Emergency Management

The Douglas County Emergency Management has implemented a precautionary action plan for this weekend’s weather event. The plan has identified two potential weather events for this evening, Saturday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, De. 2. The first is going to be extreme winds, followed by potential heavy rains.

On Tuesday, October 16, 2012 the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security held its quarterly meeting in Carson City. Gov. Brian Sandoval, chairman of the Homeland Security Commission, along with 16 commission members tackled a lengthy agenda, including committee updates, recommendations and implementation of new processes.
 

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Emergency managers from the state and federal level are recognizing September as National Preparedness Month.

A series of drills simulating emergencies such as extreme weather, power outages, aircraft mishaps, lost climbers and transportation issues will be performed this weekend as part of operation Green Light organized by the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and the the Department of Homeland Security.
Operation Green Light will further develop and strengthen regional partnerships and enhance emergency preparedness, response, and prevention capabilities, according to Nevada Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Gail Powell. Participating counties include Carson City, Douglas, Elko, Humboldt, Lyon, Pershing, Storey and Washoe.

CARSON CITY – Nevada today affirmed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s automatic drought disaster declaration, which applies to all 17 Nevada counties.

Douglas Boyle is Nevada's new state climatologist. He will oversee operations of the Nevada State Climate Office, a public-service department in the College of Science at the University of Nevada, Reno.
The state climatologist and the Nevada Climate Office collect, maintain and interpret Nevada’s climate and weather data information, publish a quarterly report and provide leadership on climatic hazards and drought planning in the state through work and consultation with the governor's office and state agencies.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s Homeland Security Commission today adopted a drastically reduced plan to continue the fight against potential terrorist attacks, leaving six ongoing programs without funding because of declining federal support.

CARSON CITY - This time of year is a perfect occasion to Be a Force of Nature and the Nevada Division of Emergency Management is proud to be promoting severe weather preparedness week. To help spread the word and make its employees and members of the community better prepared, the Nevada Division of Emergency Management is committed to being a leader for weather-readiness by knowing the risk, taking action and being an example.

The Nevada Division of Emergency Management/Homeland Security and the National Weather Service are partnering together to educate the citizens of Nevada on National Flood Safety Awareness Week, March 12-16.

According to the National Weather Service, Floods and Flash Floods are the #1 weather-related killer in the United States and can occur any time of the year. This is why the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service Offices in Reno, Las Vegas, and Elko want to help spread the word about being flood safe.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, chairman of the Homeland Security Commission, along with 16 voting members determined key priorities for the Homeland Security Working Group 2012 grant application process.

The March 2 Commission meeting was dedicated to identifying and establishing the Commission's priorities for the Federal Fiscal Year 2012 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP).  The federal funds allocated to the State of Nevada in 2012 total $4,628,239 (State Homeland Security grant for $2,801,316; Urban Area Security Initiative grant for $1,826,923).

UPDATE 510PM: Fire burns more than 3,000 acres with zero containment; 4,000 evacuated; no count on home and structure losses.

At 4:40 pm this afternoon, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, under his constitutional and statutory authority, made a state declaration of emergency which qualifies local governments for federal assistance associated with this event. The National Guard is on standby at the request of Sandoval and Washoe County. California has also provided fire assistance as part of a Governor to Governor agreement with Jerry Brown. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been and are being affected by this fire,” Sandoval said. “Declaring a state of emergency ensures that every resource from the local, state and federal level is available to assist. The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Department of Public Safety have also engaged with local responders.” Additionally, Nevada has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG). As a result, Nevada is eligible for up to 75 percent funding assistance for eligible costs. The request was made by the Nevada Division of Forestry on behalf of Washoe County at the onset of the fire.

More below the fold.

Several personnel from the Nevada Highway Patrol will each be awarded a Commendation Medal this Friday for their timely, professional and outstanding performance they displayed on the morning of September 6th, in Carson City.

Shortly before 9:00 am that morning, the Nevada Department of Public Safety-Communications Center began receiving information of an active shooter near the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) restaurant on South Carson Street.

Update 11:53 a.m.: Congressmen Mark Amodei (NV-2) and Joe Heck (NV-3) released the following joint statement regarding the Caughlin Ranch fire:
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this disaster. We are in contact with the Governor’s office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, D.C. to offer guidance and assistance in providing resources to address the emergency. We are coordinating efforts to ensure the Prepositioned Equipment Program (PEP) located in Las Vegas is prepared to deploy and assist with controlling the fire if needed. Anyone wishing to make financial contributions to help the victims of this disaster may do so through the Red Cross."

Update 10 a.m: The State of Nevada, Washoe County and the City of Reno have declared a state of emergency. More than 9,500 people have been evacuated, according to City of Reno spokesman Chris Good. The 400-plus-acre fire is still zero percent contained. As of now, Galena High School is the evacuation point. If that fills up, Damonte Ranch High School will be the next evacuation point. Go here for the latest from UNR's Nevada Sagebrush and here from MyNews4.com.

Update 8:15: Fire now officially named Caughlin Fire.

Update 7:11 a.m.: KRNV is on the air talking with Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez who is saying they have lost about 20 homes so far, and the strong winds are a big problem. He also said the winds are so strong that there is no way to get air attacks on this fire.

An Emergency 211 number is being set up to provide better information for Reno residents.

