Moving the City of Moreno Valley forward in its
ability to respond to, and recover from disasters.
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Disaster Response Plan Rev. 12/5/24
Table of Contents
Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Intent ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Plan Development..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Plan Objectives .......................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Plan Maintenance ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Plan Activation .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Emergency Versus Disaster ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 Response Considerations .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Attachment A – Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................................................................... 8
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Disaster Response Plan Rev. 12/5/24
Overview
Regardless of hazard type, the City of Moreno Valley (City) must be ready to respond quickly and effectively during an emergency or disaster. In disaster response, no two incidents are exactly the same and no one plan, set of rules, or procedures will work across every incident.
Because of this, the City must develop various types of emergency plans. Framework plans are intended to be broad and focus primarily on pre-disaster planning efforts. Response plans are used during an incident and may be updated in real time to meet rapidly changing conditions.
The Disaster Response Plan (DRP) empowers the Disaster Council to adapt the plan and various processes or procedures in order to expedite critical decision -making and ensure an overall effective response. The DRP is intended to be a living document that ca n be updated to meet the needs of the City and the affected community when it matters most. The City and most jurisdictions utilized a DRP during Covid19 when constant and rapidly changing conditions required a single plan to capture and codify decision ma king processes efficiently and without delay.
Introduction
The City of Moreno Valley , via Municipal Code Title 2. Administration and Personnel has established a Disaster Council . The Disaster Council is formally recognized through City Council and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES). Disaster Councils serve as an immediate authority for jurisdictions when an emergency or disaster occurs. They are intended to prevent traditional processes or procedures from interfering in the timely and efficient response to an emergency or disaster. Disaster Councils serve as a liaison to the City Council as the incident progresses by providing periodic updates about the incident and actions taken by the Disaster Council, etc.
The legal purpose of the Disaster Council is to:
• Provide for the preparation and carrying out of plans for protection of persons and property within the City in the event of an emergency;
• To direct the emergency management organization; and
• Coordinate the emergency functions of the City with all other public agencies, corporations, organizations, and affected private persons.
Intent
The Disaster Council intentions as they relate to this plan are to:
• Serve as an information liaison to the City Council in times of proclaimed local emergency or disaster.
• Identify areas of consideration within this plan that may require flexibility or deviations during an emergency or disaster.
• When necessary, approve policies, procedures, or alterations to such, in order to effectively and efficiently respond to emergencies or disasters.
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Disaster Response Plan Rev. 12/5/24 • Ensure timely disaster support to the City, its residents and businesses, by providing for continuity of operations and continuity of government during an emergency or disaster, including decision making and resource allocations.
Plan Development
As noted above, it is necessary to create plans that empower the Disaster Council to respond quickly and efficiently to emergency conditions. The City of Moreno Valley affirms their commitment to effective and efficient disaster response through the creation of this plan.
The Disaster Response Plan (DRP) is created to:
• Serve as a living document that will be periodically reviewed and updated to align with lessons learned, newly available techniques, and/or training. • To identify response considerations that could vary incident to incident so that if staff encounter such, they know there is a process in place to support rapid resolution. • Be flexible and allow the City to develop the plan in real -time when an incident is occurring in order to mitigate threats to life, property, and the environment.
The DRP is not intended to:
• Be an all-inclusive plan, but rather a tool to aid in response. • Remove the Disaster Councils requirement to periodically update the City Council about the disaster conditions or status.
• Remove existing policies or procedures, but rather, when disaster conditions exist that require temporary deviation from, to allow such to occur timely so as to mitigate the disaster.
Plan Objectives
• Create a document that empowers the Disaster Council and the City to rapidly protect persons and property when disaster conditions exist.
• Identify response elements that staff may encounter challenges with and empower the Disaster Council to quickly address those to allow for efficient and timely response.
• Use this plan as a training tool to elevate staff awareness of the City’s commitment to quickly and effectively resolving response challenges.
