This plan is designed to serve as a companion document to the Bertie
County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and relies heavily on
annexes, references and procedural
guidance found in the EOP to assist in the management of recovery activities and operations.
References and relationships to the annexes of the Emergency
Operations Plan are found in Attachment 8
of this plan.
Bertie County is a county located in the north eastern region of North
Carolina. The current full-time population is estimated at 21,282
people (U.S. Census Bureau 2010 : State and
County QuickFacts 2012).
The County occupies an area of 699.27 square miles and has a population
density of approximately 30.4 persons per square mile. The county is susceptible
to a variety of natural and manmade events including, but not
limited to; fire, flooding,
hurricane, severe thunderstorm, terrorism, tornado, winter storm,
hazardous materials, and nor'easters. Bertie County is
prepared to respond to such events, and through the development of a
Disaster Recovery Plan, is building on the capabilities to recover
from disasters.
In
order to continue to build on the recovery approaches and procedures
in place, Emergency Management, in coordination with the North
Carolina Division of Emergency Management (NCDEM), began a
comprehensive recovery planning process. This process included
key county departments, support agencies, and personnel that play a
role in county recovery operations. The Disaster Recovery Plan was
developed using information and approaches highlighted during the
planning process. Development of this plan has taken into account
personnel expertise, lessons learned from past events, relevant
guidance, laws, statutes, ordinances, best practices, and industry
standards.
This
plan establishes the procedures and activities used by the County
government and departments to return to pre-disaster conditions as
quickly and efficiently as possible following an event. The plan
should be used as a guiding document during the recovery phase of an
event. Response and some recovery phase activities are identified and outlined in
the County�s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Due to the cyclical
nature of emergency management, there will be some overlap between
the response and recovery phase.
Recovery is a complex and long-term process that involves a range of
activities and many participants. Recovery begins shortly after the
disaster event occurs and can continue for many years. It involves
short-term restoration of essential community functions and
long-term rebuilding. It incorporates mitigation of hazards as the
restoration and rebuilding take place.
This plan addresses how to get financial, organizational, and human
resources focused on both short-term and long-term needs based on
locally defined priorities. Recovery actions involve:
Analyzing post-disaster conditions and opportunities for
restoring the community to pre-disaster condition or better.
Identifying needs and priorities in repairing and restoring
vital facilities for short-term functioning of the
community.
Initiating hazard abatement (short-term) and mitigation
(long-term).
Initiating housing recovery (temporary and long-term).
Identifying the methodology for local business recovery and
temporary business resumption.
Providing support for essential economic facility recovery
(i.e., highways, railways).
Maximizing available state and federal assistance.
The
process of recovery has to do with the way the community organizes
itself to make decisions, set priorities, and work with affected
subgroups of the population and important stakeholders. The recovery
process involves:
Strategies to plan for recovery of hard-hit individual areas
while allowing normal functions to continue in unaffected areas.
Strategies for community participation and investment of
stakeholders.
The
Disaster Recovery Plan has been developed to coordinate and
facilitate recovery operations for Bertie County as well as the
municipalities located within the county.
The
following situations impact the Bertie County Recovery Plan:
Bertie County is vulnerable to potential threats ranging from
natural disasters to terrorist attacks; therefore, an
all-hazards planning approach is essential.
County buildings and facilities are vulnerable to the effects of
severe weather, hazardous events, fire, flooding, etc.
Bertie County is located in the northeastern region of the State of
North Carolina. The population of the county was estimated at
21,282 individuals in 2010 (U.S. Census Bureau: State and
County QuickFacts). It is estimated that by 2016 the population will
exceed 21,500.
A large-scale event has the potential to overwhelm Bertie
County resources and capabilities, requiring assistance from the state,
the federal government, and private and nonprofit organizations.
County officials are aware of the possible occurrence of a
disaster event and their responsibilities in the execution of
this plan.
This plan will be reviewed for changes to relevant information
regularly. The plan should be reviewed at least annually and
following every exercise or actual event. Long-term plan
maintenance should be undertaken carefully, planned for in
advance, and completed according to an established schedule.
Plan Maintenance Activities
Primary responsibility for coordinating the plan development
and maintenance process rests with the County Emergency
Management Coordinator.
Operational plans and supporting standard operating
procedures (SOP) will be developed in conjunction with
department heads, Emergency Management representatives, and
various supporting organizations.
Periodic revisions to this plan will be identified by the
"Updated
date" at the beginning of this document. The County Emergency Management Coordinator is
responsible for performing periodic reviews of all plans and
SOPs with appropriate agencies and departments. The revision
process will include incorporation of necessary changes
based upon periodic tests, drills, exercises, or actual
events. Updates, changes, modifications, additions,
deletions, and/or corrections to this plan may be determined
to be administrative in nature and may not require approval
of the County Manager or the re-approval or promulgation of
the entire plan. Decisions regarding such shall be made by
the Emergency Management Coordinator in coordination and
consultation with the County Manager.
If the County Manager feels the updates, changes,
modifications, additions, deletions, or corrections to this
plan are of such significance that Bertie County Board of
Commissioners action is advised, the Emergency Management
Coordinator shall prepare appropriate documentation and submit
the documentation through normal channels to the Board of
Commissioners for consideration. Emergency updates,
changes, modifications, additions, deletions, or corrections
to this plan or any policy, procedure, or annex that is part
of this plan, may be made as an interim measure with approval
of the Chairman of the Bertie County Board of
Commissioners without prior consent or approval of the
entire board sitting in either regular or emergency session.
At a minimum, this plan shall be exercised in accordance
with locally established exercise schedules and planning
updates.
Emergency Management, in cooperation with federal, state,
and local emergency services agencies, will schedule and
conduct required training activities to ensure emergency
response capabilities and certification. Training calendars
will be provided periodically to inform interested
personnel.
The Emergency Management Coordinator, in coordination with the
Recovery Steering Committee, is responsible for ensuring that
the Disaster Recovery Plan and Recovery Functions documents are
reviewed and revised regularly. Plan maintenance issues to
consider include:
Distributing and communicating the Disaster Recovery Plan
Designating the review team
Identifying issues that impact the frequency of changes
required to the Disaster Recovery Plan
Establishing a review cycle
Policy or mission changes that significantly affect recovery
functions or their priorities
Changes that affect lead and support agencies for each
recovery function
Changes in technology, communication, or systems (critical
resources)
Changes in organizational structure
Changes to specific information such as contact lists,
vendor lists, succession of leadership, etc.
The following information was developed from the Bertie
County
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
As required by
North Carolina General Statute 166A-2, it is the
responsibility of county government to organize and plan for
the protection of life and property from the effects of
hazardous events.
Responsibility for coordination and support of the recovery
effort lies with local government.
The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, in cooperation
with the County Manager and County Emergency Management
Coordinator, will coordinate and manage county resources and
advise municipalities of needs or progress. If necessary,
state assistance will be requested.
The County Emergency Operations Center will be staffed and
operated as the situation dictates. The Emergency
Operations Center will be activated during the response
phase and continue through the recovery phase as necessary. Recovery
operations will initially be coordinated from the Emergency
Operations Center.
If the emergency situation warrants, the senior elected
official or the designee of the jurisdiction may
declare a
State of Emergency to exist within the jurisdiction (or a
part thereof) and begin implementing emergency procedures.
As requests for resources become overwhelming, the County
will coordinate as appropriate with adjoining counties for
additional available resources while also working with North
Carolina Emergency Management to use state resources when
county capabilities become exhausted.
In accordance with each department�s SOPs and the
responsibilities outlined in this plan, the County will work
to restore critical systems and infrastructure back to its
pre-disaster condition and to restore county business
operations back to order as quickly as possible.
The County will assist its residents through federal and
state programs as available to return their primary
residences to a safe, sanitary condition.
Accurate
emergency logs and expenditure records will be kept from the
onset of the disaster by each local government
agency/organization. Standardized forms have been developed
for local government; these forms will be available through
the County Finance Office.
The
President may authorize the utilization of any Federal
equipment, personnel and other resources.
The
Governor may request a Presidential Declaration or specific
Federal Agency declarations, i.e., Small Business
Administration, Department of Corps of Engineers, etc., to
augment state/local/private disaster relief efforts.
The ASCS
will be the lead agency for agricultural disasters under an
agency declaration. For natural disasters where loss is
confined to agriculture, the following actions will occur:
damage
assessment
USDA
County Emergency Board meeting
submission of a USDA Flash Situation Report to ASCS Area
Office
exchange of information on available programs/actions plus
other counties affected
State
review of damage assessments reports
decision made by State Board on "concurring" and "not
concurring" with information in the damage assessment
reports
forwarding of reports to the Farm Service Agency national
headquarters to support a request for designation of a
county for FHA Emergency Loans
A
Presidential Declaration of Disaster will initiate the
following series of events:
A
Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) will be appointed by
the President to coordinate the federal efforts.
A
State Coordinating Officer (SCO) and Governor's
Authorized Representative (GAR) will be appointed by the
Governor to coordinate the state efforts.
A
Disaster Field Office (DFO) will be established within
the state (central to the damaged areas) from which the
disaster assistance programs will be administered.
FEMA
will establish a toll-free telephone number for tele-registration.
Applications for Individual Assistance will be taken at
this number as soon as the County has been included in a
Disaster Declaration. Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs)
will be established in the disaster area to accommodate
persons needing individual assistance.
An
applicants briefing will be held to explain public
assistance eligibility criteria for officials of the
county, cities and private nonprofit organizations.
The Emergency Management Coordinator will assist
with identification and notification of potential
applicants.
Each
eligible entity will submit a
Request
for Public Assistance (RPA) within thirty days of
the Declaration. Each applicant will be required to
designate an �Applicant Agent� who will officially
represent the applicant and sign all documentation.
A
Presidential Declaration of Disaster may authorize two basic
types of disaster relief assistance:
Individual Assistance (IA) - supplementary Federal
assistance provided under the Stafford Act to individuals
and families adversely affected by a major disaster or an
emergency. Such assistance may be provided directly by the
Federal Government or through State or local governments or
disaster relief organizations.
Individual Assistance may consist of any or all of the
following:
temporary housing (100% federal dollars)
individual and family grants (IFG)
disaster unemployment assistance
disaster loans to individuals, businesses, and farmers
agricultural assistance
legal
services to low-income families and individuals
consumer counseling and assistance in obtaining
insurance benefits
Veterans' assistance
casualty loss tax assistance
Public Assistance
(PA) - supplementary Federal assistance provided under the
Stafford Act to State and local governments or certain
private, nonprofit organizations other than assistance for
the direct benefit of individuals and families.
Category A: Removal of
debris, including clearance of trees, woody debris, and
building wreckage; sand, mud, silt, and gravel; and other
disaster-related material on public property.
Category B: Measures
taken before, during, and after a disaster to save lives and
protect public health and safety.
Category C: Roads,
bridges, and associated features, such as shoulders,
ditches, culverts, lighting and signs.
Category D: Water
control facilities, including drainage channels, pumping
facilities, and the emergency repair of levees. Permanent
repair of flood control works is the responsibility of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
Category E: Buildings
including their contents and systems.
Category F: Utility
distribution systems, such as water treatment and delivery
systems, power generation facilities and distribution lines,
and sewage collection and treatment facilities.
Category G: Public
parks, recreational facilities and other facilities,
including playgrounds, swimming pools and cemeteries.
Following
the Public Assistance Applicant's briefings and receipt of
RPAs, Damage Survey Report teams will be dispatched from the
DFO to inspect every damaged site and prepare Damage Survey
Reports (DSR) for each applicant. The DSR will provide a
recommended scope of work and give estimated costs in
accordance with FEMA eligibility criteria. The criteria
allow repairs or restoration of facilities to their
predisaster condition in accordance with applicable codes,
specifications and standards. DSRs are intended only to
supplement insurance policies held by eligible applicants.
A
community response to disaster follows a phased approach that
includes short-term and long-term phases. The recovery phase
begins during the response phase. Initial focus is on impact
assessment.
Short-term recovery operations will begin during the
response phase of the emergency and can last up to six
months. The goal of short-term recovery is to restore
government services to at least minimal capacity.
Short-term recovery includes:
Restoration of utility and transportation services
Expanded social, medical and mental health services
Re-establishment of local government operations
Debris removal and clean-up operations
Abatement and demolition of hazardous structures
The goal of long-term recovery is to restore facilities to
pre-disaster condition. Some of the long-term recovery
activities are extensions of short-term activities; other
long-term tasks begin after short-term tasks are completed.
The long-term recovery phase can last up to 10
years. Long-term recovery includes:
Coordinated delivery of long-term social and health
services
Improved land use planning
Re-establishment of the local economy to pre-disaster
levels
Recovery of disaster response costs
Effective integration of mitigation strategies into
recovery planning and operations.
Bertie County has determined that there are 18 critical
recovery functions that must be addressed during the recovery
phase of an event. These Recovery Functions assist in returning
the county to normal operations as quickly and efficiently as
possible after an event. They are:
Each recovery function is activated on an incident-by-incident
basis, which may result in a full or partial activation. Each
recovery function has identified lead and support agencies,
activities to be completed, concept of operations, and roles and
responsibilities.
Bertie County has adopted the National Incident Management
Systems (NIMS) approach and guidance. For additional information
on NIMS and the Incident Command Systems (ICS), refer to the
Bertie County Emergency Operations Plan.
The Federal
Government may provide federal resources to local governments
through the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. The
National Response Framework outlines Emergency Support Functions
(ESFs) for federal agencies. These Federal Emergency Support
Functions are:
The actions of a response to any disaster situation are outlined
in the Bertie County Emergency Operations Plan. The recovery
operation is led by Emergency Management. Under the direction of
the Emergency Management Coordinator, the following
groups will assist with coordination of the recovery operation:
Recovery Steering Committee
The Bertie County Recovery Steering Committee is a
standing committee that has been established to provide a
coordination mechanism and oversee the recovery and
reconstruction process. The Recovery Steering Committee also
serves as an advisory committee to Bertie County personnel,
departments, and agencies responsible for recovery
activities. Prior to an event, the Recovery Steering
Committee meets regularly to discuss approaches,
responsibilities, and changes in policy and procedures to
ensure everyone understands their roles and
responsibilities. After plan activation, the Recovery
Steering Committee meets on a daily basis (or as often as
the Emergency Management Coordinator deems necessary) and
provides representation in the County Emergency Operations
Center.
Major duties of the Recovery Steering Committee include:
Establish uniform policies for effective coordination to
accomplish recovery tasks resulting from a natural or
manmade disaster.
