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Emergency Management
Welcome to the City of Petersburg Office of Emergency Management (OEM) site. Our office proactively plans for hazards, works to reduce threats, and prepares the City of Petersburg citizens to respond to and recover from a disaster. We are committed to ensuring that our community is prepared.
Services
- Mitigate and plan for large-scale all-hazards emergencies and disasters
- Develop and maintain citywide emergency operations plans
- Serve as liaison to local, county, state, military, and federal agencies and departments
- Provide preparedness education and Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training to citizens and government employees
- Coordinate multi-jurisdictional exercises
- Manage resources needed to assist responders and the affected population
- Assist partner response agencies and the affected population
- Provide assistance and preparedness to the City of Petersburg through the administration of federal and state grant funding
Prevention
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." OEM is a firm believer in what Ben Franklin said over 200 years ago. The key to minimizing the effects of any type of disaster is the prevention of certain conditions or circumstances from existing events. By cutting dead limbs out of trees, or large limbs overhanging precariously over homes or occupied structures will help prevent damage, injury, or even death.
Cleaning and clearing gutters, ditches, storm drains, along with creeks, streams, and tributaries all assist in minimizing adverse impacts to homes, businesses, and roadways related to water shed and the potential for flooding.
Mitigation
OEM is in charge of writing and updating the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan for the City, as well as outlining the functions and responsibilities of all City departments and agencies during emergencies or disasters. We maintain close working relationships with all levels of government.
Preparedness
Due to the fact that it is impossible to predict when a specific disaster will occur, our office participates in and helps plan numerous preparedness exercises throughout the year. The exercises are disaster simulations that may involve all levels of government, and can range from an organized discussion about a potential threat, to full-scale training that involves actual response units, real-time events, and actors who play the role of victims.
This training gives management and emergency response a chance to address and resolve challenges before a real disaster occurs.
Response
During a large disaster, the Office of Emergency Management provides overall coordination for citywide response efforts. This can involve the activation of the Emergency Operations Center, which becomes a single gathering point for representatives from city departments and partner agencies.
These representatives facilitate resource coordination, mutual aid, and policy decisions.
Recovery
The Office of Emergency Management assists in the coordination of both short-term and long-term recovery functions. Short-term recovery efforts begin immediately following an emergency or disaster, as the city works to restore basic services and functions to the affected community.
Long-term recovery involves restoring economic activity, and rebuilding communities and citizens' quality of life.
Mission Statement
The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for providing prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and coordination for large-scale emergencies and disasters, both natural and human-caused, to the citizens of City of Petersburg for the purpose of saving lives and preventing property damage.