The Emergency Management Division has major responsibilities in protecting life and
property and assuring the overall well-being of the County's residents. It
prepares and maintains emergency plans and conducts training programs, including
exercises, to respond to routine incidents, such as hazardous materials releases,
and major calamities such as floods or major transportation accidents.
The emergency plans are designed to identify all hazards that may pose a major
threat to the County, coordinate emergency preparedness and response, streamline
and simplify incident management, effectively manage essential resources,
integrate related agencies and entities (e.g., the Red Cross, utility providers,
key industries, and professional groups having essential emergency resources),
and obtain mutual aid resources from other governmental agencies when it
becomes necessary.
In the case of federal and / or state designated disasters, the Emergency Division
has primary responsibility for obtaining disaster recovery funding for the County
from federal and state agencies.
The Emergency Management Division maintains maps, available for public review, of
areas within the County which may be subject to disasters, such as geologic
hazard areas, flood plains and areas subject to inundation by dam failures. The
office also has a variety of disaster-related informational brochures and other
handout materials available, free of charge, to businesses, civic groups and the
general public.