On wednesday the Lansing Board of Water and Light, or BWL, announced it would hire an emergency manager to improve the emergency preparedness of the city.
The decision is in response to the ice storm in December which left 34,800 Lansing-area residents without power for up to 10 days, and the subsequent Community Review Team report released Monday which found its response to the storm fell short.
The emergency manager will focus on "reviewing and recommending changes to emergency policies and procedures, recording retention policies, developing programs to ensure that key personnel are properly trained in nationwide emergency preparedness best practices, and ensuring that the BWL’s emergency plans are complete," according to a statement by BWL.
In addition to the emergency manager, BWL also made plans to create an "Emergency Preparedness Work Group" to create policies and training programs to prepare for emergencies. The board will consist of members from BWL as well as the city of Lansing and other regional partners.
While the position for emergency manager has not been posted, Lansing mayor Virg Bernero and BWL general manager J. Peter Lark said in a statement they will announce the members for the group soon.
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