Emergency Management

The Emergency Management Division is responsible for the development and maintenance of the county emergency management program. This includes all disaster preparedness, hazard mitigation, and emergency planning activities to include the development and maintenance of the Caroline County Emergency Operations Plan. Emergency Management is also responsible for public alert and warning, operation of the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and working closely with regional, state, and federal partners to ensure life safety, property, and environmental protection, as well as recovery before, during, and following times of emergency or disaster.

Emergency management is the prevention of, protection from, mitigation of, response to, and recovery from disasters and emergencies that threaten or cause widespread loss of life, injury, or other health impacts, property damage or destruction, social or economic disruption, or environmental degradation from natural, technological, or human-caused sources. These five processes are known as the Five Mission Areas or Phases of Emergency Management.

Prevention - Prevention is avoiding, or stopping, an imminent, threatened, or actual act of terrorism. Examples of prevention include surveillance, and actions that delay, divert, intercept, halt, apprehend, or secure threats and/or hazards.

Protection - Protection describes actions that protect citizens, residents, visitors, and assets against the greatest threats and hazards in a manner that allows interests, aspirations, and way of life to thrive. Examples of protection actions include intelligence and information sharing; screening, search, and detection; physical protective measures; and supply chain integrity and security.

Mitigation - Mitigation is the reduction of the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of future disasters. Examples of mitigation include updating building codes, encouraging the purchase of disaster insurance (e.g., flood insurance), educating the public in disaster preparedness, identifying resources, and procurement and integration of equipment.

Response - Response is acting quickly to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs in the aftermath of a catastrophic incident. Examples of response actions include environmental response, health and safety, situational assessment, fire management and suppression, logistics and supply chain management, mass search and rescue operations, communications, law enforcement, and emergency medical services.

Recovery - Recovery involves actions focused on restoring systems to their normal pre-disaster state. Short-term recovery actions are taken to assess damage and re-establish vital services to the community. Long-term recovery actions focus on restoring the community to pre-disaster conditions and may continue for years. Examples of recovery actions include damage assessment, disaster assistance and counseling, temporary housing, and donations and volunteer management.

Emergency Preparedness

The National Preparedness Goal, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in September of 2015, defines what it means for the whole community to be prepared for all types of disasters and emergencies.

A secure and resilient nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.

When an emergency or disaster strikes, will you and your family be prepared? Emergencies range from floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms to hazardous waste spills and terrorist attacks. So take this opportunity to share information on our website with your family. Everyone is susceptible to the possibility of emergencies, regardless of where you live. DES encourages every resident to become aware of emergencies that could impact them.

Emergency Management

Emergency Preparedness

Frequently Asked Questions