Hurricane Sandy After Action Report

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Owen Turner
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1 TOWN OF WESTERLY Hurricane Sandy After Action Report October 28-29, 2012

2 Hurricane Sandy Overview Hurricane Sandy impacted the Misquamicut section of the Town of Westerly with a vengeance on October 29, The storm surge came up the equivalent of two city blocks impacting over 500 structures. The President declared a federal disaster area. Rapid assessments were conducted on all buildings for safety and they were placarded accordingly. The Town's reentry procedures were put into place to delay re-entry into the area due to safety concerns and sand overwash that covered the roads 3-4 feet deep. Within four days the area was re-opened to property owners and contractors to begin making the area and the buildings safe and secure. The Town's Code Enforcement Office did not issue any building permits for over two weeks while they took time to get answers for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) on septic regulations and the Coastal Resource Management Council (CRMC) on their permitting procedures. The Town proactively held several public meetings and invited all parties to address the public's concerns and questions. They also held individual meetings at commercial and residential structures with the Town's Building Official, RIDEM, and CRMC to allow the individual property-owner to ask questions and get some direction on how to move forward. To date, the Town has deemed 13 structures substantially damaged. These buildings will now be required to come up to complete code compliance and meet all FEMA National Flood Insurance Program standards. Debris was a big issue immediately after the storm and continuing. The Town cleared all the sand from the public right of way into the Misquamicut State Beach and Town Beach parking lots. There was a total of approximately 67,000 cubic yards of sand that was then sifted and reapplied to the dune line all along the beach front. The Town hired a contractor to remove the construction debris which initially amounted to approximately 5,000 cubic yards or 6,000 tons. This addressed the debris placed in the public right of way but it was quickly realized that the storm surge picked up debris from Atlantic Avenue and placed it on the north shore of Winnapaug Pond. There was approximately 100 tons of debris on unimproved land owned by the Westerly Land Trust and the Audubon Society in a swath of land approximately one half mile in length. With the help of Serve Rhode Island volunteers, and most recently with hiring unemployed individuals through the Department of Labor and Training National Emergency Grant (DLT NEG), tons have been cleaned up to date. This project will continue through the spring and summer until all of the debris is removed.

3 Through the coordination of Serve Rhode Island, the Misquamicut Business Association, the Westerly Chamber of Commerce and the Town, over 1200 volunteers have come to the area to assist commercial and residential property owners clean up debris, sweep sidewalks, paint lifeguard chairs, among other activities to assist in the recovery process. It is through their dedication that the "Beach is Back" for Spring Hurricane Sandy came with a cost to the community. FEMA has estimated damages to public infrastructure, debris removal, and emergency protective measures at $2.8 million. FHWA issued a contract for $514,000 to fix infrastructure on State roads in Misquamicut. Approximately 388 building, electrical, and mechanical permits have been issued for a construction value of $3,068,290. To deal with the influx into the Code Enforcement Office, the Town hired a building inspector and a part-time clerical person. The Town also has a full-time clerical person through the DLT NEG also working with the Code Enforcement Office. The Westerly Chamber of Commerce estimated a potential economic impact of $9.8 million in lost revenue if businesses did not reopen. At this time, it appears that all but two businesses will open in some capacity for this summer's season. Town of Westerly After-Action Conference In following with emergency management standards, Town Officials called for an After- Action Conference (AAC) to discuss the best practices and lessons learned from the storm event. The AAC was held on January 25, 2013 at the Emergency Operations Center. Invitations went to the Chiefs of the respective Fire Districts, the Public Works Director, the Superintendent of Utilities, the Town Engineer, the Police Chief, the Building Official, the Director of Planning, Code Enforcement & Grant Administration / Interim Emergency Management Director, the Finance Director, the Shelter Manager, the Westerly Ambulance, the School Department, Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA), National Grid, Rhode Island National Guard, Rhode Island State Police, and Westerly Hospital. Attendees included the following: Steve Hartford; Town Manager Amy Grzybowski; Director of Planning, Code Enforcement & Grand Administration/Interim EMA Director Chief Ed St. Clair; Police Chief

4 Captain Shawn Lacey; Westerly Police Department Sergeant Robert Warner; Westerly Police Department Paul LeBlanc; Town Engineer Ellie Derrig; Engineering Department Dave Murphy; Building Official Tammy Loughlin; Animal Shelter Sharon Ahern; Chief of Staff Paul Corina; Superintendent of Utilities Peter Denomme; Director of Transportation Bethany Gingerella; Westerly Ambulance Leslie Bartholomew; The Westerly Hospital Chief Jason Simmons; Watch Hill Fire District Lt. Robert Wall; Rhode Island State Police Col. Steven O'Donnell; Rhode Island State Police Dori Boardman; Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency John Isberg; National Grid Gerald Mirabile; National Grid The AAC was a positive experience and allowed for the free flow of comments, suggestions, and best practices. RIEMA sent a representative to assist us in facilitating the process. The discussion included the following positive comments regarding the preparation, response, and initial recovery: Preparation This storm allowed for preparation time for the Westerly Police Department. The evacuation order was issued and was implemented effectively. Preliminary meetings with Town Officials and other interested parties were well attended and allowed for time to prepare. Great use of GIS mapping.

