Emergency management agencies’ role in responding to disaster events may not always seem evident, but their continuous work through several catastrophic events this year is being celebrated in Iowa this week.

Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation recognizing September 21-25 as Emergency Management Appreciation Week, noting the timeliness of September as National Preparedness Month, and the number of events emergency management agencies have faced this year, including the COVID-19 pandemic, drought, and derecho storm. Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Deputy Coordinator Jeremy Cooper says he’s volunteered for EMA for the last 20 years as he cares deeply about helping local communities. He reflects on how this year has kept the agency on their toes, “That’s the biggest part of our job is that we’re prepared for the next disaster, but we’re also learning from the disaster that we just had and preparing our communities for the next one. And hopefully we can do a better job or be better prepared to limit those impacts or to recover sooner and ultimately that’s always our goal.”

Cooper says it may sometimes be a thankless job, and not every application for emergency relief funding leads to success unfortunately with the Individual Assistance Program for derecho response being an example. He also mentions that this year has taught him and other agencies across the state a lot, as he’s never responded to a public health emergency before in his lifetime.