1. September 23, 2009 Fort Bend County, TX Fort Bend County Coordination Council Setting Up Points of Distribution in Fort Bend County

2. Fort Bend County, TX 2 Some Preliminary Assumptions…….  A Catastrophic Event (e.g. Hurricane Ike) will require a vast amount of emergency resources in order to respond to the emergency needs of affected communities.  Citizens, businesses, state agencies, and industries will provide their own resources for the first three days; however, the need may exist to provide a limited amount of life sustaining resources to the community due to loss of infrastructure.  Points of Distribution will be needed at the local level to support the distribution of life sustaining supplies to the community.

3. Fort Bend County, TX 3 What are Points of Distribution or PODs? Points of Distribution  Points of Distribution are centralized locations where the public picks up life sustaining commodities following a disaster or emergency  Commodities usually include shelf stable food and water

4. Fort Bend County, TX 4 Overview  2008: Hurricane Ike  Discussion: Lessons Learned About PODs  2009: POD Preparations  Best Practices: PODs

5. Fort Bend County, TX 5 Hurricane Ike

6. Fort Bend County, TX 6 Hurricane Ike Hits Galveston, Sept 13 2009

7. Fort Bend County, TX 7 Ike Winds Approximately 110 mph at Landfall  Landfall in Galveston at 2:00 AM on Saturday  In Fort Bend County, duration of tropical storm force winds approximately 14 hours

8. Fort Bend County, TX 8 Hurricane Ike Strikes Fort Bend County  20 homes destroyed  7,000 homes damaged  130,000 homes affected  3 dead, 8 injured, 4 hospitalized

9. Fort Bend County, TX 9 Widespread Power Outages in Fort Bend County  67% of electrical services out  One week later, still 25% of services out  Impacts water and wastewater utilities severely

10. Fort Bend County, TX 10 Cities Open POD Sites in County, Sept 16 2009  6 POD sites open  County establishes POD re-supply site at County Fairgrounds  Stafford POD site serves over 150,000 people

11. Fort Bend County, TX 11 Lessons Learned About PODs

12. Fort Bend County, TX 12 The Good………  Satisfied a Community Need  Excellent Volunteer Response  Public – Private Collaboration  Good Communication between Cities and County Logistics Console  Government Works!

13. Fort Bend County, TX 13 The Bad…….  Self-Reporting Volunteers  Volunteers who Brought Children to Site  Equipment Needs (fork lifts, pallet jacks)  Personnel Needs (trained equipment operators)  Support Needs (tents, toilets, dumpsters)  Potential Liability Issues

14. Fort Bend County, TX 14 The Ugly……….  Frustrated citizens who treated the volunteers poorly  Need for better communication about where PODs were located and hours of operations  Citizens who complained about PODs shutting down, even though retail stores had re-opened  Delivery of POD resources in the middle of the night when volunteers were unavailable

15. Fort Bend County, TX 15 2009 POD Preparations

16. Fort Bend County, TX 16 It is up to each individual city to:  Determine the location and type of POD  Coordinate the activation of the POD  Designate resources for each POD  Activate the POD  Operate POD until demobilized  Notify the County EOC that POD is operational

17. Fort Bend County, TX 17 Types of PODs Type I: 20,000 persons per day, 560 vehicles per hour Type II: 10,000 persons per day, 280 vehicles per hour Type III: 5,000 persons per day, 140 vehicles per hour

18. Fort Bend County, TX 18 Identification of POD Locations  In Spring, County OEM requested that each municipality identify POD locations  Information such as Points of Contacts; Type: Physical Address; GPS Coordinates; gathered by County OEM  Information on 12 sites sent to TDEM

19. Fort Bend County, TX 19 Fort Bend County POD Locations

20. Fort Bend County, TX 20 Some POD Best Practices

21. Fort Bend County, TX 21 The 4 S’s  Staffing  Site Layout  Support  Safety

22. Fort Bend County, TX 22 STAFFING  The POD Manager has overall responsibility for the safe operation of the POD  The Loading Team conducts loading operations and sustainment of staff, including customer commodity loading, overseeing staff feeding, establishing shift schedules, trash removal, maintenance of restrooms  The Support Team supports the loading line by resupplying loading points, unloading bulk commodities, maintaining traffic control, and providing community relations

23. Fort Bend County, TX 23 POD Staffing Org Chart

24. Fort Bend County, TX 24 POD Staffing & POD Types  Type III POD. It serves 5,000 people a day based on one vehicle representing a household of 3 people. A Type III POD is 150 feet by 300 feet and requires a staff of 19 per day. Three loading points and one vehicle lane are used.  Type II POD. is twice the size of a Type III and serves 10,000 people a day based on one vehicle representing a household of 3 people. A Type II POD is 250 feet by 300 feet and requires a staff of 34 per day. Six loading points and two vehicle lanes are used.  Type I POD. A Type I POD serves 20,000 people a day based on one vehicle representing a household of 3 people. A Type I POD is 250 feet by 500 feet and requires a staff of 78 per day. Type I PODs are only used in large metropolitan areas. Twelve loading points and four vehicle lanes are used.

