HSEMD Blog
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011
What is HSEEP?
There are a lot of acronyms that get pushed around our industry. HSEEP is one of those acronyms. HSEEP stands for the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program. This program provides the guidance for how exercises are to be designed and conducted. 
As a methodology, HSEEP is a series of best practices and guidance that help us build exercises that don’t focus on a specific scenario. Instead, they help us keep capabilities focus through use of discussions, operations, improvements and planning. Even though at its core HSEEP is a series of best practices, it has been tied to several grant programs.
The HSEEP methodology focuses on a building-block approach to exercises planning and development. This building-block approach has seven unique exercise models that are broken down into two categories. An exercise can either be discussion- or operations-based.
Discussion-based exercises include:
- Seminars, which are designed to orient staff on updated plans, policies, etc.
- Workshops, which are designed to build specific products such as draft plans or policies.
- Tabletop exercises are more complicated exercise structures in which we use a low-stress environment to assess plans, policies and procedures.
- Games are the final discussion-based exercise. These simulations of operations involve two or more teams in a competitive environment depicting an actual or assumed event.
Operations-based exercises are a little different. The exercises that fall under this category require the movement of equipment or the display of skills.
- Drills are the simplest operational exercise. In this type of exercise a coordinated activity tests a single function within a single entity, such as tornado or fire drills.
- Functional exercises test the command and control environment. Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) and command posts are great entities to build functional exercises around. In this type of exercise, players interact in real time without actually moving equipment or personnel.
- Full-scale exercises are multi-agency, multi- jurisdictional and multi-discipline, and involve real response moving equipment and personnel.
Specific information about these various exercises, along with more details about the other aspects of the HSEEP methodology, are found in the five HSEEP volumes. These documents can be found online.
The State of Iowa is in the process of implementing a new exercise cycle. Under this first year of the structure, half of the districts/regions are responsible for two tabletop exercises, or one functional exercise, or one full scale or actual event (which is the legacy exercise program, or the "old" program). The other half of the districts/regions are in an improvement year (which is the beginning of the new cycle). We are asking county programs that have been identified as being in the improvement year to submit documentation of a single improvement that has been made as a result of an exercise they participated in last year.
We are HSEMD’s two exercise and training specialists, and can provide technical support for local emergency managers in designing exercises or assisting with exercise evaluation. Part of HSEMD’s Preparedness Bureau, we also review after-action reports and other reports that are submitted to our office. If you have questions or comments please feel free to contact us.
Steve Warren & John Halbrook, Exercise/Training Specialists
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
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Monday, Oct. 10, 2011
Fremont County: "Don't forget about us"
You may have heard something about a flood on the Missouri River this summer. Or, most recently about water retreating back to the river’s banks and people returning to their homes. Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle told reporters in mid-September that the flood fight was over. “We beat this river,” he proclaimed.
The flood fight may very well be over in Omaha, but residents in Fremont County, Iowa, would say folks on this side of the river are still battling.
Although the swollen Missouri River has been steadily going down as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began lowering the amount of water it is releasing upstream at Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota – the “fight” is hardly over in western Iowa.
“We don’t want people to forget about us,” said Pat Sheldon, chairman of the Fremont County Emergency Management Commission.
On Sept. 28, I had the opportunity to see the effect the mighty Missouri has had on areas of Pottawattamie and Fremont counties. In Pottawattamie County, I traveled with one of three damage assessment teams that surveyed damage in six counties along the river. The teams were made up of local, state (including HSEMD) and federal officials who were working together to capture information on every home damaged by flood waters. I saw collapsed basement walls and condemned properties deemed “unsafe” for habitation. I saw cracked foundations. I saw homes still under water.
Later that same day in Fremont County, I saw a 100-foot wide breach in a levee northwest of Percival. I saw buckled roads. I saw propane tanks and debris littering the countryside. I saw tons of sand, displaced by floodwaters, deposited on roads and land where crops used to grow. I saw fish that will likely die once the ponds they are now living in, left by retreating water, dries up. And, I saw farm fields and homes still inundated or surrounded by water.
It was a lot of water… but I was reminded that this was far less water than there had been all summer.
There was a small group of us touring Fremont County, including Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds and County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Crecelius. It is really hard to put things into perspective when only viewing aerial photography of flooding. You have to be on the ground to understand how vast the impact of this disaster is.
