When disaster strikes, this Minnesota team of experts steps in to respond and craft an action plan

When flooding inundated the small southern Minnesota town of Jackson, city and county leaders put out a desperate plea for help. Members of the state's All Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) answered the call.

The little known but vitally important team, activated when disaster strikes, helps marshal resources, draft communication strategies and formulate action plans that local officials may not be able to carry out on their own.

"You usually don't have lots of sandbags lying around or pumps on hand," said Gwen Martin, a deputy commander of an AHIMT unit on the scene in Jackson. "We identify what needs to be done. We look at logistics and ask do we have the stuff to make it happen. We spend a lot of time on the phone."

And on the road, too. Over the past decade, team members have been dispatched to Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, wildfires and civil unrest. They provided support during the 2018 Super Bowl in Minneapolis, and last month were in Greenfield, Iowa, to assist officials after the town was decimated by one of the strongest tornadoes reported this year in the United States. But most of their work takes place here at home.

In Jackson, where even the county emergency manager was on the front lines filling sandbags, the goal was to protect critical infrastructure from floodwaters: a water treatment plant, an elementary school that doubles as a day care, and the town's lone grocery store and pharmacy. And to keep as many residents as possible in their homes.

Martin said AHIMT, based in Anoka County, set up its trailers, generators, computers and printers and went to work alongside Jackson County officials. The team brought in some of its own equipment, and called other suppliers to bring in more. They got the Army Corps of Engineers to build levies and berms and pump water away so residents could still flush their toilets, Martin said.

When water closed two key bridges in Jackson, AHIMT helped county officials divvy up assets to ensure both sides of town were covered should another emergency arise. To be prepared, they called fire departments in from Minneapolis and Luverne to bring boats and crews trained in swift-water rescues to be on standby.

Team members also were in Windom, Okabena and Heron Lake last week, Martin said.

From its command center, Martin said AHIMT keeps track of everything from costs to who is out in the field and who may need to go get some sleep. The team also helps craft messages to be disseminated to the public.

Though that often means long days, it's not just the urgency of the moment that is on Martin's mind.

"We look at what do we need for the next day," Martin said. "That keeps things moving along."

AHIMT has a roster of about 100 people statewide with expertise ranging from law enforcement to firefighting to administration, and from IT to finance to public health. Somewhat like the National Guard, they volunteer their services when calls come in to help their fellow Minnesotans in need.

"We are passionate about incident management," Martin said.

Jackson County Emergency Manager Gary Reif said he was extremely thankful for AHIMT's help in planning and the tactical response that followed.

"I don't know what we would have done without their assistance," said Reif, admitting he had heard of AHIMT before the flood but didn't know much about what they could offer. "They came with knowledge you can't imagine. This group basically kept us above water."

As the Des Moines River begins to slowly recede, AHIMT will leave Jackson on Saturday, knowing they've done their part to make a bad situation better, and left a road map for local officials to follow.

"We set them up for success," Martin said.

Reif concurred.

"That is what they did," he said.