Recommend and coordinate efforts to return to normal
operations following an event.
Assist in identifying mitigation opportunities and
resources.
Determine the activation of recovery functions.
Recovery Group
The Recovery Group; also lead by the
Emergency Management Coordinator, is made up of members from each of the lead
support agencies outlined in the recovery functions. The
Recovery Committee helps to carry out all recovery
operations through collaboration and communication.
Municipal Governments
Bertie County includes a number of municipal and town
governments. Although most recovery activities are managed
at the county level, municipalities also have an important
role in the process. For example, each municipality has
defined its own re-entry procedures and must be included in
the decision process concerning temporary housing sites,
road clearance, and debris management operations. The
Committee includes representation from each of the
participating municipalities in the county. Representatives provide
information on capabilities within each municipality and on
how the municipality can assist the County.
The Recovery Steering Committee will develop a
Recovery Incident
Action Plan (RIAP) based on the event and its impacts. This
event-specific RIAP, in part, will specify which recovery
functions are activated.
The RIAP defines a phased recovery program with priorities and
actions to:
Eliminate life-threatening conditions
Restore utility and transportation services
Provide and restore suitable housing conditions
Resume normal economic activity
Expedite the securing of financial assistance from both the
public and private sectors
Restore other important services to normal levels
Restore the community�s physical facilities; both public and
private (waste collection, street lighting, street cleaning,
traffic control, hospitals, schools, nurseries, day care,
etc.)
State agencies can provide assistance
to Bertie County.
Requests for state resources will be made through the Bertie
County Emergency Management Coordinator to the North Carolina
Division of Emergency Management Western Branch or as directed
to the State Emergency Operations Center via WebEOC, or if
necessary, by telephone or radio.
The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) will be fully or
partially activated as necessary to support the County's
requests. Additionally, it is expected SERT may have a role in
most (if not all) disasters.
North Carolina Division of
Emergency Management
The North Carolina Division of Emergency Management will provide support to the local
Emergency Management Coordinator. This support includes, but is not limited
to:
On-scene response by the area coordinator or designee
Assistance with dissemination of emergency public
information
Relay of information to and from state and federal agencies
Coordination of state agencies during events
Transmittal and tracking of resource requests
Assistance with planning, training and recovery operations.
North Carolina State
Disaster Recovery Team (SDRT)
The
State Disaster Recovery Team (SDRT) is composed of all
necessary organizations involved in the State�s disaster
recovery efforts. The SDRT is responsible for ensuring that the
State delivers a cohesive and coordinated interagency effort.
It serves as a parallel organization to the State Emergency
Response Team (SERT), and both organizations are activated at
the same time. While the SERT addresses issues of immediate and
emergency health and safety measures, the SDRT addresses issues
associated with the long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts of
returning the affected regions and communities to their
pre-disaster conditions. Some of the roles that are carried
out by the SDRT are:
Coordinating Damage Assessment
� Immediately after a disaster, preliminary damage
assessments (PDA) reflect the initial needs of public health
and safety. However, as the State shifts from immediate
response to long-term recovery, all SDRT members are
responsible for ensuring that effective damage assessments
occur and are reported to the SDRT. The SDRT oversees the
compilation and maintenance of a comprehensive damage
assessment that includes the effect on business and
industry, labor and workforce, agriculture, environment,
transportation and infrastructure, public health and
welfare, housing, government services and facilities, and
other affected areas.
Identifying and Prioritizing All Losses
and Needs� The SDRT comprehensively assesses the
effects of a disaster, and identifies and prioritizes the
greatest needs. Information collected and reported by an
SDRT serves as a resource in advising the Governor and other
state leaders in developing a recovery strategy.
Developing a Recovery Strategy � The
SDRT uses the information regarding losses and needs to
determine how best to address the problems. The SDRT assists
in identifying and pursuing federal assistance, as well as
supplying input on where or how the State should provide
assistance.
Overseeing Recovery Efforts � As
federal, state, and local governments coordinate with
private and nonprofit organizations in long-term recovery
efforts, the SDRT is the State body charged with ensuring
that all efforts are working in concert and progressing
effectively.
Addressing Ongoing Problems and Needs
During Recovery� The SDRT is charged with
identifying and resolving all issues that arise in the
weeks, months, or years of the State�s recovery efforts.
Federal Agencies
Federal agencies will assist with disaster recovery as outlined
in the National Response Framework. They often can provide
monetary assistance and human and material resources once a
federal disaster declaration is obtained by the State for
Bertie County.
Requests for federal assistance will be made through the North
Carolina Division of Emergency Management and other state
agencies as appropriate. Federal agencies and the assistance
that they can provide are further outlined in each recovery
function.
Activation
The Emergency Management Coordinator, under the direction of the
County Board of Commissioners and the County Manager, will
activate the Disaster Recovery Plan as appropriate. Because
recovery and response operations often overlap, the Coordinator may
activate any or all of the recovery functions to return the
county to its pre-disaster condition. The Coordinator will first
ensure that the immediate emergency situations are addressed as
outlined in the Emergency Operations Plan.
Deployment
During the initial phase of recovery operations, the most
important consideration is ensuring the continuation of county
government and essential county services. During the recovery
phase of an event, a number of county departments, state
agencies, and private and nonprofit organizations have roles and
responsibilities for ensuring recovery functions are completed.
The lead and support agencies for each recovery function are
identified in detail in section 4 of this plan.
Employment and Staffing
The County Manager, in coordination with county government
agency leaders, will determine the staff necessary to restore
essential services and conduct recovery operations. They will
staff these functions by temporarily reassigning staff members,
by using mutual aid, volunteers,
Emergency Management Assistance
Compact (EMAC), and by hiring staff as needed. Some functions
may be partially funded through federal and state disaster
programs.
Additional Staffing Needs
During and just following an event, it may be necessary for the
County to hire additional personnel to assist in completing
recovery-related activities. Hiring additional personnel is
coordinated though the human resources department under the
direction of the County Manager. The County Manager will work
to find state and federal funding to assist the County in paying
for additional personnel. If funding assistance is not
available, the County Manager will provide authorization to use
emergency funds to hire additional personnel.
Demobilization
The County Manager, in coordination with the Emergency
Management Coordinator and the Recovery Steering Committee,
determines when to discontinue recovery operations and return to
normal operations. This decision should be made considering the
completion of both short-term and long-term recovery operations.
It is important to note that some recovery functions may
demobilize before others based on the extent of the damage and
the complexity of the recovery operation.
Bertie County has determined that there are numerous critical recovery
functions that must be addressed during the recovery phase of an
event. These recovery functions assist in returning the county to
normal operations as quickly and efficiently as possible after an
event. Each recovery function is activated on an
incident-by-incident basis, which may result in a full or partial
activation. Each recovery function identifies lead and support
agencies, activities to be completed, concept of operations and
roles and responsibilities.
Recovery Function 1: Emergency Management
The purpose of Recovery Function 1
- Emergency Management, is to
establish the procedures for assessing the impact of a disaster
immediately following an event. Recovery Function 1 also
coordinates disaster recovery activities among the members of
the Bertie County�s Disaster Recovery Team. Recovery
Function 1 determines recovery priorities, identifies resource
needs for countywide disaster recovery, justifies necessary
state and federal assistance, and identifies structures that are
unsafe for occupation. Finally, Recovery Function 1 coordinates
the efforts of operational services and Emergency
Management by establishing the procedures for staging and
allocating necessary equipment, and for determining which
facilities will be needed in the event of a disaster (e.g.,
transitional housing, sheltering etc.).
Recovery Function 2: Administration and Continuity of Government
The purpose of Recovery Function 2
- Administration and
Continuity of Government, is to provide information regarding
the lines of succession for government administration and
potential continuity locations for conducting county essential
functions.
Recovery Function 3: Public Information and Community Relations
The purpose of Recovery Function 3
- Public Information and
Community Relations, is to outline the activities related to the
dissemination of public information prior to, during, and
following an event. Following a disaster, the Public
Information Officer collects, processes and disseminates
disaster information to the public and to government employees.
The Public Information Officer also coordinates with media
outlets to provide live or taped interviews regarding the
disaster throughout the recovery process.
Recovery Function 4: Individual Assistance
The purpose of Recovery Function 4
- Individual Assistance, is to
inform disaster victims about the state and federal individual
assistance programs that are available, provide convenient sites
where the public can apply for assistance programs in a
post-disaster environment, explain how to apply, and provide
assistance to disaster victims as needed.
Recovery Function 5: Volunteers and Donations
The purpose of Recovery Function 5
- Volunteers and Donations, is
to establish the procedures for receiving and placing
spontaneous volunteers, managing donations of goods, services
and cash, and coordinating with established voluntary agencies
during and following a disaster.
Recovery Function 6: Security and Re-entry
The purpose of Recovery Function 6
- Security and Re-entry, is to
promote and facilitate the timely re-entry of essential response
and recovery personnel, government officials, property owners,
business owners, media, etc., to speed the recovery of Bertie
County
and its economy and to provide uniform guidance following a
large-scale disaster to law enforcement personnel with direct
access to the impacted areas.
Recovery Function 7: Health and Human Services
The purpose of Recovery Function 7
- Health and Human Services, is
to provide the procedures for ensuring that health and human
safety issues are adequately addressed following a disaster. This function also establishes procedures related to meeting the
needs of the county during a mass casualty event.
Recovery Function 8: Public Works
The purpose of Recovery Function 8
- Public Works, is to provide
the procedures for performing the timely removal, transport,
storage, elimination, and recycling of debris caused by a
disaster. This recovery function also provides information for
how to handle the rebuilding and repair of damaged public
infrastructure, buildings, and services.
Recovery Function 9: Utility Restoration
The purpose of Recovery Function 9
- Utility Restoration, is to
provide the procedures for restoring utilities to pre-disaster
conditions as quickly as possible following a disaster.
Recovery Function 10: Planning and Mitigation
The purpose of Recovery Function 10
- Planning and Mitigation, is
to establish an emergency permitting system to be used following
a declared disaster. This expedites repair, restoration, or
rebuilding of safe habitable structures. Recovery Function 10
also provides the regulations for allowing rebuilding and
reconstruction of damaged structures in an orderly, safe, and
timely manner and assists in the procedures for temporary
housing (site identification, management, etc.) following a
disaster. Finally, Recovery Function 10 provides the procedures
that will facilitate the integration of the existing Bertie
County
Hazard Mitigation Plan into disaster recovery efforts.
Recovery Function 11: Economic Restoration and Recovery
The purpose of Recovery Function 11
- Economic Restoration and
Recovery, is to establish the procedures that will be needed to
restore the County�s economy following a disaster.
Recovery Function 12: Environmental Preservation & Restoration
The purpose of Recovery Function 12
- Environmental Preservation &
Restoration, is to establish the post-disaster procedures for
preserving and restoring environmentally sensitive areas of the
county following a disaster.
Recovery Function 13: Finance
The purpose of Recovery Function 13
- Finance, is to establish the
procedures for tracking disaster-related expenditures so that
the County will be able to maximize reimbursement of those
expenses.
Recovery Function 14: Housing
The purpose of Recovery Function 14
- Housing, is to identify
and determine pre-event disaster housing activities as well as
establish sheltering, transitional housing and long-term housing
opportunities and activities during each phase of an event. The
ultimate objective is to assist disaster victims in repairing,
rebuilding, and returning to their permanent housing as quickly
and efficiently as possible after an event.
Recovery Function 15: Education
The purpose of Recovery Function 15
- Education, is to provide the
specific activities that are to be completed following a
disaster should the Bertie County School District and/or the
Bertie County Recovery Steering Committee choose to activate the
function. Recovery Function 15 also details the initial actions
that need to be taken when re-opening schools within the county.
Recovery Function 16: Agriculture
The purpose of Recovery Function 16
- Agriculture, is to identify
the services that will be provided to assist the agricultural
community as it recovers from a disaster and the agencies that
will provide services.
Recovery Function 17: Receiving and Distribution
The purpose of Recovery Function 17
- Receiving and Distribution,
is to receive and then distribute necessary provisional
commodities to assist the citizens and communities as they
recover from a disaster and identify the agencies that will
provide services.
Recovery Function 18: Legal
The purpose of Recovery Function 18
- Legal, is to
review necessary legal documents such as contracts and to
provide legal guidance and review to Bertie County regarding
legal matters.
The purpose of Recovery Function 1 � Emergency
Management is to establish the procedures for
assessing the impact of a disaster immediately
following an event. It also coordinates disaster
recovery activities among the members of the
Bertie (County) Disaster Recovery Team. This
function determines recovery priorities, identifies
resource needs for county-wide disaster recovery,
justifies necessary state and federal assistance,
and identifies structures unsafe for occupation.
Finally, it coordinates County Operation Services
and Emergency Management in establishing the
procedures for staging and allocating necessary
equipment and for determining which facilities
(e.g., transitional housing, sheltering) will be
needed in the event of a disaster.
Recovery Function 1 activities include the
following:
Information will be tabulated and entered into
the NC CIMS (Crisis Information Management
System)
WebEOC.
Bertie County Emergency Management and the County Tax
Administrator will determine when damage
assessment teams will be assembled and make
assignments to areas of the county.
Assessment teams made up of federal, state and
local partners will assess affected areas and
establish dollar amount assessments of damage to
all public structures within their area of
responsibility. Teams will also assess the
level of damage to homes and businesses affected
in their area of responsibility.
Assessment team determinations are symbolized by
the use of color-coded placards at each
structure. Placards include information about
the process the owner will be required to follow
to correct the damage to the property.
Provide and establish basic needs for the
population in the county after an event.
Assist with coordination of residents in need of
housing from shelters to transitional shelters.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Maintain pre-disaster maps, photos and other
documents for County infrastructure.
Establish a system for use of
WebEOC to include assigning authorities, training,
and building forms and boards to build
capacity for staffing recovery operations.
Post-Event
Conduct the initial damage assessment
(including windshield assessment, disaster
assessment and impact assessment) as soon as
it is determined by Emergency Management
staff that it is safe for disaster
assessment teams to enter the impacted
areas. The purpose of the initial impact
assessment is to determine the extent of the
disaster and whether or not outside
assistance will be needed.
Develop the Recovery Incident Action Plan (RIAP).
The Recovery Planning Unit uses the initial
damage assessment information to populate
the RIAP. The RIAP is then presented to the
Recovery Committee to help them determine
which other recovery functions to activate.
Conduct a more detailed damage assessment
with federal and state partners to determine
what infrastructure has been damaged or
destroyed and to identify damages for the
purposes of rebuilding. This process is
managed by the Emergency Management.