Now that the last damage assessments have been completed, and the Governor has officially appealed FEMA’s denial of Individual Assistance funding – which could be a lifeline for many residents in western Iowa – I am hoping and praying for a reversal of fortune that will help these people. The people who not only have been forced out of their homes since June, but are now paying rent somewhere in addition to their regular mortgage or rent payments. The people who have no idea what they will find when they are allowed to return to their homes, and the people who have returned only to find their home and belongings in ruin.
We haven’t forgotten about you, Fremont County. Or Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury counties. The fight isn’t over.
Stefanie Bond, Public Information Officer
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Friday, April 29, 2011
Making 9-1-1 Work for You: Keeping Your Cool When Calling 9-1-1
When you call 9-1-1, you need to remember to stay as calm as possible when talking with the 9-1-1 dispatcher. Even though it may be hard to do, it makes it easier for you to answer the questions and provide the correct information to the 9-1-1 dispatcher. If you are crying or yelling, it makes it harder for others to understand you – so take a deep breath and try not to panic.
Knowing your location when you call 9-1-1 is also very important. Always be aware of your surroundings; you never know when an emergency will arise, and this information may save your life. Your location is the most important piece of information you can provide to the 9-1-1 dispatcher. If you are outside, look around for landmarks or cross streets. If you are inside a large building, especially one with multiple floors, letting them know what floor you are on or the room number is very helpful information to provide to help in locating you. Keeping your cool and being knowledgable about your surroundings will save time in an emergency situation.
Barbara Vos, E-911 Program Manager
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Helping Others Comes Naturally to Iowans
Last week, I was able to accompany the damage assessment team made up of local, HSEMD, FEMA and Small Business Administration (SBA) officials that visited Monona County to survey the damage from the tornado that ripped through town on April 9, 2011. While I had seen photos of the destruction from the air before heading into town, I was unprepared for how devastating a toll the storm had actually taken on the small western Iowa town. There were city and Iowa DOT dump trucks everywhere, and lots of people with shovels, skid loaders and backhoes, all working to clean up this one little corner of the world.
The newspaper and television reporters came, too - asking questions and shooting video of the assessment team as they made their way around town, documenting the damage that had been inflicted on each smashed, tilted, and broken home.
The local residents were in relatively good spirits - despite what they had been through - and were extremely welcoming of everyone on the assessment team. While we were there, I had an opportunity to talk with some of the citizens impacted by the storms, and also with those who were willing to lend a hand to those less fortunate than themselves.
A Family Affair
David J. Malloy doesn’t live in Mapleton, but he wants to help the citizens who have been impacted here.
Only one day after being released from the hospital, he walked into the Mapleton City Hall and offered a home in the city of Sloan, two campers, and other equipment to anyone in town who "could use a break."
“Some people called me and knew I had rental properties,” he said. “I just got over here this morning and started figuring out what to do.”
It’s astounding how the community – even the extended community in surrounding counties – has pulled together for a common cause.
“I’ve got a dump truck. I’m going to have it fixed up enough to start hauling [debris] for people [in Mapleton] and helping them out. And I’ve got a small skid loader that I’m going to offer, and then my time,” Malloy said. “And then I’ve got a couple of campers that I would rent out at a low price, just to make it easier on them. I [also] have a house over in Sloan that if it turns out that they can’t salvage their home. I’d just offer it to them at a reasonable price.”
Malloy is a lifelong Iowa resident and has lived in Sloan in Woodbury County for the past 33 years.
“I know how it is to be in hardship. That’s about it. [What I’m doing isn’t] something special,” he insisted.
The Malloy family has definitely faced its fair share of adversity. Malloy used to live in Salix – the town where five of nine of his ancestors living there on June 11, 1899 - including his great-grandparents and three of their seven children - were killed by a tornado dubbed the “Salix Cyclone.”
Food for Thought
After a long morning surveying the damage in Mapleton, some of us decided to grab something to eat. The good folks working at City Hall gave us a few suggestions of local eateries. We were intrigued by the name of one establishment on Main Street and headed that direction.
A sign on the front door of the restaurant made us even more curious: “Aarokotah’s serving a free will lunch and dinner. Please come in.”
Traci Pawlowski has owned and operated Aarokotah’s Restaurant in Mapleton for more than three years. The restaurant’s name is a combination of her two children’s names: Aaron and Dakotah. The restaurant is a comfortable, hometown place, with mismatched furniture, fun signs on the walls, and giant-sized candy bars, eclectic purses, and other crafty things for sale.
“I thought Mapleton was a nice community, and I looked for a building so I could put a business here,” Pawlowski said. She is also a lifelong Iowa resident, and has lived in Monona County for the past 10 years.
