No matter how prepared and well practiced your locality is to handle post-disaster recovery, putting these plans into action amidst the disarray after a major natural disaster presents unforeseen challenges that put even the best-laid plans to the test. Below, the City of Central, Louisiana, shares some of the strategies they successfully implemented to work… Read more
The City of Central, Louisiana, although well-equipped to handle severe flooding, was forced to navigate unexpected obstacles in the wake of the historic August 2016 flooding. The historic storm dumped 24 inches of rainfall in a 48-hour period, isolating the City and flooding 60 percent of the City’s single-family homes. Reflecting on their experiences, City… Read more
INTRODUCTION Disasters – whether naturally occurring or man-made, foreseeable and unforeseeable – can have a profound impact on counties across the United States. In order to remain healthy, vibrant, safe and economically competitive, America’s counties must be able to anticipate and adapt to a myriad of changing physical, environmental, social and economic conditions. The National… Read more
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) was established by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 and is charged with the deployment of a nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN) that is dedicated to first responder/public safety communications. Counties may also be able to leverage the network during times of non-disaster to… Read more
The response phase of a disaster lends itself to the most media attention, while the long-term recovery operations can extend for years. Elected officials can assist with publicity management and set the stage for an efficient recovery. Knowing how to handle difficult decisions when a disaster strikes can aid in effective implementation of the emergency… Read more
As part of the Resilient Counties Initiative’s effort to create a disaster toolkit for counties, NACo hosted a social media day on December 13, 2018 to showcase how counties have responded to and recovered from disasters and have strengthened resilience within their communities. Throughout the day, counties shared examples of county accomplishments, disaster resilience tools and… Read more
Not every natural disaster comes with a two-month notice, so Yakima County, Washington, is counting its blessings. For several months, roughly 20 acres of a hillside — Rattlesnake Ridge — has been sliding away, threatening homes, highways and the Yakima River. In recent weeks, the slide’s acceleration has slowed, muddying predictions as to when it… Read more
Hurricanes, wildfires, economic collapse, and other disasters can be natural or man-made, acute or long-term, foreseeable or unpredictable. Preparation for and recovery from such events requires both long-term planning and immediate action. NACo works to strengthen county resiliency by building leadership capacity to identify and manage risk, and allow counties to become more flexible and… Read more
A dry summer has led to a spate of Western wildfires that county officials worry will affect health conditions and economic viability for years. And they have not been relegated to rural areas — the Columbia River Gorge went up in flames, bringing smoke into the city of Portland, Ore. The wildfire risk jumped exponentially… Read more
It was about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 9 when Carmel Angelo, Mendocino County, California CEO, was notified by the sheriff’s office that a deadly wildfire was threatening the community. “As I was talking with our captain in the sheriff’s office, who was on the ground notifying neighbors and closing roads, he was trying to apprise me… Read more
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