Agency Is There During Emergencies

RACHEL DICKERSON/MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS Gregg Sweeten, director of the McDonald County Emergency Management Agency, is pictured next to a new truck his office secured through a state grant during the past year.
RACHEL DICKERSON/MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS Gregg Sweeten, director of the McDonald County Emergency Management Agency, is pictured next to a new truck his office secured through a state grant during the past year.

The McDonald County Emergency Management Agency coordinates the actions of local, county and state agencies in the event of any emergency. It is also tasked with the coordination of requests for state and federal resources. It is headed by Gregg Sweeten, director of the agency.

"My office prepares a damage assessment after surveying the county and submits it to the State of Missouri Emergency Management after a local disaster is declared," said Sweeten. "McDonald County has a damage threshold of about $88,000 that must be met to move it up the chain to the state. Missouri must reach about $7.7 million to ask the president for a federal declaration. When a disaster is declared a federal disaster area under the Stafford Act, then my agency works directly with FEMA to recoup the cost incurred by the county. A huge part of my job is paperwork. We are always planning, which involves paperwork, responding to, which involves paperwork, or trying to mitigate damages, which includes paperwork," Sweeten explained.

"2020 has been a unique year due to the covid-19 virus that has invaded us," Sweeten said. "My office has always worked closely with the McDonald County Health Department. In 2009 when the last pandemic was declared, plans were written, practiced, and lessons were learned. This cooperation has helped us during this event be even more prepared to deal with everything that has gone on. A lot of counties in Missouri were not prepared to deal with the need for personal protective equipment, but thanks to our health department, McDonald County was far ahead of the game. We have helped set up testing sites throughout the county, and our county has completed more testing than just about any other county in the state. My office has helped pick up and distribute the personal protective equipment to the first responders that the state has supplied.

"The McDonald County Office of Emergency Management has been lucky the last few years to be able to get extra funds from the state for needed equipment," Sweeten added. "At the end of each grant cycle, my office can apply for leftover money from the state from our grant program. I have been able to get Anderson a second outdoor warning siren. I got a new outdoor siren that was placed at Crowder College Jane Campus for the southern part of Jane. We are always having power issues during disasters, so I applied and was able to get a portable 80 KW diesel generator with multi-voltage and phase hookups.

"This year I applied for a new 4 x 4 crew cab truck to be used by my office. I have to be able to pull the generator, the rescue boats and the CERT trailer from time-to-time, and so I had purchased a personal truck to use for my job and had driven my own vehicle for the last 11 years. The grant for the new truck was approved and it was purchased after the specs were put out to bid. This truck has been a great asset to the emergency management office because I can carry all my emergency response equipment with me in one vehicle."

The emergency management office is not just a daytime job. Weather happens at all hours of the day and night. The agency maintains situational awareness all the time so it can be prepared for whatever might come.

"We use several different avenues to keep track of the weather that affects us," Sweeten said. "The National Weather Service Chat is a system that I can talk to and see directly what the meteorologists are seeing in either the Tulsa or Springfield offices.

"We strongly suggest residents have a NOAA weather radio. These radios are activated by the weather service for watches and warnings and are especially good when sleeping. We use outdoor warning sirens in each city in the county, but these are not made to be heard indoors. We have NWS conference calls and briefings when things look to turn severe and could impact the folks we serve."

McDonald County has purchased a text/email alert system called Nixle and has more than 5,700 people signed up to receive emergency alerts as well as other information. The county uses Facebook and Nixle alerts as its main ways to communicate information to the public. It is easy to sign up. Just text your zip code to 888777 and you will receive a welcome message that confirms you are active.

"I strive to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information I can," Sweeten said. "I take pride in serving the residents of McDonald County. I love my job and love to be able to help folks when needed. I strive to do my absolute best at my job."