About Us
County Impact Statements - Mississippi County
Farmer Volunteers Organize for an Emergency Their Expertise and
Equipment will be Vital for Success
Folks in Mississippi county, Arkansas, sit on top of a disaster waiting to
happen, the new Madrid seismic zone. A major earthquake at any time could wipe
out utility services, cause major damage to existing intrastructure, and result
in extensive personal injuries and fatalities.
The Farm Transportation Unit (FTU) was organized this year as just one part
of the county's Emergency Operation Council (EOC). A major objective of the FTU
is for farmers to use their equipment like tractors and portable generators to
help restore temporary roads and bridges if an earthquake destroys those
currently used. This would allow emergency folks in other EOC units (medical,
fire, Red Cross, law enforcement, etc.) access to areas and people in need of
service.
All regions, towns, and local farming communities in Mississippi county will
work together to make the program successful.
Ultimately, all 50,000 residents living in Mississippi county would benefit
from the efforts of the FTU in the event of a disaster. The FTU structure
consists of 12 regional farm Generals who oversee FTU efforts in their region of
the county while working to help in adjacent regions if needed. The regional
leaders transmit information to and receive information from all overall
Commander of the FTU.
The bottom line, emergency response personnel will be able to get to those in
need more quickly due to the organized efforts of FTU volunteers.
Farm volunteers make plans to respond to an emergency such as an earthquake. |
Impacts
The Farm Transportation Unit was added to the Emergency Operations Council to
help restore infrastructure in the event of a local disaster.
An overall FTU Commander along with 12 regional Generals have been recruited
and trained to organize volunteers in their respective regions.
Over 150 volunteers have been briefed about the FTU and will be trained to
respond to an emergency as an organized group.
Farm equipment inventories have been collected for each FTU region.
A recent EOC emergency drill demonstrated the importance of the FTU to
provide transport and access in the event of an emergency.
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