Town Emergency and Disaster Info.



On the Right Track Towards Emergency Preparedness

The Town of Mamakating has made tremendous strides this past year in our response to emergency/disaster situations. Experience has taught us how to deal with each emergency, where potential problems still exist and what needs to be done in order to become more proficient. Your local government is now able to respond with greater knowledge, assist in recovery from the impact, and mitigate future damage.

In an ongoing effort to become equipped for any emergency, we have installed emergency generators, erected a cell tower for better communications, and have begun the initial process of creating a Command Center and Emergency Shelter at the Town Hall. As a result, we have completed many of the major steps necessary in laying the groundwork. These steps represent the ‘dots’ on the artist’s blank canvas. It is now time to connect those ‘dots’ with an emergency disaster plan that is both efficient and effective.

In order to enhance the Town’s ability to manage emergency and/or disaster situations, we need to adopt a comprehensive Emergency Management Plan that will assist staff, emergency personnel and residents. A committee will be created to gather the information needed to put this plan together. When a disaster occurs, it is the responsibility of the local community to respond first. Often, their combined efforts are not sufficient to cope effectively with the direct results of the disaster. These situations call for the State and Federal assistance to supplement our local efforts.

Among the information provided in our Emergency Management Plan should be: knowledge of the people who administer the program, the processes used to deliver assistance, the governing policies, the performance necessary to ensure that expectations are realized, an analysis of potential hazards that could affect the Town, and an assessment of the capabilities existing in the Town to deal with potential problems. A fundamental principal of the program is to ensure that everyone shares a common understanding of the policies and procedures.

We need to remember that Communities are responsible for the protection of their residents. Reaching and teaching the public is a critical component of our proposed plan. In an effort to promote awareness and provide education, we need to consider the following:

* How will each resident become aware there is potential for an emergency and where do they go for further information?
* How will each person be best prepared and equipped to handle the disaster/emergency?
* Are we as a Town doing everything in our ability to educate and instruct our community on what to do, where to go, when to take action and how to handle each situation?
* What avenues can we explore to better educate our community?

Dealing with disasters and potential hazards is an ongoing and complex undertaking. Through implementation of risk reduction measures before a disaster or emergency occurs, timely and effective response during an actual occurrence, and provision for both short and long-term recovery assistance after the occurrence of the disaster, lives can be saved and property damage minimized.

It is the Town’s hope that we will never need to implement the Emergency Management Plan. However, in light of recent local flooding and the pending threats of potential emergencies that are possible due to living in close proximately to New York City, it is just a question of when – not if. By means of a shared understanding and partnership with all participants of the Emergency Management Plan, we expect to efficiently, effectively and consistently, provide community assistance to all whose lives and infrastructure have been disrupted by a emergency/disaster.