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Office of Emergency Management


Working together to keep our community safe!

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Every day, millions of people wake up, go to work, take their kids to school, farm their land,
and go to public events.  But every so often the unexpected happens; an earthquake, a fire, a chemical spill, or some other disaster, natural or man-made.  Routines change drastically, and people are suddenly aware of how fragile their lives can be.

Disasters disrupt hundreds of thousands of lives each year.  And each disaster has lasting effects - people are seriously injured, sometimes killed, and property damage runs into the billions of dollars.

Our Mission:  The Monongalia County Commission established the Monongalia County Office of Emergency Management in July of 1988, in accordance with West Virginia code Chapter 15 Article 5.

The Monongalia County OEM is tasked with coordinating responses to disasters and other major emergencies across the county.  The agency's dedicated staff monitors the county for natural hazards and other emergency situations.  During an emergency situation, the agency coordinates the response of all local, county, state, and federal agencies, and provides key information to the public.

During day-to-day operations, the agency monitors the county for potential threats and ensures that the county emergency operations plan is logistically possible should an emergency arise.  During emergencies, the agency activates the county's state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center.  This center is the heart of relief and recovery efforts for the county during and following a disaster.

Although disasters can't be prevented, we can prepare to face them.  Emergency Management works with local organizations to develop effective plans to handle natural and manmade emergencies.  These plans are written to cover events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and flash floods, nuclear power plant accidents, dam failures, and hazardous materials incidents, to name just a few.

Emergency management accomplishes it's mission by coordinating the county's preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts.  Exercises dealing with events such as natural and technological disasters and terrorism, are designed and conducted annually.  These exercises involve local jurisdictions, state and federal agencies, volunteer groups, utility companies, and other key private-sector groups.  Intensive after-action reviews follow the exercises so that lessons learned can be incorporated into emergency plans.

If a disaster occurs in our community, local government and disaster-relief organizations are there to help, but individual citizens need to be prepared as well.  Local emergency responders may not be able to reach you immediately after a disaster, or they may need to focus their efforts elsewhere.  Individuals and families who prepare can reduce the fear, anxiety, and losses that surround a disaster.  People can also reduce the impact of disasters and sometimes avoid them altogether.  The important for residents to keep in mind is staying prepared to take action, if necessary, until emergency services personnel can reach them.  You should know how to respond to severe weather or any disaster that could occur in our area - hurricanes, earthquakes, lightning, extreme cold/winter weather, or flooding.  You should also have enough supplies to be self-sufficient for at least three days.  This may mean providing your own shelter, first aid, food, water, and sanitation.