SCEMD holds disaster preparedness seminar for SC military installations

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)—Representatives from multiple military branches met at the South Carolina Emergency Management Division on Thursday for a disaster preparedness seminar.

Participants discussed best practices and lessons learned from previous emergencies, including hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods.

South Carolina’s Adjutant General, Major General Van McCarty, says building relationships is crucial to having a successful response to any emergency.

“We want to know who those people are that may come to our aid, and who we may go to assist. We want to know who they are, and we want to build that personal relationship so that when you’re sitting either across the table from them or on the phone with them, you know who you’re dealing with,” McCarty says.

Director of SCEMD, Kim Stenson, says this seminar is meant to expose areas of improvement for disaster responses.

“It’s very important for us to understand what their capabilities are, they understand what our capabilities are, and then very importantly, where there might be some gaps,” Stenson says.

Stenson believes citizens need to be prepared as well.

“One of the things we try to preach to everybody is to make a plan and make it personal,” Stenson says.

At SCEMD’s website, visitors can create a disaster plan and see a list of items to include in an emergency kit.

Stenson says downloading the Emergency Management app on your phone for key alerts and updates is a great way to stay prepared.

“In the end, we want to make sure that the citizens in the state of South Carolina receive the best response that we can possibly prepare and provide to them. And it’s all about getting the state stood back up as quickly as we can and taking care of the citizens here in South Carolina,” McCarty says.