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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLEPC Minutes 07-12-2023 July 12, 2023, at 10:30am New Hanover County Government Center EOC Attendance Name Business Name Business  Stephen Alexander SR&R Environmental, Inc. Frank Meyer NHC Fire & Rescue  Greg Cook Mid-Atlantic Safety Council Phil Misklow Stephan  TJ Dinkins Corning Debra Nagle NHC Emergency Management  John Dittmar NC State Ports Authority Rhonda Olson UNC Wilmington  Bruce Ellis NHC Emergency Management Joshua Schieffer Duke Energy  Dustin Fenske New Hanover County Environmental Health Holden Shepard Cape Fear Public Utility Authority  Stan Harts Alcami Corporation, LEPC acting Vice-Chair Lt. Chris L. Smith New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office  Allen Hancock NC Dept. of Transportation Ron Stancil Sturdy Corporation  Billy Howard NHRMC Emergency Medical Services; LEPC Chair David Store NHC Fire  Tina Kuhr GE Hitachi; LEPC Secretary Michael Thompson American Red Cross  Bill MacKay NHC Emergency Management Mark Venters GE Hitachi/Global Nuclear Fuels   Welcome and Introductions The meeting was called to order by Billy Howard, LEPC Chair, at 10:39 AM. LEPC Members present introduced themselves. Review and Approval of Minutes The minutes of the May 10, 2023, meeting had been emailed prior to the meeting. Mark Venters moved that the minutes be approved; Holden Shepard seconded the motion. The minutes were approved by unanimous consent. Discussion Topics April 28th Exercise After-Action Report / Improvement Plan Review – Billy Howard provided an overview of the strengths and recommendations from the after action report of the April 28, 2023, exercise. He had brought a limited number of copies to hand out. The membership asked that the report be emailed to the membership so it can be reviewed, and the recommendations discussed at a future meeting. Action Item – Billy Howard to email out an electronic copy of the After-Action Report / Improvement Plan to the LEPC membership. Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Grant – The county received a $10,000 grant that must be spent by the end of September 2023. The consensus was that doing another exercise may not be the best use of the funds. The Executive Committee proposed doing a one day training/workshop for LEPC members and member agencies. One example topic was to discuss Hazmat Chemistry. The LEPC itself does not have time to put on a workshop/exercise, but we could hire someone to do a training workshop. A member suggested that we identify significant chemicals in the area and focus on those and areas potentially affected. Another member suggested using the Tier 2 inventories and the Commodity Flow study to customize the workshop. This grant cannot be used to fund food for the workshop; however the LEPC grant (See item 3) can be used for food. Stan Hart had approached a vendor about doing such a workshop. Another suggestion was to add a HAZMAT aspect to an existing exercise planned by the Wilmington airport. However, that would require an extension for the grant, as the exercise will not take place until October. Requesting an extension may allow us to do both the workshop and the exercise. Action Item – Stan Hart will provide the information from the vendor about a possible workshop. LEPC Grant - The county received a $24,00 grant for the LEPC for hazardous materials emergency response planning, training, and exercises. This grant is valid through January 2024. The membership discussed possible topics for a workshop. One item of interest was lessons learned from actual events. It was suggested that the planning committee survey the LEPC for subject. The Emergency Planning/Response Committee will have the lead on planning the event. NOAA Yearly Weather Review – Stan Harts provided in overview of NOAA’s and Colorado State’s predictions for the 2023 Hurricane Season. (See separate file.) With ocean temperatures above historic norms and very warm water in the Florida Keys, rapid intensification of storms that do form is probable. There were three named storms simultaneously in the Atlantic basis in June. Other challenges to our area include king tides and coastal flooding, as well as urban flooding and storm water management as areas develop. It was recommended that organizations communicate to employees early and often about knowing their zone and having 5 to 10 days of supplies on hand. Steve Sill stated that as the county’s population increases, the planning time frame shifts earlier and earlier. There was a discussion of a 2016 hurricane evacuation study and the growth that has occurred since then. NOAA makes recommendations for their forecast area, while the county looks at the impacts specific to the county. Let EM know what your facilities plans are, including whether the facility must maintain a minimum staff in place. The hospital, jail, and UNC-W have site specific plans. Storm surge is the #1 killer for hurricanes, not wind. New Hanover County does not normally use evacuation zones. They recommend evacuation based on storm surge inundation maps for a specific event. The Army Corps of Engineers is updating the basin map for this area. NHC EM works with the beach communities to make evacuation recommendations. Mark Venters recently attended a FEMA training course on hurricane preparation. They discussed new modeling for storm surge in the HURREVAC model (www.hurrevac.com). Action Item – Mark Venters agreed to provide information from the workshop to the group after the meeting. Open Forum Billy Howard stated that NH EMS was looking at how to accommodate their staff if their stations are not wind rated. He was looking for suggestions from the group. Steve Sill said that this was something the EOC would be focused on. Allen Hancock said that DOT has yards that they use for staging equipment. They could accommodate others on a case by case basis. Mark Venters mentioned that businesses that need to transport goods after a hurricane when roads may be potentially closed in some areas, a disaster vendor re-entry certification through NCEM Business Emergency Operations Center (BEOC) may be required https://www.readync.gov/recover-and-rebuild/re-entry-registration Rhonda Olson stated that the buildings at UNC-W are rated for Category 3 winds maximum. They will close and send people home for a Category 2 storm. Next Meeting The next LEPC meeting is scheduled for 11:00 AM on September 13, 2023, at the New Hanover County EOC. Adjournment Mark Venters made a motion to adjourn, which was seconded by Matt Allen. The meeting adjourned at 11:49 AM.