Title
Adopt Resolution to:
Authorize the CAO/Director of Emergency Services to respond to a request for assistance under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact by sending county personnel, equipment or commodities to areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.
StaffReport
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve a Resolution (a) authorizing the CAO/Director of Emergency Services to respond to a request for assistance under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) by sending county personnel, equipment and commodities to areas affected by Hurricane Sandy; and (b) Monterey County employees directed to respond to a request for aid or assistance under the EMAC shall continue to receive their regular compensation and other benefits; and (c) the CAO/Director of Emergency Services is authorized and directed to seek reimbursement for any expenses incurred in providing a response under the EMAC from all appropriate sources; and (d) the CAO/Director of Emergency Services is further authorized to take such other and further actions as may be necessary to implement the intent and purposes of this resolution.
SUMMARY:
The Emergency Management Assistance Compact is a national disaster-relief compact signed by all fifty (50) states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands and ratified by Congress and signed into law in 1996 (Public Law 104-321). The State of California joined EMAC in 2005.
EMAC offers assistance during a governor-declared state of emergency through a responsive, straightforward system that allows states to send personnel, equipment and commodities to help disaster relief efforts in other states. The strength of EMAC and the quality that distinguishes it from other plans lies in its governance structure; its relationship with federal organizations, states, counties, territories and regions; the willingness of states and response and recovery personnel to deploy; and the ability to move any resource one state wishes to utilize to assist another state.
EMAC establishes a firm legal foundation. Once the conditions for providing assistance to a requesting state have been set, the terms constitute a legally binding contractual agreement that makes affected states responsible for reimbursement. The EMAC legislation solves the problems of liability, worker's compensation and responsibilities of cost and allows for credentials, licenses, and certifications to be honored across state lines. Deploying resources through EMAC also leverages federal grant dollars such as Emergency Management Preparedness Grant, Homeland Security Grant & the Regional Catastrophic Planning Grant invested in state and local emergency management resource capabilities, all of which are received by the County of Monterey. Through EMAC states are able to join forces and help one another when they need it the most.
DISCUSSION:
Hurricane Sandy struck the east coast of the United States the week of October 28th inflicting catastrophic damages to states from North Carolina to New England. Many of the affected states are, and will continue to be overwhelmed for months to come by the amount of disaster relief activities and resources needed. States, such as the State of New York have requested aid pursuant to EMAC.
States unaffected by Hurricane Sandy that are in a position to offer assistance to such requests have begun to offer assistance. The State of California has already begun to provide assistance and it is possible that the County of Monterey may be called upon to provide mutual aid assistance to states affected sometime in the future. The type of assistance being requested at this time includes, but is not limited to the following Emergency Support Functions (ESF):
ESF #1 Transportation
ESF #2 Communications
ESF #3 Public Works/Engineering
ESF #6 Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing & Human Services
ESF #7 Logistics Management & Resource Support
ESF #8 Public Health & Medical Services
ESF #12 Energy
ESF #13 Public Safety & Security
ESF #14 Long-Term Care Community Recovery
ESF #15 External Affairs
EMAC terms and conditions provides that a responding entity is responsible for the payment of compensation of the salary and benefits of personnel in the event that assistance is requested, but that the requesting entity will reimburse the responding entity for expenses including travel, overtime and backfill of personnel, and any loss or damage to equipment as a result of the deployment.
The benefits of providing assistance to affected states under EMAC by the County of Monterey are many; the County could receive reciprocal aid from other states in the event of a disaster that overwhelms the State of California's ability to meet the resource needs for disaster response and relief, and the education and experience that would be gained by personnel providing the aid would be invaluable as an enhancement to the emergency management capabilities of the County.
The County of Monterey may be called upon to provide mutual aid assistance to states affected by Hurricane Sandy at any time. Because the Board of Supervisors is not scheduled to meet regularly between November 7 and December 3, 2012, and between December 12, 2012 and January 7, 2012, in the event authorization is necessary to respond to a request for assistance under the EMAC it is necessary and appropriate to delegate to the CAO/Director of Emergency Services, the authority to respond appropriately to a request for aid and assistance under the EMAC until the first regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting of 2013. Further, that Monterey County employees directed to respond to a request for aid or assistance under the EMAC shall continue to receive their regular compensation and other benefits, and the CAO/Director of Emergency Services is authorized and directed to seek reimbursement for any expenses incurred in providing a response under the EMAC from all appropriate sources.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Office of Emergency Services (OES), as part of the County Administrative Office is responsible for training and coordinating County personnel in their roles and responsibilities of disaster preparedness, response and recovery. OES will respond to requests for assistance from the State of California to states affected by Hurricane Sandy and will coordinate an appropriate response recommendation for county personnel, equipment and/or commodities through Department Heads to the CAO/Director of Emergency Services.
FINANCING:
As with tracking costs for any disaster related emergency proclamation process, assistance provided in response to a EMAC request will be coded and tracked by each County department involved in providing resources. The County of Monterey as the responding entity will be responsible for the payment of compensation and benefits and travel costs up front. EMAC allows for reimbursement for expenses including travel, backfill and overtime incurred.
Prepared by: Approved by:
______________________________ __________________________
Sherrie L. Collins Nicholas E. Chiulos
Emergency Services Manager Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs Director
Attachment: Resolution