Emergency Management determines the makeup
of damage assessment teams, when to assemble
damage assessment teams, and makes
assignments to areas of the county.
Provide basic assistance (e.g., food and
water) to the public, as needed. Depending
upon the severity of the disaster, agencies
like the American Red Cross, Salvation Army,
the Baptist Men and other voluntary
organizations active in disaster provide
mass care feeding services throughout the
county.
Establish dollar amount assessments of
damage to and insurance information for all
structures, including public infrastructure
and critical facilities.
Compile a list of locations and damage
estimates of public and private structures
indicating the level of damage:
Unaffected
Minor � Damaged 20 percent or less
Major � Damaged greater than 20 percent
and up to 50 percent
Destroyed � Damaged greater than 50
percent
Assign a color-coded placard to each
assessed structure indicating the extent of
damage to the structure. The certified
building inspector leaves a color-coded
placard at the site in a conspicuous
location. The placard provides instructions
to the owner if a zoning or building permit
is required for repairs. The color codes
are as follows:
Green Placard � Limited
Restriction/Minor Repairs: A green
placard denotes minor damage to the
property. Placard information includes
permission to make these minor repairs
without having to obtain a zoning or
building permit. Structures with minor
damage can be made habitable in a short
period of time with minimal repairs.
Yellow Placard � Restricted
Entry/Moderate Damage:
A yellow placard denotes substantial
damage to the property. Placard
information includes instructions on how
to apply for a zoning and/or building
permit. The owner is not allowed to
occupy the structure until an evaluation
has been completed and approved by the
County. This category may include
damage to the following portions of a
structure: foundation, roof, wall
sections and any other major components
of the property. The baseline indicator
for this assessment category is damage
resulting in less than 50 percent of the
replacement cost of the structure at the
time of damage.
Red Placard � Unsafe: A red placard denotes that the property
has sustained major damage. Placard
information includes that the structure
is unsafe and may not be occupied.
Buildings posted with this placard shall
not be entered under any circumstances
except as authorized in writing by the
County. This placard is not to be
considered a demolition order.
Structures with major damage are
considered destroyed when the damage is
determined to be of such an extent that
repair is not feasible. The baseline
indicator for this assessment category
is damage equal to or greater than 75
percent of the replacement cost of the
structure at the time of damage.
The purpose of Recovery Function 2 � Administration
and Continuity of Government is to provide
information regarding the lines of succession for
government administration as well as potential
continuity locations for conducting Bertie County
essential functions.
Recovery Function 2 activities include the
following:
Name successors for County department heads. In
the absence of the department head, the
successor will perform the duties of that
position prior to, during or after an event.
Identify successors for the Board of
Commissioners, in accordance with North Carolina
statutes.
Develop and update a county-wide Continuity Of Operations (COOP)
Plan. The COOP plan is based
on information regarding essential functions and
supporting requirements as provided by
individual County departments.
Invite municipalities to meet with County
Recovery Team members to discuss their COOP
plans. This ensures that each department knows
what they are responsible for and what will be
expected of them during an event that impacts
their ability to continue performing essential
functions within their municipality. All COOP
plans should be reviewed and updated annually.
Develop policies that encourage employees to
return to work after a disaster.
Oversee infrastructure security for the County.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Bertie County Continuity of Operations Plan
(COOP) (on file - Emergency Management office)
Concept of Operations
Pre-Event
Coordinate with each
municipality
to compare, review and update plans
annually. Each municipality should have
their own relocation, re-entry and recovery
plans separate from the County�s plans. Each municipality should have an identified
line of succession for key staff.
Bertie County Emergency Management maintains an
outgoing voice message system (GeoComm). Primarily
used to alert citizens and provide emergency
information, it can also be used for other
purposes.
This system will be utilized to notify
County employees for emergencies, as needed.
County employees may also get information
via telephone.
The County has
identified several backup Emergency
Operations Center locations that could be
used when the government is not completely
moved out of the county. These locations
are reviewed and re-evaluated annually,
which includes conducting a walk-through of
each facility to ensure its viability as an
alternate location.
Prepare plans to allow certain County
government services and essential functions
to continue paying bills, meeting payroll,
maintaining contractual relationships,
inspecting buildings with regular permit
work underway, keeping equipment
functioning, arraigning criminal suspects,
meeting cities legal obligations and holding
public hearings.
Develop a contingency staffing plan to
perform essential functions.
Prepare plans for ensuring the availability
of publicly and privately owned equipment
and services needed during the recovery and
reconstruction process.
Post-Event
Following a disaster, coordinate with County
Emergency Management to determine which
government facilities have been damaged or
destroyed. This helps to determine what
backup facilities are needed.
During an event, the County Manager (or
designee) communicates with all County
employees to keep them updated. The
workforce should be advised of upcoming
weather conditions, evacuation plans,
operations, decisions to modify County
government operations and relocation
procedures.
The Emergency Management has developed
relocation procedures in the event that
County government is forced to move outside
the county.
Determine the status of local government
operations, communications and requirements
for each of the following:
Space
Supplies and equipment
Vehicles
Personnel
Related support
The County Manager determines when and for
how long routine County government business
and services will be modified during the
response and short-term recovery phases.
The County Manager also reviews operational
plans enacted by emergency personnel for
emergency services.
Ensure that County departments have
activated their COOP plans, as appropriate.
Anticipate the need to set new priorities,
reassign staff and/or hire/contract
additional temporary staff.
Coordinate the establishment of County
government services at temporary sites, as
necessary. Ensure that the department(s)
relocating have activated their COOP plan
and scheduled to transfer activities,
personnel, records and equipment to
alternate operating facilities.
Determine what infrastructure and which
essential services are required to continue
or re-establish critical County government
services.
Determine methods and guidelines for
retrieving needed resources from damaged
County facilities.
Ensure the repair or restoration of the
County�s normal communication and
information systems, including restoration
of the following:
The purpose of Recovery Function 3 � Public
Information and Community Relations is to outline
the activities related to the dissemination of
public information prior to, during and following an
event. Following a disaster, the Public Information
Officer collects, processes and disseminates
disaster information to the public and government
employees. The Public Information Officer also
coordinates with media outlets to provide live or
taped interviews regarding the disaster throughout
the recovery process.
Recovery Function 3 activities include the
following:
Coordinate information related to all recovery
function activities and disseminate the
information to the public, Bertie County
departments, and other agencies and
organizations.
Establish procedures for rumor control and
emergency instructions.
Establish the emergency call-in telephone lines to provide
emergency information, including contacts for
missing relatives, areas that are restricted
within the county and on-going emergency
services.
Provide emergency public information materials
for special populations, including non-English
speaking groups and the visually impaired.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Establish points of contact and a system for
dissemination to provide recovery
information in
the following manners:
To the public through the media
Directly to the public
Through community networks such as
businesses, neighborhood organizations and
special interest groups, as appropriate
Coordinate with the appropriate agencies to
conduct annual seminars and workshops with
business and community leader groups to
publicize the goals, objectives and policies
contained in the Bertie County Recovery Plan.
Develop checklists of supplies and equipment
needed for public information activities
during a disaster. Ensure that supplies and
equipment are portable for transport to the
Joint Information Center (JIC) or other
site. Include audio and video equipment,
computer hardware and software, printers,
extension cords, office supplies, fax and
telephone capabilities, and reference
materials.
Post-Event
Activate the Public Information Officer
team, which may include representation from
the County and the municipalities. This
team will work closely to coordinate
information and ensure accuracy and
consistency in the messages being delivered.
Operate the Public Information Officer
function out of the Emergency Operations
Center as part of the JIC.
Establish a secondary JIC following the
disaster, if necessary, based on the
quantity of media-related personnel, large
satellite trucks and equipment, generators,
and state and federal PIO personnel.
Relocate with County government if a viable
location cannot be found within the county.
Serve as a central point for distributing
public information and manage the various
public information tasks, including the
following:
Identifying ways to distribute
information to the public if normal
means of transmission are unavailable
Providing information on the status of
emergency conditions within the disaster
area
Providing information on the
availability of emergency services
Disseminating information on additional
measures to take in protecting public
health and safety
Verifying accuracy of information before
its release
Processing requests for information from
the media
Arranging or holding press briefings to
give the media access to information
concerning the response or recovery
process
Issue press releases and bulletins on
specific topics such as:
Property cleanup
Debris removal
Contractor fraud
Insurance problems
Housing needs
FEMA issues
Permits and inspections
Abandoned homes
Elevation requirements
Individual assistance
Business assistance
Mail delivery
Building codes
Redevelopment policies
Tax relief
Emergency sanitation
Curfew and restrictions
Road conditions and closure
Donations (including goods, services and
cash)
School status
Court status
County offices opening and closures
Establish an information �clearinghouse.�
The Public Information Officer should be
prepared to answer questions from residents,
employees, visitors and other government
agencies. Because conflicting information
causes confusion and stress, the Public
Information Officer will coordinate all
information to be distributed to the public.
Coordinate with Emergency Management Call
Takers. Call Takers
immediately at the beginning of recovery
operations. Call Takers provide a way for
the County to distribute information to the
public and determine what type of calls and
concerns are coming in. This helps with
rumor control and assessing the needs of the
community. Ensure that updated information
is relayed to Communications.
Use radio stations, if necessary, to
transmit information regarding recovery
issues to citizens. Following a disaster,
large electronic message boards will also be
used to alert residents to important
information. Messages to be placed on the
signs will be coordinated with the Emergency
Management and NCDOT.
Coordinate VIP briefings and tours through
the Emergency Operations Center.
Coordinate with NCDEM in Raleigh at the
beginning of recovery operations.
Coordinate with the Emergency Management
Coordinator, County Manager and Board of
Commissioners to disseminate news releases,
as needed.
Coordinate the reception of state and FEMA
assistance teams and draft situation reports
for briefings to the Emergency Management
Coordinator and County Administrator.
Organize all logs, situation reports,
journals, photographs, videos and other
documentation for after-action reports for
County, State and Federal use.
Assure that both public information numbers
have pertinent recovery-related information:
including shelter information; pickup points
for transportation; employee work
information; and distribution of ice, water
and goods information.
Utilize the County�s WebEOC -State program
to enter recovery information (e.g., press
releases, Public Information Officer
activities and activations).
Assure that adequate communications assets
are provided to the Public Information
Officer team (e.g., cell phones, satellite
phones, computers on the County network for
WebEOC -State , emails, faxing
capabilities).
Assure that the Public Information Officer
team has a translator or language lab
available, if possible. The growth of
non-English speaking communities in
Bertie County requires that information be
provided in multiple languages.
Organize the Public Information Officer team
into 12-hour shifts, assuring that enough
personnel are available to the Emergency
Operations Center and any external Public
Information Officer locations. All team
members should be cross-trained; however,
many can be utilized based on their skills
and knowledge. For example, one member
should be assigned the sole duty of keeping
the Public Information Officer website
updated throughout the entire recovery
period.
Assign someone to work directly with FEMA
Community Relations personnel and coordinate
information.
The purpose of Recovery Function 4 � Individual
Assistance is to inform disaster victims about state
and federal IA programs and explain how to apply,
provide convenient sites where the public can apply
for grant assistance programs in a post-disaster
environment, and volunteer assistance to disaster
victims, as needed.
Recovery Function 4 activities include the
following:
Temporary housing
Disaster unemployment assistance
Job placement assistance
Individual and family grants
Legal services
Crisis counseling
Loans to individuals and businesses
Agricultural assistance
Veterans assistance
Tax relief
The Cora Brown Fund to assist victims of natural
disasters for those disaster-related needs that
have not been or will not be met by other
programs
Low Interest Deferred Payment Loan Program
Housing and Urban Development Program
Social Security assistance
Emergency individual and family needs
Emergency food, clothing, shelter and medical
assistance
Contractor�s licensing and guidance in obtaining
licensed contractors
Consumer fraud prevention
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Assist Emergency Management and other
agencies in identifying building sites for
disaster recovery centers (DRCs). Consider
accessibility, parking and location.
Identify and become familiar with
post-disaster IA programs and application
processes.
Ensure adequate staffing to support IA
operations by identifying and training
workers.
Post-Event
Coordinate with Emergency Management to
set-up DRCs. Requirements include the
following:
Tables and chairs
Personal comfort items (e.g.,
electricity, air circulation fans,
water, restrooms, and air conditioning
and heating, if possible)
Telephones or two-way radios for
coordination between the Disaster Field
Office and the DRCs
Janitorial support
Handicapped accessible buildings
Emergency medical support
Security personnel during operations and
after closing (e.g. fire protection)
Bilingual support, if required
Child care, if practical
General office supplies
Adequate parking space for peak periods
County staff and volunteers, as
necessary
Maintain a visible station at the DRCs to
respond to questions and concerns by
citizens, and to better coordinate
individual assistance programs and issues
with state and federal officials.
Identify which Bertie County government
functions and staff should be represented at
the DRC (e.g., planning and building
permits, property tax).
Identify which community-based organizations
should be represented at the DRCs.
Provide specific information on IA programs
and identify which state and federal
agencies provide the assistance.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Temporary housing
Home repair
Home replacement
Other needs assistance
Disaster-related medical, dental and
funeral assistance
Potential for personal property,
transportation, storage, National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and
other assistance
The Cora Brown Fund
Federal/State
Disaster unemployment assistance and
job placement assistance
Legal services � State Bar
Association
Crisis counseling � Mental Health
and Health and Human Services
Veterans assistance � Veterans
Affairs
Social Security assistance � Social
Security Administration
Consumer fraud prevention � State
Attorney General�s Office
USDA Food Stamp Program
USDA Farmer�s Loan Program
State IA Program
Establish a system for addressing residents
with unmet needs to include the following:
Referral to existing agencies
Utilization of donations
Coordination with the volunteer
organizations active in disaster,
faith-based organizations, and others to
provide assistance
Work with the County Public Information
Officer to develop strategies for outreach
to encourage Bertie County citizens to visit a
DRC if they have been affected by the
disaster.
Use radio, television, newspaper and
public notices.
Provide outreach to the disabled and
non-English speakers (e.g. making
public notices in multiple languages).
Promote the FEMA tele-registration
number: 1-800-621-FEMA.
The purpose of Recovery Function 5 � Volunteers and
Donations is to establish procedures for placing
spontaneous volunteers; receiving donations of
goods, services and cash; and coordinating with
established voluntary agencies during and following
a disaster.
