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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973 USDA MINUTES MINUTES OF THE TEXAS USDA STATE EMERGENCY BOARD Time: 9:30 a.m., April 27, 1973 Place: USDA Building, College Station, Texas Board Members: Bland Harrison, Chairman ASCS Joe Rothe, Deputy Chairman CES Edward E. Thomas, First Member SCS 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 APHIS Others Present: Jose M. Villarreal, USDA Regional Repr., Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dallas John S. Tillman, Jr., Chief, Defense Supply Agency, San Antonio Russell Koontz, State Department of Agriculture, Austin Lt. Col. Eugene Mees, Texas Adjutant General's Dept., Emergency Operations Branch, Austin Col. M. P. Bowden, Deputy Coordinator, Division of Defense & Disaster Relief, DPS, Austin Glenn DuBois, Management Field Office, Kansas City, Missouri Leonard Williams, Training Officer, ASCS, College Station Darrel A. Davis, Agricultural Program Specialist, ASCS, College Station Anita Eickenhorst, Secretary, USDA State Emergency Board, ASCS, College Station Minutes The minutes of the October 20, 1972, meeting were approved as corrected and distributed. 2 County Emergency Board Exercise Mr. Davis, ASCS, reviewed the emergency exercise relating to major natural disaster responsibilities which county boards completed at their March meeting. The exercise was based on the assumption of a severe flood which damaged at least two - thirds of the county. The county boards made a preliminary damage assessment and filled out a worksheet on damage to food facilities. The county boards were asked to identify any difficulties encountered in filling out the forms and also to make suggestions relating to procedure and assessment of damage in major natural disasters. The boards were instructed to keep a copy of the worksheets to use for standby damage assess- ment purposes until composite instructions are issued. The re- sults of this exercise will be used to update instructions for the damage assessment procedures. Mr. Caudill, SRS, reviewed the results of a compilation of damage estimates from four county boards. It was observed that in some instances the county boards were confused by the reporting units. Mr. Herndon, F &NS, made a motion recom- mending that damage appraisal estimates be reported in whole numbers instead of rounding to thousands. The motion was sec- onded, and approved by the board. The purpose of the exercise was to acquaint the county boards with the damage assessment role they would have in an actual disaster. This type of re- porting eliminates the necessity for a report from each individ- ual agency at the time of a disaster. The board recommended the following additions and changes in the worksheet format: Item A 1 (e) be changed to silage crops. Item C 9 (other) include horses and turkeys. Add an Item "D" to include forestry products in board feet (MBF) and total dollars. In connection with the natural disaster exercise, the CEBs were instructed to invite the local civil defense representa- tive to the March meeting. The county boards will include in their semiannual report due April 10 the name of the CD repre- sentative invited to attend. If the CD representative did not attend, the boards will state the reason for their absence. Mr. Davis reported that the CD official attended in approximately 50% of the counties. Mr. Rothe, CES, noted the approach of the hurricane season and recommended that the board revise the worksheet format immediately in order to furnish CEBs with copies to be used 3 in reporting damages to the State Emergency Board. Motion was seconded, and approved by the board to proceed with revisions as suggested and that the revised worksheets be furnished CEBs as soon as possible. Mr. Smith, FHA, pointed out that damage assessment and reporting of damage is a major function of the USDA County Emergency Boards in the event of a sudden disaster. The board suggested that county boards review USDA County Emer- gency Memorandum No. 44 which indicates the responsibility of CEBs with respect to major disasters. Fuel and Fertilizer Availability The Texas State ASCS Office is now making weekly reports to the Regional Office on the fuel and fertilizer situation. The chairmen of the county emergency boards collect data from other county board members plus other sources and report this infor- mation to the ASCS District Director. The District Director then relays the consolidated information to the State office. Thy State ASCS Office has also made contacts with the State Department of Agriculture and Division of Defense and Disaster Relief with reference to fuel requirements for food and agri- culture. The SEB members requested that they be furnished copies of the weekly report. Mr. Russell Koontz, State Department of Agriculture, attended a meeting of LP dealers in Austin this week. There were repre- sentatives from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, as well as private industry, in attendance. The meeting was for the purpose of evaluating potential fuel supplies for the future. Mr. Davis, ASCS, advised the board that he had established contact with the Railroad Commissioner's office and dis- cussed the fuel supply situation as it pertains to Texas. Today,, the Texas State ASCS Office is submitting a detailed report from all 254 counties to the Regional Office regarding the fuel and fertilizer supply availability. The data furnished will be used to identify problem areas. It seems - that the delay in transporting supplies and extremely wet weather have contributed somewhat to the known shortages in some areas of the State. Defense Supply Agency Mr. John Tillman, Chief, Defense Supply Agency, at San Antonio discussed the responsibilities of DSA as they relate to the State Emergency Board. The DSA is responsible for procuring food supplies for the Armed Forces and some civilian groups. There are DSA offices located at El Paso, Ft. Worth, and San Antonio. In an emergency situation, the DSA's focal point would be with the State Emergency Board. Mr. Tillman asked for guidance on the appropriate actions that would be required between 4 DSA and the State Emergency Board. Mr. Herndon, Food Manage- ment Representative, advised the board that he would work with Mr. Tillman and establish the necessary guidelines. Emergency State Office The Chairman has been advised by the Secretary for Intergovern- mental Affairs that the board will be allowed to retain the ESO at the Texas State ASCS Office instead of moving it to the Federal Building in Austin. Mr. Davis had met with the manager of the Federal Building and was advised that there was not space available at this time to accommodate the State Emergency Board. Training The Washington Office has advised the Chairman that training for county emergency boards would be postponed until further notice. CES Mr. Rothe stated that copies of the publication, "Face to Face with a Flood," had been sent to all county emergency boards and a companion leaflet, "Hurricane Information," had been prepared in cooperation with the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency. SCS Mr. Thomas reported that SCS had completed turning in their monitoring equipment and no longer had radiological monitoring capabilities. FHA Mr. Smith reported that farmers in all counties except: Camp, Cass, Franklin, Harrison, Marion, Morris, Panola, Rusk, Titus, Upshur, and Wood who had suffered crop or property damage because of drouth and other natural disasters during the period of January 1, 1972, and June 19, 1972, and who have not received an Emergency loan to assist them in recovering their losses, may apply for FHA Emergency loans on or before the close of business of May 8, 1973. Applicants who apply by the deadline will be considered for Emergency loans at 1 percent interest. In addi- tion, those who qualify will receive a forgiveness benefit on their loan of not to exceed $5,000 based on losses that are uncompensated by insurance or otherwise. 5 Food Management Meeting A meeting has been scheduled for May 9 at the USDA Building to discuss the handling of food in an emergency situation. A representative from the State Department of Agriculture will be in attendance as well as Mr. Charles Herndon, FMR for the State Emergency Board. In view of Mr. Tillman's interest in food procurement for the military, the Chairman invited Mr. Tillman to attend this meeting and invitations will also be extended to the Chiefs of the DSAs at Ft. Worth and El Paso. Meeting Date The regular meeting of the State Emergency Board will be held on October 19, 1973, at College Station. Meeting adjourned at 12:00 Noon. • • • • •