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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972 USDA MINUTES MINUTES OF THE TEXAS USDA STATE DEFENSE BOARD Time: 9:30 a.m., February 4, 1972 Place: USDA Building, College Station, Texas Board Members: D. W. McElwrath, Chairman ASCS Joe Rothe, Deputy Chairman CES Clyde Graham, First Member - absent SCS (Represented by M. J. Spears) L. D. Smith, Second Member FHA Dan E. Williams, Third Member USFS Cary Palmer, Fourth Member SRS Charles Herndon, Fifth Member F &NS Dr. E. S. Cox, Sixth Member APHS Others Present: Earl R. Butler, EPC, Office of Intergovern- mental Affairs, Denver, Colorado Major Eugene A. Mees, Texas Adjutant General's Dept., Austin Col. M. P. Bowden, Deputy Coordinator, Division of Defense & Disaster Relief, DPS, Austin Gordon McKee, Coordinator, Attack Analysis Staff, SCS, Temple Darrel A. Davis, County Office Specialist, ASCS, College Station Anita Eickenhorst, Secretary, USDA State Defense Board, ASCS, College Station Minutes The minutes of the November 5, 1971, meeting were approved as written and distributed. Emergency Programs Mr. Davis, ASCS, reported that a Presidential Declaration of a Major Disaster under Public Law 91 -606 was made on January 27 for the counties of Bowie, Delta, Fannin, Lamar, Rains, and Red River as a result of damage caused by heavy rains during the period December 3 -27, 1971. 2 Pr. Cox, APHS, reported on the scabies and hog cholera out- breaks in Texas. Combination of Jefferson - Orange- Chambers Counties Chambers County was recently combined with Jefferson and Orange counties for ASCS administrative purposes and State Defense Board members were asked to make assignments to this new combination county defense board. The ASCS headquarters for the three - county board is located in Beaumont. Training The Attack Analysis Staff developed three natural disaster exercises and one nuclear attack exercise to be used in training county defense boards. The exercises were reviewed and corrections and additions were made as recommended by the Board. Mr. McKee, Coordinator, Attack Analysis Staff, expressed his appreciation to Major Mees for his contribution of disaster procedures as applied by the military. The Attack Analysis Staff had recommended that each agency pre- pare a directory showing emergency assistance available through their agency and how to obtain the desired assistance. The directories would be compiled into a single brochure and dis- tributed to county defense boards at the end of the training meetings. Motion was made by Mr. Spears, SCS, commending the Attack Analysis Staff on their excellent job of preparing the exer- cises. Mr. Herndon, F &NS, seconded the motion, which was unanimously agreed to by all Board members. In view of the heavy workloads presently experienced by all agencies, Mr. Rothe, CES, made a motion that the State Defense Board delay holding the county defense board training meetings until fall. Dr. Cox, APHS, seconded the motion, and all Board members agreed with the motion. All necessary material will be prepared and held in readiness for the tentative training meetings. Retirement A Certificate of Appreciation was presented to Cary D. Palmer, SRS, by the Board for his service to the State Defense Board since 1961. Mr. Palmer plans to retire from Government service in the near future. 3 Meeting Date The Board will meet. at College Station on May 5, 1972. Meeting adjourned at Noon. MINUTES OF THE TEXAS USDA STATE DEFENSE BOARD Time: 9:30 a.m., May 5, 1972 Place: USDA Building, College Station, Texas Board Members: D. W. McElwrath, Chairman ASCS Joe Rothe, Deputy Chairman CES Clyde Graham, First Member - absent SCS (Represented by M. J. Spears) L. D. Smith, Second Member FHA John Courtenay, Third Member USFS Charles Caudill, Fourth Member SRS Charles Herndon, Fifth Member F &NS Dr. E. S. Cox, Sixth Member APHS Others Present: Major Eugene A. Mees, Texas Adjutant General's Dept., Austin Col. M. P. Bowden, Deputy Coordinator, Division of Defense & Disaster Relief, DPS, Austin Darrel A. Davis, County Office Specialist, ASCS, College Station Edna L. White, Secretary, ASCS, College Station Chairmanship Mr. McElwrath, Chairman, announced that this would be his last meeting with the Board as he is leaving for a new assignment with FCIC in Washing- ton, D. C., later this month. Mr. Bland Harrison, former District Director of ASCS District No. 9, will be his successor. Minutes The minutes of the February 4, 1972, meeting were approved as written and distributed. Emergency Programs Mr. Davis, ASCS, reported a procedure change for designation of haying and grazing of CAP acreage. It no longer takes the Secretary's designa- tion, but is a State committee determination with the Governor's concur- rence. 2 On May 4, 1972, the State ASC Committee approved emergency haying and grazing of Cropland Adjustment Program land, set - aside, and CCP acreage through June 14, 1972, for the following counties. The Governor concurred in this determination. Armstrong Dallam Hartley Oldham Swisher Baylor Deaf Smith Hemphill Parmer Wichita Carson Foard Hutchinson Potter Wheeler Castro Hall Lipscomb Randall Wilbarger Childress Hansford Moore Roberts Collingsworth Hardeman Ochiltree Sherman One request has been received for emergency livestock feed. Board members agreed that the State will be in bad shape by the middle of June unless more good general rains are received soon. Mr. Davis read to the Board an excerpt from the Sabine County Disaster Committee minutes concerning assistance with fire ant control. Dr. E. S. Cox, APHS, reported that approximately 21 million acres in some 30 counties are infested with fire ants. Mr. Rothe, CES, will discuss the problem with the Head of the Entomology Department, Texas A &M University, to determine if any State Defense Board action would be helpful. Col. Bowden, DPS, said he would check with the Governor's Office in Austin to see if something could be done. Dr. Cox, APHS, discussed the screw -worm problem in Texas. Over 1000 cases have been reported. An emergency meeting to discuss this problem has been called for 2:00 p.m., Thursday, May 11, 1972, at College Station. Dr. Cox also reported on the hog cholera outbreak in the Corpus Christi area. Mr. Smith, FHA, stated that their emergency loan program is slowing down at this time of the year. Summarization of State Defense Exercise No. 8 Mr. Davis, ASCS, reported that the county office reports on effects of gamma radiation on livestock and poultry have been submitted to Kansas City. KCDPC will furnish the State a summary of the county reports. CES Disaster Handbook for Extension Agents Mr. Rothe, CES, reported that the material for this handbook was prepared by Mr. Richard Jepsen, Rural Civil Defense Specialist, Kansas Cooperative Extension Service. The project was financed by funds made available from the Office of Civil Defense. The handbook provides guidelines for agents to use in carrying out Extension's educational responsibilities for both nuclear and natural disasters. The purpose of the handbook is to provide guidelines for County Extension Agents to use in developing reasonable measures for providing continuity of management, protection of personnel, 3 and the restoration of operations as soon as possible in the event of a nuclear attack. Also to provide agents with a ready source of helpful information which can be used quickly if a natural disaster should strike his county. Each county agent has been asked to discuss the handbook with his county defense board. Correspondence and Publications Mr. Davis, ASCS, reviewed pertinent defense material pointing out important items of interest to the Board. Considerable discussion was centered on USDA State Defense Memorandum No. 26 concerning a new policy established with respect to the frequency of regular defense board meetings and the frequency and content of pre- emergency defense reports. Motion was made by Mr. Spears, SCS, that defense board meetings for the State of Texas be held semiannually, with county defense board meetings to be scheduled for the third Friday in March and September and the State Defense Board for the third Friday in April and October. Mr. Herndon, F &NS, seconded the motion, which was unanimously agreed to by all Board members. Motion was made by Mr. Spears, SCS, that the State Defense Board Chairman prepare a letter to the Attack Analysis Staff expressing the Board's appre- ciation for their good work in the past, and that each agency notify its Attack Analysis members of the discontinuance of the staff. Mr. Rothe, CES, seconded the motion, which was unanimously agreed to by all Board members. The State Civil Defense organization will be relied on in the future for attack analysis information. A short discussion was held on the new procedure for reporting of sudden natural disasters and threats of major natural disasters. Letter of Appreciation Mr. Rothe, CES, asked that Messrs. Smith, FHA, and Spears, SCS, prepare a letter of appreciation to Mr. McElwrath for his services on the Texas USDA State Defense Board and submit it to Mr. Davis, ASCS, who will secure other board members' signatures prior to delivery to Mr. McElwrath. Meeting Date The Board will meet at College Station on October 20, 1972. Meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.