Commission signs off on Emergency Operations Plan

Thu, 03/26/2009 - 3:04pm
By: Ben Nelms

Coweta County Commissioners last week unanimously adopted a resolution for an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) required by Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). The county and all municipalities are signatories on the EOP that must be in place to be eligible for disaster funding.

The plan outlines responsibilities for the various departments/agencies and the emergency support functions that they are responsible for during an event that would require the plan to be enacted, county EMA Director Jay Jones said in a letter to the commission.

“The Emergency Operations Plan outlines the duties of the county departments,” said county administrator Theron Gay. “And it gives the county the ability to make decisions on things like emergency food and housing required by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to get reimbursements.”

In the event of a man-made of natural disaster, the commission chairman and city mayors would be responsible for a range of activities intended to provide for the short-term continuity of civil society.

Working in tandem during an emergency, the county and cities will coordinate Emergency Support Functions (ESF) in areas that include transportation, communications, public works and engineering, firefighting, emergency management, mass care, housing and human services, resource support, public health and medical services, search and rescue, hazardous materials, agriculture and natural resources, energy, public safety and security services, long-term recovery and mitigation and external affairs.

login to post comments