By Marley Seaman
The Nassau County Legislature unanimously approved James J. Callahan III as the new commissioner of the Office of Emergency Management on Oct. 23. His term began a week later. Callahan, a lawyer with experience in emergency management in Malverne, is now in charge of the preparations for and the responses to all crisis situations in Nassau.
"[The Office of Emergency Management] coordinates all of the disaster plans, both man-made and natural disasters, for the county and local governments, and it acts as the liaison for the county and local governments," Callahan said. That includes hurricane evacuation plans, plans for mass inoculation and response to terrorism, among many other possible emergencies. In other words, Callahan says, "All the stuff that keeps you up at night."
Callahan, who will continue to serve as deputy mayor, has been in charge of Malverne¹s emergency response for the last six years. He became deputy mayor in March, 1999. His work on the emergency committee brings together the police, the Department of Public Works, the building department and other groups to make disaster response more efficient. He has also worked to increase cooperation with nearby villages. County Executive Tom Suozzi nominated Callahan for the position.
"We are very excited about Mr. Callahan joining Nassau County government as the commissioner of emergency management, and we've chosen him based on his expertise and fine performance in emergency management in Malverne," said Tim Driscoll, deputy county executive for public safety. Callahan will work closely with Driscoll, along with Suozzi and the State Office of Emergency Management. "We were very impressed that he was recognized as Emergency Manager of the Year," Driscoll said, "and we are looking forward to him bringing together all of the different agencies that are involved in emergency management to increase our county's preparedness."
Callahan was named the state¹s Emergency Manager of the Year in 2005 as a result of his work in disaster planning for local schools and day-care centers. All classrooms in those schools now have walkie-talkies to allow teachers to communicate, and a disaster "go kit" that includes blankets, crayons, and diapers where age-appropriate. Teachers have received colored vests that will help emergency personnel identify them. The schools have also started running practice drills, and some have installed security cameras.
Even before he became commissioner, Callahan's work extended beyond Malverne. Two years after a tornado hit Malverne, Lynbrook and Valley Stream in 1998, the three villages entered into a partnership to run coordinated emergency drills and share personnel, supplies and resources during and after a crisis. East Rockaway, Freeport and Atlantic Beach also joined the partnership, which now includes more than 30 villages.
"We just basically share everything to try to come together, so you're not expending all your resources and asking for help," said John Baroni, emergency manager of East Rockaway. "We signed mutual aid agreements ... for sharing resources, so it helps with recovery."
Callahan brings a unique set of skills to his new job. He is a member of the New York State 911 board, which works to improve 911 policy and service. He is Malverne's fire commissioner, and has also taken a variety of training courses from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
And then there is the matter of his career. "I'm one of the few emergency managers who is also a lawyer," said Callahan, who left a job at Chesney and Murphy, LLP, in Baldwin to take on the new position.
He will need to know the law in order to deal with a variety of bureaucracies. "There are 70 different governments in Nassau County, and then there are more than 300 different authorities," Callahan explained. ³New York state is what's called a 'home-rule' state. The county can't tell villages what to do."
Communities need to rely on two resources to prepare for emergencies, Callahan said: technology and human experience. A computer program called HAZNY (Hazards New York), for example, analyzes crises from years past, allowing planners to see what might happen if those situations were repeated.
"Malverne does have parts that will flood in a Category 4 hurricane," Callahan said. Surge from such a storm would cause Pinebrook and Foster's Creek to overflow, flooding the land around them. Malverne residents have been sent a hurricane guide to help them deal with a storm.
Human memory is also a valuable tool with a long history. Many villages have not performed HAZNY analyses yet, but any town can rely on the experience of citizens. "Anything that happened in the last 50 years can happen again," Callahan said.
Tips for residents
In the event of a hurricane or other emergency, residents can watch Malverne Cable Channel 18 or tune in to 1620 AM. The police, police reserve and fire departments will also make public announcements.
Callahan recommends that residents prepare their homes for an emergency, keeping food, medicine, water and clothing available in waterproof, portable containers to support a family for a few days. "There is not much storage of medicine and food on Long Island," he said. "Being an island, bridges can be undermined by a hurricane, or God forbid, terrorism. People need to be prepared to be on their own for three to five days before supplies can be flown in."
Callahan also suggested that residents make sure the siding on their homes is not loose, so winds cannot dislodge it, and to keep their gutters clear of debris.
Comments? MSeaman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
