By BREANNA HANLEY bhanley@lockhaven.com
LOCK HAVEN - The Clinton County Commissioners heard a brief presentation from Robert C. Then, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Central Office Director, who recognized two members of the Clinton County Department of Emergency Services staff.
"I wanted to take this opportunity to publicly recognize the achievements of your emergency management coordinator for your county, Scott (Kemmerer), and his deputy, Andrew (Kremser), for achieving their advanced certification for PEMA," said Then.
These advanced certifications are a requirement, he said. Standards are put in place so that county coordinators have the knowledge and abilities to be able to perform their jobs to the highest caliber.
PEMA provides innovative and professional training to state and local emergency management personnel, among others, to maintain the proficiency of its staff and keep procedures current.
The Clinton County Department of Emergency Services coordinates and works closely with local, state, federal and private sector groups to serve the residents of the county; they follow an "all hazards comprehensive approach" to emergency management by implementing a four step cycle: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
"Disasters have continued to get more and more complex. They're not getting easier. So it's very important that the county coordinators have the knowledge they need to be able to serve the citizens when it's a bad day in the county," said Then.
He also commented on the fact that both Kemmerer and Kremser have been great to work with.
"I've been in this position for a couple of years, I've been working with both of them very closely. You're in good hands with these folks running emergency management here in the county," he said.
Kemmerer briefly spoke during the meeting after being handed his plaque.
"Thank you (Then) for making the trip up. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. We'll keep moving forward," said Kemmerer.
The board also approved a subrecipient monitoring agreement between the county, the Clinton County Housing Authority and the Clinton County Housing Coalition, Inc. for administration of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2 (ERAP2) with grant funding in the amount of $494,000 from Pennsylvania department of human services.
Jeff Rich, vice president of the CCHC, was in attendance to speak about how important this program is to citizens in the county.
"I can say that the Emergency Rental Assistance Program has been a tremendous help to so many in our community - primarily those who were impacted by the COVID pandemic and (are) still suffering repercussions from that pandemic," said Rich. "It provided rental assistance in an amount unheard of before and made it accessible to folks who typically would not qualify for that type of rental assistance."
The funding from this program, according to the Department of Human Services, can be used to pay past due or upcoming rent and utilities; and can assist with rehousing costs for eligible applicants who need to find a new home to rent.
"We have administered over $2 million worth of the grant over the past several months and this additional funding will go to serve the 200 plus applicants that we still have on our list waiting for this type of assistance," said Rich.
In other news:
- The Clinton County Commissioners have proclaimed August 2023 as Child Support Enforcement Awareness month and encouraged citizens to engage in relevant programs and activities that promote awareness and understanding.
For more local news visit the Lock Haven Express.
