Yancey County Government

Yancey County Emergency Management Services

Yancey County Emergency Management Services are undergoing extensive expansion and reorganization in response to the federal National Incident Management System designed to standardize and expand preparedness throughout the United States for natural and man-made disasters. The federal program will include integrated plans and structures at state and local levels, including all relevant government and private agencies and organizations. Each state, town and county will assist in developing and then adopt its own part of the plan.

What Is the National Incident Management System (NIMS)?
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was initiated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive #5 (HSPD-5), which states: "To prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies, the U.S. Government shall establish a single, comprehensive approach to domestic incident management. The objective of the United States Government is to ensure that all levels of government across the Nation have the capability to work efficiently and effectively together, using a national approach to domestic incident management."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA) has created the System and provides money through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for state and local governments to plan and develop locally specific disaster response plans and systems within this national structure. The national plan lists "potential hazards" including terrorist attack, civil disturbance, major fires, severe winter storms, hazardous materials, power failure, flooding, earthquake, tornado, drought, landslides, severe thunderstorms/high winds, and mass casualty (plane crash, bus accidents, weapons of mass destruction).

How Does NIMS Work?
The National Incident Management System provides for creation of integrated plans and structures at national, state and local levels, coordinating government and private agencies including schools, social services, law enforcement and public safety, emergency, fire and rescue services, health, transportation, communications, Red Cross, public works, agriculture, and solid waste. Each local jurisdiction prepares and adopts its own plan, within the guidelines and structures of the national plan. Electronic integration of data and plans will be developed as far as possible. The National System requires that local governments participate in order to be eligible for federal disaster assistance.
The National System provides for four stages of disaster management: 1) mitigation of risk, 2) preparedness, 3) response and 4) recovery from natural or man-made disasters. The system lists the roles and responsibilities of each national, state and local public and private agency which is involved, including government and private officials, in each phase of the operations (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery). The North Carolina Division of Emergency Management, in the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, coordinates disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery within the state.

How Is Yancey County's Plan Being Developed?
Yancey County is joining with Mitchell, Avery, and McDowell Counties on a multi-jurisdictional plan – the Toe River Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Each participating jurisdiction will have its own separate plan, adopted by its own governing body, but all will be jointly developed to create a single, four-county plan. This is intended to simplify the planning process and improve inter-governmental coordination in the Toe River region. Participation in this regional plan is required for eligibility for federal disaster assistance grants.

With federal funding, the counties have hired a project team from the national planning and engineering firm of Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan (PBS & J) which specializes in hazard risk assessment, mitigation planning, and emergency management. The PBS & J project team will work with a Hazard Mitigation Planning Team (HMPT) made up of county and municipal officials who will guide and participate in making the regional plan.

The PBS& J project team, together with the Hazard Mitigation Planning Team of public officials in the Toe River region, will review existing plans, analyze potential threats, and identify possible mitigation strategies They will review the history of events that have occurred and estimate future risks based on development trends and National Weather Service data.

Risk assessment will include potential damage to people, housing, critical and special facilities, infrastructure and lifelines, hazardous materials facilities, and commercial facilities. They will conduct a "capability assessment" evaluating the programmatic, technical, administrative, and fiscal capabilities of each participating county and town. They will identify strengths and weaknesses to guide development of specific mitigation strategies for each jurisdiction. Public input on risks has been received from a survey questionnaire and public hearing.

When the County Commission has reviewed and approved the portion of the overall plan that affects Yancey County, the plan will be submitted for approval to the NC Division of Emergency Management and FEMA.

What Is the Financial Impact of This Planning and Reorganization?
So far there has been no additional expense to the county. By combining the positions of E911 Coordinator and Emergency Management Coordinator, the full-time position of Emergency Management Coordinator was created, at no additional expense. The county was then able to use funds saved to add an assistant Emergency Management Coordinator. This change made the county eligible for federal and state grants which have funded additional planning and resources.

What's Next?
A major disaster response training event is planned for April 24, 2010. Emergency Services Personnel from all four counties of the four-county Toe River Region will be involved. The exercise will focus on the controlled burn of the building on West Highway 19E formerly housing the office of TRC Computing. This training exercise is made possible by a grant of $48,000 from the NC Division of Emergency Management.

A new emergency shelter has been created at South Toe School with the purchase of a new disconnect switch funded by an additional $6,800 grant.

How Can I Find Out More About the Plan?
The current County Emergency Operations Plan is available at http://eplan.yanceycountync.gov. Log on with User Name: BDavis, and Password: lYancey_EM. For internet access, you may go to the Yancey Library and the staff will assist you on the public computers. For questions, contact Bill Davis, Yancey County Emergency Management Director, at 678-9463 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You may also contact planning consultant Nathan Slaughter, of PBS&J at 919-431-5251 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .