Mayor, principal honored for disaster preparedness work

A McCook man who is a school principal as well as city mayor has been recognized for his efforts in disaster preparedness.

As part of Nebraska's Safe Schools Week, Dennis Berry, principal of McCook Junior High and Central Elementary Schools in McCook, as well as mayor, has received recognition for his "exemplary cooperation and partnership with the preparedness community."

Gov. Dave Heineman declared the week of October 2-8 as Nebraska Safe Schools Week. Activities included a Biosecurity Conference for School Administrators and a luncheon at the Governor's Mansion recognizing Berry and four other honorees. The Center for Biopreparedness Education and the Nebraska Department of Education are sponsoring the conference and recognition luncheon.

Berry was nominated by Mark Graf, Emergency Response Coordinator for the Southwest Nebraska Health Department. Berry helped formulate the Red Willow County smallpox plan and has worked on the county's exercise planning team for several years.

"He participates in the annual disaster drill for the City of McCook and works with both the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department and Community Hospital to help prepare not only the school but the whole community for any disaster," Graf said.

Berry serves as the Public Information Officer for Red Willow County, serves on the McCook City Council and also holds the position of Mayor of McCook.

"Dennis has been a real asset to the disaster preparedness community," said Myra Stoney, Director, Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department.

The role Nebraska's schools play in safety and emergency preparedness extends beyond the students, staff and facilities, according to officials.

In many communities, the school plays a key role in the local emergency response plans as well. Many of Nebraska's small towns will rely on the use of school facilities as mass vaccination clinics in the event of a public health emergency such as a small pox outbreak or worldwide flu epidemic. Emergency management agencies have included the use of school facilities as shelters or incident command centers in their disaster response plans.

In 2002, in response to federal and state initiatives to establish and improve the public health system's response to biological events, the state's two medical schools -- University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University Medical Center -- joined forces to form The Center for Biopreparedness Education, which is under the direction of the Chiefs of the Infectious Disease Departments at both medical centers and a multi agency consortium.