Region 22 emergency manager briefs council on FEMA thresholds, LEOP update and April training

Region 22 Emergency Management Director Robert Crowder updated the Scottsbluff City Council on disaster thresholds, preparedness planning and several upcoming training events.

Crowder told the council that FEMA public‑assistance indicators include a county threshold the city watches when damage assessment accumulates. "Scottsbluff County is, of course, Scottsbluff would fall underneath that, right off the top of my head, around $170,000 in public systems damage before, we'd be able to roll that up to the state," Crowder said, adding the state threshold is about $3,700,000. "If we hit that box and then the state hit their 3,700,000, then we would qualify for a major disaster declaration through the president," he said.

Crowder said damage assessment is important, and that local events must be documented to build statewide totals. He also reminded the council that the Scottsbluff County Local Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP) must be updated this year by July 1 and said he looks forward to municipal updates or a new Scottsbluff emergency operations plan.

On training, Crowder announced an April 7 public information officer (PIO) and command/general staff workshop to be held at the Public Safety Building and a community cleanup day on April 26 that regional partners are coordinating with Terrytown. "We're doing 4 hours of public information officer workshop at the first part of that, and then the command and general staff would be after lunch," Crowder said.

Crowder also said Region 22 is beginning summer planning for events such as balloon festivals and a marathon, and asked council members to encourage local attendance at the PIO/command workshop to improve coordination across jurisdictions.