Catoosa County officials discuss emergency strategies
In the wake of Hurricane Michael and other natural disasters to hit the U.S. over the past year, Catoosa County, Georgia, is beginning the update process for its hazard mitigation plan.
The plan, last updated in 2017, identifies risks and vulnerabilities presented by natural disasters from flooding to earthquakes, and it develops long-term strategies to protect residents and property.
Though the plan must be updated every five years for the county to remain eligible for federal funding for mitigation-related projects — the next update coming in 2022 — Emergency Management Director Dennis Thayer said the county is constantly studying what could be changed or improved.
The need for preparation is more pressing, he believes, as the East Coast was rocked by two hurricanes this year alone, and Hurricane Irma in 2017 caused a state of emergency to be issued for all 159 Georgia counties.
“I think there’s a change in our climate, and I think it’s probably cyclical,” Thayer said. “Until that cycle changes, the potential is there to see more hurricanes.”
In the event of such a disaster, Thayer said, the main issue would be getting critical infrastructure such as power, water, communication and transportation back up and running in a reasonable amount of time.
“For every day the system’s down, it’s that much greater of a stress on the community,” he said. “It’s one thing to survive a couple hours, but when you’re out for days, you’re starting to look at your at-risk populations having to be moved.”
In Catoosa County, transportation could be a major hurdle, Thayer speculated, as the area is very heavily forested, and fallen trees in the roads likely would delay emergency responders. To prepare, emergency officials need adequate resources to clear the roadways as quickly as they can.
“In a large-scale incident like that, there is no way of having adequate resources the first couple days,” said Thayer, who recently helped with Hurricane Michael relief efforts in Calhoun County as part of a Georgia Emergency Management Agency incident management team. “No matter how much you have on hand, it’s not going to be enough.”
For that reason, Catoosa has processes in place to request needed assistance from organizations such as the Georgia Forestry Commission and Department of Natural Resources, he said.
Thayer said he is also focusing on determining which critical facilities within the county have backup generators and which don’t so that emergency officials can plan ahead.
Thayer said a draft hazard mitigation plan is expected to be ready for county officials’ approval by 2021, after being approved by GEMA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.