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Resident asks where to shelter in an emergency; commissioners point to county plan
Summary
Resident Belinda Jennings urged clearer information on emergency shelters and safety; commissioners and staff said the city follows the county emergency-preparedness plan and offered to share county emergency-manager resources and online guidance.
Belinda Jennings, a Saginaw resident, used the public-comment period to ask whether the city or county maintains shelters or safe places for residents in the event of an emergency, including references to ‘‘bomb shelters’’ and recent national events that raised her concerns.
Jennings told the Commission she wants clear, accessible information about where residents, including children and vulnerable adults, should go in an emergency. "We need to have something in place for our safety," she said, and asked where she and her family should go "if something happened." (Belinda Jennings, resident)
Commissioners and staff responded that the City adopts Saginaw County’s emergency-preparedness plan and that the county has an office of emergency management with resources and recommendations. One commissioner said she would share the county plan and show Jennings where to find it online after the meeting. Staff and commissioners noted there are not known county-maintained bomb shelters but that the county plan lists alternatives such as schools and large public buildings for sheltering and guidance for different scenarios.
The Commission did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting but staff committed to follow up with the resident and share the county emergency-preparedness resources and contact information for the county emergency manager.
