Four years after an angry Hurricane Irene stalled over the Schoharie Valley, washing away roads and homes and forcing hundreds to evacuate-and then rebuild-the Schoharie County's Office of Emergency Services is ready and waiting for whatever Mother Nature or man hands us next.
Largely because of the relationships developed since August 2011.
"It's all a matter of trust," said Mike Hartzel, director of the OES, "because our real job is customer service.
"When someone like a fire chief call us for help with something...if he wants to open up an emergency shelter, it's not our job to question whether he needs it or not, but to help him get it done. When we do that, trust follows."
With that in mind, Mr. Hartzel, who joined the OES in 2013 after a first career with Army, has focused much of his time on developing relationships with local fire fighters and first responders, elected officials, organizations like the Red Cross, and local schools--and then keeping them informed.
Daily, he and Deputy EMS Coordinator Colleen Fullford, who saw her Central Bridge home moved off its foundation and her garage washed down the road in Irene, compile a Situation Incident Report covering everything from roads closed by construction to forecasts from the National Weather Service, and then send them out in an email.
"If we have information, we share it," Ms. Fullford said.
More than 400 people have participated in Citizen Emergency Preparedness Training, funded in part by Governor Cuomo's Office, and training for volunteers and a high water rescue exercise for about 80 volunteers and others.
Looking back to 2011, Mr. Hartzel and Ms. Fullford said the most crushing thing the OES lost when the Public Safety Building in Schoharie was flooded was its ability to communicate, and with that, its ability to prioritize.
In an effort to make sure that never happens again, the office was moved to the former MOSA on Route 7, a backup generator was added, and everyone in the office has a lap top and docking station-which they take home at night.
"We wanted to make sure that if we ever lost this building, we didn't lose that connectiveness," Mr. Hartzel said, "because it's those first 72 to 96 hours that are crucial."
Sometimes, he said, what a first responder needs first is someone to bounce concerns or questions off.
When flash-flooding raced through Sharon Springs Central School in a storm late last August, Mr. Hartzel said firefighters there questioned whether they needed to turn off the power.
"I was able to call back to the office, find out the rain was over, and give them the information they needed to make the decision," he said.
"We don't necessarily have all the resources, but we can find out who does," Ms. Fullford added.
Both readily hand out their cell phone numbers and are available 24/7 if someone calls.
The OES has also updated its infrastructure and IT since Irene, starting with DisasterLAN, a web-based disaster management and information system available to county and local officials
Also, in an effort to gather and share more real-time data, the county's added three steam gauges and its rain gauge system is almost up and running again.
Three new weather stations, including one at the OES and a Mesonet station at SUNY Cobleskill will also give real-time real-place data that anyone can tap into with a mobile phone app.
"It's all about giving people the information and the help they need," Mr. Hartzel added.