Recovery Function 5 activities include the
following:
Manage affiliated volunteers assisting with
emergency services activities
Set up and operate a volunteer reception center
Place and coordinate spontaneous volunteers
Coordinate staging and distribution sites
Collect, stage and distribute donated goods
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Maintain the Bertie County volunteer management
plan, volunteer registration system and
other related information.
Determine legal and insurance requirements
for volunteer workers.
Set guidelines for proper usage of County
equipment.
Donations
Develop County procedures and policies for
accepting special types of donations (e.g.,
cash, perishable items).
Establish an account for cash donations.
Work with the County Public Information
Officer to pre-script messages for volunteer
recruitment, donated goods and cash
donations.
Voluntary Agencies
Maintain a relationship with voluntary
agencies and faith-based organizations that
partner during disaster response and
recovery.
Develop an understanding of each agency�s
mission and their capacity to assist.
Post-Event
Volunteers and Donations is responsible for
coordinating and processing spontaneous
volunteers and monetary or in kind services
donations following a disaster.
The Donations and Volunteer Coordinator coordinates the
following activities after a disaster:
Establish and manage a volunteer
reception center. The function of the
center is to recruit, process, train and
place spontaneous volunteers.
The volunteer reception center will
be located at Senior Services Building.
For safety reasons, the Center can
be relocated as necessary to support
the influx of spontaneous
volunteers.
Voluntary agencies and faith-based
organizations may also set up their
own sites to process spontaneous
volunteers. The volunteer reception
center staff should be aware of
these locations and communicate with
these centers, as appropriate.
Coordinate and deploy Emergency Management
affiliated volunteers to assist with
emergency services activities, including the
following:
Support the Emergency Operations Center
Support Telephone
Staff the volunteer
reception center
Assist at Emergency Management
coordinated points of distribution, as
necessary
Other emergency functions, as needed
Accept and administer disaster-related
contributions to ensure accountability and
appropriate distribution in accordance with
the directives of the donors.
Maintain 24-hour coverage for a telephone
bank established to provide information and
referrals to individuals and families with
disaster-related needs.
Donations Management, under guidance of
Emergency Management Coordinator and the
Emergency Operations Center, will coordinate
the collection and distribution of donated
goods.
The Volunteer Center will work with Public
Information Officer to deliver messaging
that informs the public of the following:
Cash donations are preferred and why
they are preferred
Unsolicited donation of goods are not
preferred
Specific items may be needed, as
appropriate
Where items should be donated
County Receiving
and Distribution will coordinate the
reception and warehousing of donated goods.
Emergency Management will assist in
securing warehouse space as necessary to
support the collection of goods.
Volunteers affiliated withSalvation Army will assist with
warehousing, as necessary.
The Volunteer Center will work with
County Family Assistance Organizations
and other agencies to handle the
distribution of donated goods.
Distribution Sites:
If necessary, County Receiving and
Distribution will set up a
site(s) to distribute donated goods based
upon the Points of Distribution outlined in
the County Receiving and Distribution Annex
to the Emergency Operations Plan.
Security: The Sheriff will
coordinate security for the volunteer
reception center and the warehouse, as
needed.
Voluntary and Faith-Based Agencies:
Voluntary agencies and faith-based
organizations are key partners in disaster
recovery although these agencies and
organizations are independent and are not
coordinated by government. The Emergency
Operations Center remains the
primary point of contact for collaboration
and communication with government in
Bertie County.
The Donations and Volunteer Coordinator
will perform
the following tasks:
Maintain contact with representatives
from these agencies.
Work with these agencies to affiliate
spontaneous volunteers when there is no
role for them within the Emergency
Management volunteer structure.
Serve as a liaison and provide
coordination with government by being
aware of the missions of each voluntary
agency/faith-based organization and
working with these agencies and
organizations to fill holes in the
recovery operation.
The purpose of Recovery Function 6 � Security and
Re-entry is to promote and facilitate the timely
re-entry of essential response and recovery
personnel, government officials, property owners,
business owners and media to speed the recovery of
Bertie County and its economy, and to provide uniform
guidance following a large-scale disaster to law
enforcement personnel who direct access into the
impacted areas.
Recovery Function 6 activities include the
following:
Helicopter reconnaissance
Establish
traffic control points
Surveillance and security at Emergency
Operations Center, shelters remaining in
operation and commodity distribution points
Security in and around restricted areas
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Consider the following three phases of
re-entry during pre-event
planning:
Level I Access: The first phase allows for
re-entry of agencies and organizations that
play key roles in restoring normal
operations after a disaster, including
healthcare workers. (Healthcare workers
include hospital workers and urgent care
providers with a specific mission and
corresponding credentials.) This may
include search and rescue agencies,
infrastructure and utilities repair
personnel, and official damage assessment
teams.
Level II Access: The second phase allows
for re-entry of critical support groups,
such as relief workers, other healthcare
personnel and pre-approved critical business
operators (e.g., insurance adjusters).
Level III Access: The third phase allows
for re-entry of residents and non-critical
business operators.
Develop a re-entry identification scheme for
critical personnel.
Coordinate with municipalities on plan
development.
Develop pre-scripted media releases that
will be used to inform the public once
re-entry is permissible.
Develop a notice that law enforcement
officers may distribute to people
re-entering a devastated area. Emphasize
the need for people to exercise caution
during the re-entry process.
Plan for the security of critical services
and facilities.
Post-Event
The Sheriff's Department is responsible for
the issuance of re-entry passes.
When the Chairman of the Board of County
Commissioners orders a mandatory evacuation,
no re-entry of the public may occur until
the order has been rescinded.
Once the order has been rescinded,
announcements will be disseminated, as
appropriate.
Emergency Management, fire, law enforcement
and others, as deemed necessary by the
Emergency Operations Center, are not
required to have a re-entry authorization,
but must have valid credentials and a
critical mission.
Disaster recovery staff from select
voluntary and faith-based organizations are
allowed re-entry passes into the impacted
area(s) only after clearance has been
provided by the Sheriff.
Citizens may use the County�s emergency
public information telephone call-in number to check on the status of
re-entry.
The County may also use it's GeoComm
notification system.
Depending on the severity of the event,
property owners are only allowed into the
area once it has been determined that it is
safe. Property owners are required to show
proper identification.
Once the immediate threat has passed,
mobilization for re-entry begins. Bertie
County utilizes a Unified Command system, as
part of the overall ICS to ensure a safe,
coordinated and timely re-entry process.
The committee includes, but is not limited
to, the following disciplines:
Public Works
Fire Department
Emergency Medical Services
Law Enforcement
Emergency Management
The Sheriff immediately coordinates security
at all entries into the affected area,
keeping citizens out until the area is
reopened.
The County should consider the following
phased-approach to re-entry:
Level I Access
Re-entry of agencies and groups that play
key roles in restoring normal operations in
the county after a disaster. These include
the following:
Operation Services road crews
Fire/rescue and search and rescue personnel
Infrastructure and utilities repair
personnel
Debris management contractors
Damage assessment teams, which may include
FEMA, state and local officials
Healthcare workers with a specific mission
and credentials
Other personnel at the discretion of the
Emergency Operations Center or municipal
officials
Ensure identification of Level I priority
group is verified at established
checkpoints.
Provide law enforcement officials at
checkpoints with the list of all agencies
and groups vital in the immediate
restoration.
Require all Level I personnel to present
employee identification.
Monitor re-entry into devastated areas and
provide the Emergency Operations Center
with information on road conditions and the
status of impacted areas, as well as
information about road blocks and detours.
Level II Access
Re-entry of support agencies and critical
businesses. Re-entry is based on the
determination of the Emergency Operations
Center and public safety personnel. These
groups include the following:
Relief workers
Other healthcare agencies
Ensure identification of Level II priority
groups is verified at established
checkpoints and warnings of risks and
dangers within impacted areas are
distributed.
Provide law enforcement officials at
checkpoints with the list of support
agencies and critical businesses.
Require all Level II personnel to present
employee identification.
Monitor re-entry into devastated areas.
Level III Access
Re-entry of residents and non-critical
business operators. Allow re-entry when the
following factors are resolved:
Access � Major routes are intact and
passable.
Public health � There is no threat to public
safety.
Rescue � All search and rescue operations
have been completed.
Ensure identification of Level III priority
groups is verified at established
checkpoints and warnings of risks and
dangers within impacted areas are
distributed.
Require residents and business operators to
show proper identification/documentation to
enter the impacted area. (Note: Coastal
municipalities have their own plans and
requirements for returning residents and
business owners).
Consider using public transportation systems
to move people back into devastated areas.
The purpose of Recovery Function 7 � Health and
Human Services is to provide procedures to ensure
that health and human safety issues are adequately
addressed following a disaster. This function also
establishes procedures related to meeting the needs
of Bertie County during a mass casualty or
disaster event.
The American Red Cross works with other agencies and
organizations to identify County, private and
nonprofit shelters. The American Red Cross also
provides the Public Information Officer with
information on which shelters are open and what
services are provided at each shelter (e.g.
nurses).
Recovery Function 7 activities include the
following:
Sheltering
First aid
Water, ice and food
Hygiene
Sanitation
Crisis counseling
Transitional housing
Family grants
Animal needs
Medication
Care for vulnerable populations (e.g., orphaned
children, elderly)
Door-to-door needs assessments
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Identify probable public health hazards
resulting from a disaster.
Develop ordinances and policies for public
health issues, including the following:
Debris clearance and disposal
Air quality and open burning
Water quality and conservation
Hazardous materials cleanup and disposal
Sewage disposal and contamination
Vector and animal control
Develop public education information
concerning the use of untreated water,
contaminated food and other unsanitary
practices following disasters.
Develop a format for preparing
health-related information for release to
the general public by the Public Information
Officer (RF #3).
Develop procedures for implementing public
health activities following a disaster.
Develop procedures for deploying personnel
into affected areas to provide surveillance
and monitoring of public health following
major disasters.
Develop mutual aid agreements for health
inspectors.
Post-Event
Short-Term
The primary lead agencies work in
conjunction with the American Red Cross and
other agencies to oversee many of the human
services issues that will arise following a
disaster.
Coordinate with the Bertie County
Sheriff's Department to ensure that all
personnel involved with this recovery
function have the proper identification and
re-entry pass for access to impacted areas.
Use the GeoComm Communications System to
transmit information about available goods
and services, as well as other disaster
related information. The County uses
the telephone to provide
information and answer questions related to
the disaster. Information is also provided
via the County�s website and can be
distributed at reception, receiving and
shelter sites. Coordinate all information
with RF #3 � Public Information and
Community Relations.
Coordinate with the Emergency Operations
Center on the movement of goods and services
across the county.
Conduct door-to-door needs assessments, if
necessary. Once the needs assessments have
been completed, the Primary Agency will
coordinate the logistics of implementing the
needs assessment with the agencies involved
with this recovery function. There is also
coordination with RF #6 � Volunteers and
Donations to acquire goods, services and
volunteers for the people who need them.
This recovery function also assists with
providing for unmet needs.
Monitor for high-risk infectious disease
areas.
Infectious disease areas will be assessed
and monitored by teams of epidemiologists
conducting field studies. Injury and
disease patterns will be assessed and
technical assistance provided to control
potential disease outbreaks.
Coordinate animal control and disposal of
non-agricultural animal carcasses.
Collect and control domestic animals.
Coordinate locations and volunteers to
manage efforts to shelter and locate lost
animals.
The Cooperative Extension will coordinate
the disposal of large animal�s carcasses.
Coordinate the inspection of hazardous sites
such as damaged homes and facilities,
private wells and septic systems, public
water and sewer facilities, and areas where
vector-borne diseases may occur. Inspection
activities include the following:
Conducting bacteria tests of potable water
systems and well fields to determine if
water is safe to drink
Inspecting damaged homes and workplaces to
determine if health risks exist
Inspecting other sites where vector-borne
diseases may develop, such as areas where
debris, sewage and contaminated water have
collected
Identify and locate special needs citizens,
in conjunction with Emergency Management
Long-Term
The Health Department consults on needs,
capabilities and resources of the healthcare
and public health community and relays that
information to the Emergency Operations
Center.
Address general inpatient/outpatient needs
by having hospitals establish alternate care
sites to better serve the residents and
divert flow from hospital campuses.
Open and operate triage and dispensing
locations dedicated to treatment of a
specific illness (e.g., pandemic
influenza). Triage and dispensing locations
have been established.
Coordinate with RF #3 � Public Information
and Community Relations to disseminate
information to the public.
The purpose of Recovery Function 8 � Public Works is
to provide procedures for performing the timely
removal, transport, storage, elimination and/or
recycling of disaster debris. This attachment also
provides information on how to handle the rebuilding
or repair of damaged public infrastructure.
Recovery Function 8 activities include the
following:
Maintain a current inventory of all public
buildings and develop an inventory of all public
infrastructure.
Identify potential Public Assistance (PA)
projects before an event, if possible.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Obtain and maintain contracts for debris
removal. Critical issues include
identifying who pays and who assumes
liability, as well as determining how to
address property owners who do not want to
participate.
Maintain a FEMA-approved debris management
plan. Determine current landfill sites and
what types of debris they can handle.
Identify areas in which there is likely to
be debris from damaged structures and
identify storage sites for the debris.
Determine who will have salvage rights to
building materials and used bricks.
Make provisions to do recycling on-site.
Determine how asbestos, hazardous materials
and fuel spill removal will be handled via
contractors and subcontractors.
Determine who will be responsible for
identification and removal of downed or
potentially hazardous trees.
Develop a process for building owners to
reclaim valuables recovered from debris.
Develop and maintain a debris management
plan. Coordinate development of the plan
with ESF #3 � Public Works and Engineering
Services. The plan should include
strategies for each of the following:
Metals and white goods (e.g., refrigerators,
stoves, washing machines, dryers, window air
conditioners, water heaters)
Identification of temporary storage areas �
for easy access, consider storage areas that
are County-owned.
Recycling � Use temporary site for volume
reduction, when possible.
Debris disposal
Support for dead animal disposal
Identification and handling of hazardous
waste
Administration
Dissemination of information to the public
Ensure that debris contracts and monitoring
contracts are in place
Maintain a list of County-owned structures
and the insurance documentation for each.
Post-Event
Coordinate with Emergency Management to
determine what public infrastructure has
been damaged.
Assist in safeguarding and maintaining
damaged buildings, as necessary, until they
can be repaired.
Coordinate with RF #12 � Environmental
Preservation for debris cleanup of parks and
other County-owned properties, as well as
inspection and repair of facilities and
equipment.
Coordinate closely with County Finance and
Administration to ensure that proper
financial documentation is being maintained
to expedite federal assistance for PA
projects.
