God Bless America. There aren’t enough words. There aren’t enough tears. There is truly no way to prepare for this type of tragedy. We all do the best we can and cope the way we know how. Some of us sit and think, "thank God I live in a small town." The next thought may be, "would our city even be ready to handle a disaster such as the one that happened in New York?"

In times like these, folks seem to look to the "officials" for answers and hope. Last week Mayor Middleton declared a state of emergency in our city in response to the rising gasoline prices. This state of emergency will exist as long as necessary. What gives the Mayor of a city in Ohio the right to declare a state of emergency? The Ohio Revised Code, Chapters 5915, 305.12, 311.07, and 733. Declaring this emergency state was one way an "official" could provide a needed answer to a problem.

Alliance also has an Emergency Management Agency, created by City Council in September of 1993 and outlined in City of Alliance Codified Ordinance Chapter 165. The city also has an Emergency Operations Plan, which details every step of a response to an unexpected situation. The Emergency Management Administrator is the Chief of Police, Lawrence A. Dordea. Stark County has an Emergency Preparedness Agency in the basement of the Sheriff’s Department on the east side of Canton. Ed Cox is the Director of that Agency. From time to time, the City of Alliance safety forces and department heads attend trainings and mock disasters conducted by the Emergency Preparedness Agency. There is a plan developed on how to work together in an emergency.

The City of Alliance safety forces are well prepared and well trained. They have Standard Operating Procedures with emergency response and support responsibilities outlined. They know what they are doing. Each department in the city has a role in an emergency response. Those roles are detailed in the Emergency Operations Plan. In addition to safety forces and city departments, the Red Cross has been designated across our great country as the agency to operate shelter facilities during natural and man-made disasters.

In the case of a true emergency, the residents of Alliance will be notified by emergency public information broadcasts over radio and TV stations. If an evacuation should be necessary, door-to-door notification will also be given by emergency personnel. Neighborhood announcements may also be made from emergency vehicles with a public address system. Rest assured, we will let you know what’s going on to the best of our ability.

Is this system foolproof? No. Nothing is. Are we 100% safe? No. That became painfully clear on September 11, 2001. Should we build bomb shelters like we did in the 1950’s? Probably not. We can’t live in fear. We can only live our lives day to day, doing what we’ve always done. Are we more alert? You betcha’. And the city’s administration, safety forces and departments will do their part to protect the safety and well-being of our residents.

During the last week or so we have watched America pull together. We are a country of great and amazing citizens. So is Alliance. As Tiny Tim says, "God bless us everyone."