5 Good communication with State Police and National Guard. Pre-placement of busses in town was helpful. Strong communication with State throughout the event and in the initial recovery. The Hospital was able to start their generators early. Pre-staging of RI Urban Search & Rescue Team allowed for utilization for evacuation and life safety issues during the event. Advance evacuation notice assisted the nursing home to move their residents in a timely manner. Response Response from State and National Guard to assist with checkpoints and security. Use of Task Force 7 & State Building Commissioners Office Volunteers at EOC assisted with phone bank and other necessary tasks. National Grid Community Liaison allowed for strong communication to answer questions and work on priorities. Use of website, Westerly Chamber of Commerce and Misquamicut Business Association to push out information assisted notifying the general public of real time decisions. On the following pages is the Improvement Plan which represents the suggestions for lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy. The group that participated feels that these items will increase efficiency and assist in the response and recovery for any future disaster.

6 Observation ID # Problem Stated Recommendation Corrective Action(s) Responsible Department Responsible Person Start Date Completion NLT 1. Call list needs to be updated Update EOP to include accurate call list Update call list and disseminate to PD, PW, all FDs, Ambulance, and Dispatch EMA June Issues with people coming to hospital for oxygen. Provide public information that people can go to shelter to plug in oxygen Better public messaging Westerly Dispatch, Ambulance, EMA A. Grzybowski; Dispatch; Ambulance Oct Include Animal Shelter information on Reverse 911 message Prepare pre-planned statements for Reverse 911 that can be altered for the event Prepare preplanned statements and include in EOP EMA, PD A. Grzybowski; July ICS utilization in EOC Work with FDs to provide personnel to EOC to fulfill ICS roles and conduct training within Town staff. Conduct ICS training for Town staff and work with FDs to discuss personnel assignments. Assign predesignated roles to include in EOP EMA, FDs A. Grzybowski 5. RISP needs prestaged assets Discuss mission tasks with RISP Draft SOP/MOU with RISP PD 6. RISP needs prescripted mission with National Grid Devise parameters, publish SOG Publish SOG for EOP National Grid National Grid

7 7. Establish IT Communication after hours Establish contact list for IT personnel during disasters and after hours Post policy Town Office S. Hartford; S. Ahern Jun No redundant power capability at Town Hall Acquire funding, purchase generator, install generator Installation of generator Grant Admin; Public Works A. Grzybowski; C. Sposato 9. Triage calls from 911 Draft guidelines for call importance to disseminate to dispatchers and volunteers Produce document PD, EMA ; A. Grzybowski Sept Secure affected area Develop plan and SOG with RISP, RING Publish SOG PD Dec Better communication between Town Manager and Fire Chiefs Utilize ICS and have FD personnel in EOC Establish staffing plan with FDs and practice ICS Town Office, EMA, FDs S. Hartford, Fire Chiefs; A. Grzybowski Sept Establish re-entry plan and pass system Strengthen public information Draft re-entry plan from best practices and lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy Establish town Facebook page and other social media Disseminate plan Publish Facebook page for Town EMA, PD, FDs, Town Office Comm/IT A. Grzybowski; ; Fire Chiefs; S. Hartford; D. Murphy J. Moretta Dec2012 Oct2013 Feb Establish written protocol for checkpoints to include pairing of officers with RING Write SOGs to disseminate at checkpoints Publish in EOP for quick copy during event PD July Review or draft Research ordinances Submit ordinance

8 ordinance to allow for stopping people at checkpoints and draft ordinance to support mission to Code Review Committee PD, P&Z, M. Shellman 16. Inadequate staffing in Building Department Increase staffing and work out MOUs with local communities and the State Hire Asst Building Inspector and publish MOUs with local communities and State Code Enforcement D. Murphy Nov2012 Dec Lack of written guidelines for propertyowners in Building Department for dissemination Write written procedures for public and within Building Department to address scenarios Publish procedures Code Enforcement D. Murphy Oct Update critical infrastructure list in EOP Update EOP with information Publish updated EOP EMA, PD Sept ICS utilization at hospital Prepare staffing agreements Include staffing agreements with Emergency Response Plan Hospital Hospital Dec Need better reassessment before re-entry Town Manager and/or incident commander tour with Fire Chief of area prior to re-entry. Hold Command Meetings to assess important decisions. EMA, Town Office, FDs S. Hartford, Fire Chiefs Ongoing 21. Need dedicated location separate from EOC for briefing of elected officials, media, and others Identify location for elected officials to meet and get information Publish in EOP and inform elected officials EMA, PD, Town Office S. Hartford, E. St. Clair Jun Need written debris plan Draft plan Publish final plan EMA, Planning, PW M. Shellman, P. Chiaradio Jun2013 Nov2013

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