The Dillon County Local Emergency Planning Committee met on November 16, 2017. Members present were: Larry Abraham -Dillon Sheriff , Cliff Arnette – Dillon Sheriff Dept./Rescue, Keith Bailey- Dillon City Fire Dept., Michelle Bethea – Disaster Preparedness, Joshua Caulder – Dillon County Fire Station9, Larry Cox- Dillon County Fire Station9, Moses Heyward- Disaster Preparedness, Sheila Higgins – Wyman Gordon, Angel Jackson- American Red Cross, James Dennis- American Red Cross, Allen Johnson- Perdue, Laura Ann Ketter – CareSouth Vantage Point, James Leslie – American Red Cross, Fitzgerald Lytch- Dillon School District 4, Clarence McRae- Dillon EM- 911, Gary Peirce – Care South Carolina, Richard Schafer American Red Cross, Ron Taylor – Pee Dee Baptist Association, Melissa Thomson – Dillon GIS, Martha Heyward, Monica Dickerson, Zanzea Dickerson, Enoch Dickerson, Donnie Grimsley-Dillon City Fire, Taylor Jackson – Dillon County Fire Station #5, Aronea Barnhill – Pruitt Health, Cindy Chavis – Wyman Gordan, Pamela Rainwater-Florence Visiting Nurses, and Deborah C. Larson- Florence Visiting Nurses.
Allen Johnson opened meeting calling meeting to order. He thanked and welcomed everyone to the Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting. Motion was made approving the minutes from July 27, 2017 meeting. Motion accepted but with two corrections by Dennis James and second by Larry Cox. Allen Johnson also said a short prayer for this LEPC meeting.
Moses Heyward thanked everyone for being present. He added that he was happy to have his wife, Mrs. Heyward join us at this meeting. He also added that the presenter for this meeting was a relative of his who traveled from Georgia. Heyward thanked everyone in that contributes to mitigation and proactive acts for Dillon County. He went over old and new business as outlined on meeting agenda.
Heyward turned over to Monica Dickerson with Georgia CDC. Monica thanked Moses for welcoming her to Dillon, SC and introduced herself along with some cases she has dealt with in the past. Ms. Dickerson began presentation on ZIKA Virus as a PowerPoint to the group. Zika spread primarily through mosquitos and most vulnerable people are pregnant women. Outbreaks occurred in other countries as well. She explained how Zika can spread and how it affects people. Symptoms can last for days and up to a week. With an infected pregnant woman, this virus can become fatal to unborn baby. The virus can spread during pregnancies or after birth. It is not known how often this occurs. Zika Virus can affect babies with cognitive problems, irregular shaped hearts and can cause stillborn. At the CDC, they help assess exposed women with Zika. They transport kits to find traces/trends to monitor any Zika infections. The CDC keeps a close monitor on most vulnerable areas that have spread zika virus. As of now, there is no specific medication or vaccination available. The CDC have locations in the US,
Puerto Rico and Columbia for registries. There is also a Zika hotline and email registry available. Ms. Dickerson reminds LEPC group to be proactive and protect themselves by using mosquito repellant. She encouraged to use repellents containing ingredients such as diethyl phthalate, diethyl carbate; N, N-Diethyl-3-Methylbenzamide (DEET), metofluthrin, oil of lemon-eucalyptus, picaridin and ethyl hexanediol. She also went over tips for mosquito control outside and inside your home. It is best to throw out any standing water from around your home. Air conditioning and screened windows can help mosquito control indoors. They highly recommend for pregnant women to avoid traveling in areas that are vulnerable for Zika Virus. Ms. Dickerson made us aware that the CDC has activated their EOC to Level 1 and alerting healthcare providers. She informed us that there are some cases where an infected mom birth a healthy baby. She welcomed anyone to use resources provided and any additional questions or concerns. A question was asked if one becomes infected, will they always be infected with virus. She answered stating that they will not always be infected. The virus is mostly similar to a common cold and can leave but can come back in some cases. Dennis James with Red Cross also asked, “Once infected, is there a certain period of time?” Dickerson responded saying it does not remain dormant so it leaves. When you have it once, its hard to get it again.
Allen Johnson added that he learned a lot and thanked Monica for her informative presentation. He reminded group that Dillon will be having Christmas parade November 30th and we should always be cautious and keep safety measure in mind at any large event you participate in. Moses added that Charlie Jones with Station #9 has came up with a special needs program to educate special needs individuals on escape drills during fire and dealing with emergency situations. Larry Abraham blessed the food for this meeting.
With no other business or concerns, meeting was adjourned and the group ate lunch.
The next LEPC meeting was announced to be Thursday January 25, 2018 at B&C BBQ Restaurant.