Lyon County approves Quad County emergency plan

The Lyon County Commission approved the 2018 Quad County Emergency Multi-Agency Coordination Guide and gave county manager Jeff Page the authority to sign a letter of intent to support the plan in case of a local or statewide disaster situation at its Dec. 6 meeting.

The guide encompasses Carson City, Douglas County, Lyon County and Storey County, and each entity will activate their emergency coordination center (ECC) as needed during a disaster. At the local level, ECCs would be responsible for coordinating and prioritizing resources within their own jurisdictions and at the state level through mutual aid systems.

Page said at the Dec. 6 Lyon County Commission meeting that such a group would benefit these four jurisdictions through an event such as flooding. He called to mind Lyon’s own experience in 2017. The commissioners declared a state of emergency in January when flash flooding impacted the Carson River in Dayton. Numerous homes were threatened and road crews worked to make repairs to culverts in Mark Twain, Stagecoach and Silver Springs. The Nevada Department of Transportation also had to ensure roads and pathways were clear of debris and mud.

“Based upon what happened in January and February (2017), this document outlines how those processes would work,” Page said. “That’s how we’ll do things in the future.”

Should response be necessary in the event of an emergency, the guide authorizes a city or county manager, emergency manager, deputy emergency manager or public health preparedness staff member to activate the MAC, and routine monitoring would be shared through public information plans. County, state and federal support could be requested as the situation calls for or as the jurisdiction’s resources have been used.

The guide also dictates resources at the state level remain contingent upon the governor’s proclamation of state of emergency, upon which an emergency operation could include mutual aid to the counties and jurisdictions, supplies and assistance from state representatives. At the federal level, a presidential disaster declaration providing federal support to local operations would fall under a federal coordinating officer and the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on behalf of the president.

The voted passed 5-0.