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Emergency management director presents 200‑page after-action report on recent floods; cites response successes and procedural lessons
Summary
Cobb County EMA director Joe Esway presented a nine‑month, 200‑page after‑action report on the flood response, praised local responders for rapid evacuations, noted a false dam‑failure call that nonetheless likely saved lives, and recommended updates to shelter procedures and hazard‑mitigation planning.
Cobb County Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Esway presented an after-action report on the recent flood that he said took nine months to compile and runs about 200 pages. Esway told the council he reconstructed timelines from 911 tapes and radio transmissions and approached the work as an inspector-general–style review to capture operational strengths and weaknesses.
Esway credited local responders — police, fire, swift-water rescue teams and dispatch staff — for a swift, well-coordinated response that likely prevented greater loss of life. He said some responding agencies and personnel performed “phenomenally,” and singled out several teams for praise. “We acted in good faith,” Esway said, describing a rapid evacuation after a report of a dam failure; later investigation found the report to be false but Esway said the decision and procedure were appropriate given the information available.
Esay (Esway) told the council that some elements were not fully addressed in the report and suggested addenda, including more detail on sheltering, medical support at shelters and coordination with nonprofits and churches. He said the county’s basic emergency operations plan and hazard‑mitigation plan will be revised to incorporate lessons learned and that he will return in the fall to present a rewritten plan.
Esway highlighted operational changes already implemented — such as prepositioning fuel and commissioning a backup dispatch center — and said the report includes a transcription of key radio/911 communications. He emphasized the tension between agency responsibility and individual decisions in evacuation orders and encouraged improvements to preparedness, credible public information and shelter planning.
Council members and staff asked clarifying questions about shelter operations and medical support; Esway offered to meet with county staff and suggested an addendum to cover shelter details not captured in the main report. The council did not take a vote on the report but accepted the presentation and asked for follow-up at a later date.
