Emergency Management Plan
The primary purpose of the current Emergency Management ESF-5 Annex (ESF-5), approved in March 2020, is to designate coordination mechanisms, the responsibilities, and actions required from stakeholders involved in emergency operations. The purpose, as stipulated, is that the successful response to accidents across the state necessitates the coherent coordination of efforts of federal, state, and local agencies and organizations to react and assist in an affected area (Kidd, 2020). The scope of the purpose expands to all possible natural, anthropogenic, and technological disasters that entail the heightened readiness of the State Operations Center (SOC), Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC), and other entities.
Concepts of Operation
ESF-5 Emergency Management is organized following the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS). The present emergency management plan embraces all core activities, including prevention, protection, response, mitigation, and recovery. Furthermore, it requires thorough plans and procedures, material and human resources, effective collaboration, and the availability of operational facilities. Emergency management is coordinated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and supervised by an emergency management director (EMD) accountable for preparing and supporting emergency operations plans (Kidd, 2020). In case of need for additional resources, and EMDs can appeal to their TDEM district coordinator (DC), SOC, or REOC, depending on a calamity’s severity. In particular, SOC is responsible for coordinating the statewide response to incidents, satisfying resource requests, and maintaining contact with the state leadership. Besides that, SOC also coordinates volunteer groups.
Organization and Responsibilities
Emergency activities are executed under six emergency management objectives utilized to all hazards, including severe weather disasters, earthquakes, flooding, and nuclear or radiological incidents. The first objective requires TDEM to develop respective plan templates, guidance, procedures, and agreements for assistance to react to accidents appropriately. In addition to TDEM, the Texas Emergency Management Council (TEMC) also participates in the planning process, providing advice on preparedness, disaster mitigation, and recovery (Kidd, 2020). The second objective aims at maintaining the state emergency management structure linked to state and local decision-makers responsible for meeting the state’s needs. Besides, under this goal, REOC supports a Disaster District Emergency Operations Center (DDEOC) in performing its functions, namely, planning, command, finance, logistics, and recovery. SOC serves as a warning point and communications hub, allowing stakeholders to collect, assess, and distribute critical information (Kidd, 2020). Finally, the responsibilities of the State Management Team comprise collecting, evaluating, and propagating necessary information about incident development, work with the TEMC, and other organizations, monitoring state resources, and reporting on the overall situation.
The third objective is directed at developing and maintaining situational awareness by gathering critical information and detecting needs. In this regard, the awareness is provided by local jurisdictions assisted by the TDEM and SOC via situation reports, WebEOC maintenance, and conference calls. WebEOC is a browser-based crisis information management system intended to create and share immediate-need data (Kidd, 2020). The fourth objective assumes coordinating resources requests by TDEM and o the federal government and supported by the private and voluntary sectors. The fifth objective involves recording and documenting the financial expenditures of all participated agencies to ensure valid justification for federal compensation. The final objective aims at providing response resources, including technical guidance and administrative, personnel, and equipment support, based on operational capabilities and needs.
Emergency Support Functions
Emergency support functions (ESF) are assigned to all necessary organizations and entities and consider many vital areas of activity. For instance, Texas Voluntary Organizations deliver a supportive role in Emergency Management, Mass Care, Logistics, Public Health, and Public Information (Kidd, 2020). TDEM has primary responsibilities in Communications, Emergency Management, Mass Care, and Logistics and offers assistance in all possible activities. Accordingly, the leading roles of the Texas Department of Transportation are related to Transportation and Public Works and Engineering.
References
Kidd, W. N. (2020, March 19). State of Texas emergency management plan: Emergency management annex (ESF-5). The Texas Division of Emergency Management, Preparedness Division.