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DEM: alternate EOC, scaffolding inspections and 311 use limited winter storm damage
Summary
Department of Emergency Management summarized the Jan. 4, 2008 declared emergency for a severe winter storm, describing pre‑storm planning, scaffolding inspections, opening the alternate EOC at 1 South NS, use of virtual command tools and 311 as an information channel, and lessons for data sharing across departments.
Rob Dudgeon, Department of Emergency Management, briefed the Disaster Council on the declared emergency tied to the severe winter storm of Jan. 4, 2008. He described early warning monitoring on or about New Year—s Eve, convening an incident management team on Jan. 3, and pre‑storm coordination that included sandbag distribution and a special outreach to scaffolding companies to inspect and secure jobs.
Because of the storm—s severity, the city opened the alternate emergency operations center at 1 South NS to coordinate face‑to‑face rather than by phone. Dudgeon said the activation tested the alternate site and the city—s virtual command center; the joint information center coordinated mayoral press statements. He credited pre‑storm inspections and coordination with limiting damage, while noting scaffolding still came down in some locations despite preventive actions.
Council members and the mayor raised a major concern about surge capacity for 911 and 311 during high‑volume events. The mayor described large increases in call volume and drop calls and said the city must devise backup and overflow strategies; DEM and staff noted an ongoing dialogue with 211 and other partners about overflow options and that the disaster service worker program and training could help with surge staffing.
DEM said a fuller after‑action report on the storm is being prepared and will be shared when complete; the brief distributed at the meeting is an event summary.
