MEMO TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor Angela Birney
SUBJECT:
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Long-Term COVID-19 Recovery Plan
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
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Informational Briefing on the Long-Term COVID-19 Recovery Plan
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I. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Carol Helland, Director 425-556-2107
Sarah Pyle, Community Development and Implementation Manager 425-556-2426
Planning and Community Development Department
II. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
This informational briefing will update Council on the City’s COVID-19 Long-term Recovery Plan, including a baseline conditions assessment and recommended short-term, mid-term, and long-term recovery strategies.
Emergency Management Framework
The two primary goals in emergency management are to support the City of Redmond and to establish and maintain a comprehensive process for conducting business before, during, and after an emergency event. Specific activities associated with mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery are described in Redmond’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) which is available on the City’s website.
COVID-19 Emergency Management Efforts
In late December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases was reported in China. A novel coronavirus was identified as the cause in January 2020. Evidence of human-to-human transmission was confirmed in late January, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The Redmond Emergency Response Division of the Fire Department monitored events closely during January. In February, efforts were underway to ensure that first responders took appropriate precautions when caring for patients exhibiting signs of respiratory illness and that the health of the first responders was continuously monitored. These steps were based on best practices and on experience gained from SARS and MERS outbreaks.
On February 29, 2020, Governor Inslee issued Proclamation 20-05, declaring a State of Emergency for all counties throughout the state of Washington as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States and confirmed person-to-person spread of COVID-19 in Washington State.
On March 2, 2020, Mayor Birney issued a proclamation declaring a local emergency for the City of Redmond due to public health impacts of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The emergency declaration supported measures needed to protect public health, safety, and welfare within the City, and enabled the City to obtain supplemental assistance if the severity of the event went beyond the capabilities of local resources.
These emergency declarations were made consistent with state and local plans for Emergency Management. They signaled that emergency response efforts were officially underway and provided warnings to the public and initiation of ongoing communications about the nature of the COVID-19 event.
On March 18, 2020, an extended closure of City Hall was announced in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in order to mitigate its effects on the employee population and to maintain essential services and city operations for the community. City efforts were robust and included but were not limited to, changes in operations, responses to human services and business needs, and data collection and reporting needed to secure federal resources and assess community impacts. Escalating response and mitigation measures have been taken in the months since the City Hall closure. With ongoing operations being effectively managed by the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC), initiation of Redmond’s recovery planning efforts was identified as a pressing priority, and Council received its first briefing on the topic in April.
Long-Term Community Recovery
The Long-Term Recovery Planning stage of the City’s emergency management operations is now complete. The recovery planning effort took place in coordination with regional partners, community stakeholders, and community members and used the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) - published by FEMA.
The Framework defines:
• Ten core components and areas of focus for recovery;
• Eight principles that guide recovery core capability development and recovery support activities under the NDRF;
• Roles and responsibilities of recovery coordinators and other stakeholders;
• A coordinating structure that facilitates communication and collaboration among all stakeholders to effectively manage recovery planning; and
• The overall process by which communities can capitalize on opportunities to rebuild stronger, smarter, and safer.
Planning efforts leveraged the expertise of city staff, external experts (community agencies, national organizations), and federal, state, and local experts in the field of disaster recovery. To support this planning work, the department directors assessed and restructured management activities and aligned staffing assignments to address the added demands of long-term recovery planning for the past 12 weeks.
The goal of this effort was to maintain and ensure the health and safety of the general public while expediting the reconstitution of government operations and services; fostering individual, private-sector, non-governmental, and public assistance programs to keep people housed and to promote restoration; and taking additional measures for social, environmental, and economic restoration so that life in Redmond can resume in the context of our “new normal.”
The following steps have been completed as part of the planning process over the last 12 weeks:
1. The Mayor sponsored and oversaw the local recovery management effort;
2. An organizational structure for the planning effort was developed and continued to be refined as we advanced through the planning process;
3. Internal and external stakeholders were identified and engaged in the planning and included in the organizational structure;
4. Recovery Principles were defined and included as part of on-going public outreach and involvement, were made a focal point in communications;
5. The planning effort itself included the following elements:
a. Current conditions analysis and baseline assessment;
b. Extensive partner and stakeholder outreach;
c. Articulation of the community’s post-disaster vision;
d. Identification of community goals and impacts; and
e. Development and prioritization of projects to achieve the vision and goals.
6. Next steps will include:
a. Continued responses and mitigation efforts;
b. Scoping and implementation of recommended recovery strategies and actions; and
c. Continued monitoring and quarterly evaluation of the current conditions and status of implementation work.
Staff will provide an informational briefing on the City of Redmond Long-Term Recovery Plan: COVID-19.
III. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HELD
• April 21, 2020 - Public Safety Committee of the Whole presentation by Chief Lowe
• Various Council Meetings - COVID-19 Updates provided by Mayor Birney
• April 28, 2020 - City Council Study Session presentation by Sarah Pyle
• June 9, 2020- Planning and Public Works Committee of the Whole presentation by Sarah Pyle
• July 21, 2020- Public Safety Committee of the Whole presentation by Chief Lowe and Sarah Pyle
IV. IMPACT
A. Service/Delivery:
Department Directors have assessed and restructured management activities and aligned staffing assignments to address the added demands of a long-term recovery planning and implementation efforts. Recovery planning is an essential function of the City that is necessary to re-establish a healthy and functioning community that will better sustain itself over time.
B. Fiscal Note:
Beyond the costs of responding to the current event, staff became familiar with various kinds of funding available for post-disaster recovery through all levels of government - federal, state, and county. Recovery planning took into account the overall damage as well as fiscal and economic impacts of the pandemic to the entire community and then developed a comprehensive disaster recovery financial strategy in line with the City’s long-range financial strategy.
V. ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
This is an informational briefing only.
VI. TIME CONSTRAINTS
The recovery framework does not address issues related to the immediate emergency response. Operations related to emergency response and mitigation efforts will continue to be managed by the ECC. Development of a long-term community recovery plan is now complete. Implementation of the plan will take months to years.
VII. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
A. City of Redmond Long-Term Recovery Plan: COVID-19.