Newaygo County Awarded for Excellence
Newaygo County, MI. – The Michigan National Guard has presented an Award for Excellence to the Newaygo County Local Emergency Planning Team for leadership, effort, and support which positively impacted the Michigan National Guard’s emergency preparedness during the Northern Exposure 2023 disaster exercise. Annually, Newaygo County participates in a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) required emergency preparedness drill testing emergency notification and public warning systems for the Rogers, Hardy, and Croton hydroelectric generating plants on the Muskegon River. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requires hydroelectric facilities to be able to quickly notify residents and visitors of any developing emergency at the plants. During this test, local emergency plans for emergency evacuation of the Muskegon River are also tested. Over the past year, Newaygo County Local Emergency Planning Team partnered with Consumers Energy, the State of Michigan Emergency Operations Center, the United States Coast Guard, and the Michigan National Guard to further develop emergency procedures, resources, and relationships needed to respond to a failure situation at the Hardy hydroelectric generating plant. Each month a focused, discussion-based exercise was held testing various components of dam failure response plans. This process generated awareness of the expected impacts, response challenges, and resources needed to effectively respond to and recover from a catastrophic failure. “If our community ever experiences another situation like 1986, we will need all the help we can get from our state and federal partners,” said Newaygo County Emergency Services Director Abby Watkins. “Building those relationships now helps us to be better prepared for any disaster our community may experience.” This effort led up to the annual required drill named “Operation Swift Response”, which took place on August 15, 2023. This year, the drill had a much different feel as the local, regional, and State Emergency Operations Centers were fully activated during this test. Operation Swift Response was co sponsored by the Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP-EMHSD) and Newaygo County. Over 52 agencies and 140 participants were involved in this exercise. “This exercise was a great success for all partners involved which included participants from local, state, federal, and private sector agencies,” said Capt. Kevin Sweeney state deputy director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and commander of the MSP/EMHSD. “The realistic exercise allowed us to test our state capabilities. There are many lessons learned to improve our state’s emergency response plans.” “We are grateful to Newaygo County for their continued partnership and the opportunity to train alongside local, state, and federal partners. Training events like Northern Exposure-Operation Swift Response allow the Michigan National Guard Staff to safely refine procedures and develop relationships while operating in a simulated environment requiring coordinated support to civil authorities,” said Brigadier General Jeffery Terrill the Director of Joint Staff, Michigan National Guard. Senior Manager of Dam Safety from Consumers Energy, Mr. Scott Knight also commented, “Through Director Watkins’ leadership, her amazing team has not only been excellent to work with throughout the many years of our partnership, but they exceed normal expectations regularly and are one of the most forward-thinking teams that we work with across the state.” Since Operation Swift Response, local and state agencies have been working to identify lessons learned and corrective measures for improvement. “One of the benefits of participating in preparedness exercises is we learn what works and what needs to be adjusted before a life- threatening situation occurs,” stated Director Watkins. “This drill allowed us an opportunity to test new technology, equipment, and resources before a disaster. We learned a lot about some of our systems that we never would have otherwise.” Newaygo County would like to thank all the jurisdictions and agencies who have worked together and taken the time to host training, develop response procedures, and coordinate capabilities over the past year. By working together, we will help to ensure the safety and security of Newaygo County and all those in which we serve.
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February 2025
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