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State and National Political Leaders — Exposure and experience from State and National <br />political leaders increased support and calmness to the residents in need and provided the <br />Hugo Council with tips for working through the this emergency. <br />Unifying quality in the Mayor and Council brought community together. <br />Media Relations — Information was well presented to the media and the use of Molly <br />O'Rourke and PIO Maggie Atkins from Washington County freed up city staff time and <br />ensured a unified and cohesive message. The message to help the residents was never <br />lost. <br />Volunteer Coordinator — This worked well to have one point person from the City of <br />Hugo to work with the volunteer organizations and to carry the long term recovery effort <br />forward. Nate Ehalt did a great job. <br />Help from former employees and business members who wanted to help. Their <br />involvement and knowledge of the Hugo system allowed for work to be delegated to <br />them for completion without training. <br />Hugo Tornado Disaster May 25, 2008 - Suggestions for Improvement <br />Update phone lists and distribute to key personnel. City should create and use a phone <br />calling tree system <br />City Council and City Staff identification badges for easier access to restricted areas. <br />Council members need to be made aware of situation and severity as soon as possible. <br />Create established roles for council members. <br />Preplanning — look at other municipalities and how they stage their equipment when <br />weather or other physical threats are possible. <br />Unified Command Post — Work to create a better communication flow between Fire and <br />Police Departments as well as the community leaders. Review command post location, <br />possibly set it up at city hall since this is the hub of the activity. <br />Volunteer efforts — establish a 211 call center as soon as possible to reduce calls to city <br />hall regarding volunteer help. Also, create a unified and complete message of details for <br />clean-up day before the message is given to the media. <br />Look at Public Information Officer position and who will take the lead when the Mayor <br />is absent. Use the council member from the specific ward that was affected first. <br />Create timelines for media meetings and press conferences in EOP as necessary. <br />Continue to learn and teach new employees and council member the NIMS process for <br />future incidents. <br />