March 7, 2023 |
Photo – Carbon County Emergency Management C4 Building – Bigfoot99 File Photo
Winter Storm Olive and its aftermath prompted Carbon County’s Office of Emergency Management to issue an emergency declaration.
To assist the county in dealing with the aftermath of the most recent winter storm, Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman created an emergency declaration. Layman described the purpose of the declaration.
In response to the county’s emergency declaration, the state provided a specialized tracked vehicle, called a Hagglund, to be used in search and rescue. Layman said having a signed emergency declaration allowed the county to request state assistance without worrying about cost.
The state’s Hagglund suffered a catastrophic engine failure while in service to the county. Because of the emergency declaration, the county isn’t responsible for the cost of repairs. The official proclamation lays out a clear chain of command on who can ask for outside assistance and when.
Layman is handling all support requests. He said having people help in an unofficial capacity opens the county to liability claims.
At their last meeting, County Commissioners asked Layman how much money the emergency had cost the county. He didn’t have an answer at the time. Layman said he won’t know the total until the disaster is finished.
Layman said he was single-handedly responsible for writing the emergency declaration, steering the county’s response to the deteriorating conditions, and organizing state assistance. He said if he could do it over again, he would find people to help him.
Layman said bringing every aspect of the county government together can be tough. He said a good exchange of information between the towns and county officials helped speed the process up.
Before Winter Storm Olive, mountain snow-packs were already at higher-than-average levels, 121% of mean on February 21. Two weeks later snow-pack levels in the Upper North Platte River Basin had risen to 182%. Flooding is possible if the region experiences a wet and warmer-than-average spring. To prepare, Layman hosted a county-wide flood preparedness summit at the Platte Valley Community Center earlier this month. He said his plan is to focus his efforts on towns most likely to be impacted by high waters.
Layman said he wants to have an emergency response already prepared for each town before a flooding event takes place. He said his office will coordinate support and logistics during an emergency. Layman said towns will focus on how best to use the boots-on-the-ground responders.
Layman also said all emergencies begin and end locally. The county would like towns to have their own emergency declaration processes in place for future events.
