Disaster Preparedness

Centralia is vulnerable to many hazards, all of which have potential to disrupt the community, cause damage, and create casualties. These hazards include both natural disasters like floods, storms, and earthquakes and man made disasters like terrorism, transportation accidents, and hazardous materials incidents. Centralia has developed an all hazards approach to planning for and managing these emergencies.

At the core of this effort is the emergency operations plan. This plan establishes the guidelines for conducting efficent, effective, coordinated emergency operations involving all of the resources available. This plan is based on the concept that the various emergency functions assigned to the various groups, organizations, and individuals involved in the plan will parallel their normal day-to-day functions as closely as possible. The plan also mirrors the emergency operations plan of the state of Missouri in form and function.

Sometimes, the severity or magnitude of a disaster might require more resources than are available at the local level. It may be necessary to request assistance from other governmental, volunteer, or private sector sources. The emergency operations plan lays out the framework by which additional assistance can be obtained from surrounding governmental and private agencies. When the emergency exceeds the local government's capability to respond, assistance is requested from the state. If additional assitance is needed beyond state capabilites, the state will coordinate requests to the proper federal agencies.

Direction and control of disaster response originate from the EOC. An EOC is an acronym for Emergency Operations Center. An EOC is a place where representatives of multiple groups and disciplines, both governmental and private, can come together to coordinate response to disaster. The goal of the EOC is to save lives, minimize injuries, protect property, preserve functioning civil government, and maintain economic activites essential to the survival and recovery from natural and technological hazards.

The EOC is staffed according to the level of emergency. The EOC can activate in varying stages from a stand by condition in which all the equipment is in place for an activation, to a full scale activation which brings together all facets and participants of the EOC. Sometimes a disaster will require only certain components of the EOC be active. The plan allows great flexibility to meet these needs.