On Monday, Aarokotah’s was teeming with people enjoying a home-cooked meal. On the menu for the day was a hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, ham and bean soup, and a ham or turkey sandwich. Most of us took one look at the hot beef sandwich being served to other patrons and decided that was the only thing to order. Aarokotah’s did not disappoint. The food was hot and delicious, and there was a lot of it.
Pawlowski served her guests with friendly efficiency. She apologized profusely for any time we spent waiting. Despite the large crowd in her dining room and the even larger portions she was serving up, the service was pretty fast.
We asked what the deal was with the freewill lunch. She told us that we could pay whatever we wanted. Yep, whatever we wanted. And those who couldn’t pay, didn’t have to.
“This week and all of last week I’ve extended my business hours,” she explained. They were staying open until 8 p.m. serving up freewill dinners. But that wasn’t the amazing part.
“After my food costs, I’m donating all of the money to the community and helping out the families here,” Pawlowski told us. “It’s a blessing for me. In a tragedy like this, God is so good,” she said. “He gave me the resources to be able to do this.”
Last week, one gentleman in town who had been affected by the tornado called her and asked if it was true that she was offering free meals. She told him it was. The man began to cry.
Wow, I thought. That’s incredible. She wasn’t affected by the tornado and wants to help those who were touched by the disaster.
Not so. The roof of her business was damaged, and after multiple power surges, she lost all of the freezers in the restaurant. So, I asked her: If she is going to have to worry about her own business and getting back to normal, why was she doing this for her community?
“They’re worth it,” she said.
I couldn't agree more.
Stefanie Bond, Public Information Officer
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Friday, April 22, 2011
Making 9-1-1 Work for You: When to Hang Up
It’s probably happened to you or someone in your family at one point: you dial 9-1-1 by accident. Never hang up when you call 9-1-1, even if you realize you have called by accident! It is important to stay on the line and inform the 9-1-1 dispatcher that you dialed by mistake. If you end the call abruptly, they may assume you did so because something is terribly wrong and will try to call you back. If you don’t answer, they will send help anyway. It is best to stay on the line and let them know that everything is okay and you dialed by mistake, which saves valuable time and resources.
When you call 9-1-1 during an emergency, never hang up until the 9-1-1 dispatcher tells you it is okay to do so. That way, if they need more information, you are available to answer questions. At times it may seem that the call is finished, but the dispatcher may be using the radio to dispatch responders to your location. So, stay on the line until you’re told to hang up.
Barbara Vos, E-911 Program Manager
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Friday, April 15, 2011
What's the Situation in Northwestern Iowa?
By now I’m sure you’ve heard about the devastation created in northwestern Iowa last weekend as a result of several tornadoes moving through the state. Local and national news organizations have well publicized the damages incurred, especially in the town of Mapleton in Monona County.
When a disaster happens, there are certain questions that always seem to pop up: “What is the State doing to help the citizens affected by this storm?” and, “Will (or when will) there be any federal assistance provided?”
The answer is never cookie-cutter. Every situation is different. Let me explain, using Mapleton as our example:
Once a disaster happens, the immediate response generally is about making sure everyone is safe and/or accounted for. The tornado hit Mapleton around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 9. Officials in Monona County immediately asked for a search and rescue team to be sent to Mapleton to search for people trapped in the debris. Because the state's Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR, or "Iowa Task Force 1") is a state resource, a the governor needed to issue an emergency diaster proclamation to enable them to be deployed. (A governor's disaster proclamation enables state resources to be used in local response efforts.) Governor Branstad did issue a proclamation for Monona County shortly after the tornado hit Mapleton.
The state's USAR team is comprised of the Sioux City and Cedar Rapids fire departments. In this case, the Sioux City group was sent to Monona County as they were located only one county away.
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) opened the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) by 8 p.m. National Guard personnel were also on hand in the SEOC. Iowa State Patrol deployed state troopers to Mapleton around the same time the SEOC was opened.
Additionally, because these extreme weather events had unfolded at dusk and after, much of the recovery effort was happening in the dark of night. Because Mapleton had lost power, things were, obviously, darker than normal – making the response operation more dangerous. HSEMD Administrator J. Derek Hill requested the National Guard assist by sending some lighting equipment. It was too late in the evening to rent equipment; the Guard was able to provide personnel to bring the lights and operate them. Later on, lighting equipment was rented to replace the lighting the Guard had provided at short notice.
