County Departments

Public Safety:

Office of Emergency Services

Civil Defense/Emergency Management acts as a coordinating agency during times of emergency or disaster. It takes the combined efforts of all county departments and volunteer organizations to effectively manage these events

Our mission involves the areas of:

• Preparedness
  Preparedness includes planning, resource management and training.
• Response
  Response takes place during or immediately following an event.
• Recovery
  Recovery occurs right after an event and can last for days and up to months depending on the severity of the emergency.
• Mitigation
  Mitigation is anything done to lessen the effects of a hazard, such as raising a house.

TECHNICAL OR MAN-MADE HAZARDS are those which involve things like chemicals, toxins, corrosives and explosives. Things created by mankind to make our daily lives more convenient. After all, polyester doesn't grow on trees. These hazardous materials in their raw form can be dangerous to the public if you become exposed to them. This exposure can occur at a fixed facility or on a transportation route. A fixed facility is a plant site where chemicals are stored and used. A transportation route incident can involve carriers on water, rail, highway, air and pipelines.

NATURAL HAZARDS are those occurring in nature, and there is nothing that can be done to prevent them. These include severe thunderstorms, winter storms, flooding, tornadoes, tropical storms and hurricanes, earthquakes, tidal waves and volcanoes.

Emergency Management Resources