Marion County isn't waiting for a disaster to figure out how to respond to those in need. The Marion County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) recently hosted a special Pre Disaster Mitigation Meeting to plan and coordinate with many of agencies and individuals who will be called on during a disaster.
 This was actually the first meeting of three planned phases. The presenter was Katy Westbrook of the Lux Mitigation & Planning Corporation.
 Phase 1 focused on identifying natural disasters that have a probability of occurring in our area. These include extreme weather conditions such as:
  · Tornado
  · Severe thunderstorm wind (> 60 mph)
  · Large hail (> 1 inch)
  ·...