Homeland Security in Strongsville

The City of Strongsville has a comprehensive emergency operations plan that involves all areas of the city administration, city council, local schools and private organizations and companies.  This plan is updated regularly to reflect changes in local demographics, policies and procedures, and recommended government guidelines.  Strongsville’s plan incorporates annexes directed at the main areas of concern involved in a major disaster including; Direction and Control, Communications, Notification, Emergency Public Information, Fire and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Engineering and Service, Health and Medical, Evacuation, Sheltering and Mass Care, Damage Assessment, Resource Management, Radiological, Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the attacks occurring around the world, the Blackout of August 2003, the hurricanes that have hit Florida and the GulfCoast are just a few examples why it is important for our citizens to be prepared.  If a major incident involves our community it will be at least 12 hours before state and 36 hours before federal resources are able to arrive and assist in rescue and recovery efforts.  Therefore, we want to provide our citizens with information to enable them to care for themselves during the immediate hours following a disaster.

Disasters can be broken down into two categories.  The natural disasters category involves incidents such as: floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes, winter storms.  The other category of disasters consists of technological/man-made hazards and includes hazardous materials incidents, national security issues, terrorism, chemical and biological weapons, nuclear or radiological attacks.  Specific information on how to prepare your family for each of these disasters can be found at http://www.fema.gov/preparedness/ or http://www.ready.gov/. Strongsville Fire and Emergency Services has developed a brochure, A guide to Preparedness, to help residents prepare for a disaster situation. You may also stop by the police department or main fire station for a free FEMA preparedness guide.  It is every citizen’s responsibility to prepare their families to deal with these hazards.  At a minimum, a family should have a disaster plan and a disaster kit.