Community Impact reports that the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is focusing on being prepared for a multiple number of emergency possibilities and is working toward establishing a regional hub for other rural areas. They are looking to come up with new emergency shelters for countywide natural disasters, and to add emergency supplies and equipment.
Giving support to the main hub are mobile command centers. On October 10th, Montgomery County Commissioners gave the okay to purchasing a new $1.25 million unit. First responders will find recovery space there thanks to the unit, as well as transporting any persons who are injured. The unit can connect through the StarLink satellite program–a program also utilized by other emergency unit mobile command centers.
Executive Director of Emergency Management for the County, Ronnie Millsaps, said although thousands of supplies can be held in the 17,000 square foot building that can be sent across the county during a crisis, a time delay factor needs to be taken into consideration in regard to delivery of the resources by the kind of emergency they’re responding to. So, the county is looking to expand and build storage facilities and emergency shelters. No funding at this time has been dedicated, but construction of the buildings and funding is being discussed.