Coordinate with County Health and Human
Safety to determine whether any damaged
infrastructure is impeding efforts to
provide services to victims.
Coordinate emergency road clearance and
right-of-way debris removal for
reconnaissance of damaged areas and passage
of emergency personnel and equipment.
Identify incident sites requiring debris
clearance and management (e.g. public
rights-of-way, public property and private
property).
Recommend disposal sites for debris,
including temporary staging areas and debris
reduction sites.
Coordinate debris collection and hauling.
Re-establish day-to-day solid waste pickup
for county residents post-disaster.
Coordinate the removal of debris with
county, state and federal environmental
officials.
Coordinate debris removal in municipalities
with Memorandums of Understanding for county
pickup.
Disseminate information about pickup to the
public.
Prepare a letter for FEMA/state seeking
reimbursement for orphaned roads.
Coordinate with the County Environment to
ensure that debris operations are not
causing further environmental damage (such
as air quality issues related to burning)
and that debris operations are not breaking
any environmental regulations.
Coordinate debris separation. Separate
hazardous materials and hazardous waste from
debris to the extent possible. Sorting at
origin is the best approach. Debris from
residential and commercial properties should
be separated into four general groups:
The purpose of Recovery Function 9 � Utility
Restoration is to provide procedures for restoring
utilities to pre-disaster conditions as quickly as
possible following a disaster.
Recovery Function 9 activities include the
following:
Conduct a damage assessment
Develop a plan of action
Coordinate with state agencies and
municipalities as necessary
Provide information to the public
Restore utilities based on pre-determined
priorities
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Develop a pre-event restoration plan to
restore Bertie County utility services
(e.g., sewage, telephone, power, cable) to
normal.
Post-Event
The primary agencies will serve as the
coordinating agencies overseeing utility
restoration. Each support agency should
keep the respective primary agency abreast
of the status of the utilities they are
responsible for maintaining.
Assess public infrastructure and problems as
they relate to utility restoration.
Request estimates from utility providers
about damage impacts and length of
service interruption. If estimates
range from weeks to months, determine
the need for each of the following:
Temporary housing or business sites
Potable water
Portable power generation
Report findings to County Emergency
Operations Center, as appropriate.
Coordinate with other utilities to develop
an incident action restoration plan based on
the pre-event restoration plan to restore
county utility services.
Incorporate service providers in the
planning and decision-making process.
The following is the priority sequence
established for restoring power and
communication:
Damaged transmission system (e.g.,
poles, lines)
Damaged electrical substations
Damaged electrical distribution systems
Priority #1 � Emergency response and
recovery facilities (e.g., community
emergency operations or command
centers, response/recovery centers)
with no emergency power or telephone
service.
Priority #2 � Water treatment and
pumping facilities, special care
centers, nursing home facilities
with no emergency power, law
enforcement and fire stations with
no emergency power, staging areas
and distribution centers requiring
emergency power, and detention
centers.
Priority #3 � Wastewater treatment
plants and lift stations, general
telephone services, solid waste
facilities, medical facilities
having emergency power, nursing
homes having emergency power, law
enforcement and fire stations having
emergency power, public shelters
still housing evacuees and the
homeless, adult congregate living
facilities, facilities serving as
disaster application centers for
federal disaster relief, and public
and private facilities (e.g.
government facilities handling
emergency purchasing, designated
grocery store/restaurant
outlets).necessary for resource
management and distribution
activities.
Priority #4 � Community areas
receiving minor damage, and other
government facilities.
Priority #5 � Community areas
receiving major damage.
Priority #6 � Community areas
receiving catastrophic damage.
The following is the priority sequence
established for restoring water and sewer:
The purpose of Recovery Function 10 � Planning and
Mitigation is to establish an emergency permitting
system to be used following a declared disaster.
This expedites repair, restoration or rebuilding of
habitable structures. This recovery function also
provides the regulations for allowing rebuilding and
reconstruction of damaged structures in an orderly,
safe and timely manner, and assists in the
procedures for temporary housing (e.g., site
identification, management) following a disaster.
Finally, this function provides the procedures that
will facilitate the integration of the existing
Bertie County HMP into disaster recovery efforts.
Recovery Function 10 activities include the
following:
Expedited Permitting
Reduced Fees
Assistance of damage assessment teams
Citizen assistance via departmental telephone
recourse
On call staff activities as needed
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Obtain and maintain familiarity with federal
laws and guidelines outlining the
requirements and opportunities for hazard
mitigation within the recovery process.
Liaise with the State Hazard Mitigation
Program.
Update or develop the local mitigation
strategy (pre-disaster mitigation
strategies). Strategies given the highest
priority in the State HMP that affect local
governments include the following:
Communications
311 System
Hazard Mitigation Seminar for citizens
Incorporate development and construction
standards into zoning and sub-division
ordinances
Establish auxiliary power systems via
portable generators.
Establish a local mitigation strategy to
include the following:
Hazard identification
Existing County mitigation resources (e.g.,
policies, codes, ordinances, programs)
Inventory of environmental, structural,
social and economic vulnerability to loss
Hazard mitigation strategies, approaches and
techniques
Intra-governmental and intergovernmental
coordination
Public sector partnerships
Hazard mitigation opportunities (both
structural and non-structural) and
priorities
Establish county and city hazard mitigation
coordinators
The Mitigation Planning Committee will meet
following a disaster. The Mitigation
Planning Committee is named by the Bertie
County Manager and the Emergency Management
Coordinator. This group is responsible for
following up on the activities proposed in
the HMP, grant development, tracking (e.g.,
handling reimbursement requests) and
coordinating post-disaster meetings of the
Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee.
The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
is a post-disaster grant program for funding
mitigation projects and the Pre-Disaster
Mitigation (PDM) is a similar program
available on an annual basis. The Hazard
Mitigation Coordinator works with the County
Public Information Officer to get
information to the public about the HMGP and
PDM programs.
The Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee
meets shortly after a disaster occurs to
identify new mitigation measures that the
County and/or municipalities can pursue.
The Hazard Mitigation Coordinator is
responsible for capturing the benefits of
previous mitigation projects and creating a
presentation of these findings that can be
presented at various events.
Make recommendations for identified
mitigation opportunities to the Recovery
Committee and Board of Commissioners.
Coordinate the HMP with the State Hazard
Mitigation Program.
Ensure the HMP includes the following:
Evaluation of the natural hazards within the
disaster area.
Recommendations of measures to reduce the
risks from future disasters to include the
following:
Building standards to specify how buildings
are constructed. In addition to traditional
building codes, building standards can
include earthquake-proofing requirements,
wind-bracing and anchoring requirements for
new construction, and similar requirements
for retrofitting existing buildings, which
are addressed in the building code.
Development regulations include separate
zoning and subdivision ordinances to
regulate the location, type and intensity of
new development. Development regulations
can include overlaying zoning districts that
apply additional development standards for
sensitive lands, such as wetlands and
hillsides.
Capital improvement programs include
locating schools, fire stations, and other
public buildings, streets, storm sewers and
utilities outside of high hazard areas;
incorporating hazard reduction measures into
the design or requiring retrofits where
economically feasible; and ensuring that
public facilities, particularly new roads
and utilities, unless funded by property
owners within the area, are not
located where they have the potential to
encourage growth in high hazard zones.
Retrofitting includes making changes to
buildings to make them more resistant to
hazards.
Land and property acquisition includes the
purchasing of properties in hazard-prone
areas with public funds, restricting
development to uses that are less vulnerable
to disaster-related damages, and/or water
dependent or water enhanced uses (e.g.,
acquisition of undeveloped lands,
acquisition of development rights, transfer
of development rights to lower-risk areas,
relocation of buildings and acquisition of
damaged buildings).
Consider taxation and fiscal policies to
distribute the public costs of private
development of high hazard areas more
equitably, specifically shifting more of the
cost burden directly onto owners of such
properties (e.g., employing impact fees to
cover the public costs of development in
areas of high hazards or providing tax
breaks for reducing land use intensities in
hazardous areas).
Public awareness through information
dissemination on hazards and providing
educational materials to the construction
industry, homeowners, tenants and
businesses. Included in this strategy are
hazard disclosure policies for the real
estate industry and public information
campaigns to increase awareness in all
sectors of the community.
Warning systems to aid in the evacuation of
people at risk.
Promoting and obtaining hazard and other
insurance. Insurance is a means of sharing
hazard risk and providing for financial
assistance when disasters occur.
The purpose of Recovery Function 11 - Economic
Restoration and Recovery is to establish the
procedures that will be needed to restore the
county�s economy following a disaster.
Recovery Function 11 activities include the
following:
Work with Chambers of Commerce, and other
economic development groups, across the county
to encourage development of Disaster Recovery
Plans that are specific to their organizations.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Maintain a list of local business
associations and points-of-contact.
Recognize that short-term survival of the
damaged business district is critical to the
county�s long-term recovery. Encourage
local business and industry to:
Purchase applicable insurance.
Develop business interruption plans.
Protect (backup) business records and
documents.
Line up alternate vendors for essential
supplies and equipment.
Develop inventory recovery strategies.
Acquire backup equipment and emergency
power.
Develop company and site specific emergency
plans.
Develop mitigation programs: retrofit
vulnerable structures; work to minimize
vulnerability of content to damages (content
damage can be a major source of loss, even
absent structural failure).
Identify and become familiar with
post-disaster relief programs and sources
such as FEMA assistance, Small Business
Administration (SBA) loan programs, etc.
Assign responsibilities in advance for
public agency and private sector people to
pursue recovery assistance immediately
following the disaster. (Prepare to move
quickly while the �opportunity window� is
widest.)
Post-Event
Immediately following a disaster the County
Manager or the Emergency Management
Coordinator
appoints a Business and Industry Coordinator
to oversee all the procedures to be taken on
by this Recovery Function.
This Recovery Function coordinates heavily
with the County Public Information Officer
to help get information on available federal
assistance programs for businesses (SBA,
etc.).
Determine what additional marketing
information the Chamber of Commerce (and
other groups) need from RF #3: Public
Information and Community Relations.
The Business and Industry Coordinator and
Chamber of Commerce staff work to
re-establish tourism in Bertie County, as
well as assist business and industry with
recovery and economic revitalization
efforts.
During the recovery phase, marketing
strategies are developed, including
advertising and travel to ensure trade
groups and others know that the county is
open for business.
The Business and Industry Coordinator
prepares pre-written press releases for
dissemination upon entering into the
recovery phase.
Establish Business Information Centers. This center is staffed with representatives
from the support agencies. See RF #4:
Individual Assistance, for more information
on these centers.
Resources for Small Business and
Nonprofits.
Resources
Federal Resources
All businesses seeking disaster
assistance should request forms to start
the application process for federal
disaster loans administered by the SBA.
Businesses do not have to go to the SBA
disaster recovery centers to apply for
assistance.
The U.S. SBA�s Disaster Recovery website
contains information regarding Disaster
Notices, its Disaster Recovery Mission,
Disaster Declarations, FAQ's about SBA
Disaster Loans, Loan Information
including Home & Property Loans,
Physical Disaster Loans, Economic Injury
Loans, Military Reservist Loans, and
Disaster Loans Approved.
SBA offers Physical Disaster Business
Loans to repair or replace any business
that is located in a declared disaster
area. The SBA makes physical disaster
loans of up to $1.5 million to qualified
businesses.
SBA�s Economic Injury Loans for Small
Businesses provides financial assistance
to small businesses that suffered
substantial economic injury, regardless
of physical damage, and are located in a
declared disaster area.
The Department of Homeland Security's
Open for Business program centralizes
information to provide businesses with
information about how to work with the
Department of Homeland Security.
Designed to assist the business
community, the information includes
links to contracts, grants, small
business opportunities, research and
development, and contacts.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has
created the Hurricane Contracting
Information Center (HCIC), which
provides a central point of reference
for businesses, especially
minority-owned businesses, women-owned
businesses and small- and medium-size
enterprises, to register for and become
aware of federal contracting
opportunities. While the HCIC does not
award contracts, its mission is to
ensure that businesses understand the
process and are aware when opportunities
become available.
Vendors wanting to provide products or
services in the area affected by
disasters should visit www.fbo.gov/.
Vendors that are new to federal
contracting should start by registering
at this site.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural
Development offers programs to finance
business development programs in rural
areas (population of 25,000 or less).
For information on USDA�s Rural Business
and Cooperative Programs,
click here.
The U.S. Department of Labor Hurricane
Job Recovery Connection connects workers
needing jobs with employers who want to
hire them. The site also allows
employers to list available jobs online.
Following a disaster, the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) often changes tax
laws that benefit small businesses
affected by the disaster. The IRS
website provides information about the
types of tax relief assistance available
to areas affected, along with other
general information about the IRS and
its services.
State and Local Resources
The North Carolina Department of
Commerce is engaged in providing
services to businesses and communities
within the state. While the agency is
best known for its efforts to recruit
new businesses to North Carolina, it
also provides services to help
communities improve their quality of
place and helps existing employers
identify and meet opportunities and
challenges - all with the goal of
improving the quality of life and
economic wellbeing of North Carolinians.
The Disaster Contractors Network (DCN)�s
website is designed to help connect
contractors and homeowners/business
owners who need repairs after disasters
and can serve to connect building
contractors with subcontractors and
material vendors.
The North Carolina Department of
Insurance provides a wealth of
information about the state's insurance
climate, and it lists answers to many
questions about the logistics of filing
insurance claims, complaints against
insurance companies and other general
questions.
The North Carolina Department of Public
Safety's Division of
Emergency Management has created a Small
Business Initiative to provide resources
for minimizing the effects of natural
disasters.
Other Resources
The Federal Home Loan Bank offers the
Economic Development Disaster Relief Grant
Program (EDRG) that provides working capital
to small businesses in officially declared
disaster areas to promote economic
development, and create or retain jobs.
The Institute for Business & Home Safety's
Open for Business is a comprehensive
disaster planning toolkit in booklet and
CD-Rom formats. It includes an assessment
tool that helps small to mid-sized
businesses determine susceptibility to
disasters and minimize risks. The toolkit
also includes materials to help organize the
business' critical information and review
its essential operations, both of which lead
to developing a business continuity plan.
Nonprofit entity resources
A document listing assistance available
through nonprofits has been created by
FEMA's ESF-14. The document includes
funding available to non-governmental
organizations and citizens.
FEMA does provide some assistance for
certain not-for-profits performing an
essential government service.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development offers several programs for
nonprofit organizations.
The U.S. Government provides support for
faith-based initiatives. Click here for a
listing of Faith-Based Offices in Federal
Agencies.
