State Emergency Operations Center

1. State Emergency Operations Center Disaster Operations John H Campbell Operations Chief MO State Emergency Mgt Agency

2. Agenda • Role of the State Emergency Operations Center in response and recovery operations • Specific actions in previous disasters

3. The Philosophy of Emergency Management • All disasters begin and end at local level • Local officials are in charge of response and recovery activities • State, Federal, and non-governmental organizations (NGO) resources support local efforts when needs exceed local capabilities

4. What is an EOC? • Multi-agency coordination center • Central focal point for an organization to execute a coordinated, effective response • Encourages collaboration within/between response disciplines • Redundant communication systems

5. EOC Missions • Maintain situational awareness • Allocate existing resources based on guidance contained in emergency plans and guidance from policy-makers • Determine critical, unmet needs; seek assistance on filling unmet needs • Provide timely information to public • Support responders in the field

6. Typical EOC Organization

7. Operations/Coordination Section

8. Typical EOC Activations • All EOCs are typically activated based on a rapid assessment of an incident or disaster • Emergency Operations Plan will outline who has the authority to activate the EOC • Emergency Operations Plan will also detail circumstances during which an EOC will “automatically” be activated

9. Activation Levels Three levels of activation for the State and Local Emergency Operation Center Minimal—Emergency Management staff only Partial—Staff from selected agencies Full—Staff from all response agencies

10. Disaster Response 2009 Ice Storm

11. Overview • Severe winter storm pounds southern part of the state on Jan 26-27. • Widespread power outages result; several electric providers lose 90% of system • Cascading effects result in interruptions of food, water, and fuel supplies • State and Federal agencies, in close coordination with volunteer agencies work to support mass care and electric needs

12. Response ESF #6—Mass Care • 3,461 individuals sought refuge in 61 shelters totaling 11,040 occupied sleeping spaces. • On Jan. 29th the shelter population peaked at 2,344 people in 30 shelters.

13. Response ESF #6—Mass Care • Water and Heater Meals • 41 truckloads of water purchased and donated (900,000+ bottles) • 6 truckloads of heater meals/MRE's purchased (132,180 Meals) Hot meals served – 76,421 Snacks served – 169,525 Fixed feeding sites – 2 Kitchens – 2 (SBC) Salvation Army Canteens – 6 ARC Emergency Response Vehicles – 8

14. Response ESF #7—Resource Support SEMA & Office of Administration - 194 generators deployed Dept of Corrections - Transportation Support

15. Response ESF #13–Public Safety & Security - MO State Highway Patrol o 150 Troopers o 4 Radio Technicians o 2 Pilots o 2 Mechanics o 6 Camden County Deputy Sheriffs o Aircraft, Mobile Command & Communications Units, - MO State Water patrol o 16 Personnel o Trucks & Supply Trailers - Dept of Conservation

16. Response ESF #4—Firefighting ESF #10—Hazardous Materials • State Fire Marshal & Mutual Aid • - 14 Firefighters • - 4 Water Tankers • - 3 Incident Support Teams (IST) • Dept of Natural Resources • - 2 State On Scene Coordinators • for Carbon Monoxide Checks

17. Response ESF #16—Military Support MO National Guard - 359 Army National Guard - 44 Air National Guard - Generators, Chain Saw & Vehicles

18. Damage incurred Number of counties affected: 21 Damage to local infrastructure: $49.4M Damage to Electric Cooperatives: $143.9M SEMA Response & Support Costs: $2.1M MO National Guard Costs: $350K Total Cost Estimates: $195.75M

19. Lessons Learned • Conference calls were less effective than in previous disasters (now looking at one daily call vs two) • Communicating status of resource requests—now looking at staff within SEOC to fulfill liaison roles • Finding logistical staging areas was problematic early on in disaster—now researching sites to fill this role

20. PSC Questions on Response

21. Pre-storm Response Actions?? Q. What actions can be taken ahead of time to get things in place? Is it necessary to wait for an emergency declaration? A. Certain actions can be taken in advance of storm, assuming agencies have authority and can pay for those actions out of existing budgets; however, uncertainty in weather patterns makes it difficult to predict what actions will mitigate impacts

22. Immediate Response Actions?? Q. Can things be done that would accelerate the timeliness of response efforts (i.e. activating National Guard sooner to clear roads)? A. Use of the National Guard is determined on a disaster-by-disaster basis, based on impacts to communities, potential missions, and availability of other resources.

23. Summary • ALL disaster begin and end locally • EOC Mission is Situation awareness, resources management, public information, and support of responders in field • Subject Matter Experts for ESF(s) maintain visibility of issues in their area providing situational awareness for the Planning and Logistics Sections

24. Questions?