Emergency Management Response

When disasters threaten or strike a jurisdiction, people expect elected officials to take immediate action to deal with the problem. The government is expected to marshal its resources, channel the efforts of voluntary agencies and private enterprise in the community, and solicit assistance from outside of the Town of Elma if necessary.

In all States and most localities, that popular expectation is given force by statute or ordinance. Congress also recognizes State and local emergency management responsibility in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended:

  • “It is the intent of Congress, by this Act, to provide an orderly and continuing means of assistance by the Federal Government to State and local governments in carrying out their responsibilities to alleviate the suffering and damage which result from […] disasters (Sec. 101(b), emphasis added).
  • “The purpose of this title is […] to vest responsibility for emergency preparedness jointly in the Federal Government and the several States and their political subdivisions” (Sec. 601).
The elected leadership in each jurisdiction is legally responsible for ensuring that necessary and appropriate actions are taken to protect people and property from the consequences of emergencies and disasters.

The Town of Elma Disaster Plan is updated every year. With cooperation from the Elma Town Board, we have established the Elma Emergency Planning Committee to develop, maintain, and update the Town of Elma Disaster Plan, to better prepare the Town of Elma, emergency responders, and to protect residents and their property during a disaster or a large scale emergency. The overall goal is to minimize the impact caused by an emergency in the Town of Elma.

We also established the Elma Community Emergency Response Team (Elma CERT) which is a group of citizens whose main goal is to educate the residents on how to prepare and take care of themselves and immediate neighbors for up to 72 hours during a large scale emergency or disaster. First Responders may not be able to help everyone within that time period. You must be able to help yourself.

We hope that the information contained on this site will be helpful and informational to you. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, suggestions or concerns.