The purpose of Recovery Function 12 � Environmental
Preservation & Restoration is to establish
post-disaster procedures for preserving and
restoring environmentally sensitive areas of
Bertie County.
Recovery Function 12 activities include the
following:
Expedited Permitting for restoration projects
Check on damaged systems
Check on damaged dams and levees
Water reservoir restoration
Soil
erosion and landslide mitigation
Natural habitat restoration projects
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Identify environmental projects and programs
that will protect natural resources and open
space, while simultaneously reducing damage
from natural disasters.
Make information on disasters and
environmental characteristics available for
use in community comprehensive planning.
Post-Event
Immediately following a disaster, the Health
Director, as empowered by the County Manager
will identify an Environmental Preservation
Coordinator to oversee the activities of
this recovery function. Agricultural issues
concerning environmental preservation will
be dealt with by Soil and Water
Conservation.
Along with supporting agencies, and in coordination with
RF #1 �
Emergency Management (Damage
Assessment), the Environmental Preservation
& Restoration Coordinator is responsible
for conducting and maintaining an
environmental impact assessment that
identifies all areas of the county that have
suffered environmental degradation as a
result of the disaster (e.g., damage to
forest areas, water quality and
coastal/wetland areas). The environmental
damage assessment will also be used to help
determine what programs and resources are
available to help the County address damages
to the environment resulting from the
disaster.
As a result of the environmental impact
assessment, the Environmental Preservation &
Restoration Coordinator makes
recommendations, upon consultation with
supporting agencies, on how to best deal
with the impacts of the disaster on the
environmentally sensitive areas.
Soil and Water, in consultation with NRCS,
serves as the County�s liaison between state
and federal officials concerned with
environmental impacts on agriculture
following a disaster. The Health Director
serves as the County liaison for
health-related environmental preservation
issues.
The North Carolina Department of Environment
and Natural Resources monitors debris
management activities to ensure that debris
operations are not causing further
environmental damage (e.g., air quality
issues related to burning) or breaking any
environmental regulations.
The County Manager is responsible for
pursuing any relevant post-disaster federal
and state programs and/or funds that can be
used to implement environmental projects
identified by the County.
Coordinate with
RF #10 �
Planning and Mitigation to ensure that
any environmental opportunities, projects or
programs that arise as a result of the
disaster are incorporated into the HMP.
Environmental concerns involving hazardous
materials should be coordinated with the
Health Department (Environmental Health).
The Emergency Management will assist with
identification and containment.
As the department responsible for public
health, the Health Department will be
responsible for declaring disaster areas
that have debris as a public nuisance, when
appropriate. They will also work with the
building inspector to conduct mold sampling,
as necessary.
Identify environmental projects or programs
that make Bertie County vulnerable to
future disaster.
Ensure that each environmental project
and program is realistic, technically
possible, economically feasible,
politically workable and socially
acceptable.
Decide on a public involvement process.
Invite representatives of the public and
nonprofit organizations to participate.
Conduct public meetings and workshops
for victims and community
representatives.
Ask for and record comments.
Incorporate comments into the planning
process and plans.
Establish a regular process for
providing information and receiving
ideas.
The purpose of Recovery Function 13 � Finance is to
establish procedures for tracking disaster-related
expenditures so that Bertie County can maximize
reimbursement of eligible expenses.
Recovery Function 13 activities include the
following:
Ensure adequate cash flow during the recovery
process to provide essential public health and
safety services and emergency repairs.
Develop and oversee implementation of
standardized emergency resource and financial
management policies and procedures.
Review and update the Emergency Purchases
section of the Bertie County purchasing
procedures manual.
Continue to seek out sources of disaster
recovery funding, including expanded savings, a
standby line of credit, FEMA funding for
immediate needs and public and private sector
funding that would be available to help
implement the recovery functions.
Identify all existing Memorandums of
Understanding, Memorandums of Agreement and
agreements between Bertie County and those
agencies/groups that could be involved in
recovery efforts in the event of a disaster.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Obtain training in the disaster assistance
process before the disaster, ideally as part
of a regular staff training program.
Be familiar with the authorities, work
eligibility, cost eligibility, application
procedures and project worksheets under
FEMA�s Public Assistance (PA) Program.
Design a disaster cost-tracking
documentation system based on state and
federal requirements. The system should be
compatible with the County�s normal
accounting system and department staff
should be trained to implement and use the
documentation system.
Establish accounting and documentation
procedures for recovery activities to
include the following:
Financial donations
Emergency procurement guidelines
Recovery accounting and record-keeping
system, including personnel time and
attendance, contract work, equipment,
supplies and other expenditures
Audit and documentation requirements
Identify strategies to cover disaster cost
(e.g., re-budgeting, bonds and taxes).
Post-Event
The County Finance Director activates the
County�s emergency resource and financial
management procedures with the
activation of the Emergency Operations
Center or at the beginning of the response
phase. These policies and procedures remain
in effect into the recovery phase.
The County Finance Director assists
Emergency Management with preparing
applications and claims for state and
federal assistance and expresses the
importance of tracking expenses made on
disaster operations.
Coordinate closely with resource support
activities to ensure that proper
documentation of disaster-related expenses
is tracked appropriately. The County
Emergency Management Coordinator, with
assistance from the Finance Officer, will
ensure that proper paperwork is completed,
filed and tracked.
Coordinate closely with all County
departments to determine which projects will
be eligible for PA grants and to ensure that
proper financial documentation for those
projects is completed. The Board of County
Commissioners, with the recommendation of
the Finance Director, is responsible for
identifying the primary and alternate
applicant�s agents for the County. In
appointing agents, the Board considers the
recommendation of the Finance Director.
Ensure that emergency purchases are made in
accordance with state purchasing guidelines.
Follow County procurement procedures.
Manage records.
Identify which records are required for
recovery and grant assistance.
Make personnel assignments for assembly
and coordination of records.
Establish a priority for filling
identified gaps in the records.
Coordinate records with other internal
and external agencies.
The purpose of the Recovery Function 14 - Housing is
to identify and determine pre-event disaster housing
activities as well as establish sheltering,
transitional housing and long-term housing
opportunities and activities during each phase of an
event. The ultimate objective is to assist disaster
victims in repairing, rebuilding and returning to
their permanent housing as quickly and efficiently
as possible after an event.
Recovery Function 14 activities include the
following:
Guidance for the
County to assist disaster victims with the
following:
Restore victims� homes to a safe, sanitary and
secure position.
Ensure that housing choices meet minimum housing
quality standards.
Address the housing needs of individual victims
and families.
Help to guide the process of rebuilding the
local housing infrastructure.
Identify and implement hazard mitigation
activities and zoning regulations for rebuilding
housing structures (e.g., building codes,
changes in zoning, floodplain consideration,
etc.).
Identify specific housing recovery programs
offered at each level of government as well as
by private and non-profit organizations.
Ensure that Bertie County residents are better able
to be connected to the recovery programs
available.
Disaster Housing Priorities
Identify and establish a community-based
Disaster Housing Committee.
Ensure local codes and ordinances allow for
temporary housing. This includes temporary
housing structures located on individual
properties.
Identify resources to assist with repairing
homes as quickly as possible.
Locate rental stock that allows displaced
renters to permanently relocate to another unit
and provides homeowners housing while repairs to
their primary residence are being made.
Establish locations for temporary mobile home
parks as necessary.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Develop the Disaster Housing Committee. It
should include representatives from the
appropriate state and local agencies
identified above.
The Disaster Housing Committee will be used
at the time of a disaster to coordinate the
housing portion of recovery and work with
the identified agencies to ensure each
agency understands its roles and
responsibilities related to disaster housing
(organizations and agencies that do not have
a primary role in disaster housing issues
may be able to provide assistance as well).
Determine which Voluntary Organizations
Active in Disasters (VOAD) agencies are
located within the county and establish
relationships with these agencies.
Determine which of these agencies
supports housing recovery efforts, their
level of capability and how to engage
them at the time of the disaster.
Establish local programs, funds and
groups that can assist individuals and
families with disaster housing issues.
The County government should establish
guidance, codes, resolutions, ordinances and
permit requirements that apply to temporary
disaster housing and can be implemented
quickly during and after an event.
Adopt a policy or ordinance to deal with
non-conforming uses.
Consider policies that will allow
housing to be restored as quickly as
possible.
The Disaster Housing Committee should
identify and establish buildings, facilities
and areas that could serve as sites for
disaster housing opportunities. In
identifying possible locations for disaster
housing opportunities, consideration should
be given to the unpredictable nature of
disaster events. In other words, it is
possible that sites identified as potential
disaster housing opportunities were damaged
by the event.
Focus on county-owned resources and
assets that could be used for disaster
housing.
Develop any contracts or agreements that
may be required to establish buildings,
facilities and areas as disaster housing
locations (particularly when the
resource is not county-owned).
Identify ways that existing housing
programs, policies and opportunities can
be refocused to address disaster housing
needs.
Identify resources that can analyze and
evaluate the housing market and market
conditions at the time of the disaster
to assist in locating available housing
stock and assist in relocation of
disaster victims as necessary.
The Disaster Housing Committee should
identify and incorporate lessons learned
from previous events into relevant plans,
policies and procedures related to disaster
housing.
The Disaster Housing Committee should
discuss and recommend how disaster housing
planning and operations will be funded
(e.g., repair, rebuilding, providing
temporary and permanent housing, etc.).
The Disaster Housing Committee ensures that
disaster housing planning, approaches and
policies consider the most vulnerable
populations (e.g., elderly, handicapped,
non-English speaking, etc.).
The Disaster Housing Task force, in
coordination with the Public Information
Officer, should identify and provide public
information concerning resources and
assistance programs that can be utilized
during and after an event. They should
ensure that county residents and property
owners review insurance policies, coverage
and other relevant documents prior to the
occurrence of an event that requires the
activation of disaster housing operations.
Provide public information concerning
FEMA, SBA loans, the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP), as well as any
relevant state offered and/or non-profit
programs and assistance.
Post-Event
General/Immediate
The Emergency Management activates the
Disaster Housing Committee and relevant
county and agency plans.
Develop a disaster specific housing
strategy.
Seek input and coordinate with agencies
and organizations that can assist in
disaster housing operations (e.g.,
lenders, realtors, home owners
associations, land and housing
developers, etc.).
Assess the VOAD organizations and the
level of housing assistance they can
provide for this disaster. Note that
the level of assistance that VOAD
agencies can provide varies based on the
number of available volunteers and
resources and the level of assistance
available through their national
organizations.
Coordinate and communicate with FEMA,
NCDEM and other critical agencies and
organizations.
Based on the Damage Assessment conducted by
Emergency Management, the Disaster Housing
Committee assesses and evaluates disaster
housing needs and current capabilities.
Evaluate damage assessments and
coordinate with FEMA and the State to
determine the extent of housing needs.
Consider that some assets/capabilities
may have been affected by the event.
Consider buildings, facilities and areas
identified as possible disaster housing
locations that sustained minimal damage
and can be repaired and occupied
(re-occupied) quickly.
Immediate repairs and re-occupancy
should balance the need to provide
housing with the importance of
considering the safety of the
structure/area.
Prioritize disaster housing recovery
activities. This can include
prioritizing buildings, facilities and
areas that will be repaired first in
order to expedite the overall recovery
process (e.g., large structures that can
house many people, day care centers or
other service providers that can assist
in getting people back to work,
stadiums, arenas, and other structures
that were uninhabited prior to the event
and could provide disaster housing,
etc.).
Typically, VOAD will form a long-term
recovery committee to assist those who
cannot recover on their own. The County
should work with the long-term recovery
committee to assess the number of cases
that they anticipate.
Emergency Management and the Planning
Department should encourage and facilitate
(as possible) the immediate repair and
re-occupancy of minimally damaged
residential homes. This includes building
codes, zoning, permitting, re-entry and
other considerations.
Encourage and facilitate the immediate
repair of individual residential homes
to help those individuals return to
their permanent housing and prevent them
from seeking disaster housing
assistance. In turn, this frees up
housing stock for those who require more
long-term housing.
Determine which VOAD agencies can assist
with immediate repairs and facilitate
their entry into disaster affected
areas, as necessary.
The Disaster Housing Committee presents the
disaster-specific housing recovery strategy
to the County Commission for discussion and
approval, as appropriate.
Short-Term Disaster
Housing - Interim Housing
Interim housing is defined as housing that
disaster victims can occupy in the time between
leaving an emergency shelter and returning to
their homes (permanent housing).
Based on the Damage Assessment conducted by
the Emergency Management, the Disaster
Housing Committee conducts a detailed
assessment of interim housing needs and
available resources and assets.
Identify and assess usable housing
units.
Number
Locations
Capabilities (e.g., utilities,
security needs, public
transportation availability, etc.)
Identify and assess the number of rental
units that may be available for use as
interim housing and determine how long they
can be used.
Identify and assess hotels that may be
available for use as interim housing.
Identify and assess mobile homes and mobile
home parks.
Possible temporary housing opportunities
include:
Vacant Rental Units
Rental homes and beach rentals
Hotel rooms
Condos, townhomes and apartments
Mobile Homes
FEMA utilizes mobile homes as a last
resort for disaster housing. When
possible, existing mobile home pads are
used. If existing mobile home pads are
unavailable, FEMA follows standard
procedures for installing the necessary
temporary infrastructure. The temporary
infrastructure is removed once disaster
housing operations have ceased.
The County should consider developing an
ordinance that allows for temporary
housing structures on individual
properties during an emergency event.
The ordinance should be specific in
determining allowable structures and
identifying when temporary housing
structures are allowed to be on the
property and when they must be removed.
The County will have the primary
responsibility for locating space that
can be used to house mobile home parks,
as needed.
Coordinate with local insurance providers
and companies that may be providing/funding
temporary housing for their clients.
Bertie County will need to keep insurance
providers informed of overall recovery
progress as well as disaster housing
activities. Insurance providers will also
need to gain entry into the affected
community as soon as possible to speed the
recovery for county residents. It is also
important to determine what types of funding
or assistance the insurance providers are
approving. This information will affect the
overall disaster housing needs and
capabilities of the County.
Funding Temporary Housing
During any type of event, whether there
is a Presidential Disaster Declaration
or not, people with �loss of use�
homeowner�s insurance coverage will
likely be covered for financing
temporary housing.
Presidential Declaration: During an
event resulting in a Presidential
Disaster Declaration, there will be a
number of different opportunities for
disaster housing funding assistance.
The County and individual residents
should familiarize themselves with the
funding and project eligibility
requirements for each of the programs
offered.
