Beyond Public Safety: Emergency Management Principles and Practices

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

In mid-January of 2022, the Anne Arundel County, Office of Emergency Management received notice of approximately 200 Afghan refugees in need of assistance within our county. These individuals were staying in two extended-stay hotels in the county and were in need of some basic essentials and assistance with unmet needs. This was due to staffing shortages with the non-profit that helped them settle here, and the high demand for Afghan refugee assistance. The National Incident Management System emergency management structure was useful in providing resources to an issue other than a natural disaster and pandemic, and how coordination was conducted. Our office collaborated with various non-profits, community groups, and other government agencies to assist with ‘filling the gaps’. This collaborative effort has been a great success and we worked alongside community partners and our trusted volunteers to provide urgent and ongoing help to our newest residents. This unique effort has had incredible success and now this model is being used in neighboring jurisdictions in hopes to continue creating “Welcome Centers” wherever they are needed. We supported these families with the utmost privacy using a wide range of resources and partnerships in a first-of-its-kind effort for our county that resulted in all 200 Afghans being safely resettled with adequate resources to start their new lives in the United States.