Governor Conducts Hurricane Preparedness Exercise

Cabinet Level Secretaries Participate and Discuss Maryland’s Response

BALTIMORE, MD (May 24, 2011) – Governor Martin O’Malley hosted a Cabinet level exercise yesterday designed to ready all State agencies and test preparedness for

Governor Martin O’Malley, Chief of Staff Matt Gallagher and MEMA’s Executive Director Richard Muth listen intently as Hurricane Preparations are discussed with The Governor’s Cabinet.

Maryland’s hurricane season, which officially begins on June 1. The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA),which oversees all-hazards disaster planning for the state, designed the exercise, which involved a Category 3 hurricaneimpacting Maryland’s coastline and then moving inland. “We designed the scenario to be as real as possible where each

Meteorologist Chris Strong of the national Weather Service provides the 2011 Hurricane Prediction briefing to members of the Governor’s Cabinet during the 2011 Hurricane Preparedness exercise.

player has an active role,” said MEMA’s Executive Director, Richard Muth, a former local emergency manager with first-hand experience during 2003 when Tropical Storm Isabel wreaked havoc in Baltimore County. “It is important we test our response to what we could see in a real world event so our senior leaders know what to expect and how to respond, and that we interact and meet key leaders who will be making decisions during a critical event.”

Joshua Sharfstein, Secretary of the Department of Health 　and Mental Hygiene stresses a point during the Governor’s Cabinet Level Hurricane Preparedness Exercise.

Muth explained that when conducting these exercises, there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer and not everything is absolute. “Each storm is different and we have to respond according to the path of the storm and the challenges it presents,” Muth said. “Adapting our plans, being flexible, thinking outside of the box are all steps we must be willing to take to effectively manage any disaster,”

Muth said, adding, “Most importantly, too, is whether it is the state, a specific agency or a family – you must have a plan.”

Members of the Governor’s Cabinet met in Annapolis on May 23, 2011 to discuss hurricane preparedness and response.

Plans give you guidance, Muth said, and can be scalable and flexible to any event. But if you are going to be successful, Muth explained, then not only must you have a plan but you should test it.

Today, he noted, was all about testing those plans and meeting key decision makers. “You do not want the day an event like this occurs to be the first day you see the plan or have interacted with other state agencies”, Muth said.

Maryland’s Hurricane season begins June 1 and the National Weather Service is predicting an active season with potentially 12-18 named storms impacting the Atlantic. For more information about preparedness for hurricanes and other disasters go to www.mema.state.md.us. Follow MEMA on TWITTER at www.twitter.com/mema_feeds.