Dripping Springs launches emergency management plan
The Dripping Springs Emergency Management Department has launched the city’s first emergency management plan.
Prior to adopting this plan, in the event of a local disaster, the city’s first response was to follow the procedures and protocols of the Hays County Offce of Emergency Management. Because Dripping Springs is the only city located in the northern part of Hays County, and somewhat distanced from many county services, the city understood the need for creating a comprehensive plan that enables a quick response.
“The plan was designed so the City of Dripping Springs can adequately prepare, mitigate, respond and recover from a natural or man-made disaster or other emergency,” Roman Baligad said, Dripping Springs Emergency Management Coordinator. “We’ve always been prepared should an emergency occur, but during a disaster, time matters, and the less time we spend waiting for help, the better off we will be. Our plan has identified our own local resources that can respond on short notice.”
The emergency management plan includes extensive policies and procedures on critical emergency plans the city will follow before, during and after an emergency. This includes advance training, incident command systems, organization and responsibilities, lines of succession, agreements and resources, recordkeeping, and more.
Baligad has been putting the plan together with the help of the city’s emergency management commission, working on all the critical details over the past couple of years.
“The plan is the first step in the planning and preparedness process and is a dynamic plan,” Bonnie Humphrey said, Dripping Springs Emergency Management Commission Chair. “The next steps will be to create standard operating procedures for each aspect of the plan and to inventory all the local assets available to the city in a disaster.”
Humphrey noted that while most people think of first responders as the biggest need in a disaster, there are many supporting tasks that are critical in an emergency. These are part of the Dripping Springs emergency management plan and include:
• Finance and FEMA reimbursement where applicable
• Debris management
• Temporary housing and immediate personal item assistance
• Citizen property rebuilding assistance
• Temporary shelter and feeding of citizens and our pets and livestock
• Crisis mental health services
• Public relations during disaster
• Citizen education before disasters for preparedness education
• Continuity of operations for local government
• Volunteer and donation management
• And so much more
“While this is a work in progress, we could not get this far without Roman’s diligence in the planning, along with all the representatives on the Commission,” Humphrey said. “These folks are true local heroes, willing to put in the extra hours to see that this community is better prepared for emergencies.”
Both Humphrey and Baligad have advocated for the need of emergency planning at the local level.
“It is hard to face any sort of emergency and disaster as they occur suddenly in our lives,” Baligad said. “But at the same time, we can certainly reduce their negative consequences through well thought out plans and strong preparations. The commission has gone above and beyond working with me on this plan and I’m looking forward to continuing working with them to ensure we are ready for any disaster. We will continue to assess and expand the plan as needed. The safety of our citizens is our top priority.”
For any questions about the plan, please reach out to [email protected] or call the City of Dripping Springs at 512-858-4725.