In the event of a disaster, Delaware County Emergency Management coordinates the county’s resources and agencies to reduce the impact it has on the county.
The Delaware County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s main goal is to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property and the environment from “All Hazards” – Natural, Manmade, or Terrorism.
We strive reduce or eliminate the effects of day to day emergencies and large scale disasters in Delaware County through preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.
We achieve our goals through the four phases of emergency management (Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery), conducting training and training exercises, and through education.
As we wrap up the week and near the end of National Emergency Management Awareness Month, we'll look at the remaining phase of emergency management: MITIGATION.
Behind every resilient community and organization are people working to prepare for the unexpected. When people think about disasters, they often think about the response, but that’s not
where it starts. Emergency managers start long before an emergency happens, identifying actions or projects to take before an incident to prevent or reduce the effects of future, unavoidable hazards. This is MITIGATION.
MITIGATION can occur before an incident or after a disaster that highlights a weakness that can be modified or eliminated before it happens again. The completion of the county’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan is one recurring instance of a major mitigation undertaking that your Delaware County Emergency Management team engages in every five years. The plan identifies and ranks hazards in the county, and we work with local municipalities to examine possible projects that could reduce or eliminate the threat. Other mitigation examples include the use of grant funding to construct a tornado shelter at Delaware State Park or to purchase eligible, flood-prone properties. A common quote in the EM world shows that every $1.00 spent during mitigation can save $4.00 in post-storm recovery. Mitigation matters...mitigate today, protect tomorrow. #KnowYourEmergencyManager #EMAwarenessMonth ... See MoreSee Less
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Good morning, Delaware County. Today, we examine the RECOVERY phase of emergency management. Behind every resilient community and organization are people preparing for the unexpected. Emergency managers cannot do this work alone, especially during RECOVERY. Building strong partnerships early with government agencies, businesses, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, schools, and community groups strengthens this process when disaster strikes.
After a disaster, Delaware County Emergency Management actively engages in the RECOVERY process, shifting the focus to helping residents and businesses return to normal. During declared disasters, we work with FEMA to verify damage to homes and structures. If grant funding is available to assist communities, we help local governments navigate this process. We also partner with local non-profits and non-governmental agencies(NGOs), pairing them with residents in need. Recovery can last from months to years after an incident, depending on its severity.
This August, we celebrate the people, programs, and partnerships that make recovery possible. #KnowYourEmergencyManager #EMAwarenessMonth ... See MoreSee Less
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Today, we look at the RESPONSE phase of emergency management. Delaware County Emergency Management is often called upon during or immediately following a large-scale emergency or disaster to help our responders secure the resources they need to complete their mission. A major part of response is coordinating and allocating resources and helping disseminate information.
We may also send personnel into the field to conduct damage assessments; these actions help ascertain the severity of the impact and what recovery needs exist. DCOHSEM may respond to an emergency scene to assist our first responders with hazardous materials spills, coordinating with Ohio EPA to ensure our residents and the environment are safe.
There are no set parameters for what response looks like for emergency management - it comes down to taking care of our Delaware County communities and first responders in any way we can. Response is where preparation meets action, and we take the chaos and create coordination. #KnowYourEmergencyManager #EMAwarenessMonth ... See MoreSee Less
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