Division A of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency met this week to discuss various aspects of emergency management, mitigation and response.

The meeting was held at the Baldwin County EMA in Robertsdale and lead by AEMA Division Coordinator Steven Huff.

AEMA Executive Operations Officer Craig Bolling discussed the new camp safety law and provided a timeline for additional information to help clarify the law’s intent and implementation. AEMA Field Operations’ Pam Cook led a discussion on the Safer Spaces program and how counties can help organizations who wish to provide safer spaces to serve as shelters during severe weather.

AEMA Recovery’s Kim Bryant and Selena Hardy from the Governor’s Office of Volunteer Services spoke about long-term recovery in disaster scenarios. Kim Lawkis with Alabama VOAD also shared information about the key role that volunteer organizations fill during crisis response.

Kevin Pickett, Brooke Bone, Cody Williams, Jeff Green and Garrett Strickland of the AEMA IT and communications teams provided training on systems designed to facilitate quick sharing of information during disaster response.

Representatives from the National Weather Service, Alabama Association of Emergency Managers and multiple county emergency managers attended and participated in the training. Each Alabama EMA Division conducts quarterly meetings in an effort to promote preparedness and build a more resilient Alabama.