WESTBROOK— Disaster management protocols have been in place in Westbrook for over a decade, but this week city officials attended their first workshop focusing on the role they’d have during a disaster.
The workshop at the police station covered emergencies, from natural disasters like floods to other crises, such as the Sappi turbine fire in 2014. It was hosted by the police and members of the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency.
“As elected officials, your role in a situation would be to provide policy guidance on priorities and objectives,” Ron North, Cumberland County EMA project coordinator said.
Another focus was consolidating authority for messages to the public.
“Nowadays, it’s really about at least keeping up with social media. You cannot beat it, but you can keep up with it at best. If a plane crashes, you know that there is someone with a phone that is videotaping it and putting it somewhere. You have to have a plan,” North said.
Emergency training has been held with the Community Center as it can function as a shelter, the school department, the library and a number of other city departments.
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