The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Nashville needs to formalize and adopt its strategic disaster plan. The federal agency released the first of its kind report yesterday showing the disaster readiness of 75 metropolitan areas.
Overall, federal officials praised Metro Nashville’s plans, communications equipment, and operating procedures, but recommended more buy in from local agencies.
The city’s strategic disaster plan has been in the works since last February. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jeremey Heidt says the 180-page plan is so detailed that it’s been difficult to get everyone to agree on it.
“It’s not that if there was a disaster tomorrow we wouldn’t be able to start up everything and work, but it will call people to the table and maybe make them a little more aware that even though documenting processes is not the most exciting portion of the work, it is part of the vital ability to make this a safe and secure place.”
Nashville was the only city in Tennessee that federal officials evaluated. The city received its best score in the category of interoperable communications. Homeland security officials noted that a full-scale disaster exercise last April proved the city’s ability to communicate across agencies. Ironically, the exercise ended up being a real-life emergency as tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee, killing more than a dozen people.
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