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City council affirms local state of emergency and authorizes manager to sign volunteer release for storm cleanup
Summary
At a Sept. 25 special meeting, the council affirmed an interim manager’s declaration of a local state of emergency tied to Volusia County actions and unanimously authorized the manager to sign release and indemnification agreements so donated equipment and volunteers can assist with ditch clearance and sandbagging.
Edgewater’s city council on Sept. 25 unanimously affirmed an interim city manager’s declaration of a local state of emergency and authorized staff to execute release and indemnification agreements to enable donated equipment and volunteers to help with storm-related ditch maintenance.
Interim City Manager Thurman told the council that he had signed a declaration of local emergency “following suit to the state as well as Volusia County,” and read aloud the authority under the city code allowing the city manager to activate the emergency management plan. Thurman said the manager’s declaration must be affirmed by council within 48 hours or it will expire without council action.
The council voted to affirm and extend the declaration so the city’s response would remain “congruent with Volusia County.” The affirmation passed on a roll-call vote with all present council members voting yes.
During the meeting a council member reported that Glenn Storch said his client, the Miami Corporation, had offered to donate three days of equipment and personnel—specifically a grader, a skid steer and a dump truck—to assist with cleaning and maintaining city ditches. The council member said two of the company’s contractors had made similar offers. “They would just need the city to let them know where to work and the specifics of what to do,” the council member said in reporting the offer.
Council members agreed the city should accept the help only after staff obtain written releases and appropriate indemnification. The council then approved a motion authorizing the interim city manager to sign the necessary release and indemnification agreements for volunteers and donated contractors so cleanup work can move forward.
Council and staff also announced logistical details for public assistance: sandbag locations were posted at 26th Street and Hibiscus and at Mango Tree Drive; volunteers and some high school students were filling sandbags and assisting with deliveries (one speaker noted high school student shifts from about 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.); volunteers on site were taking names and addresses of elderly residents who needed later delivery. Council members and staff said city crews were operating under staff direction while volunteers work at the city’s direction.
Interim City Manager Thurman also asked the council to postpone two workshops scheduled for the coming Monday (a 4:00 p.m. and a 6:00 p.m. session) because of the emergency; council agreed to postpone those workshops.
The immediate next steps are that the interim city manager will execute the release and indemnification paperwork so donated equipment and volunteers can be used for ditch maintenance and storm response, and staff will continue to publicize sandbag locations and volunteer needs.
