When Greenbelt declared a city state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, March 30, not much changed because the city had already adopted many emergency measures.
“We were already in a state of emergency with our actions,” said City Manager Nicole Ard.
She said the declaration signals to the federal government that Greenbelt is following emergency protocol, increasing the chances of federal reimbursement for emergency costs.
“We just want to make sure that when people are going back and looking at our expenses and any opportunities for us to be reimbursed … we’ve done everything that we can possibly do to position the city in the best way for that reimbursement,” Ard said.
Costs the city faces include protective equipment for healthcare and emergency workers, gear for teleworking and loss of typical revenue from public programs, among others.
“Hopefully, they’ll be able to see that we were trying to keep everyone safe and to continue the mission of some of our essential services,” Ard said.
The declaration was also in accordance with a pre-existing Emergency Preparedness and Operations Plan, which was written just under 20 years ago, in May 2002. It lists “potential emergencies which warrant the declaration of a City state of emergency,” including “dam failures,” “radiological emergencies” and “civil disorder.”
Pandemic is not on the list. It explains that in unlisted situations, the “City Manager has the authority to declare a City State of Emergency… based on his/her best judgment.”
It also states that if Prince George’s County, the State of Maryland or the federal government declares a state of emergency that includes Greenbelt’s area, the city will automatically follow suit. Ard says in terms of COVID-19, this made sense as the nature of the pandemic is such that higher levels of government have more resources with which to respond.
“We don’t have the epidemiologists and folks like that,” she said. “We look to the CDC, we look to the governor, and we look to our county health and the operations folks as the leaders, and we’re there to support them and do what we can.”
But, she says Greenbelt has its own strengths. “Our city staff is a small organization, but mighty in terms of passion for the community and flexibility.”
Mayor Colin Byrd echoed Ard’s sentiment. “I give a lot of credit not only to the staff and the city manager, but I give a lot of credit to our community,” Byrd said.
Both also said there is a large network of government officials and experts around the country working to respond effectively.
“There is a great partnership with other levels of government,” Byrd said. “A lot of communication with the county, the state and even with the U.S. government.”