08-09-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ramsey County │ Annex G: Hazardous Materials 17 •Decontamination of people and animals. Decontamination, if it is necessary, may need to precede sheltering and other needs of the victims to prevent further damage from the hazard agent to either the victims themselves or the care providers. •Open or closed point of dispensing (POD) medical countermeasures (MCMs). MCMs can include vaccines, antiviral drugs, antitoxins, antibiotics, and materials (e.g., personal protective equipment) that may be used to prevent, mitigate, or treat adverse health effects of an intentional, accidental, or naturally occurring public health emergency. •Mass care. The location of mass care facilities will be based partly on the hazard agent involved; depending on the incident, evacuees may need to be screened for the need for decontamination / mass prophylaxis before acceptance into a mass care facility. 3.6.4 RECOVERY The key objectives of short-term recovery response are to provide restoration of lifeline services and facilities and to return individuals and families to their homes and businesses. Recovery actions may include: •Damage assessments. A thorough accounting of damage to the impacted area should be completed as quickly as possible; this assessment should include not only the financial impact but also account for operational capacity. Damage assessments are the critical first step taken on the path to achieving the restoration of impacted physical and natural resources through the release of hazardous materials. They are used to determine the nature and extent of the injury and the amount of damages caused by the release. •Abatement/remediation. When long-term clean-up is necessary, Ramsey County should ensure that efforts follow regulations put in place by federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. Typically, a specialized contractor will be hired for long-term or ongoing remediation by the responsible party or the jurisdiction. •Repopulation of evacuated areas. Once areas have been cleared, decontaminated, or otherwise deemed safe, repopulation of evacuated areas may begin; the individuals or agencies involved and the approach used for clearing and area should be well documented. 3.7 Notification 3.7.1 NOTIFYING THE PUBLIC OF A RELEASE In addition to the systems described in the facility plans first response agencies have limited capability for alerting the public. The primary methods include: •Notification via broadcast media •Emergency Alert System (EAS) notification in conjunction with the National Weather Service (NWS) and broadcast media •Limited out-bound automatic dialing and messaging of community telephones •World Wide Web Sites