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Thursday, October 11, 2001
NEMAs Trina Hembree Preaches Preparedness
By Kathleen Murphy, Staff Writer
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While most of America was caught off-guard by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Trina Hembree had long known the threat of terrorism was real. As executive director of the National Emergency Management Association, Hembree last year wrote a prophetic essay, "Terrorism Comes to America," and worked with state emergency management directors on domestic preparedness. She urged state officials to plan for how they would preserve the balance of power and protect civil liberties in the aftermath.
The day terrorism came home, Hembree was surrounded by emergency management directors from 47 states plus officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency at NEMA's annual conference in Big Sky, Mont. She watched the state directors switch from speechless shock at the horror on large-screen TV to hectic activity.
"It was something I'll never forget: People automatically organized themselves into particular groups to focus on transportation issues or to capture information," Hembree said.
A makeshift operations center was set up at the hotel. Hembree began dialing to find ways to send directors home to impacted states while commercial flights were grounded, and the directors' frustration at being far away grew.
After military aircraft flew about 23 emergency management directors back to their home states, Hembree drove 30 hours to NEMA headquarters in Lexington, Ky.
"She was at work the next day, and it was only then that she allowed herself to reflect on all that had happened, and it was a very emotional time for her," said Daniel Sprague, executive director of the Council of State Governments, the umbrella organization for NEMA.
Hembree, 36, has been on an eight-year campaign to improve the nation's emergency response to terrorism. She pushes a legislative agenda on preparedness such as measures to improve communication between federal agencies. She urges states to have an anti-terrorism strategy ready so they can cooperate with other states and the federal government.
One of Hembree's key accomplishments at NEMA has been organizing a mutual aid compact between 41 states. Before coming to NEMA in 1994, Hembree worked as public relations director for the Central Kentucky Blood Center and produced political advertising for a firm that focused on judicial races.
While the response to the terrorist attacks validated the nation's emergency management system and gave greater urgency to her mission, more still needs to be done, Hembree said.
"Smaller, rural areas have not been in receipt of federal funding or training opportunities," Hembree said with a Kentucky twang. "There's no guarantee that an attack is going to be on a New York City World Trade Center. The Oklahoma City bombing proved to us that it can happen anywhere."
Each state's governor should check statutes to see if governors have proper authority to respond to a terrorist attack, review federal versus state rights, and examine enforcement issues related to mandatory evacuations or quarantines, she said.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Hembree turned out a report for federal lawmakers about lessons learned in the emergency response to the terrorism. Her goal is to see states more able to react with lifesaving measures, specialized training, and equipment.
Ellen Gordon, administrator of Iowa's Emergency Management Division, said Hembree "has gained a passion for what we do--coordinating all the resources to make sure a response happens in a coordinated manner."
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