FEMA: All disaster victims should be
encouraged to apply for assistance.
FEMA provides grants to disaster victims
that can be used to assist with housing,
relocation, repair, etc. FEMA funding
is designed to restore homes only to a
safe and sanitary condition; this is the
first step that a disaster victim should
take in order to get federal
assistance. There are a number of
FEMA-funded disaster housing programs
that can assist disaster victims with
housing. FEMA programs are delivered by
the State of North Carolina and include
Individual Assistance (IA), Individuals
and Households Program (IHP),
Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program,
Hazard Mitigation (�Buyout�) Grant
Program (HMGP) and the Flood Mitigation
Assistance (FMA) program.
Small Business Administration (SBA): The
SBA provides low interest loans that can
be used to cover disaster-related needs
including temporary housing.
Non-Presidential Declaration: Funding
options and opportunities for disaster
housing during an event not resulting in a
Presidential Declaration could prove
difficult. In these cases, federal
assistance may not be available. Therefore,
the County will have to rely on assistance
from the State and private/non-profit
organizations. The programs highlighted
below may also be available during events
that result in a Presidential Disaster
Declaration. The County and individual
residents should familiarize themselves with
the funding and project eligibility
requirements for each of the programs
offered.
American Red Cross: The local American
Red Cross Chapter may be able to assist
in providing very short-term housing for
disaster victims while they find other
resources. Assistance is usually
provided on a case-by-case basis.
Volunteer and Non-Profit Organizations:
Volunteer organizations such as the
Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist
Church, Habitat for Humanity, Volunteers
Active in Disasters, etc., often can
provide assistance with relocations and
or repairs.
State Offered Programs: The State of
North Carolina may offer a number of
programs that can assist disaster
victims with housing issues. The North
Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA)
offers the Urgent Repair Program (URP),
Single-Family Rehabilitation, Disaster
Rental Assistance and Rental Production
Program. The North Carolina
Redevelopment Center also offers a
number of different programs that can
assist with disaster housing. Programs
include Crisis Housing Assistance Funds
(CHAF), Multi-family Housing Assistance
and Single Family Housing Assistance.
The Disaster Housing Committee, in
coordination with the Public Information
Officer, provides the public with
information related to temporary disaster
housing programs and overall recovery
assistance.
Additional information on the federal, state
and non-profit/volunteer organization
programs is available in the North Carolina
Disaster Recovery Guide.
Long-Term Disaster Housing - Permanent Housing
Long-term disaster housing involves assisting
residents with returning to their permanent
homes as quickly as possible after an event.
This includes assisting residents with finding
permanent housing opportunities and/or returning
their homes to a safe and sanitary condition.
Based on the Damage Assessment conducted by
the Emergency Management, the Disaster
Housing Committee conducts a detailed
assessment of permanent housing needs and
available resources and assets.
Identify and assess usable housing
units.
Number
Locations
Capabilities (e.g., utilities,
security needs, public
transportation availability, etc.)
Identify and assess the number of rental
units that may be available for use as
permanent housing.
Identify and assess mobile homes and
mobile home parks.
Possible permanent housing opportunities
include:
Vacant rental units
Rental homes and beach rentals
Condos, townhomes and apartments
Manufactured housing
Funding Permanent Housing
Presidential Declaration: During an
event resulting in a Presidential
Disaster Declaration, there will be a
number of different opportunities for
disaster housing funding assistance.
The County and individual residents
should familiarize themselves with the
funding and project eligibility
requirements for each of the programs
offered.
FEMA: All disaster victims should be
encouraged to apply for assistance.
FEMA provides grants to disaster
victims that can be used to assist
with housing, relocation, repair,
etc. FEMA funding is designed to
restore homes only to a safe and
sanitary condition; this is the
first step that a disaster victim
should take in order to get federal
assistance. There are a number of
FEMA-funded disaster housing
programs that can assist disaster
victims with housing. FEMA programs
are delivered by the State of North
Carolina and include Individual
Assistance (IA), Individuals and
Households Program (IHP),
Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM)
program, Hazard Mitigation
(�Buyout�) Grant Program (HMGP) and
the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
program.
Small Business Administration (SBA):
The SBA provides low interest loans
that can be used to cover
disaster-related needs including
temporary housing.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD): Provides
low-income housing options to
existing clients affected by a
disaster as well as those who
qualify as a result of the disaster
event. HUD offers Community
Development Block Grants (CDBG) to
assist in disaster recovery.
Other state and local programs may
be available to assist with
permanent housing. The Housing
Committee should seek funding
opportunities for its residents and
disseminate information on these
opportunities.
Non-Presidential Declaration: Funding
options and opportunities for disaster
housing during an event not resulting in a
Presidential Declaration could prove
difficult. In these cases, federal
assistance may not be available. Therefore,
the County will have to rely on assistance
from the State and private/non-profit
organizations. The programs highlighted
below may also be available during events
that result in a Presidential Disaster
Declaration. The County and individual
residents should familiarize themselves with
the funding and project eligibility
requirements for each of the programs
offered.
American Red Cross: The local American
Red Cross Chapter may be able to assist
in providing very short-term housing for
disaster victims while they find other
resources. Assistance is usually
provided on a case-by-case basis.
Volunteer and Non-Profit Organizations:
Volunteer organizations such as the
Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist
Church, Habitat for Humanity, Volunteers
Active in Disasters, etc. often can
provide assistance with relocations and
or repairs.
State Offered Programs: The State of
North Carolina offers a number of
programs that can assist disaster
victims with housing issues. The North
Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA)
offers the Urgent Repair Program (URP),
Single-Family Rehabilitation, Disaster
Rental Assistance and Rental Production
Program. The North Carolina
Redevelopment Center also offers a
number of different programs that can
assist with disaster housing. Programs
include Crisis Housing Assistance Funds
(CHAF), Multi-family Housing Assistance
and Single Family Housing Assistance.
Based on the damage assessment, and
information provided by FEMA and
gathered from the County and volunteer
agencies, the Disaster Housing Committee determines how many people require
assistance with permanent housing.
Typically, this count includes
low-income individuals and families,
certain groups of renters and the
homeless.
The Disaster Housing Committee identifies
and works with volunteer and community-based
organizations that can assist in the
rebuilding process.
The Disaster Housing Committee, in
coordination with the Public Information
Officer, provides the public with
information related to permanent disaster
housing programs and overall recovery
assistance.
Additional information on the federal, state
and non-profit/volunteer organization
programs is available in the North Carolina
Disaster Recovery Guide.
The purpose of Recovery Function 15 � Education is
to provide the specific activities to be completed
following a disaster should the School District
and/or the Bertie County Recovery Committee
choose to activate the function. This recovery
function also lays out the initial actions that need
to be taken to re-open schools within the county.
Recovery Function 15 activities include the
following:
Reopen school facilities.
Ensure that schools are put back in session as
soon as possible.
Provide education and awareness for students,
families and teachers.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Evaluate all school locations to assess
resources and capabilities.
Emergency Management will work with
Bertie County schools to develop a system
for notification of schools, and childcare
facilities through GeoComm in times of
emergencies.
Develop a system for communication and
coordination.
Further identify disaster-specific roles and
responsibilities
Maintain a disaster recovery plan for the
County School System.
Post-Event
Initiate School District Emergency
Operations Center and send a representative
to the Joint Information Center, as
appropriate.
The County School System has adopted a
disaster recovery plan that includes all
schools in the system. The plan identifies
and addresses specific disaster recovery
issues and concerns pertaining to the school
system. The plan focuses on school system
initiation and follows through to recovery
actions after any type of event affecting
schools and school property. Recovery
policies include the following:
Coordinate school location specific debris
activities to include making sure that
debris contractor and debris monitor are in
place for debris management activities, or
implementing cleanup by school maintenance
staff, as appropriate.
Facility Structural Issues
Each school is evaluated in terms of
structural concerns that may arise following
an event.
Safety Issues
A risk assessment of the facilities is
included in the plan.
Vulnerable student populations are
addressed.
Insurance Issues
The plan addresses the type and amount of
insurance coverage for the various schools
within the system.
Education and Awareness
The plan outlines directives to provide
awareness of disaster recovery by faculty,
staff and students.
Shelters
Schools are often used as shelters and the
plan identifies which schools can operate in
that capacity.
Work with control group responsible for
shelter coordination to ensure that disaster
victims are placed in transitional shelters
and schools are returned to normal
operations as soon as possible.
Security
Coordinate with Sherriff�s Office, the lead
agency for RF
#6 � Security and Re-Entry, regarding
security surrounding the schools during
re-entry and the return of daily operations.
Alternate Location
The School System will identify alternate
locations as needed to restore education
services to the school.
The purpose of Recovery Function 16 � Agriculture is
to identify services that will be provided to assist
the agricultural community as they recover from a
disaster and determine which agencies will provide
those services.
Recovery Function 16 activities include the
following:
Coordinate damage assessments of agricultural
resources post-disaster.
Educate the agricultural community on available
programs.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
Coordinate with state and federal
agricultural agencies to provide information
and guidance to the public regarding federal
programs that may be available in times of
disaster.
Post-Event
Coordinate Agricultural Damage Assessment
Teams with
Cooperative Extension
Bertie County Soil and Water
County Office of NRCS, Rural Development
Farm Service Agency.
The initial assessment is to be done within
24 hours. Information gathered will then be
placed into a flash report that will be
provided to the State Farm Services Agency.
Assist the Emergency Operations Center with
identifying and coordinating assistance for
agricultural needs within the county.
Cooperative Extension staff will provide
information to producers and other citizens
on various aspects of crop, livestock and
agricultural operations management affected
by disaster. This includes assisting
disaster affected farm owners by providing
guidance on assessing damage, as well as
working with insurances and available state
and federal programs. Available programs
will be determined based on the type of
federal declaration that has been granted.
A list of available programs can be found in
the North Carolina Disaster Recovery Guide.
In cooperation with their member of
the County Animal Response Team, ensure that
deceased animals are disposed of in
accordance with the state�s animal burial
guidelines.
Provide information to the Public
Information Officer to be disseminated
through media on available state and federal
programs.
Disseminate information on available state
and federal programs through traditional
farming cooperatives and organizations.
The Cooperative Extension Services Offices
serve as disaster recovery assistance
centers for registration and application for
assistance for agricultural and other needs,
including housing and business services.
Utilize Cooperative Extension Services camp
sites for key disaster recovery sites (e.g.,
shelters, disaster recovery centers, housing
and feeding emergency personnel), as needed.
The purpose of Recovery Function 17 Receiving and
Distribution is to receive and then distribute
necessary provisional commodities to assist the
citizens and communities as they recover from a
disaster and identify the agencies that will provide
services.
Recovery Function 17 activities include the
following:
Staffing, equipment and support services to
conduct CRDP or POD operations in accordance
with the Receiving and Distribution Annex of the
County Emergency Operations Plan.
Receive bulk resources of shelf stable meals,
bottled water, bagged ice and tarps or other
accountable and/ or expendable supplies from
federal, state or vendor resources.
Account for and distribute bulk resources to
designated County PODs or Non-Public PODs at the
direction of Bertie County Emergency
Management.
Transportation from the CRDP to the Type 4 PODS
will be provided through an agreement with
building supply companies with boom trucks or
fork trucks capable of transporting and
delivering palletized commodities.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
The purpose of Recovery Function 18 Legal is to
review necessary legal documents such as contracts and to
provide legal guidance and review to Bertie County regarding
legal matters.
Recovery Function 18 activities include the
following:
Staffing, equipment and support services to
conduct legal review of contracts.
Review and advise the Board of County
Commissioners and County Manager regarding local
declarations of emergency / disaster.
Review mutual aid agreements.
Review shelter agreements.
Review any other agreements that may impose
restrictions or commit Bertie County to
financial responsibility or any other liability.
Emergency Support / Recovery Function References
(ESF / RF)
There are numerous departments,
agencies and organizations that play key roles in the success of
Bertie County to recover from a major emergency or disaster.
Where roles and responsibilities are listed they are to be
considered for the purpose of this plan to be included, but not
limited to those specifically listed. This electronic version of the
Bertie County Recovery Plan includes
a general description of local, State and Federal agencies and
departments as well as descriptions (where applicable) of private
and or non-profit support agencies and organizations. To not be
repetitive, these descriptions are linked (hyperlinked) to a
separate file that lists the agency, department or organization and
their likely role in disaster recovery operations.
In Tables A-1 through A-4 below, we outline the general
responsibilities of these departments, agencies or organization in
the various recovery functions as a primary or support
agency.
Following a disaster event, a number of county departments and
divisions may be involved in the recovery process. Table A-1
summarizes the roles and responsibilities of each county department
during recovery operations. Representatives from these groups
should be contacted regularly so that changes related to or that
affect recovery operations are reflected in the plan. In the event
of a disaster, some or all of the departments listed below may
require daily meetings in order to coordinate, manage, and complete
all recovery activities.
Table A-1
County Departments Primary Roles and Responsibilities Table
Agency/Department
Sub-Agency/Division
Primary Duties/Responsibilities
Bertie County Board of Commissioners
Enacts local emergency ordinances
Ensures safety and services are provided to
citizens
Issues credit cards for emergency expenditures
as appropriate.
Prepares applications and claims for
state and federal financial assistance and develops
financial accounting record procedures for
county/municipal agencies to report their emergency
expenses.
Works with the Bertie County
Board of Commissioners and the County Manager to
ensure that revenue-generating services are back
online and will provide input regarding
disaster-related changes to fees or taxes.
The DSS Emergency Assistance program
provides assistance to those households with minor
children who have a crisis that has resulted from
unusual circumstances.
Coordinates the FEMA Individual
Assistance program for the county and assists in
connecting victims to services.
Overall responsibility for the
health and welfare of the public.
Authority (granted by the County
Manager and the Board of Commissioners) to provide
orders necessary for public safety.
Conducts sanitation inspections and
oversees sanitation rules for restaurants, school
lunchrooms, meat markets, other food-handling
establishments, public swimming pools, child care
centers, school buildings, lodging establishments,
bed & breakfast homes, bed & breakfast inns,
hospitals, nursing and rest homes, summer camps,
local confinement facilities, and residential care
facilities.
Coordinates the missions of all
county and volunteer EMS agencies and checks
credentials of outside professionals arriving on
scene to render assistance.
Coordinates with the hospital
disaster coordinator on use of other medical
facilities within the county for mass casualty
incidents and expansion of the emergency medical
system.
Provides for the transport of
medical supplies, oxygen, etc., to medical
facilities and special needs patients.
