FEMA Emergency Management Institute, Emmitsburg, Maryland. Photo: Wikimedia.

From the City of Eureka:

Disaster preparedness and response professionals of the Humboldt Bay Area have been accepted in FEMA’s community specific “Integrated Emergency Management Course” (IEMC). The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) accepts only twelve communities nationwide annually to participate in the IEMC. This week long course will be held at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland, May 16 - May 19, 2016.

The application process began 18 months ago, with now retired Humboldt County OES Manager, Dan Larkin, City of Eureka and Humboldt Bay Fire completing the IEMC Community Specific application. The application included demographics of the region and specific hazard mitigation concerns. The value of this federal grant funded program is in excess of $100,000, which includes transportation and lodging fees for each agency.

The agencies are responsible for a $125.00 meal stipend for each participant. Seventy-five individuals from many disciplines will be participating. Eureka and Humboldt County will provide twenty-eight employees and elected officials with the remaining positions filled by the allied agencies including City of Arcata, Arcata Fire, American Red Cross, Eureka Main Street, Pacific Gas and Electric, North Coast Schools, Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group, Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue, Loleta Volunteer Fire, Humboldt CERT Coalition, Fortuna Volunteer Fire and College of the Redwoods.

The outcome of this exercise will provide the entire Humboldt Bay area community with the best possible disaster preparedness effort for the next “Big One”.