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McLennan County EOC handles COVID-19 outbreak differently than other disasters

The McLennan County Emergency Operations Center normally deals with disasters like flooding and tornados. This situation is different.

MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — The coronavirus is uncharted territory for just about everybody, including city and government officials who have to respond to it.

The McLennan County Emergency Operations Center normally deals with disasters like flooding and tornados, typical Central Texas emergencies. But dealing with the coronavirus is different.

"It's not something we can see. You can’t see the damage like you do from a tornado or flood, so it defiantly has its challenges," Emergency Management Coordinator for Waco-Mclennan County Elizabeth Thomas said.

Usually, the command center is full of employees, but because of social distancing and the threat of getting the virus, that's all changed. 

"In our EOC, normally we are shoulder to shoulder. Decisions are made very quickly and it’s a very quick pace," Thomas said. 

Thomas said the EOC deals with logistics, like working with hospitals and health care systems to keep up with how busy they are. They also manage resource requests for local hospitals that may be short on protective equipment. 

"We are potentially looking at our operations branch looking at an alternative care sight. If the hospital starts to surge, what are the things we can do to help them out?” Thomas said.

The EOC also handles requests for donations in the community relating to COVID-19. Things like hand sanitizers and medical masks. 

"Please donate if it's unused or new,” Thomas said. “A lot of people may be needing the equipment are frontline doctors, nurses and first responders."

If you have any new items that you would like to donate, please go to the Waco COVID-19 website.

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