The Rolla Daily News Sunday, September 12, 2004 Vol. 130 - No. 227
SEMA grant will help Phelps County Disaster Committee achieve its goals
By Bill E. Morrison
Staff Writer
    In the aftermath of flooding at Beaver Manor subdivision in April, 2002, Joe Counsil and others formed a group to do clean up operations and that group evolved into the Phelps County Disaster Committee (PCDC).
    While there are numerous agencies throughout the county with expertise in responding to emergency situations, the members of PCDC found a lack of coordination amongst those agencies. So the group set about rectifying that problem.
    "It's an organization that is set up for the purpose of pulling together the various players" for emergency response, Counsil said.
    It was first set up as a Missouri Volunteer Organization Active in Disaster and then, in 2003, PCDC became affiliated as a Citizen Corps, thus gaining support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
    Just recently, PCDC was notified that it had been awarded a grant of $31,755 from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). That's about $10,000 less than what was applied for, Counsil said, but enough to help PCDC achieve the goals set forth in its bylaws.
    Counsil, who is president of the group, said PCDC has identified key areas where it hopes to make emergency response improvements. Those six include
    * Medical Reserve Corps: Being headed up by Jim Bess and Jodi Waltman, the purpose of the corps is to identify medical professionals and support personnel who will be readily deployable in the event of a mass casualty occurrence.
    * Weather Shelters: Diane Hagni is in charge of this effort to designate public buildings throughout the county that can be used as shelters during stormy weather. Counsil said it requires putting agreements in place between the PCDC and building owners and purchasing basic shelter supplies. He said the shelters will serve as safe havens while severe storms are passing through the area, but will not be designed for extended stays. "These would not be long-term. These would be for one or two hours," Counsil said.
    * Neighborhood Watch: Jason Finch, a member of the Rolla Police Department, is in charge of this program. The Neighborhood Watch Program has been in existence for years and Counsil said PCDC will provide funding to purchase resources for the program and to promote the program. "We need to beef up the Neighborhood Watch Program," he said.
    * National Fire Safety Program: Ron Smith of the Rolla Fire and Rescue Department is directing this component of PCDC. The committee will help purchase educational resources and facilitate fire safety presentations for children and adults alike, Counsil said.
    * Volunteer Incident Support Team: Led by Edna Bridges, of the Phelps-Pulaski Chapter of the American Red Cross, this is an effort to establish additional support outlets for the American Red Cross to call upon in the event of a major disaster.
    * Citizen Corps Support: This is headed up by Counsil and is geared at bringing public attention to the resources available in Phelps County for disaster victims. Counsil said he hopes PCDC will be able to host periodic seminars and provide other education resources to make people aware of what they should do, and whom they should turn to, in various emergency situations.
    "The idea is to pull the public safety officials together with volunteers," in all areas, Counsil said. These are some ideas that arose out of conversations. These are programs that existed that we could improve on with some additional funding."
    Counsil said September is National Preparedness Month and, because of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, this is a good time to focus attention on the efforts under way here to prepare for disasters.
    Because the committee needed a government sponsor to receive the grant funding, PCDC is affiliated with Phelps County. The grant money, which will be allocated to reimburse the committee for expenses it incurs in the aforementioned areas, will be channeled through an account overseen by the county.