POD sites help county prepare for the worst
Jul, 07-2009 4:56 pm
By JACKIE HANUSEY
Staff Writer
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – Being prepared for all possibilities is the job of the Atlantic County Emergency Management Office, what Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Conover refers to as the “office of doom and gloom.”
In December the office started getting ready for a gloomy scenario indeed by working with the county’s 23 municipal emergency management coordinators to set up regional POD (point of dispensing) sites in the county for use in case of a pandemic or terroristic attack.
Current sites include two in Hamilton Township, one in Galloway Township and two on the barrier islands, he said.
The exact locations of existing and future PODs, Conover said, would be made known in the event of an emergency.
The sites are expected to be central locations so that someone from Buena, for example, would not need to travel to Mays Landing for assistance.
“We are constantly working on plans,” said Conover, adding that his office is taking on a bit more work these days with precautions and contingency plans for the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. There have been 16 confirmed cases in the county to date.
More POD sites are being eyed for inland, he said, with various municipalities looking to set up locations where medicine could be distributed in case of disaster.
One possibility is Mainland Regional High School in Linwood.
Linwood Emergency Management Coordinator Chick Kisby spoke briefly to Linwood City Council at its June 24 meeting about what has been discussed in the county meetings.
He said POD sites need to include drive-through and walk-through options. Because of this, Kisby said Mainland Regional could be a good location.
But there are a lot of factors that go into deciding where a POD site will be established in an emergency.
“It depends on everything from if a guy washes his hand after he sneezes to the government sending money and supplies,” Conover said.
Plans are also being expanded to support public health in the event of a crisis. Part of this involves distributing information to businesses to help them develop their own contingency plans, as they are most familiar with their own procedures and employees, he said.
Preparing also involves education on how to prevent virus from spreading. The county Public Health Department, for example, is reiterating the importance of covering your mouth when you cough, washing your hands, and staying away from others if you are sick.
How much of the preparation will actually be put into practice, especially as it pertains to the H1N1 virus, remains to be seen.
“We don’t know what is going to happen in the fall with flu season,” he said.
Meanwhile, he hopes his best laid plans and directions are followed if and when the time comes to spring into action.
“People listen to my message after a hurricane hits landfall,” he said.
To comment on this story email Jackie.Hanusey@catamaranmedia.com.