On Sunday, April 10, the day after the tornado outbreak, Governor Branstad boarded a helicopter to tour some of the damaged areas. He was accompanied by Administrator Hill, Adjutant General Tim Orr, and a few others from his staff. HSEMD staff coordinated the flight with the Iowa National Guard, Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the county emergency management coordinators to determine where the helicopter would be landing. Because of declining weather conditions, however, the group was only able to make it to the town of Mapleton to survey the damage. HSEMD Public Assistance program staff were also on the ground on Sunday with Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff surveying the damage to Mapleton’s infrastructure and utilities.
Since the weekend, county emergency management coordinators in a handful of counties, including Monona, have been steadily reporting their damage estimates to HSEMD. At this point, two governor’s disaster proclamations for state resources have been issued – one for Monona County and one for Pocahontas County – which enable state resources to be deployed to assist with the response efforts in those counties. So far, the state assistance that has been offered to the citizens in Monona County (Mapleton) are:
- A technical assistance team of both DNR and HSEMD staff to assist with debris removal in the community;
- DNR staff to take water samples, check on water and wastewater treatment operations and assist with solid waste issues;
- Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) trucks to assist with debris removal;
- Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) has supplied inmates to help with debris removal;
- Iowa State Patrol troopers were sent to Mapleton by the Iowa Department of Public Safety;
- HSEMD also worked with the Iowa Disaster Human Resource Council (IDHRC) to coordinate volunteer management throughout the impacted counties.
The process of assessing damages in the affected counties is ongoing. At this time, no monetary assistance for affected citizens as a result of the weekend’s storms has been provided.
If a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance is issued, the federal IA program is then activated, making assistance available for homeowners, renters and businesses including grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance. The federal IA program may also include low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to cover residential and business losses that are not fully-reimbursed by insurance.
Public Assistance (PA) is a federal program that also requires a Presidential Disaster Declaration to be activated. As part of the federal PA program, FEMA awards grants to help state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations (such as rural electric cooperatives) with the response and recovery from disasters. The program provides funding for debris removal, emergency protective measures and the permanent restoration of public roads, buildings, bridges, etc. The program also frees up funding for hazard mitigation projects, to prevent damages caused by or lessen the impact of future disasters.
As a result of the information HSEMD has gathered this week, we have requested that joint PDAs (preliminary damage assessments) be conducted in five counties to determine if they are eligible for funding under the federal Individual Assistance program: Buena Vista, Ida, Monona, Pocahontas and Sac. HSEMD will also be conducting damage assessments in those same five counties, plus Cherokee County, to determine their eligibility for the Public Assistance program. We plan to start the assessments on Monday morning and hope to have them completed by Tuesday evening. After the assessments are complete, if it appears any of the counties will qualify for the federal IA or PA program, HSEMD will forward the information to the governor, who will send an official letter through FEMA requesting a Presidential Disaster Declaration. The regional FEMA office in Kansas City will review the request and then make their recommendation for or against a Presidential Declaration to FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C. If the regional office recommends that a Presidential Declaration be made and FEMA headquarters agree, they will forward the request to the President to consider.
The whole process can take weeks or even months. The last two declarations we requested in 2010 were received in about one month.
So, at this time, the answers are: The State has provided and continues to provide assistance to the communities affected by the April 9 storms. We are also moving forward with the process of determining the eligibility of six counties for federal assistance.
Look for an update from HSEMD as soon as the end of next week.
Stefanie Bond, Public Information Officer
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Friday, April 15, 2011
Making 9-1-1 Work for You: When to Call
It is very important to know when to call, or not to call 9-1-1. You should only call 9-1-1 if someone is hurt or in danger. It is not the number you call because you don’t know how to cook the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, or you have a question on your homework, or you need directions to the mall – this may be an emergency to you but it is not the right time to call 9-1-1. If you are really not sure if your situation is an emergency, lean towards the side of safety and call 9-1-1 and let the experts determine whether or not to send help.
Sometimes, 9-1-1 centers have problems when parents give old cell phones to their children to play with. Even though you have cancelled the service on the phone, if it still has a battery, the phone is still capable of dialing 9-1-1. Please remove the battery prior to giving it to a child. Also – remembering to lock the keyboard of your phone is another helpful tool to avoid "pocket dialing” 9-1-1. If you don’t remember to lock your phone, you run the risk of accidentally calling 9-1-1 when you put the phone in your pocket, which ties up a 9-1-1 line that may be needed for someone with an actual emergency.
