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Nez Perce County emergency manager reports completed plans and upcoming exercises
Summary
County emergency manager James Wertzuk reported completion of the Emergency Operations Plan and a catastrophic disaster plan, pending multi-hazard mitigation plan resolutions from two jurisdictions, recent exercises with irrigation district and upcoming airport functional exercise on June 26.
Nez Perce County Emergency Manager James Wertzuk updated the joint Lewiston City Council and Nez Perce County Commission on June 17 that the county has completed its Emergency Operations Plan and a catastrophic disaster plan and is finalizing a multi-hazard mitigation plan pending local jurisdiction resolutions.
Wertzuk said he has completed the documents and is awaiting formal resolutions from neighboring jurisdictions (Lapwai and Cul de Sac) that are required for submission to the Idaho Office of Emergency Management and ultimately FEMA. "As soon as I get those 2 resolutions, I will send that forward to IOEM for review, and then they send it on to FEMA," he told the meeting, adding the edits since the last review were minor.
Wertzuk described recent preparedness activity: a joint exercise with the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District roughly two weeks prior that simulated a breach of the Soldiers Metals Dam, and an upcoming functional exercise at the Lewiston Airport on June 26 in which participating agencies will perform operational responses rather than tabletop discussion. He explained the irrigation-district exercise combined tabletop and functional elements and emphasized the need for simple plan notations such as mapping the flow of water if a dam breach occurs.
Wertzuk also described training completed since January — roughly 25 FEMA courses — and work on courthouse evacuation signage. He said he will distribute final plan documents to council and post them on the county website once the mitigation-plan resolutions are received.
