HANCOCK COUNTY — The county’s emergency operations center can easily hold more than 50 officials, all with the goal of organizing response and keeping residents safe in case of a disaster.
So far during the pandemic, it’s been nearly empty.
No one associated with emergency management in the county ever imagined a crisis in which even top officials would need to stay away from each other for their own safety.
But that’s the case with this emergency. Leaders have been keeping in touch but have not gathered in the big room at the EOC, where banks of work stations make it look a little like Mission Control at NASA.
Instead, as the COVID-19 emergency has inexorably unfolded day by day, Hancock County Emergency Management, as part of its overall strategy to respond to the crisis, is doing something not typically in its playbook: It’s releasing daily videos with snippets of information delivered by county officials. It’s all designed to help keep people informed without bringing numerous county officials together in one place.
Greg Duda, public information officer for Hancock County Emergency Management, came up with the idea for the local videos, called “EMA Minute.” After watching national and state officials’ news conferences, Duda picked up on information that he thought needed to be disseminated to county residents to help them figure out how decisions surrounding the national crisis relate to them.
The idea of the countywide agency becoming the clearinghouse for sharing information seemed like the best approach.
“We didn’t want the sheriff’s department saying one thing, and us saying another, because then it looks like nobody has got their act together,” Duda said.
The videos, which have been getting thousands of views each day, are posted on the agency’s Facebook page and are hosted by Misty Moore, director of Hancock County Emergency Management. She takes a minute or two and talks with county officials about how the coronavirus response is affecting the county.
“We know people are getting a lot of information coming in from the state and federal level, but it means a lot when they can hear it coming from local sources,” Moore said.
Having a source that people can trust is key, Duda said. Plus, making videos allows them to update the information about the pandemic as quickly as it changes, which has been often since the start of the outbreak.
Duda uses his iPhone to record Moore and the day’s guest. The short video is posted in the late afternoon.
“People will watch videos, but they won’t watch long videos,” Duda said. They aim at making them no longer than 60 seconds, but most clips run a little longer.
Earlier this week, Moore spoke with hospital and law enforcement officials after Gov. Eric Holcomb sent out an executive “stay-at-home” order.
“People can watch TV and find out what’s happening in New York or even in Indianapolis, but what about where they live?” Duda said. “What’s going on here? That’s what they want to know about.”
It’s also important for local residents to get a good feel for how county officials are responding to things, Moore said.
“We want to help people navigate here in Hancock County and not just in the state of Indiana, and we want them to see how our local officials are responding,” Moore said.
Duda noted after they posted a video in which Sheriff Brad Burkhart and Greenfield Police Chief Jeff Rasche broke down specifics of Holcomb’s order, the 911 center — where Duda works as an operator — received only a couple of calls about it. That suggested the video had been well-received and that people who had seen it understood the restrictions, Duda said.
“We’re hoping the videos help alleviate some anxiety in this situation, too,” Moore said.
Moore noted she’s been planning for emergencies throughout her career and said she has been pleased with the coordination of the county officials who are working with the agency to share information.
“We’re trying to bring it all together as one voice,” Moore said. “It shows we’re really working together. While we’ve planned for these things, every emergency is different, and this one is unique in its own way.”
