All Things Political: Preparing county for future disaster

Adam Haber

It was late October 2012, when Superstorm Sandy hit Long Island, and wreaked havoc across our communities. 

While some areas were hit by floods, others were hurt by downed power lines and loss of power. 

Unlike this past autumn, the fall of 2012 was particularly cold. Most residents were subjected to darkness and frigid temperatures, and an island wide gas shortage we hadn’t seen the likes of since the 1970s. 

For some, the clean up and impact lasted weeks, for others it was months or years.

In the three short years since Sandy we’ve been lucky. Things have been relatively quiet, and there have been no other disasters, natural or otherwise. 

However, that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. Disasters are happening nationwide on a frequent basis. Being prepared for a disaster is of paramount importance for the safety and welfare of a community, and it’s especially critical for us because we live on an island, and can easily be cut off from access to the supplies we need to live, like gasoline.

You would think on the heels of this tragedy, Nassau would have systems and protections into place, yet what’s in place is limited at best. 

Currently, the county has an emergency management link on its website, where you can receive alerts through emails or text messages by registering online at: http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/1620/Emergency-Management

There is also a video showing on the county website on how to prepare a seven-day Shelter-In-Place Kit, and an additional link for weather advisories.  

However, much more can be done to protect and inform residents, especially since during an emergency, services like power, the Internet and phone are usually disabled or inoperable.

I’ve learned a great deal through my experience and work with All Hands Volunteers (a nonprofit disaster response organization where I am a board member). 

Traveling with All Hands Volunteers to Biloxi, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa after flooding in 2008, to Haiti after the big earthquake in 2010, and most recently to Long Beach after Superstorm Sandy, I’ve seen first-hand what it takes to get people back on their feet. 

If government and citizens take the following precautions, our odds of minimizing impact greatly increase:

What Government Can Do

· In the event of a declaration of an existing or imminent disaster by the county executive, the commissioner of emergency management should be granted cross-agency jurisdiction, with the authority to direct resources from all agencies until the crisis is over.

· The commissioner of emergency management needs to develop and maintain an inventory of county assets that may be called into service during an emergency, including: shelter locations; warming, charging and showering stations; emergency medical care options; generators; emergency transportation; and, any other assets that may be needed. The Commissioner shall also, to the degree possible, maintain similar inventories of assets in the governmental entities in and near Nassau County. 

· Create regional disaster response information based on Nassau’s 19 legislative districts so the public knows whom to contact and legislators can help coordinate distribution of information. 

Legislators or their designees will coordinate with the Office of Emergency Management and emergency personnel to keep the public informed. The Office of Emergency Management will take the lead coordinating operations between the County, local governments and nonprofit entities (such as Red Cross and All Hands Volunteers) to minimize duplication and conflict among organizations, find areas of cooperation to make better use of taxpayer dollars, and improve outcomes for citizens and communities. 

· The Office of Emergency Management needs to create a multi-pronged system of disseminating information to the public with regularly scheduled intervals above and beyond phone and text alerts including: TV, radio, and social media.

· Create social media, mobile technology platforms and tools to allow citizens to report local issues and serve as first-line reporters and damage assessors. Enter into a joint purchasing agreement with Suffolk County for an AM broadcast channel to disburse Long Island specific emergency information.

· The Office of Emergency Management will pre-screen and competitively select contracting entities for disaster response services in advance of hurricane season that begins on June 1. 

· The Office of Emergency Management will develop new regulations to ensure that certain vital businesses, including gas stations, remain operational in the event of a prolonged power failure. Heavy fines and penalties for price gouging need to be put in place.

· The county executive in conjunction with the Office of Emergency Management will hold yearly community forums to gather input on how to improve disaster response. 

· Nassau County will develop a special needs registry to help locate and evacuate residents

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