Wherever disaster strikes in the Chicago vicinity, government agencies will be ready. Having already executed emergency management training in Cook County for all possible scenarios, officials at every level of government are prepared for any possible contingency.
The main coordinating body for the area is the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. This organization orchestrates the participation of other agencies including the American Red Cross, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and the National Guard.
Preparing for a Future in Cook County Emergency Management
The Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management partners with a host of other agencies, all of whom support emergency management jobs in city, state, federal, private, and non-profit agencies.
Candidates who are interested in making a career in the field should research which positions match their skills and education when determining a future employment path. Cook County hosts a variety of locations where associate’s or bachelor’s degrees in the following fields are offered:
- Emergency and Disaster Management
- Disaster Preparedness
- Engineering
- National Security Technology
- Public Health
Flooding and Severe Straight-Line Storms in Cook County
The governor of Illinois recently declared a disaster in response to the flooding experienced in Cook County in April 2013. Flooding is all-to-familiar a threat for the area, which this year saw widespread devastation. The disaster emergency was declared from the State Incident Response Center while the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management had already begun the coordination of filling and deploying 114,000 sandbags with 88 tons of sand. Meanwhile the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways cleared roads of debris and worked to secure the basic transportation infrastructure. Emergency management jobs in Cook County include positions at the local, state, and federal level. This April these officials worked in conjunction with local municipalities to manage the destructive event successfully.
Those working in emergency management careers in Cook County in June of 2012 will remember the deadly storm – termed a derecho – that swept through the region leaving widespread death and destruction in its wake. Officials from the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management coordinated the emergency response to the storm, which swept across the county towards the eastern seaboard causing $1 billion in damage, killing 13, and leaving four million people in the dark. Derechos are storms that move in a straight line with hurricane-force winds over a distance of hundreds of miles. Emergency management officials were well-prepared for the storm, which weather forecasters had been predicting days in advance.