Homeland Security and Emergency Management

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

Review and report damage after a recent storm disaster and find out the extent of damage to your community in Baltimore County.

WHAT WE DO

The Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) protects Baltimore County from disasters through emergency planning, partnerships and coordination. Our mission is to lessen the loss of life and reduce injuries and property damage during natural or man-made emergencies and disasters through mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery in accordance with the Baltimore County emergency operations plan.

HSEM also coordinates the activities for the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is a central location where representatives of local government, nonprofit and private sector agencies convene during disaster situations to make decisions, set priorities and coordinate resources for response and recovery.

All County HSEM activities focus on the four primary phases of emergency management:

• Prevention—Actions taken to avoid an incident or to intervene to stop an incident from occurring in the effort to protect lives and property.
• Preparedness—Activities such as planning, training, public education and outreach to create awareness of potential dangers and increase readiness in our community.
• Response—Use of available resources to meet the needs of the community when disaster strikes. Depending on the severity of the disaster, this can include local, county, State and Federal resources, to include fire and EMS services, public works, and law enforcement.
• Recovery—The long range support of restoring the community to pre-disaster conditions. This phase includes damage assessments to public and private property, as well as social services to assist citizens. The length of the recovery phase depends on the magnitude of the disaster.