Prank calls are one of the biggest issues 9-1-1 centers have to deal with, and they do so on a daily basis. In most states, including Iowa, making prank calls or calling 9-1-1 for a non-emergency is a crime. It may cause someone to not get the assistance they need during an emergency.
Barbara Vos, E-911 Program Manager
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Friday, April 8, 2011
Making 9-1-1 Work for You: Knowing Your Phone's Capabilities
When you make a call to 9-1-1 you need to know the capabilities of the device you use. From a “landline” phone (the phone plugged into the wall in your house), the 9-1-1 dispatcher will receive on their computer screen your name, address, and the phone number you are calling from so it will be easier to find you. The dispatcher will still verify the information because accuracy in your information is very important. That way, when the needed emergency services are dispatched, they can be sent to the correct location.
When you make a call to 9-1-1 from a wireless phone, the 9-1-1 dispatcher will receive your name and the phone number from which you are calling. Once they determine you are calling from a wireless phone, they must activate a button on their computer screen, and a map will pop up showing your location. The dispatcher will verify your information and location, so knowing where you are is very important to ensure that emergency services are sent to the correct location.
What about texting to 9-1-1? Texting is very popular, but not everyone realizes that it doesn’t work the same in the 9-1-1 world as it does when you are sending messages to your friends. If you try to contact 9-1-1 via a text message, most 9-1-1 centers will not receive that message because they do not have the technology in their 9-1-1 center to receive those messages. There may be times that texting instead of calling 9-1-1 would make more sense, like when there is an intruder in your house, but the message will most likely not reach the 9-1-1 center. The 9-1-1 industry is diligently working toward a solution for texting to 9-1-1, but for now, the only way to reach a 9-1-1 center in an emergency is to call.
Barbara Vos, E-911 Program Manager
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Friday, April 1, 2011
Our First Blog
Welcome to our first official HSEMD blog. We are so very excited to begin! Here will be a place where we can not only share information, but also have a conversation with you. We appreciate your feedback, and will do our best to answer any questions and concerns you may have.
You will also notice, I'm sure, that our website has been redesigned. This is a process that has been ongoing for well over a year. We got a web team together in October 2009, began sketching out our ideas for a new and improved site, and have been working on it ever since.
Of course, we've hit a few speedbumps along the way. First, we had severe winter weather hit the state in December 2009 and January 2010, resulting in two Presidential Disaster Declarations at the end of February and beginning of March last year. Spring was tense because we were waiting for the proverbial "other shoe" to drop, with predictions of widespread flooding across Iowa weighing on our minds and preparations being made for "if" the flooding should occur. With all the "hurry up and wait," planning, and more planning going on, we wondered if we would be able to get the new site up by the end of June.
Then the slow and steady rain fell, from mid-May through the end of August, and we were hopping in response to a renewed threat. We received a third and fourth Presidential Disaster Declaration in July, one for flash flooding in Des Moines and Lee Counties in May and the other for flooding and severe storms across 61 of Iowa's 99 counties, beginning June 1. That declaration ultimately included weather events that occurred through the end of August. Not just flooding, but severe winds and tornadoes that struck the state as well. With visions of 2008 still fresh in all of our minds, it was déjà vu all over again.
I don't have to tell you what things were like on July 24 or the month following. When the Lake Delhi Dam failed that Saturday, all bets were off. From around noon that day and continuing all weekend, my cell phone was ringing nonstop with calls from Des Moines to Atlanta to New York. CNN, The Weather Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX...well, you get the idea. Suddenly, Iowa was again thrust into a worldwide spotlight with the breaking of an earthen dam, and a whole lot of people in eastern Iowa were experiencing a very bad end to a bad month of weather.
Suffice it to say, we had a long, drawn out year, weather wise, in 2010. And it kept HSEMD, county emergency management agencies, communities, businesses, and citizens busy all year.
Now that 2010 is behind us, there is still much work left to be done. But somehow, through it all, we've managed to make some important changes and get this new website out. We've added social media links to our template, so you can link to our Twitter account, Facebook page, this new blog and podcasts. Soon, you will be able to link to video. The menu includes flyout menus for quicker navigation. There is again a search feature, and a new A-Z index to help you find anything you couldn't find using the menu. You may also notice a scrolling "headline" feature at the top of the page and contact information for the Division at the bottom of every page.
We hope you will find our new site easy to use, easy on the eyes, and full of important and useful information.
Thanks for your patience during our transition. Talk to you soon!
Stefanie Bond, Public Information Officer
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
