires robust collaboration.

Q. How does the Emergency Management Office exercise command and control in a disaster or incident?

A. We discussed NIMS earlier as providing the core principles Emergency Management follows. Within NIMS there are standard incident command structures based on three key organizational systems:

1. The Incident Command System (ICS).

The ICS defines the operating characteristics, interactive management components, and structure of incident management and emergency response organizations engaged throughout the life cycle of an incident;

2. Multiagency Coordination Systems.

These define the operating characteristics, interactive management components, and organizational structure supporting incident management entities engaged at the Federal, State, local, tribal, and regional levels through mutual-aid agreements and other assistance arrangements; and

3. Public Information Systems.

These refer to processes, procedures, and systems for communicating timely and accurate information to the public during crisis or emergency situations.

Q. What is shelter-in-place and how is the best way to perform this.

A. Depending on the nature and timing of a catastrophe, emergency managers may warn people of whether it is safer to evacuate or to shelter in place. In an evacuation, people leave their homes and businesses and travel to a safe location away from danger. In some instances, it is safer for people to quickly seek shelter indoors—in homes, schools, businesses, or public buildings—than to try to travel. Shelter-in-place would be used when there is little time to react to an incident and it would be more dangerous to be outside trying to evacuate than to stay indoors for a short period of time. Additional protective actions that the emergency managers may recommend would include turning off air conditioners and ventilation systems and closing all windows and doors. Sheltering-in-place might be used, for example, in the event of a chemical accident. FEMA recommends people have food, water, and medical supplies and be prepared to stay indoors for at least three days; however, it could be up to five days. The preferred locations for any shelter-in-place action are interior rooms of the building that have no windows.

Q. What is the Stafford Act and why is it important to Lincoln County?

A. Federal support to State and local jurisdictions takes many forms. The most widely known authority under which assistance is provided for major incidents is the Stafford Act. When it is clear that State or tribal capabilities will be exceeded or may be exhausted, the Governor can request Federal assistance under the Stafford Act. The Stafford Act authorizes the President to provide financial and other forms of assistance to State and local governments, certain private nonprofit organizations and individuals to support response, recovery and mitigation efforts following Presidentially-declared major disasters and emergencies. Most incidents are not of sufficient magnitude to merit a Presidential emergency or major disaster declaration. However, when State and local resources are insufficient, a Governor may ask the President to declare a Federal disaster or emergency. Before making a declaration request, the Governor normally must activate the State’s emergency plan and ensure that all appropriate State and local actions have been taken, including:

•       Surveying the affected areas to determine the extent of private and public damage.

•       Conducting joint Preliminary Damage Assessments with DHS/FEMA officials to estimate the types and extent of Federal disaster assistance required.

Only the Governor can initiate a request for a Presidential emergency or major disaster declaration. This request is made through the DHS/FEMA Regional Administrator and is based on a finding that Federal assistance is needed because the situation exceeds State and local response capabilities due to its severity and magnitude. The request includes:

•       Information on the extent and nature of State resources that have been or will be used to address the consequences of the disaster.

•       A certification by the Governor that State and local governments will assume all applicable non-Federal costs required by the Stafford Act.

•       An estimate of the types and amounts of supplementary Federal assistance required.

•       Designation of the State Coordinating Officer.

The Governor addresses the request to the President and forwards it to the DHS/FEMA Regional

Administrator, who makes a recommendation to the DHS/FEMA Administrator. The DHS/FEMA Administrator then recommends a course of action to the President. The Governor, appropriate members of Congress and Federal agencies are immediately notified of a Presidential declaration. Federal support to States under the Stafford Act is coordinated by DHS. The flooding in 2011 came under the Stafford Act for payment of claims for damage in the City of North Platte and Lincoln County