To: Board of Supervisors
From: Sheriff
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Adoption of the Humboldt County Recovery Annex to the Emergency Operations Plan
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt the Humboldt County Recovery Annex to the Emergency Operations Plan; and
2. Authorize the Sheriff and Emergency Services Program Manager to approve future substantive changes to the Annex; and
3. Authorize the Emergency Services Program Manager to conduct annual reviews and make non-substantive changes to the Annex and any appendices or attachments to the Annex.
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STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Safe & Healthy Communities
Strategic Plan Category: 1001 -Support and sustain partnerships between public safety and partner agencies to enhance public safety in our communities
DISCUSSION:
This functional Annex to the Humboldt County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is intended to provide detailed information and guidance regarding recovery concepts and activities for the Humboldt County Operational Area (OA). Applicable portions of this Annex should be considered early in the response phase of a major emergency, catastrophic incident, or disaster. It may also be used in preparing for recovery in advance of disaster. Collaborative and inclusive pre-disaster planning includes coordinating with community partners, mitigating risks, incorporating continuity planning, identifying potential recovery managers and other resources, and developing capacity to effectively manage the recovery process.
The Recovery Annex incorporates the phasing of response and recovery operations that has been standardized across all hazards and all Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regions, a three-phased approach that breaks recovery into short, intermediate, and long-term efforts. The three phases describe how operations can evolve over time, promoting unity of effort between local, regional, state, and federal incident operations. The Annex discusses various state and federal recovery programs that could be available post-disaster, discusses the proclamation process, categories of damages, as well as various laws and grant programs that support recovery efforts. Also discussed in the Annex are Recovery Support Functions and recovery outcome targets. Additionally, the Community Lifeline Construct and how lifeline status can serve as an indicator of post-incident recovery status are discussed.
Prior to this Annex being brought forward for adoption, it was posted to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) webpage for a period of 30 days to solicit public review and comment (Nov. 14 to Dec. 16, 2024), as well as reviewed by the Humboldt County Disaster Council (Jun. 28, 2024). All relevant feedback that was received has been incorporated into the final draft of the Recovery Annex.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund: 1100-274
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The financial impact of this Annex relates only to OES staff time in developing and drafting the Annex, coordinating with community, regional and state partners, and ongoing plan maintenance costs. The Annex took approximately eighteen months to draft, edit and finalize, from mid-2023 through present. OES staff time is paid out of a combination of Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) funding and the General Fund, which will be used to fund future updates/revisions to this Annex during its annual review and five-year update cycle.
In addition to this Annex to the Humboldt County EOP serving as a valuable training tool and template for future recovery efforts, by following the recommendations in the Annex, the County will be in a better position to recoup future disaster costs by understanding and following the recommendations and program overviews encompassed in the documents.
STAFFING IMPACT:
As explained in the Financial Impact section, existing staff time was utilized in the planning and development of this plan.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Multiple local agencies, groups and entities were involved in a preliminary review of the Recovery Annex, and provided an opportunity to provide comments and feedback, however, the authorship of this plan and primary effort was led the OES.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could choose not to adopt this Annex, however this is not recommended as the Annex provides a framework for county staff to operate in order to recoup costs and repair damages post-disaster.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Humboldt County Recovery Annex
2. Promulgation Statement adopting the Humboldt County Recovery Annex
3. Approval and Implementation Letter (Sheriff)
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Meeting of: Dec. 10, 2024
File No.: 24-1581