Clermont County presents updated Emergency Operations Plan; EMA director announces resignation
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Summary
EMA director Pam Haberkost presented the county Emergency Operations Plan review, described priority hazards and mutual‑aid capabilities, and announced she will step down; commissioners were briefed on plan review, hazard mitigation and the search for a new director.
Pam Haberkost, director of the Clermont County Emergency Management Agency, presented the county's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) base plan to the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 12 and outlined plan requirements, hazard priorities and regional response capabilities.
Haberkost summarized the EOP's four phases (mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery), the required four‑year promulgation cycle, and a hazard analysis identifying 16 priority hazards — with cybersecurity, tornadoes and Ohio River flooding among the highest rated. She described local and regional capabilities including multi‑county mutual aid, hazardous‑materials response via the Greater Cincinnati HazMat unit, urban search and rescue support, mass‑casualty assets and a volunteer reception center maintained with partner agencies.
The director explained activation levels for the emergency operations center, documentation and procurement rules for cost recovery, and the need for comprehensive damage assessment to access state or federal assistance. She also said the county will complete a hazard mitigation plan draft for public comment in the next six months and that Ohio EMA has scheduled a county review in 2026.
During her presentation Haberkost announced that Friday will be her last day as EMA director. She said she has accepted a position with the University of Cincinnati to work on continuity‑of‑operations planning for the university system and that she has worked to ensure an orderly transition and onboarding for incoming leadership.
Commissioners thanked Haberkost for her service; staff noted the county will begin the process to select a new EMA director and that the incoming director will bring the EOP through final review and promulgation.