FLOOD04156

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan for Colorado 409
• Date: 2/1/1998
• Prepared For: State of Colorado
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

199B - Colorado Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan (4091

Colorado OEM
4 Aspects of Emergency Management:

Mitigation
Response

Preparedness
Recovery

i event of an actual disaster, OEM provides for coordi-
i nated state response and recovery activities in support
of local governments (see OEM ~).

3.2.1.3.2.1

Office of Emergency
Management (OEM)

The govemor has delegated the Office of Emergency
Management, through its director, with the responsibil-
ity of managing and coordinating emergency opera-
tions which involve state and, when necessary, federal
resourceS. OEM is charged with preparing and main-
taining the Colorado state EmeJl!ency Operations
Plan (The Plan) and for the expedttious and efficient
manner in which The Plan is implemented. It is re-
sponsible for the organization and operations of the
State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) for both I
"!
emergency and non-emergency operations. Further,
the Office of Emergency Management is responsible
for assisting locai government emergency manage-
ment in the deveiopment and maintenance of emer-
gency operations plans, procedures and checklists. In
the event of a major emergency or disaster, or the
threat thereof, the director, Office of Emergency Man-
agement, makes recommendations to the governor
and Disaster Emergency Council on matters pertain-
ing to State Declarations of a Disaster Emergency,
requests for federal assistance, and ongoing state
disaster response and recovery activities.

OEM coordinates the work of other state agencies in
these preparedness, response, recovery, and mttiga-
tion. These authorities have been strengthened in
recent years through Executive Orders. OEM has
prepared the Colorado State Emergency Operations
Plan (mentioned above) which details response activi-
ties of state agencies during emergencies.

Once the threat of a specific flood is known, OEM
begins work on that flood. First the local preparedness
plan is evaluated. Next the means for providing help
is reviewed. Following that is the coordination of work
au ring ana immediately after the flood, including es-
tablishing and operating a communications network
After the flood, OEM tries to determine what happened
and why it happened and to take steps to assure that
it does not happen again.

OEM acts as the condutt for emergency assistance to

~.puD

Chapter 3 - 10

local governments from the Govemo~s Office. OEM
Will go through the following steps in the event of a
request for assistance.

(1) Assess damages and local efforts made to repair
the damages. They Will review the analysis by
the Department of Local Affairs, Division of Locai
Govemment, of the capacity of the local govern-
ment to Flay to repair the damages.

(2) Make a recommendation to the governor on
funding.

(3) Process a state-local agreement So funding can
be sent to the locai government.

(4) Perform an on-site emergency survey of dam-
ages to see what has been and is being done to
address the local problem.

The means by which OEM encourag~ or requires
local governments to improve their floodplain manage-
ment programs include:

{II Federal pass-through funding;

(2) State funding to help local governments recover
from a state-declared disaster; and

(3) State statutes that require local emergency pre-
paredness plans.

OEM reviews current research in the arEla of disaster
prepanedness and recovery to assure that the state is
informed on recent trends.

3.2.1.3.3 Colorado Economic Development
Commission

Ihe six-member Colorado Economic Development
Commission was created by the state legislature in
1987 to promote economic development in Colorado.
I Appointments to the commission are made by the
governor, who appoints four members, makes ap-
. pointments to the commission, and by the president of
the State senate and the speaker of the State House
of Representatives, who each appoint one member.

The EDC approves grants and loans from the ec0-
nomic development fund to public and private entities
throughout the state to help existing businesses ex-
pand and new companies to locate in Colorado. It also
implements marketing programs to support ongoing
business activities. Although EDC is located in DOLA
for administrative purposes, commission members
I make al! policy and funding decisions. The EDC oper-
i ates collaboratively with business development pro-
i grams housed in the Office of the Governor.

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