Ohio Emergency Management Agency

Ohio to Award over $35 Million in Retention Incentives for Thousands of Ohio First Responders

August 4, 2023August 3, 2023 Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that the state is awarding over $35 million in retention incentives to thousands of Ohio first responders in recognition of their dedication to public safety and ongoing commitment to public service.

Over 10,000 law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel from 309 agencies will receive the retention incentives totaling over $35 million as part of the Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program, which DeWine created last year to address first responder burnout caused by under-staffing and overall job stress.

Ohio Governor DeWine Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration for East Palestine

July 5, 2023July 4, 2023 Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine requested on Monday that President Joe Biden issue a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for damage resulting from the catastrophic East Palestine train derailment that occurred earlier this year.

This follows two groups of protestors, Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment and River Valley Organizing, pressuring the Ohio Governor to submit a disaster declaration before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Monday deadline.

Ohio Senate Holds First Train Derailment Hearing on East Palestine Disaster

March 3, 2023March 2, 2023 Hannah Poling

An Ohio Senate committee held its first hearing on the toxic train derailment in East Palestine. The Senate’s Special Committee on Rail Safety had a lot of questions for leaders of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency (OEMA).

On February 3rd, 50 train carriages, 10 of which were carrying hazardous materials, derailed as a result of a technical problem with a rail car axle, according to federal authorities. There was vinyl chloride in five of the vehicles. Hundreds of residents evacuated as a result of the controlled release of poisonous gasses that Norfolk Southern carried out on February 6th to stop an explosion.

Texas and Michigan to Receive Toxic Wastewater and Contaminated Soil from East Palestine, Ohio

February 25, 2023February 25, 2023 Hannah Poling

According to a county official in Texas, toxic wastewater used to put out a fire after a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio was carried to a suburb of Houston for disposal. According to the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, most of the contaminated soil is going to Michigan.

The wastewater is being delivered to Texas Molecular, a company that disposes of hazardous material by injecting it into the ground.

Governor DeWine: ‘We Made the Decision to Go Ahead with the Controlled Release’ at East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment Site on February 6

February 14, 2023February 14, 2023 Hannah Poling

Following the catastrophic train derailment on February 3rd and controlled release of poisonous gasses in East Palestine, Ohio that wreaked havoc on the environment and negatively impacted the health of residents Ohio Governor Mike DeWine‘s press secretary told The Ohio Star that the controlled burn was the “least bad option.”

Ohio Governor Dispatches ODOT to Aid New York in Deadly Weather Disaster

December 30, 2022December 29, 2022 Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Thursday that he dispatched support from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to aid in emergency snow removal efforts in the state of New York following an “epic, once-in-a-lifetime” weather disaster responsible for killing over two dozen people.

A convoy of 28 ODOT workers, 12 tandem dump trucks, two utility mechanic trucks, and four crew cab pick-up trucks departed from Ashtabula Wednesday morning for a six-day deployment. The ODOT crew consists of highway technicians, mechanics, and managers from District 4 (Akron), District 11 (New Philadelphia), and District 12 (Cleveland).

Ohio FEMA Camps – Still More Questions Than Answers

September 4, 2020September 3, 2020 Jack Windsor

The Ohio Star reported on September 3 that Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Interim Director Lance Himes released an order on August 31 – an order creating Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shelters and legalizing their use for people who “are unable to safely self-quarantine in their place of residence and to isolate those diagnosed with or showing symptoms of COVID-19.”

The non-congregate FEMA sheltering will be utilized throughout the state for people, according to the examples given by Himes, who “test positive for COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization but need isolation (including those exiting from hospitals); those who have been exposed to COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization; and asymptomatic high-risk individuals needing social distancing as a precautionary measure.”

State Orders Public Colleges and Universities to Create COVID-19 Quarantine Shelters

September 3, 2020September 2, 2020 Corinne Murdock

Ohio will now mandate public colleges and universities to create non-congregate sheltering space for quarantining coronavirus patients.

Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Interim Director Lance Himes issued the order Sunday “to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” alongside Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted.