Sedgwick County emergency director briefs Wichita council on EOC roles, training and recovery challenges

Julie Stimson, Sedgwick County Emergency Management Director, told Wichita City Council members on Monday that the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) uses tiered activations and coordinated ‘‘community lifelines’’ to marshal response and recovery resources for local disasters.

Stimson told the council that EOC activations range from routine monitoring to full activation, when ‘‘I need all hands on deck’’ to assess the situation and coordinate resources. She emphasized that while disasters ‘‘start and end at the local level,’’ requests for state resources are routed through county emergency management under Kansas statutes and the state/county emergency operations plan.

Why it matters: The briefing framed the role elected officials play in disaster policy and recovery, and outlined training and planning steps city and county leaders can take to shorten long-term recovery timelines.

Stimson outlined the EOC’s ‘‘red, yellow, green’’ community-lifelines model that tracks transportation, utilities, health care, communications and other critical services. She said the county prepares for ‘‘all hazards’’ and includes partners such as the American Red Cross, United Way and Salvation Army in EOC exercises and planning.

‘‘We prepare for all hazards,’’ Stimson said. ‘‘Communications is an Achilles heel’’ in many exercises, she added, noting connectivity challenges are repeatedly identified in after-action reviews. She encouraged council members to participate in training offerings and to complete independent study courses included in the briefing packet.

On recovery, Stimson cited the 2022 tornado in Andover as an example of a long-term effort: ‘‘Our tornado in 2022 was the most recent example that took almost three years for us to fully recover our community in Andover,’’ she said, urging greater emphasis on long-term recovery planning and mitigation measures despite funding constraints.

Stimson also warned that qualifying for state and federal public assistance is becoming harder. She said the local county threshold to apply for assistance is about $2,700,000 of uninsured losses and that the state threshold is roughly $5,500,000, and that officials are watching proposals that would raise the federal index used to calculate eligibility.

‘‘We are keeping a close eye on that, and unfortunately, they’re moving in the wrong direction for us to qualify for federal assistance,’’ Stimson said, adding that changes could leave more of the burden for recovery to local communities and private donations.

Council members asked whether the county can absorb large-scale sheltering and long-term housing needs after a major incident. Stimson said the county can provide initial sheltering for hours or a few weeks but acknowledged long-term housing for thousands of displaced residents would stretch local capacity and needs further planning.

The presentation concluded with logistical details: an EOC map and seat assignments in the briefing packet, a planned tabletop exercise to be scheduled when more council members are present, and a reminder for officials to check personal and departmental computer updates and household preparedness.

The council did not take formal action during the briefing. Staff said they will schedule the tabletop exercise and circulate after-action reports and training details to council members.