Following a disaster event, state agencies may be involved in the
recovery process. Table A-2 summarizes the roles and
responsibilities of state agencies during recovery operations.
Representatives from these groups should be contacted annually so
that the County is aware of any changes as they relate to recovery
activities and operations. In the event of a disaster, some or all
of the agencies listed below may require weekly or bi-weekly
meetings in order to update the agencies on recovery progress.
Table A-2
State Agencies Roles and Responsibilities Table
Agency/Department
Sub-Agency/Division
Primary Duties/Responsibilities
North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community
Service
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources
Division of Environmental Health
Division of Forest Resources
Division of Water Quality
Wildlife Resources Commission
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child Development Division of Public Health
Public Health Regional
Surveillance Team
Division of Social Services
Following a disaster event, federal agencies may be involved in the
recovery process. Table A-3 summarizes the roles and
responsibilities of external agencies during recovery operations.
Representatives from these groups should be contacted annually so
that the County is aware of any changes as they relate to recovery
activities and operations. In the event of a disaster, some or all
of the agencies listed below may require weekly or bi-weekly
meetings in order to update the agencies on recovery progress.
Table A-3
Federal Agencies Roles and Responsibilities Table
Following a disaster event, private and nonprofit organizations may
be involved in the recovery process. Table A-4 summarizes the roles
and responsibilities of private and nonprofit organizations during
recovery operations. Representatives from these organizations
should be contacted annually so that the County is aware of any
changes as they relate to recovery activities and operations. In
the event of a disaster, some or all of the organizations listed
below may require weekly or bi-weekly meetings in order to update
the agencies on recovery progress.
Table A-4
Private and Non-profit Organizations Roles and Responsibilities
Table
County Manager
Emergency Management
Public Works
Solid Waste
Housing
Planning
Individual Assistance
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Red Cross
Small Business Administration
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Infrastructure repair - restoration
All County Agencies and Departments
Federal Emergency Management Agency
North Carolina Department of Public Safety
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources
North Carolina Department of Transportation
North Carolina Utilities Commission
Power Company
Small Business Administration
Telephone Company
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Small Business Administration
Public Assistance
Federal Emergency Management Agency
North Carolina Department of Public Safety
Unmet Needs
Board of Commissioners
Small Business Administration
Social Services
This plan
establishes the procedures and activities used by the County
government and departments to return to pre-disaster conditions as
quickly and efficiently as possible following an event. The plan
should be used as a guiding document during the recovery phase of an
event. Response phase activities are identified and outlined in the
County�s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Due to the cyclical nature
of emergency management, there will be some overlap between the
response and recovery phase. Recovery is a complex and long-term
process that involves a range of activities and many participants.
Recovery begins shortly after the disaster event occurs and can
continue for many years. It involves short-term restoration of
essential community functions and long-term rebuilding. It
incorporates mitigation of hazards as restoration and rebuilding
take place.
This plan addresses
how to get financial, organizational, and human resources focused on
both short-term and long-term needs based on locally defined
priorities. Recovery actions involve:
Analyzing post-disaster conditions and opportunities for
restoring the community to pre-disaster condition or better
Identifying needs and priorities in repairing and restoring
essential facilities for short-term functioning of the community
Initiating hazard abatement (short-term) and mitigation
(long-term)
Initiating housing recovery (temporary and long-term)
Identifying the methodology for local business recovery and
temporary business resumption
Providing support for essential economic facility recovery
(highways, railways, etc.)
Maximizing available state and federal assistance.
RECOVERY PLANNING COMMITTEES
Recovery Plan Steering Committee
The Recovery Plan
Steering Committee is the group that guides the development of the
recovery plan. This group also takes ownership of the plan and is
responsible updating and maintaining the plan. The Recovery Plan
Steering Committee is also responsible for improving the recovery
process and setting up quarterly meetings to review the plan. The
following is the list of members on the Recovery Plan Steering
Committee.
In order to
facilitate productive meetings, the County and the State identified
23 recovery functions to complement this plan. Each recovery
function will have a corresponding plan that will describe the roles
and responsibilities for both short-term and long-term recovery.
Table D-2
Recovery Group - Functions and Primary Agencies
Recovery Function
Task Leads
RF 1: Emergency Management
Emergency Management
RF 2: Administration / Continuity of Government
County Manager
RF 3: Public Information/Community Relations
Public Information Officer
RF 4: Individual Assistance
Social Services
RF 5: Volunteers and Donations
Volunteer Resources Coordinator
RF 6: Security and Re-entry
Sheriff
RF 7: Health and Human Services
Health Department and Social Services
RF 8: Public Works
Public Works
RF 9: Utility Restoration
Public Works / Electric Utility Companies
RF 10: Planning and Mitigation
Planning Department and Building Inspections
RF 11: Economic Restoration and Recovery
Board of Commissioners
RF 12: Environmental Preservation & Restoration
Public Works
RF 13: Finance
Finance Department
RF 14: Housing
Planning/Inspections Department
RF 15: Education
Bertie County Schools
RF 16: Agriculture
Cooperative Extension
RF 17: Receiving and Distribution
Emergency Management and County Schools
RF 18: Legal Department
County Attorney - Legal Department
Recovery Plan Committee
The Recovery Plan Committee is a large group that accounts for all
the roles and responsibilities in the recovery functions. Therefore,
if a department or agency has a role in any recovery function, they
should be included in this group. Everyone listed in the committee
plays a role in activating the recovery plan.
The documents
described in this section provide the legal basis and guidance for
local governments to engage in recovery operations and seek
reimbursement from the federal government. The County should review
each of these documents on an annual basis not only to familiarize
themselves with the governing statutes, but also to identify any
changes to the regulations and guidelines.
Code of Federal Regulations: Title 44 � Emergency Management and
Assistance
The Code of Federal
Regulations �
Title 44 Emergency Management and Assistance (44 CFR)
provides procedural requirements for the PA Program operations.
These regulations are designed to implement a statute based upon
FEMA�s interpretation of the Stafford Act. They govern the PA
Program and outline program procedures, eligibility, and
funding.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Guidelines Under the current
federal system, FEMA coordinates the response and recovery
efforts for all Presidentially declared disasters. FEMA
provides guidance documents for local governments to be used for
disaster planning and response. Three guidance documents that
are generally associated with debris recovery have been
summarized:
FEMA Publication 322 � Public Assistance Guide
The Public Assistance (PA) Guide provides a general overview
of the FEMA PA Program protocols immediately following a
disaster. The PA Program provides the basis for the
federal/local cost-sharing program. This document
specifically describes the entities eligible for
reimbursement under the PA Program, the documentation
necessary to ensure reimbursement, and special
considerations local governments should be aware of to
maximize eligible activities.
FEMA Publication 323 � Applicant Handbook
The Applicant Handbook is the official guide for local
governments considering applying for reimbursement following
a disaster through the PA Program. The Applicant Handbook
should be used in conjunction with this plan immediately
following a debris-generating event. The Applicant Handbook
provides the rules, procedures, and sample documents that
local governments need as the �applicant� to FEMA. The
publication is formatted so that the applicant has a
step-by-step guide for each phase of the reimbursement
process including what information is critical to ensure
reimbursement.
FEMA Publication 325 � Debris Management Guide
The Debris Management Guide is a publication specifically
dedicated to the rules, regulations, and policies associated
with the debris clean-up process. Familiarity with this
publication and any revisions can aid a local government in
limiting the amount of non-reimbursable expenses. The
Debris Management Guide provides the framework for the
debris removal process authorized by the Stafford Act
including:
Elimination of immediate threats to lives, public
health, and safety.
Elimination of immediate threats of significant damage
to improved public or private property.
Ensuring the economic recovery of the affected community
to the benefit of the community-at-large.
Disaster Specific Guidance Disaster Specific
Guidance (DSG) is a policy statement issued in response to a
specific post-event situation or need in a state or region.
Each DSG is issued a number and is generally referred to
along with its numerical identification. These guidance
documents typically relate to the authorization of private
property cleanup, cleanup and payment for debris removal, or
notification of large projects. Staff
should be aware of any new DSG statements issued by FEMA
following an event. Guidance
changes from event to event and sometimes during an event.
National Flood Insurance Program The National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP) was created by Congress in 1968 to
reduce the loss of life and property, and the rising disaster
relief costs caused by flooding. The program was designed to
achieve these goals by 1) requiring that new and future
substantially improved buildings be constructed to resist flood
damages, 2) guiding future development away from flood hazard
areas, and 3) transferring the costs of flood losses from the
American taxpayers to floodplain property owners through flood
insurance premiums. In recent decades, over 80% of disaster
losses nationwide have been caused by floods. The NFIP is a
voluntary program based on a mutual agreement between the
federal government and the local community. Federally backed
flood insurance coverage is available to any property owner in
return for mitigation of flood risks by community regulation of
floodplain development. Flood insurance and most types of
federal financial assistance, such as mortgage loans and grants,
are available only in those communities that adopt and enforce a
floodplain management ordinance that meets or exceeds the
minimum NFIP standards.
North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program The North Carolina
Floodplain Mapping Program develops Flood Insurance Rate
Maps (FIRMs) for all North Carolina communities as part of
the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The project
includes conducting flood hazard analyses and producing
updated, digital FIRMs (DFIRMs). The updated DFIRMs
produced through this project will help to protect lives and
property and will contribute to the general well-being of
North Carolina citizens. The updated flood hazard data will
provide current, accurate information for communities and
property owners to make sound siting and design decisions
when rebuilding after flooding disasters, when building new
structures and infrastructure, and when retrofitting
existing structures. Use of the data will dramatically
reduce long-term flood losses in the state, alert those at
risk of flooding of the need to purchase flood insurance,
and facilitate more precise flood risk determinations. In
addition, the floodplain maps will be useful for many
engineering and planning applications, such as site design,
stormwater management, transportation planning and design,
and spill response.
NFPA 1600 The ANSI/NFPA 1600
establishes a common set of criteria and terminology for
disaster management, emergency management, and business
continuity programs. This standard provides those with the
responsibility for disaster and emergency management and
business continuity the specific criteria to assess current
programs or to develop, implement, and maintain a program to
prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from
disasters and emergencies.
Lead, guide and direct
public recovery phases on behalf of the County.
DO NOT terminate a
declared local state of emergency until the majority
of (if not all of) both short term and long term
recovery projects have been completed or contracted
for completion or until advice by the State to do so
has been accepted.
Instruct departments
that have sustained damages and/or incurred expenses
(i.e., overtime, equipment usage, etc.) to document
such damages and expenses. Examples are:
Personnel time records,
including regular and overtime salary.
Hourly rate for:
Wages
Retirement
Insurance (medical and
workers comp)
Other benefits
Personal expenses
only if they are disaster related
(i.e., out of pocket expenses for
supplies, food, fuel, etc.).
Travel expenses only
if they are disaster related.
Expenses of the County
for procurement of supplies and/or
equipment used, rented, purchased or
contracted during the period of the
disaster.
Costs directly related
to debris management.
Costs directly related
to emergency response and/or other
protective actions.
Direct administrative
costs of collecting, maintaining,
compiling and/or copying required
reports, including the time of the
personnel required to do so.
Emphasize to
departments the necessity for accurate and timely
reporting of damages and expenses.
Damages should be
recorded using the
database, as
well has placed on necessary FEMA forms to present
to the Federal Coordinating Officer or their
representative.
Note:
It is necessary to record public damages in
the database for local records management and value
tracking.
Once each department
has completed their reports, instruct them to turn
in reports to Finance or the appointed agency
responsible for collecting and compiling the
reports.
Attend, or designate an
authorized County representative to attend, an
Applicant briefing at the location and time given by
the State and/or Federal Coordinating Officer.
Ensure the Request for
Public Assistance (RPA) is completed accurately and
on time and presented to the appropriate State
and/or Federal representative.
Appoint representatives
of the county to serve with an Unmet Needs
Committee.
If an unmet needs
committee has not been formalized prior to, during
or immediately following the disaster, establish
one.
County Departments that
may offer services (i.e.,
Social Services, Health,
Utilities, Library, Veterans
Services, Aging,
Transportation, etc.)
Red Cross, Salvation
Army, Goodwill, etc.
Local churches or
ministerial association
members
Other
volunteer/community
organizations
Establish or appoint a
chair for the committee.
The Unmet Needs
Committee is only to consider meeting
individual or individual family needs
that cannot be met by other
local/State/Federal programs and
offerings of assistance. Almost all
individuals will qualify for some level
of assistance, but may choose not to
accept or seek such assistance.
Individuals who may qualify for other
local/State/Federal assistance will be
candidates for consideration by the
Unmet Needs Committee.
Assist Unmet Needs
Committee with meeting locations and
staff support if appropriate to do so.
Ensure Emergency
Management is kept informed and serves as chief
liaison with State Emergency Management and Federal
Emergency Management.
Expedite the issuance
of contracts for emergency repairs to county
properties.
Expedite the issuance
of contracts for debris management, debris removal,
and debris disposal, if such contracts have not been
issued or pre-arranged.
Receive a briefing from
the Emergency Operations Center and/or County
Manager and/or Damage Assessment Officer determine
the extent of damages to public facilities.
Coordinate with all
county departments and agencies to gather
information.
Produce reports and
records that accurately reflect county costs
incurred during the disaster including:
Personnel time records,
including regular and overtime salary.
Hourly rate for:
Wages
Retirement
Insurance (medical and
workers comp)
Other benefits
Personal expenses
only if they are disaster related
(i.e., out of pocket expenses for
supplies, food, fuel, etc.).
Travel expenses only
if they are disaster related.
Expenses of the County
for procurement of supplies and/or
equipment used, rented, purchased or
contracted during the period of the
disaster.
Costs directly related
to debris management.
Costs directly related
to emergency response and/or other
protective actions.
Direct administrative
costs of collecting, maintaining,
compiling and/or copying required
reports, including the time of the
personnel required to do so.
Assist expediting the
issuance of contracts for emergency repairs to
Bertie County properties.
Assist expediting the
issuance of contracts for debris management, debris
removal, and debris disposal, if such contracts have
not been issued or pre-arranged.
Prepare reports or
other documents to present to the County Manager
and/or the Board of Commissioners, as directed by
the County Manager.
Assess immediate and
long term budget impacts.
Consult with the Tax
Assessor / Tax Department to determine potential
revenue (tax) losses from damaged or destroyed
private properties including residential and
industrial.
Consult with
Cooperative Extension to determine potential revenue
(tax) losses from damaged or destroyed agriculture
properties.
Carry out other
relative functions as instructed by the County
Manager.