25. Fort Bend County, TX 25 SITE LAYOUT  What type of POD?  Vehicle, pedestrian or mass transit?  Are there entrance and exit concerns?  Is there more than one entry/exit point?  What is the traffic flow around the site?  Will residents have to cross a busy street?  Will this POD Site halt the surrounding traffic and cause a traffic jam?  Will this site impede emergency response vehicles?  Are there turns within the site or at the entry/exit points that require extra maneuvering?  Can large semi trailer trucks get in and out without assistance?  Is the POD in a location that may flood?  Is there debris on the site that could injure someone?  Is there a structure that could fall on the POD?

26. Fort Bend County, TX 26 A POD is divided into three areas:  The SUPPLY LINE is where supply trucks, usually tractor-trailers, have room to unload. This area also includes staff care facilities including restroom facilities and rest tent. Having an informational bulletin board in the rest tent is a good way to keep your staff updated.  The LOADING LINE is where supplies are kept waiting on stacked pallets to be distributed to the public. This is also where loaders wait while vehicles are moving through the Vehicle Line.  The VEHICLE LINE is where the public drives through to get supplies. Entry into the vehicle line occurs only when all vehicles have come to a complete stop and the Traffic Controller has instructed the staff to “LOAD”.

27. Fort Bend County, TX 27 POD Type III Site Layout:

28. Fort Bend County, TX 28 POD Type II Site Layout:

29. Fort Bend County, TX 29 POD Type I Site Layout:

30. Fort Bend County, TX 30 SUPPORT  At each POD location, it is best to have POD kit(s) on site to support the initial setup of the POD.  Each POD kit is designed for a Type III POD.  If a Type II POD is established at that site, the site should have two kits.  A Type I POD would need four kits.  The POD kit has supplies for the site and individual staff positions.

31. Fort Bend County, TX 31 Type III Pod Kit to Support Initial POD Setup  One (1) 96 gal trash can, wheeled (for storage of the kit)  Sixteen (16) pairs of leather work gloves  Four (4) rolls of duct tape  Nineteen (19) battery-powered (D-cell) flashlights  Nineteen (19) reflective safety vests  One (1) First Aid Kit  Twelve (12) 36”, reflective traffic cones  Sixteen (16) safety hard hats  Thirty (30) orange or red glow sticks  Thirty six (36) D-cell, batteries  Eight (8) medium back support belts or vests  Eight (8) large back support belts or vests  One (1) 5 lb. fire extinguisher

32. Fort Bend County, TX 32 Other Items Needed to Support Site:  Dumpster  Portable Restrooms  Break Area  Light Tower  Fort Lifts  Pallet Jacks

33. Fort Bend County, TX 33 SAFETY  The POD Manager is the primary safety officer and is responsible for the safety of all staff and visitors to the site  The POD Manager trains the staff on proper and safe operation of all equipment and ensures safety measures are enforced  The POD Manager conducts safety training with staff and provides a safety briefing at the beginning of each shift  The POD Manager accomplishes a site hazard assessment daily, develops preventive safety measures and communicates this to all staff

34. Fort Bend County, TX 34 Safety by providing adequate space:  When setting up a POD, there is a minimum space for each area:  Vehicle Line – 20 feet wide  Loading Point – 80 feet by 40 feet each  Supply Line – 50 feet wide  Use Traffic Cones and Signs to Improve Traffic Flow

35. Fort Bend County, TX 35 Enhance Safety through use of PPE: Use of Personal Protective Equipment may include:  Head Protection  Hard Hats  Hats w/ wide brims  Hand Protection  Leather Work Gloves  High Visibility Vests  Reflective traffic vests for all personnel  Not only for safety, but worker identification  Illumination  Flashlights  Glow sticks

36. Fort Bend County, TX 36 Still thirsty for more POD knowledge?

37. Fort Bend County, TX 37 For More Information:  IS-26 Guide to Points of Distribution Course Overview This guide was developed to provide an in-depth look into the planning, operations, and demobilization stages of a POD mission. The lessons detail the staffing and procedures any jurisdiction will need to plan for, execute, and shut down POD operations. The guide also includes key lessons such as safety, equipment, and resource accountability.  http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is26.asp