District EMT is Monitoring TS Emily

The District Emergency Management Team (EMT) is monitoring Tropical Storm Emily through National Hurricane Center advisories. At this time, employees may monitor their local media for weather updates. If and when the storm approaches South Florida, additional Newsbreaks will be issued and employees will be asked to call the National Employee Emergency Hotline for instructions.

Under the leadership of District Manager Jeff Becker, the EMT includes senior postal officials and Postal Inspectors. Just as you have an Emergency Action Plan to protect your family and secure your property, the EMT has a multitude of tasks assigned in the Integrated Emergency Management Plan (IEMP) and its Hurricane Annex which outlines specific preparedness, response, and recovery actions as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The mission of the EMT is to ensure your safety and well being as the Postal Service restores operations and service as quickly as possible following a tropical storm or a hurricane.

As with other federal agencies, the Postal Service utilizes an Incident Command System, a structure that defines the roles and responsibilities of individual EMT members. Roles range from overseeing the installation of hurricane shutters to recording National Employee Emergency Hotline messaging to restoring operations and service.

In the weeks prior to hurricane season, EMT members review and update the Hurricane Annex (including SOPs) and conduct hurricane tabletop exercises to ensure that each team member fully understands his or her role.

During an emergency situation such as a tropical storm or a hurricane, the EMT relies on the Postal Alert Notification System (PANS), a web-based and wireless communications mechanism, to coordinate tasks and record actions taken before, during, and after a weather event.

Throughout hurricane season (June 1 – November 30), the EMT monitors National Hurricane Center (NHC) advisories 24/7. Based on these weather forecasts, the team communicates through meetings and teleconferences to make operational decisions. This information is then messaged on the National Employee Emergency Hotline.

The EMT encourages you to prepare for hurricane season by visiting the District’s Homeland Security website (in the address line type SFD, then follow the Department Page Menu to Homeland Security) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management website at http://www.floridadisaster.org/. More information on hurricane hazards, including details on how to secure buildings and belongings, is available at http://www.ready.gov/ and www.hurricanes.gov/prepare.