Clayton County adopts updated emergency operations plan to protect federal funding

The Clayton County Board of Commissioners on July 7 adopted an updated Local Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP) intended to keep the county eligible for federal and state emergency funding.

Director David Vasquez of the Office of Resilience and Emergency Management told the board the plan — revised over two years beginning in July 2024 — brings the county into compliance with state and federal requirements and updates annexes used during disasters. "If we did not have this in place or if we didn't meet any deadlines required by FEMA, it could put the county in jeopardy with losing federal money," Vasquez said.

Vasquez highlighted changes to shelter and warming/cooling annexes, refreshed contact lists with partnering stakeholders and a reformatted, clickable PDF to make the plan easier to use in emergencies. He said the plan integrates county departments, municipalities and nonprofit partners into a coordinated incident management approach and aligns procedures with the National Incident Management System.

The director said the county worked with internal department heads and external partners while drafting the LEOP and that, following adoption, the county will distribute the document to departments, municipalities and agencies such as the regional water authority and post it publicly on the county website.

The board approved the plan as a consent agenda item. The adoption sets the county's framework for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery across hazards and preserves access to hazard‑mitigation, flood and other federal funding streams that require an up‑to‑date emergency plan.