Delaware’s Emergency Management Agency recently offered a closer look its operations in Smyrna, and how it works with other state, county and municipal agencies when emergency situations such as natural disasters arise.
DEMA officials stressed they are a resource agency rather than a response agency - mainly working to procure and allocate resources, organize logistics, and disseminate public information during an incident.
DEMA's Kevin Wilson says its important people understand that while the agency is responsible for emergency planning, its staff does not personally act as emergency responders
"Our mission is to support the counties, support the local agencies in the mission of what they want," saod Wilson. "We're getting our information through various sources, so if there is an emergency, you have problem or you have an issue, absolutely, you call 911 and then they'll deal with the situation.”
Wilson adds that since incidents like 9-11 and Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Irene, the public's expectations for getting information have changed. The rise of social and digital media and improvements in technology mean people want nearly instantaneous access to what’s going on
"The availability of information is much quicker, so timeliness is an issue we have to be able to address," said Wison. "We can't just push it out once, but it's got to be constantly put out there, constantly updated, because people are looking for that, they are expecting that information."
Wilson says DEMA also offers information on emergency preparedness year round.
He says information before and during emergencies is available by liking their Facebook page or following them on twitter at @DelawareEMA or on their website.