Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Disaster Preparedness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Alameda County disaster-preparedness office details mass-care role, training and need for sustained funding
Summary
Lorena Briseno, manager of Alameda County's Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, told the Social Services Committee that DPEM leads Mass Care and Shelter for unincorporated areas, has acquired trailers and run training exercises, and is seeking sustained funding and stronger countywide refresher training.
Lorena Briseno, manager of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (DPEM) in the Alameda County Social Services Agency, told the Social Services Committee on Oct. 28 that DPEM is the lead for mass care and shelter in unincorporated parts of the county and supports cities when local resources are depleted.
"We are the leads to provide emergency food, emergency shelter, and emergency child care for the unincorporated areas of Alameda County," Briseno said, describing DPEM's operational role in the county Office of Emergency Services' Emergency Operations Center.
Briseno outlined the office's structure and work since DPEM was established in October 2021, saying the team includes a manager, a management analyst and an administrative specialist. She highlighted continuity planning and cybersecurity work added to the agency's Continuity of Operations Plan and said the office maintains a seat on the agency legislative council to track funding and legislation.
The presentation listed recent operational activities: SSA participation in Project Roomkey during the pandemic, coordination with FEMA to open disaster recovery centers, standing up evacuation points during 2020 wildfires and January 2023 storms, and deployment of mobile laundry units and nonclinical staffing for vaccination and shelter operations. Briseno said DPEM now has 12 Mass Care and Shelter trailers acquired with grant funding, with five housed at the Office of Emergency Services and seven deployed with cities.
Briseno also emphasized training and preparedness outreach: DPEM has run agency "roadshows" and reports that more than 97% of agency staff have taken an online 4.5-hour shelter training; the training is publicly available on the Social Services Agency website.
Supervisors used the presentation for detailed operational questions. Supervisor Tam asked how local, state and federal declarations interact and what triggers the county response; Briseno said local boards can declare emergencies, the Office of Emergency Services activates the county emergency operations center, and the response escalates to state or federal support when county resources are depleted. She explained that logistics, contracting and insurance for shelter sites are coordinated with the General Services Agency and County Counsel and that the American Red Cross is a partner under memorandums of understanding to support shelter staffing and supplies.
On permanent shelter locations, Briseno said DPEM has worked with local facilities (for example, libraries, community centers and high schools) and will follow up with supervisors to provide a list of identified sites and how supplies are staged. Andrea Ford, Agency Director, and Briseno agreed to supply additional site and deployment details by email to supervisors' offices.
Briseno concluded by repeating the office's near-term priorities: strengthen partnerships with county and city departments, continue staff preparedness training, pursue funding opportunities to augment disaster response capacity and refine plans to integrate best practices from recent incidents.
The committee thanked the presenters and moved to the next informational item. The agency said it will provide requested shelter-site and deployment information to supervisors as a follow-up.
