The Marshall County Commissioners continue to assess damage left behind by flood waters.
Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery said the volunteer piece of the Marshall County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan went very well, but several important aspects were missing concerning response.
“It wasn’t followed this time,” said Avery. “We need to change that so it accurately reflects what we want to do. We didn’t implement Incident Command, we didn’t activate EOC – there was no request for that, I wasn’t in contact with some of the jurisdictions until well into the event, there wasn’t a lot of organization to the structure until later in the event, and we didn’t do a lot for preparedness. We had one particular agency that wasn’t engaged at all. There were other pieces that were not included. When you forget those pieces that’s when it becomes problematic.”
He stressed that the process needs to be followed and while some aspects may be modified depending on the incident, the plan stays consistent.
Avery encourages anyone with flood damage to notify 2-1-1 or the EMA office at 574-936-3740. It is imperative that all damage is documented so information can be sent to FEMA for reimbursement.
In addition to that discussion, the commissioners approved the ratification of the warning and watch level travel advisories and the emergency declaration in Marshall County. The county does remain under a watch level travel advisory as several roads remain submerged under water while others are too damaged to allow traffic.
