How Counties Find Calm in the Eye of the Storm

In Eye of the Storm: Preparations & Partnerships, a MACo Winter Conference session co-hosted by the Maryland Association of County Administrators and the Maryland Association of County Emergency Managers, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman moderated a discussion of how partnerships can help when disaster strikes.

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Webster shares the extensive work of the DELMARVA Emergency Task Force on hurricane preparedness.

County Executive Kittleman, who is speaking on another panel about the Ellicott City disaster, opened the discussion and asked presenters to speak about not only partnerships, but also emergency preparations they found helpful.

Fred Webster, Worcester County Emergency Services Director and Chair, DELMARVA Emergency Task Force, described how Maryland partners with neighboring states as a member and leader of the  Delmarva Emergency Task Force.

Partners of the DELMARVA Emergency Task Force reach far beyond emergency management agencies, including:

  • health departments and hospitals
  • private sector, such as energy providers
  • entities independent of state and local government, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Commission
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Haas reflects on the destruction caused by the Queen Anne’s County tornado.

Scott Haas, Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services Director shared how the County drew on its existing partnerships to respond to a tornado.

Haas shared a video developed by Queen Anne’s County. The video described the devastation of the EF 2 Tornado that hit Bay City and other areas in Queen Anne’s County.

The partners involved in the response and recovery numbered 58. Some of them included:

  • Animal Welfare league
  • Red Cross
  • State Police
  • Volunteer Firefighters
  • Emergency Services
  • Public Safety Teams
  • Delmarva Power
  • 20 mutual aid fire and EMS companies

What partnerships are in place in your county? To be in touch with your local emergency manager about preparedness efforts, see the contact information provided by The Maryland Association of County Emergency Managers.