Union County Emergency Management is the agency of county government with the primary responsibility and authority for planning and executing all disaster preparedness, response and recovery operations. Emergency Management is also responsible for the preparation and maintenance of the County/City Emergency Operations Plan, which can be viewed at the local EMA Office.

Any comprehensive emergency management model is based on the four phases of emergency management – mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

• Mitigation involves preventing or reducing losses from disaster
• Preparedness involves developing plans for responding to disaster
• Response is the actions taken in the wake of a disaster
• Recovery includes all activities needed to restore community function

Successful emergency management involves understanding that each stage involves specific planning and execution and there are no clearly defined boundaries by which one can measure where one phase starts and another phase ends. The aim is to reduce the harmful effects of all hazards, including disasters.

Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS) is a free service provided by Union County. In the event of an emergency or severe weather-related event, an alert will be sent to you via phone and/or email. Sign up here for Union County alerts.