EMA director speaks on prep for recent winter weather threat

Marion County was as fortunate as anyone could realistically ask for regarding the recent threat of severe winter weather.
The forecast for Marion County was especially difficult to predict and the National Weather Service Office in Birmingham did the best they could trying to nail down the type and amount of precipitation we were going to receive.
The only thing we knew for sure was that a storm front was headed our way with drastically frigid temperatures following close behind.
The Marion County Emergency Management Agency spent most of the week in preparation for the impending weather impacts no matter what, or how severe, those impacts would prove to be. The very nature of EMA operations is predicated on the ability to handle threats and hazards of all types.
The NWS Birmingham Office began special daily weather briefs for stakeholders throughout central Alabama on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and coupled those briefs with direct updates twice a day through Monday, Jan.  26.
I had an initial situation report for the Marion County Commissioners at their commission meeting Tuesday morning and then stayed in regular communication with the commissioners the rest of the week and throughout the event.
There were multiple meetings held, with all manners of stakeholders present, both within the county and with people and organizations outside Marion County, as well.
During events such as winter weather systems that have the potential for major impacts to life and property, it is not at all uncommon for a county EMA to be in direct contact with dozens of different organizations, including various county departments, municipalities and their various departments, utility companies, the American Red Cross, local churches, multiple state agencies, law enforcement agencies, fire departments and all types of healthcare facilities, just to name a few.
The coordination of all these various organizations runs through the local EMA office.
Beginning Thursday, Jan. 22, the Marion County EMA was transitioning from the planning stages of the event to more of a response-oriented posture.
Instead of talking about which impacts might happen, what resources we might need and what preparations we might need to make, we began to obtain and stage resources and make the final plans for how and when to implement the necessary precautions.
One of those precautions focused on the treatment of certain locations throughout the county that are specifically vulnerable to icy conditions with a salt brine solution.
Other preparations included treating roads and bridges with salt, sand or a chemical solution to combat ice accumulation.
Warming centers in different areas throughout the county were established, resources had been gathered and the centers were ready to house anyone needing a warm and dry place—should conditions have gotten bad, especially if we had experienced widespread power outages resulting in people not having a means to stay warm.
Some stakeholder organizations worked together, while others may never have had anything to do with each other during events like what we were preparing for.
However, it takes all these people working together, whether directly or indirectly, to make sure the citizens of Marion County are as prepared for whatever is coming our way as we can be.
Regardless of someone’s job, the end goal is to do our part in helping our citizens come through these types of events as quickly and safely as possible, with the fewest number of interruptions to normal life we can manage.
It is important for people to know that in times of dangerous situations, there are always people out there risking their personal safety for others, and I cannot thank all these people enough.
I am thankful for the efforts made by everyone I worked with last week.
While we may not have had major impacts from this storm, it should be very reassuring to the people of Marion County that you have so many of your neighbors, friends and family members willing to answer that call as elected leaders, appointed department heads, first responders or members of our local municipal, county and state agencies tasked with the safety of the public.
(Editor’s note: Marion County Emergency Management Agency Director Russ Taylor was asked to write a guest column about one of his first  experiences in heading up a local weather event. And although the wintry weather mix did not turn out as bad as first expected, he still had to lead all preparations just in case, as well as ensure the safety of those working throughout the weekend. Please see the main story starting on the front page, which notes Taylor was among those who worked all weekend long. We would also like to thank the public for following all of the advisories and staying off the roads, which helped to limit the dangers to our first reponders.)