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Even on a pleasant, breezy, partly sunny day in Ocean City, with the waters of Assawoman Bay lapping gently against the pedestrian promenade behind the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, it’s hard not to think about extreme weather. A severe storm, gale-force winds, even sunny day flooding 鈥� it wouldn’t take much for the bay water to come lapping up over the barrier and on to the shore, creating havoc in the coastal resort town.
Maryland has experienced 51 days of 鈥渟evere weather鈥� 鈥斅爀xcessive heat, high winds, flooding, or some combination 鈥斅爄n the past 18 months, according to Anna Sierra, chief development officer of the Maryland Department of Emergency Management.
Sierra and two county emergency management officials who have dealt with some of the state鈥檚 biggest recent disasters spoke on a panel Thursday at the Maryland Association of Counties convention about how the state and local governments deal with a range of emergencies. Progress has been made, but undeniable challenges remain, the experts said.
Michael Hinson, director of emergency management in Howard County, where two 鈥渢housand-year鈥� floods hit Ellicott City in two years, said the 9/11 terrorist strikes and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 changed the nation鈥檚 thinking on emergency preparedness and response 鈥斅燼nd the pace of change intensified in subsequent years.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a different time and place,鈥� Hinson said.
Today, he said, governments deal with a variety of emergencies on a regular basis, from cyberattacks to the opioid crisis, from the failures of aging infrastructure to crime and acts of terrorism, from election security to utility infrastructure to food security.
Then, Hinson said, there鈥檚 鈥渢he literal and figurative black cloud 鈥斅燾limate change.鈥�
鈥淎ll of these things have been happening, we鈥檝e been expanding what we鈥檝e been doing,鈥� Hinson said. 鈥淏ut we don鈥檛 necessarily have more hands to do it with.鈥�
Additionally, emergencies become exponentially more catastrophic, the officials said, and government funding to address them hasn鈥檛 kept pace. Federal disaster aid places a lot of strings on how state and local governments can distribute the money.
鈥淲e鈥檙e being asked to do a lot with essentially less money than we鈥檝e ever had in emergency management,鈥� Sierra said.
The state of Maryland has taken steps to bolster its emergency preparedness and disaster response 鈥斅燽ut with a major caveat. The General Assembly this year, sponsored by Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel) and Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel), whose Annapolis-based district has been battered by tornadoes and regular flooding in recent years, to create the State Disaster Recovery Fund, designed to provide resources to residents and businesses in all 24 jurisdictions when a disaster strikes.
The legislation came with the recommendation that the fund be stocked with $20 million annually. But appropriators provided no cash for the 2024 fiscal year.
鈥淭here is no legislative mandate to fund the fund,鈥� Sierra observed.
She added that even if it鈥檚 fully funded, the pot of money won鈥檛 be sufficient to meet all of the state鈥檚 needs. As a result, government officials must focus on mitigation.
鈥淢itigation is now the center of the universe,鈥� Sierra said.
Preeti Emrick, the Anne Arundel County emergency management director, said every disaster requires 鈥渁 tiered response鈥� involving federal, state and local leaders and resources. But she said local governments are uniquely equipped to confront the 鈥渟ocial vulnerabilities鈥� that follow a disaster.
Emrick also suggested that small actions and kindnesses can bolster a community in the immediate aftermath of an emergency 鈥斅爓hether it鈥檚 delivering a large dumpster to a community, paying for hotels for residents who have been driven from their homes, or supplying essential items like baby formula or kitty litter that residents may not be able to easily obtain.
The important thing, the officials said, is for local leaders to be ready for an infinite number of eventualities and not just respond to catastrophic emergencies.
鈥淭he writing is on the wall,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is time to be proactive.鈥�
