JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
The Alamo Federal Executive Board and the San Antonio Office of Emergency Management, or SAOEM, hosted the second annual Emergency Preparedness Conference at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center Feb. 28.
The conference brought together Joint Base San Antonio mission partners and local, state and federal government agencies to prepare and discuss potential plans in the event of a natural disaster in the San Antonio area, specifically a catastrophic flood.
Emergency preparedness gatherings are essential in today’s extraordinary times and are critical to know partners before an emergency, said James Mendoza, Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator for SAOEM.
The conference consisted of presentations from several different government entities focusing on topics such as climate change and its impact to the San Antonio area, flood preparedness, and internal and external communications during emergencies.
The presentations were followed by a table top exercise requiring attendees to group together and prepare their assigned neighborhoods for a flood. The conference culminated in in a panel with community experts allowing attendees to address questions specific to their organizations.
“Conferences like these are important to fostering and establishing relationships with city emergency management,” said Willie Monroe, JBSA Emergency Management Office chief.
The JBSA Emergency Management Office works in tandem with the city to prepare for potential disasters that can potentially occur in the local area.
In addition, JBSA prepares internally to ensure the community is equipped for any potential incident.
“The 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron Emergency Management office provides the Installation Emergency Management Plan as well as quarterly newsletters that address the natural and man-made disasters JBSA are susceptible to,” Monroe said. In addition these actions are evaluated by units and the 502nd Air Base Wing Inspector General office on an annual basis.”
Collaboration with city and state officials prepares JBSA to handle potential emergencies and respond to them in the most efficient, timely manner possible.