A wind-driven wildfire has burned more than 400 acres and has consumed at least six homes in the Caughlin Ranch area in southwest Reno this morning. The Pine Haven fire broke out around 12:30 this morning and thousands have been told to evacuate. Residents are being evacuated to Reno High School, the designated area for evacuations. Fire agencies from the Carson City and Carson Valley areas are responding as are from the Lake Tahoe area. Power is out to at least 1,000 homes in the area, according to NV Energy.
Flames are threatening homes near Manzanita Lane and Dant Boulevard, and police officers were going to residences to evacuate residents. An officer went to the house of a panicking Kathy Harrah. The officer told her to take a deep breath and said "you are fairly safe," as she and her two sons, John and Kody, grabbed items and put them into their truck. "I have been watching the fire all night. I didn't know it was going to get this bad," she told the Reno Gazette-Journal before ordering her son to rip a computer out of a wall. The area was thick with smoke that hung over over Manzanita. Flames in the canyon below Manzanita shot up dozens of feet in the air as they hit brush. Go here and here for story.

Videos of the fire

Map of fire area

Carson City will be utilizing the CodeRED Emergency Notification System on Wednesday, November 9th to call the entire community. This exercise is being held in conjunction with the first national wide Emergency Alert System test and encourages citizens of Carson City to establish emergency contact information.

The calls will be in the morning and will continue until the entire database has been attempted. This call will give Carson City emergency personnel the chance to operate the system as if there has been a community wide disaster.

The federal government has scheduled a test of the nation's Emergency Alert System for Wednesday, Nov. 9.Chris Smith, head of Nevada's Emergency Management Division, said the test will begin at 11 ...

On November 9, 2011 at 11 a.m. Pacific Time and 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the federal government will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS).  The test will last up to three and a half minutes. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested. 

CARSON CITY – In advance of a new, earlier annual enrollment period, people with Medicare can now begin reviewing plan benefit and cost information via a popular web-based Medicare Plan Finder operated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The plan finder lets beneficiaries, their families, trusted representatives, and senior program advocates to look at all local drug and health plan options that are available for the 2012 benefit year. It became available Saturday.

Heavy precipitation this winter and the runoff its created has Lyon County officials concerned about flooding. According to Rob Loveberg, Lyon County Emergency Management coordinator, the mainstem ...

By Jake Sunderland
CARSON CITY — The recent earthquake activity around the Hawthorne area in Northern Nevada should act as a reminder to Nevadans to check that they have adequate earthquake coverage for their home or business. Nevada is one of the most active states for earthquakes and ranks third in the country for earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or higher.

The board of supervisors will discuss and hear a presentation about the Emergency Management function in Carson City when it meets Thursday. The special item is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Sierra R...

By Mike Wolterbeek
With more than 20 earthquakes in several hours Saturday night, and 400 in the past week, Nevada Seismological Laboratory members have mobilized from the University to the Hawthorne area to step-up monitoring efforts for the region. The highest in the sequence occurred at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday. It was a magnitude 4.6, followed 10 minutes later by a 4.1.

With warm temperatures ahead this week, Lyon County has initiated preparations for possible flooding on the Walker and Carson rivers.

Lyon County Emergency Management recommends those with homes in low lying areas along both the Carson and Walker rivers take necessary precautions to prepare for possible moderate to major flooding in the coming weeks, according to the county's website.

News Release — The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Nevada Department of Public Safety — Division of Emergency Management (DPS-DEM) are collectively working to address the public’s concerns surrounding the potential impact to the State of Nevada and the rest of the United States from the Japanese nuclear reactor crisis.

Eric Matus, Radiation Physicist for the Nevada State Health Division, has compiled an overview of information addressing the concerns and speculation that continue to linger.

CARSON CITY – A state lawmaker testified today that the federal government’s unfunded mandates on issues such as clean air, clean water and flood zones are imposing costs on Nevada taxpayers without authority or justification.

(Press Release) On Wednesday March 2, 2011, at approximately 12:00 p.m. Lander County Sheriff Ron Urger was notified that a man, later identified as Devin Westenskow, age 28, of Evanston, Wyoming, fell while exploring an abandoned mine shaft. The mine site closed since 1945, is located in the Jersey Valley at the far eastern part of Pershing County, Nevada.

All emergency 911 calls for Douglas and Lyon counties are being re-routed into Carson City after a significant outage within the system.

Persons in those counties dialing 911 will be automatically connected to Carson dispatchers.

Douglas County sent out the following press release about the outage:

CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons today announced the retirement of Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Jerry Hafen. Hafen is a life-long resident of Clark County and was appointed to the top job at the agency in early 2008.
He will step down Dec. 31.
“Jerry Hafen has proven to be a respected leader in law enforcement in Nevada and I am proud of his accomplishments as DPS Director,” Gibbons said. “Jerry has proven time and again that the safety of the citizens of Nevada is his top priority.

Around 30 representatives from law enforcement, emergency management and the Carson City Health and Human Services Office conducted a test run today of its portable emergency facility designed for health emergencies such as mass casualty disasters.

The 20 foot by 40 foot inflatable facility, which would serve as a temporary morgue, underwent the test to activate an HVAC cooling system, said Pam Graber, public information officer for the Carson City Health and Human Services Office.

A fire chief, emergency manager; the sheriff; the coroner; a funeral director; the hospital security manager; a sheriff’s chief deputy and a captain, the health director and other health department officials met on Wednesday to assess the community’s ability to handle a critical incident causing numerous deaths.

Incidents resulting in fatalities that exceed the normal operating capacity of the Coroner’s Office are considered mass fatality and would trigger the activation of the Mass Fatality Management Plan.

* Local emergency management workers are nervously eyeing a winter storm headed out way that is likely to bring snow in the higher elevations, but rain in the moderate to lower elevations.