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Lincoln County emergency manager reviews flood response, damage-assessment tools
Summary
Harold Timmerman, Lincoln County emergency management director, gave an annual update to the Canton City Council covering last year’s flood response, FEMA operations at the local visitor center, a damage-assessment app, and a new community alert system.
Harold Timmerman, Lincoln County emergency management director, gave an annual update to the Canton City Council on emergency response efforts following last year’s flood and on tools the county is using to speed damage assessment and resident notification.
Timmerman told the council the county’s use of a visitor center above city facilities helped FEMA provide services after the flood. “It worked well for them,” he said, and added that FEMA staff took care not to damage the meeting room. “They make every effort not to damage anything, scratch the floor, or whatever.”
The update described a damage-assessment mobile app the county used to collect photos, GPS points and scope-of-work estimates from field users. Timmerman said the program — referred to in the meeting as “scribe track” — allowed townships and cities to document road and culvert damage, calculate gravel and base needs, and sometimes provide FEMA with sufficient evidence that an on-site inspection was unnecessary.
Timmerman also said the county is implementing a community alert platform called Regroup. He said IT work remains to add the sign-up link to the county website but that many local numbers have already been preloaded by the vendor. Regroup, he said, can notify either the whole county or a limited area drawn on a map, and can push messages similar to Amber Alert-style notifications.
Council members asked about the county’s siren policy and how it interacts with app-based alerts. Timmerman reiterated that Lincoln County retains a narrow siren policy, using sirens for tornado warnings. “A warning means it's here,” he said, distinguishing it from a watch. He noted that some neighboring jurisdictions have broadened siren use, which he said could create confusing differences for residents.
Timmerman also flagged uncertainty about future FEMA disaster-declaration rules, saying some jurisdictions that sought declarations after recent incidents were denied. He encouraged officials and residents to call his cell phone with questions and said city hall also has his contact information.
No formal action or vote was taken on the items Timmerman discussed; his appearance was an informational annual update.
