One Finger Lakes county has achieved State Emergency Management Accreditation.
Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement Wednesday that Seneca County has achieved the accreditation through the state’s Local Emergency Management Accreditation Program that assesses a county or municipality’s proficiency for disaster response. It also provides a chance to improve or enhance its disaster planning efforts.
“New Yorkers deserve to have the resources needed to respond when an emergency situation occurs,” Governor Hochul said. “From storms to flooding to high winds, Seneca County will be provided with opportunity to have resources on-hand for disaster response.”
Started in 2017, 19 counties and municipalities have achieved accreditation, among them Steuben and Wayne. Accreditation lasts five years and re-accreditation is possible.
Seneca County Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Michael Enslow said, “The people of Seneca County could not be more proud of our emergency management team. Their hard work and dedication are proven with this outstanding achievement of becoming an accredited emergency management agency. They rise above during our community’s hardest times and help pick up the pieces to move us forward. On behalf of the Board of Supervisors, I congratulate them on this monumental achievement.”
Seneca County Emergency Management Director Melissa Taylor said, “The Seneca County Office of Emergency Management is extremely proud to be among the 19 counties who have received the recognition of being accredited by New York State’s Emergency Management Accreditation Program. Achieving this accreditation continues to ensure our office is among those most prepared for any emergency. When this accreditation program was announced, it immediately became a priority for us. With a team of just two, it was a very challenging goal to accomplish. The process covers over 20 subject areas in emergency management and requires all of our emergency plans to have been updated within the last five years. We took it one step further and re-wrote most of these plans. Real-world events like COVID response slowed us down, but we continued to stay on track to complete our goal of developing a robust emergency management program that allowed us to ultimately achieve accreditation. Thank you to our partners in NYS DHSES for all your support in helping us accomplish this huge milestone!”
The voluntary program is facilitated by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