Plan Maintenance
As defined in Municipal Code Title 2. Administration and Personnel, the Disaster Council is empowered to provide for the preparation and carrying out of plans for the protection of persons and property within the City in the event of an emergency . The DRP is designed to elaborate on what some of the response elements may need to be addressed, modified, or enacted. The Fire Department Office of Emergency Management & Volunteer Services (OEM) will be responsible for the periodic review and maintenance of this plan. Future revisions will be presented to and approved by the Disaster Council. The Disaster Council will be responsible for providing periodic updates to the City Council on the status of the plan.
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Disaster Response Plan Rev. 12/5/24 Plan Activation
The Disaster Council chairperson, vice-chairperson or designee can activate the DRP when disaster conditions exist or there is reasonable belief that a disaster is imminent . Upon activation, the Disaster Council chairperson, vice-chairperson or designee shall provide periodic updates to the City Council on the status of the disaster. DRP activation authorizes the Disaster Council to take any action necessary to mitigate threats to life, property, or the environment, including creating or temporarily suspending policies or procedures that may inhibit, delay, or interfere with the City’s ability to administer a timely and effective response.
Disaster conditions and the need to immediately support the City, its residents, businesses, and faith and community -based organizations in order to return to the City to pre -disaster conditions will determine when or if such modifications are necessary and to what extent.
Temporary modification, alteration, or suspension of such policies, procedures, ordinances, etc. may include but are not limited to purchasing of supplies, equipment, meals, or other resources via purchase order or other avenues that are typically required to support disaster response efforts for personnel and/or those affected.
Emergency Versus Disaster
Emergencies occur daily and typically only require the resources of traditional first responder agencies such as f ire department, law enforcement, and/or emergency medical services .
Disasters require greater coordination with additional City, county, state, and/or federal agencies. Disasters often take longer to mitigate and much longer to recover from. Disasters may require activation of the City of Moreno Valley Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate disaster functions, such as but not limited to:
• Emergency sheltering for humans and animals
• Transportation assistance
• Sustenance provision
• Durable medical equipment coordination
• Alert & Warning coordination
These and many other variables are the reasons disasters are so unpredictable. Every incident is different and how you address something during one incident may not work during another.
This is another example why these types of plans are critical to our response success because they empower the City to respond timely and effectively, no matter what the circumstances.
Response Considerations
The City has several approved plans that detail the types of emergencies and disasters that are prone in the City. The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) are two of the most recognizable. The LHMP broadly details the likelihood and severity of various incident types. The EOP outlines the context in which the City organizes its response structure before, during, and after disaster. The DRP differs in that it identifies areas that may require support of the Disaster Council during a real incident.
This list provides an overview of response elements that may require adaptation from incident to incident based on the type and complexity. These or other elements may present the need for the Disaster Council to quickly react to rapidly changing conditions and this plan empowers them to make such decisions.
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Disaster Response Plan Rev. 12/5/24
I. Administration
a. Staffing
i. Telecommuting
ii. Flexible Work Schedules
iii. Sick/Vacation Leave
1. Use of Leave During Proclaimed Emergency
a. School/Day Care Closure Impact Considerations
b. Day Care Closure Impacts Considerations
2. Public Health Emergencies
a. Return to Work
b. Prevention at Worksite
c. Exposure Reporting
d. Exposure vs. Illness
b. Compensation
i. Payment Methods
ii. Health Services & Mental Health Access
1. Employee Assistance Program
c. Travel Restrictions
II. Policy
a. Laws, Codes, Ordinances
b. Local Proclamation
c. Continuity of Government
d. Continuity of Operations
e. Fiscal Impacts to City
f. Use of Vendors Outside City
g. Communications
i. To Employees
ii. To Community
iii. Approval Structure & Process
III. Evacuations
a. Short or long-term hazardous waste impacts
b. Acquisition of transportation-dependent individuals or families i. Transportation for victims in emergency shelters
IV. Mutual Aid
a. Just in Time Agreements
V. Purchasing
a. Policies
i. Feeding
1. Human
2. Animals
ii. Procurement (Purchase Order & Cal Card)
iii. Staffing (Disaster Service Workers [DSW], etc.)
