John Kilpatrick
Simpson County Emergency Management Agency
601-847-3434
601-201-4302 Cell
jkilpatrick@co.simpson.ms.us
Appointed 2019 – Present
DUTIES:
Civil Defense/Emergency Management acts as a coordinating agency during times of emergency or disaster. It takes the combined efforts of all county departments and volunteer organizations to effectively manage these events
Our mission involves the areas of:
- Preparedness
Preparedness includes planning, resource management and training.
- Response
Response takes place during or immediately following an event.
- Recovery
Recovery occurs right after an event and can last for days and up to months depending on the severity of the emergency.
- Mitigation
Mitigation is anything done to lessen the effects of a hazard, such as raising a house.
TECHNICAL OR MAN-MADE HAZARDS are those which involve things like chemicals, toxins, corrosives and explosives. Things created by mankind to make our daily lives more convenient. After all, polyester doesn’t grow on trees. These hazardous materials in their raw form can be dangerous to the public if you become exposed to them. This exposure can occur at a fixed facility or on a transportation route. A fixed facility is a plant site where chemicals are stored and used. A transportation route incident can involve carriers on water, rail, highway, air and pipelines.
NATURAL HAZARDS are those occurring in nature, and there is nothing that can be done to prevent them. These include severe thunderstorms, winter storms, flooding, tornadoes, tropical storms and hurricanes, earthquakes, tidal waves and volcanoes.
MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
The mission of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is to coordinate activities that will save lives, protect property and reduce suffering of Mississippi’s citizens and their communities impacted by disasters through a comprehensive and integrated program of disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation initiatives.
The MEMA Web site is designed to support this mission by providing information and planning to the public and the emergency management communities. This site is continuously under development, and we make every attempt to keep information timely and accurate. We will also make every effort to correct errors that are brought to our attention.
MEMA is divided into seven offices:
- Coastal Retrofit is a mitigation program to help homeowners strengthen their homes against wind damage.
- Field Services has nine districts throughout the state with an area coordinator assigned to each district as a liaison between the county emergency operations centers and MEMA.
- Mitigation helps prevent damage and loss of life and property in future disasters.
- Preparedness is in charge of all emergency plans and training programs in the state.
- Recovery is in charge of all recovery operations such as public assistance reimbursement.
- Response is in charge of coordinating the state’s response to any type of natural or man-made emergency through the State Emergency Operations Center.
- Support Services is in charge of all financial and personnel issues for the agency.
Emergency Public Information:
During an emergency, any crucial public information will be released through MEMA with the help of other state agencies that may be involved in the response actions. During any type of evacuation in the state, the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Network will broadcast that evacuation and traffic information on all MPB radio stations.
