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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-069R EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTION (ESF) #18 BUSINESS & INDUSTRY PRIMARY AGENCY: Department of Emergency Services Emergency Management Division SUPPORT AGENCIES: Florida Small Business Development Center at IRSC Indian River County Purchasing Division Indian River County Chamber of Commerce Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce Workforce Solutions I. INTRODUCTION A. Purpose The purpose of ESF#18 is to have a business and industry representative present in the EOC to coordinate the immediate and short-term assistance needs of business and industry to expedite economic restoration. The representative would be accessible to local businesses to provide timely information and coordinate activities relating to business resumption. ESF #18 will also identify and solicit resources to meet identified needs. The goal is to minimize the potential post-disaster economic effect to our community. B. Scope ESF #18 will coordinate and assist the private sector in disaster planning and post-disaster recovery efforts. This ESF will also act as a liaison between the business community and the Emergency Operations Center to assist with reducing the potential economic impact to the county. 11. POLICIES A. The primary agency is expected to staff the EOC, once activated, and act as a liaison to its support agencies by providing information obtained from regular briefings, status reports and prioritizing unmet needs. Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Annex I - Page ESF#18-1 B. No agency or person(s) shall enter into contracts or incur financial obligations for Indian River County without prior approval from the Director of Emergency Management or his designee. III. SITUATION A. Disaster Condition The U.S. Department of Labor statistics indicate that 40% of the businesses that experience a disaster will never reopen, and 25% are likely to close their doors within two years. As a result of Hurricane Andrew (August, 1992), 86,000 Floridians were unemployed overnight. This is an illustration of the severe economic impact that hurricanes can have on a community. B. Planning Assumptions 1. Extended outages of public utilities (e.g., telephone, power, water, and sewer) will be experienced; 2. Employees may be unable to return to work immediately because their home or family may have been directly impacted by the disaster - businesses need to encourage their employees to have a family disaster plan in place; 3. Customers may be unable to reach retail outlets because debris has not been removed from local roadways; 4. Local suppliers may have to close for an extended period of time to repair damage to their facilities/equipment, saleable products, company records or any combination of the three; 5. Out-of-area suppliers may be unable to reach businesses due to blocked roadways and/or interrupted communication links; 6. Commercial establishments may be sufficiently damaged to require businesses to remain closed for an extended period of time to make needed repairs before reopening; 7. If businesses are closed for an extended period of time, a firm's employee base may erode because employees may begin seeking new employment in order to survive financially. Not only does a company lose experienced personnel, but the new staff will have to be trained before a business can reopen; and 8. Business owners will not be allowed entry into an area where there is an immediate threat to life (downed wires, etc.). Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Annex I - Page ESF#18-2 IV. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS A. General The lead agency for ESF #18 will: 1. Coordinate business disaster preparation and continuity training to support the business community. 2. Receive damage assessment reports by business owners and provide these assessments to ESF #5 in the EOC for coordination with the State Emergency Response Team (SERI). 3. Provide business recovery assistance to businesses upon request. 4. Coordinate press releases, media interviews and distribution of printed materials with ESF #14 (Public Information). This effort will support public education efforts in the impacted community. 5. Staff the EOC and will coordinate the readiness of the support agencies. 6. Maintain a staffing plan that considers the long hours and conditions associated with a full EOC activation. B. Organization ESF #18 representatives will be skilled professionals with subject knowledge in both the public and private sectors. ESF #18 is responsible for developing and maintaining public-private partnerships and providing access to information, resources and expertise. C. Notification The Indian River County Emergency Management Division will provide notification of each ESF's primary agency. A representative from the primary agency will in turn notify each support agency and/or volunteer agency, as required. D. Operational Objectives 1. Disaster Preparedness: a. Preparedness education and training of the business community. b. Encourage the business community to participate in disaster exercises. C. Develop and maintain a database of agencies and private Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Annex I - Page ESF#18-3 associations that may provide additional support for business recovery. 2. Disaster Response: a. Maintain a roster of support agency contacts. b. Coordinate with ESF #14 (Public Information) to disseminate information to the business community to assist with disaster response and recovery. 3. Disaster Recovery: a. Continue to coordinate assessments of general business impact (physical damage, employee issues, lost revenues, recovery process, etc.). b. Assist with commercial damage assessments to determine if a request activation of the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program is required. This program is to bridge the gap between the time damage is incurred and when a business secures other financial resources, including regular profits, payment of claims or longer-term loans such as an SBA Disaster Loan. C. Request the activation of the Small Business Development Center Mobile Assistance Center, if necessary. d. Assist affected businesses in the preparation of state and Small Business Administration loan applications. 4. Mitigation Objectives: a. Facilitate the identification of and access to sources of infrastructure financing that augment existing state and community mitigation efforts. V. RESPONSIBILITIES A. General a. Provide primary and relief staff for the ESF #18 position as long as the EOC is operational. b. Maintain a roster of support agency contacts. C. Disseminate information to businesses regarding preparedness and recovery. d. Coordinate recovery efforts between the business community and the Emergency Operations Center. B. Support Agencies a. Assist the primary agency (Indian River Chamber of Commerce) with determining and prioritizing the needs of the local business community. b. Assist with staffing the EOC, if requested. Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Annex I - Page ESF#18-4 C. Assist with determining business impact and damage assessment. VI. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ESF #18 will utilize personnel and resources from its primary and support agencies to respond to mission assignments related to emergencies. Additional resources available from other ESFs may be coordinated and mobilized to support ESF #18 missions. When requests begin to exceed the capability of ESF #18 to respond, additional resources (i.e., state teams, federal agencies, contractual agreements, and mutual aid agreements) will be requested through the EOCs tracking system, approved by operations and mobilized. Mutual aid agreements have been established for all contiguous counties as well as the existence of the Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement. Some, or all, mutual aid agreements may be activated following a significant disaster or event. The decision to activate these agreements will be made by the Emergency Management Director, or his designee. All personnel and resources mobilized by ESF #18 will remain under the direction and control of the EOC Operations Section Chief. Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Annex I - Page ESF#18-5