Maplewood County Office of Emergency Management
When the sirens sound,
this office is already moving.
Established under County Resolution 2004-18, our mandate is the protection of life, property, and continuity of government across all 23 municipalities of Maplewood County.
The plan that exists before the phone rings.
We run tabletop exercises every quarter, stress-testing evacuation routes, shelter capacity, and communications protocols against real historical storm data.
Volunteer fire chiefs, school administrators, and municipal planners sit across the same table with scenario cards and dry-erase markers, working through decisions they may face under time pressure and degraded communications. Every gap found in a tabletop is a gap that doesn't surface in a real event.
Staging logistics before the storm makes landfall.
When a watch becomes a warning, our activation protocols move supplies, personnel, and communications infrastructure into position — not after impact, but ahead of it.
We coordinate with county public works, school district transportation, and state emergency management to pre-position generators, water, and cots at designated staging areas. Our EOC activates on a tiered scale, so the right resources are deployed without over-committing personnel.
Damage assessment starts at first light.
Our trained damage assessment teams deploy within hours of an all-clear, systematically documenting structural impacts to accelerate federal disaster declarations and direct assistance to the hardest-hit residents first.
Teams use standardized FEMA assessment forms and GPS-tagged photography to build a damage inventory that supports Individual Assistance applications and Public Assistance reimbursement requests. Faster data means faster federal response.
Updated floodplain maps don't lie.
We partner with the Army Corps of Engineers and county GIS staff to maintain current FIRM floodplain data, identify repetitive-loss properties, and administer buyout programs that permanently remove structures from harm's way.
Mitigation is the only phase of emergency management where we reduce the future cost of disasters rather than simply respond to them. Every buyout completed, every drainage improvement funded, every updated flood map published is a decision that protects the next generation of residents.
Every trained neighbor is a force multiplier.
Training sessions are free to all Maplewood County residents and affiliated organizations. Seats fill quickly before storm season — reserve yours now.
Not ready to attend a session? Stay informed — we push storm alerts, shelter activations, and road closures directly to your phone.
Reserve Your Seat
No cost. Confirmation within 24 hours.