A law that took effect November 1 requires all Oklahoma communities to address the need for possible evacuations within their Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Senate Bill 1709, by Sen. Kenneth Corn and Rep. Glenn Smithson, requires cities, towns and counties to have an evacuation plan in place and to inform citizens how they will be notified in the event an evacuation is required.
Because of the continually changing nature of contact names, numbers and resources, it's imperative to regularly update EOPs. An EOP describes who will do what, as well as when, with what resources, and by what authority -- before, during and immediately after an emergency or disaster.
OEM updates the State EOP annually and recommends the same for local plans and requires it of all State-Local Assistance (SLA) program participating jurisdictions. OEM maintains a current copy of all 77 county EOPs and numerous municipal EOPs. For more information regarding EOPs, contact Dale Magnin, manager, OEM Planning, Training and Exercise Division at dale.magnin@oem.ok.gov.