iv. Contract Services
v. Accessible Shower Services
vi. Debris Removal
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Disaster Response Plan Rev. 12/5/24
1. City property
2. Residential or business
vii. Debris monitoring
b. Processes
i. Increase in purchasing limits, including Cal Card limits for EOC responders
VI. Sheltering
a. Sheltering for humans and animals
i. Locations
1. City (limited options)
a. Impacts to day-to-day operations
2. Private
a. Cost
b. Availability
c. Accessibility
VII. Transportation
a. Movement of resources
i. Need to acquire just-in-time resources
b. While Sheltering
i. School or City bus alternate route designation
ii. Prioritization or limitations
iii. Animal Transportation
iv. Staffing
VIII. Whole Community
a. Interpreters & translators
i. Multiple Locations
ii. Online vs. In-person options
iii. Press Conferences
b. Durable Medical Equipment
c. Law enforcement
i. AB290 Registered Offenders
d. Mental Health (before, during, after)
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Disaster Response Plan Rev. 12/5/24
Attachment A – Glossary of Terms
AB290 Offender In California, an AB290 offender is someone who has been convicted of a sex crime or other offense and is required to register as a sex offender with local authorities. This is mandated by California Penal Code (PC) Section 290.
Identified individuals may not be legally permitted to enter shelters if within specified proximity to schools, day cares, etc. and as a result, the City may need to identify, directly or through other partners such as American Red Cross, alternative sheltering methods during the emergency or disaster.
Disaster Council Legal term that refers to a group of individuals, by title designation, within the City who are authorized to act as officials before, during, or after emergencies or disasters and are empowered by Municipal Code, ordinances, and other policies to make rapid decisions necessary to protect life, property, and the environment in order to restore the City to pre-disaster conditions.
Disaster Service
Worker (DSW)
A public employee who is called upon to assist in a disaster or emergency. DSW’s are responsible for protecting the health and safety of people, and preserving lives and property. Personnel may be appointed to roles equal to or below their traditional assigned roles within the jurisdiction.
Durable Medical
Equipment
Medical equipment which aids an individual in their daily life, such as wheelchair, walker, canes, toilet risers, CPAP devices, etc. These devices enable the individual to complete tasks independently or more comfortably.
Local
Proclamation of
Emergency or
Disaster
An official announcement or recognition by the City Council that conditions of extreme peril to life and property exist or may exist in the near future.
Recognition of such conditions allows rules, ordinances, policies, and other authorities to be enacted, modified, or otherwise exercised in order to protect and restore the City to pre-disaster conditions.
Permitted Animal During non-emergency situations a permitted animal typically means one that has met pre-established standards as set forth by the City to obtain an animal license which permits them to have the animal. During an emergency or disaster when, by law, some animals must be permitted to enter at least one emergency shelter. In these cases, permitted animal refers to a domestic dog or cat. Service animals are always legally allowed to enter any City building, facility, shelter, etc.
Transportation
Dependent
Some individuals don’t have or don’t have access to reliable self-transportation and must rely on public services such as City buses, paratransit, Dial-A-Ride, driver services such as Uber or Lyft, etc. During times of emergency or disaster when access to these services may be hindered, it may be necessary to support individuals with obtaining access by way of requesting school b uses re-route to established shelter sites, providing a phone for an individual to be able to call for an Uber, etc.
Whole
Community
An inclusive approach to emergency management tha t ensures inclusive consideration for and plans to support all individuals within the City of Moreno Valley, including those with disabilities, those with access and functional needs, those to whom English is not their primary language, those experiencing homelessness, etc. It is the goal of the City to be inclusive for all and to provide equal access to services during all phases of disaster planning, response, and recovery.