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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.22.20 Email from Shari McCracken - Emergency Management System explanation for cities_town From:McCracken, Shari To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Lambert, Steve;Lucero, Debra; McCracken, Shari;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;Rodas, Amalia;Sweeney, Kathleen;Teeter, Doug Cc:Boston, Shelby;Dunsmoor, Cindi Subject:Emergency Management System explanation for cities/town Date:Sunday, March 22, 2020 9:50:55 AM Attachments:Memo to City Managers on SEMS - March 2020.docx Emergency Mgmt 101 - response hierarchy - Exhibit A.pdf Resource Request - Exhibit B.pdf Center vs Shelter - Exhibit C.docx Board Members, At the request of some of our cities, andbased on a similar request fromSupervisor Ritter, staff and I will be holding a conference call withour city/town managers to ensure all jurisdictions understand how the emergency management system in California is structured; to clarify that costs incurred for requests from other jurisdictions/organizationsmust be covered bythosejurisdictions/organizations; and to provide information on how each jurisdiction may submit requests through the County. The city/town managers will then be responsible for informing their elected officials and responding to questions within their jurisdictions. Attached for your information are the documents we put together for the discussion. These are by no means inclusive of all things emergency management, but address the main questions we are currently receiving. Take care, Shari Shari McCracken Chief Administrative Officer Butte County Administration 25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965 T:530.552.3305 M: 530.990.5029 ***Please note this is a new phone number and update your records accordingly*** Twitter |Facebook |YouTube |Pinterest Butte County Administration Shari McCracken Chief Administrative Officer 25 County Center Drive, Suite 200 T: 530.552.3300 buttecounty.net/administration Oroville, California 95965 F: 530.538.7120 Members of the Board Bill Connelly | Debra Lucero | Tami Ritter | Steve Lambert | Doug Teeter MEMO Date:March 22, 2020 To:City/Town Managers From:Shari McCracken, Chief Administrative Officer RE: Emergency Management Systems I am writing today to provide some clarification on roles and responsibilities of jurisdictions under the State’s emergency management system, as we respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic.As you knowthe current incident has been proclaimed a local emergency by the County, as well as declared an emergency on the State and federal levels, and I believe some of you are have declared or will be proclaiming your own local emergency. As you proclaim in your local jurisdiction I wanted to provide you information on the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) we follow during a disaster, per State rules and regulations. I have attached a visual aid as well for your reference (Exhibit A). Please note that the State is not completely abiding by its own system, which is leading to confusion at all levels. As local jurisdictions we must follow this structure in order to request resources and obtain reimbursement, but the State may be sending resources without requests, too. As incidents are managed locally, and you as a local government receive requests from the “field” (city/town staff, non-profits) for supplies or services, and your governing body has proclaimed that your jurisdiction will exhaust all human and financial resources within your jurisdiction to fill those requests, per SEMS you may then request assistance from the Operational Area (Butte County EOC).Once a request has been made the Butte County EOC will determine if we can assist or if the need is too great for the Operational Area to meet.Ifthe EOC determines the need can’t be met locally then it is sent up to the Region and then the State. Exhibit A shows our respective roles and responsibilities. I think it is important to note that as we progress through this event, local jurisdictions and the Operational Area (County) will be responsible for costs associated with each of our responses and requests we submit to the next level of government above us. The Operational Area (Butte County EOC) is not responsible for costs of goods and services requested by other jurisdictions, we are just responsible for pushing your requests up the chain of command in SEMS. The cost share ratios remain in place, which are federal (75%), State (18.75%) and local (6.25%). If a non-profit in your jurisdiction is requesting assistance in the form of supplies or services there is a cost associated with that request, and ultimately that entity will be responsible for the costs, and with proper documentation and agreements in place can submit a Claim for the federal and State share of costs. If it is deemed eligible for federal and State reimbursement, the requesting agency/organization is still responsible for 6.25% of the costs. I have attached a .pdf of a Resource Request Form (Exhibit B) and have asked staff if we can create a fillable .pdf or get a cleaner copy. Our Emergency Services Officer will explain the process on our call, and then we will need your staff to coordinate the details directly with staff in the EOC. We will need you to identify the single point of contact in your structure for submittal and coordination of requests. The COVID-19 event is a bit different in that there may be some resources the State sends one or all of the local jurisdictions, and none of us should be charged for those resources as we did not specifically request them. I am also attaching a summary of Warming/Cooling Centers vs. Homeless Shelters vs. Emergency Shelters (Exhibit C), as there continues to be misunderstandings on this issue, which is understandable as it is not clearly provided in a single source from the State. We look forward to discussing this in more detail on Tuesday, so that everyone has the same foundational understanding of how the system works. It is my expectation that each of you will then educate your own organizations and elected officials on the system. Thank you for your continued partnership as we move through this unprecedented event. I appreciate you all! 2 Exhibit C Roles and Responsibilities –Centers, Shelters, Emergency Shelters Provided by Butte County Administration – March 2020 Warming/CoolingCenter Any jurisdiction can open a Warming Center. The County only gets involved in the unincorporated area if criteria in the EOP for Extreme Weather(Cold or Heat)are metand there is a need in the unincorporated area. Note:There is no emergency State or federal funding for this function. It is a local decision if the jurisdiction wants to provide this service and all costs will be covered by the jurisdiction where the center opens. Homeless Shelter Typically provided by community-based groups. The County supports community-based groups through service provision (i.e., case management/services from DESS, Behavioral Health, and Public Health to support eligible clients, or for services for which the County has received specific grant funding). NOTE: There is typically* no emergency State or federal funding for this function. Community- based groups, cities, and counties may be eligible for various grant funds, and the County receives some allocations and grants to serve targeted populations with targeted services, which may be provided at shelters run by other jurisdiction and organizations. *COVID-19 has some funding, but specific to this event and not for the entire homeless population, just specific segments (COVID-19 positive but don’t need hospitalization, displaying symptoms, confirmed to have been exposed to someone that is positive for COVID-19). The process for providing services to the homeless population is in flux as the State continues working on a plan. Some funding and resources may be sent by the State without local jurisdiction requests. We are still waiting on information. Emergency Shelter during a Declared Disaster Any jurisdiction can open an Emergency Shelter if it declares a disaster. The County opens shelters if the disaster occurs in the unincorporated area, or if another local jurisdiction has declared and the governing body finds that needed financial and human resources exceed the ability of the local jurisdiction. There is emergency State funding if the State also declares a State emergency/disaster. There is emergency federal funding, if the President declares a national emergency/disaster.