Officials improve tristate emergency preparedness

By Ron MacArthur, Cape Gazette staff

A Category 3 hurricane is bearing down on the Delmarva Peninsula. Weather forecasters are predicting a direct hit in the heart of the peninsula.

The worst-case scenario is what emergency management planners, law enforcement and government officials, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives, military and volunteers were discussing during a tristate tabletop simulation Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Sussex CHEER Center in Georgetown.

Taking part in the simulation were members of the Delmarva Emergency Task Force from Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

The tabletop exercise was planned to simulate an impact on all three states in order to test emergency plans, said Rosanne Pack, spokeswoman for the Delaware Emergency Management Agency. The exercise provided time for participants to discuss plans to deal with emergencies in a coordinated effort.

Mike Delorenzo, a consultant with CRA, Inc., facilitators of the exercise, brought first-hand knowledge of hurricane readiness to the table. He is the retired preparedness and response bureau chief of the Florida Emergency Management Agency.

He had some tough questions for emergency professionals in the room:
“Would the peninsula be cut off in a Category 3 storm? What is the wind speed design capacity of power poles on the peninsula? What is the evacuation procedure for people with special needs?”

In 2004, his agency was faced with recovering from $42 billion in damage from four hurricanes. He told the group the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, EMAC, was essential to the recovery effort.

Using EMAC, more than 800 emergency staff and other assistance from 36 states was utilized. EMAC is a federal program providing state-to-state assistance during governor-declared states of emergency.

“The process works, but you have to start early,” he said. “All 50 states are involved in this; you are not in this alone.”

Formed in 1998, the Delmarva Emergency Task Force meets on a quarterly basis to develop response partnerships across county and state boundaries.

Some of the major points in this year’s exercise:

Utility crews should be staged outside the impacted area and enter the area to restore power once the storm passed. Electric officials said past experience taught them that working during a storm only drains crews and resources.

The main evacuation route in most cases would be north to I-95.

Delorenzo said evacuation must begin at least 72 hours ahead of a storm. That amount of time is essential to remove people from hospitals. Delorenzo said the patients might not be able to come back if healthcare facilities were damaged.

Emergency officials agreed water, not wind, would be a major concern in any evacuation plan. Flooded roads would be a major problem if evacuation did not occur in advance of the storm.

One of the youngest participants, Justin Kates, 18, of Lewes, graduated from Sussex Tech High School last year. Active in several amateur radio organizations, Kates’ role in the simulation was to coordinate backup amateur radio communication support throughout the state.

“A lot of people are prepared about their specific job but don’t really know a lot about what other people do. This is what was great about this exercise because we were able to talk to each other and share ideas and plans,” he said.

Even though he is only 18, Kates has been involved in numerous amateur radio events and exercises through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and the Military Affiliate Radio System. “From terrorism to tornadoes, amateur radio can be there,” said Kates.

The University of Delaware freshman majoring in engineering said he considering a change in major to emergency management.

“They found a few areas to be polished, but the exercise was definitely a success,” he said.

He said a mock disaster, as a follow-up to the tabletop simulation, would be scheduled in the future.