A hurricane rolling through Iowa may sound like the plot from an off-off Broadway production of Wizard of Oz, but that is exactly what happened in Clinton, IA last fall. City Clerk, Lisa Frederick, was still executing her Covid plan when her community suffered catastrophic damage from a derecho, an inland hurricane. She quickly learned that going from having a plan to enacting your plan on top of another plan was a huge task. The city clerk’s role is crucial during a disaster or emergency. Initiating different vectors of communication and contingencies for each must be thought through in advance in order to be effective when time is of the essence. We will consider to important parts of Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) and how different expertise/experiences might affect different roles and discuss the types and means of records retention that must be enacted quickly when disaster strikes. Join us as we discuss emergency communications in real life situations.


This session will address:

  • Components of a Continuity of Operations Plan in case of a disaster
  • Effective and correct documentation of actions in an emergency
  • Important records creation/retention in a crisis situation
Diana Baker Freeman
Senior Manager of Modern Governance Advocacy & Initiatives


Buster Nicholson
Senior Manager, Public Sector Outreach at American Public University


Lisa Frederick
City Clerk/Deputy City Administrator for the City of Clinton, Iowa


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