Is the Town of Culver ready for a sustained emergency event?
That’s the question Marshall County’s EMA Director Clyde Avery wanted members of the Culver Town Council to ask themselves. Avery presented before the Council on Tuesday both to introduce himself to new members, but also to bring Culver up-to-date on what is expected while preparing for possible emergencies.
Despite his title, Avery says emergency preparedness is really a community effort.
“My job is to work with the elected officials and implement the county’s comprehensive emergency management plan and work with other agencies and organizations that might be involved in a particular type of incident,” says Avery.
There have been 93 emergency incidents in Marshall County in the last 10 years or so.
Questions government officials should be asking themselves, include: what are our resources? How do we get more resources? How do we pay for it? And, how long before businesses must shutter permanently?
Having a local Emergency Management Agency is required under state statute, but the county has taken on the task. Avery says each community is responsible for its own coordination, though.
“I will tell you that every incident that occurs is a local incident,” says Avery. “So if something happens and it’s specific to the Town of Culver, you guys are in charge.”
A process has been identified that is expected to help Culver make its plans more mature in the event of an emergency, including: mitigation, preparedness, communication, and recovery.
Culver Town Council members requested additional information on National Incident Management System (NIMS) training. Culver may use the information for future decisions.
