The COVID-19 pandemic has not altered the overall duties of Warren County Emergency Management, just added additional responsibilities. Warren County Emergency Management Coordinator Troy Bass tells KNIA News his department still had to coordinate with local agencies regarding the normal occurrences of summer such as severe weather, but the past few months has been a significant change.

“Each day in the world of emergency management is a little bit different. This year was a learning curve for all of us, supporting the state and public health as well as the guidelines they have. And those changed as they learned more about the virus itself. We had to learn how to social distance and work on PPE equipment, and that does take a lot of time. A lot of my time this year was spent on supporting the COVID-19 response, but we still accomplished what we needed to.”

Bass also said Warren County has fared well in their response to the pandemic, and urges residents to continue to follow the safety guidelines laid out by the Iowa Department of Public Health and the CDC.