Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy
nities thrive ”); Mission (“ To proactively reduce disaster risks and reliably manage consequences through collaborative work with Maryland ’ s communities and partners ; and Core Values ” (“ Vision | Collaboration | Reliability ”).
Like emergency management agencies in other states , as reports of the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and grew , MEMA closely engaged with other Maryland agencies . In January 2020 , MEMA , the Maryland Department of Health ( MDH ), and other agencies began emergency response coordination efforts ( referred to as consequence management actions ). The initial concern was to repatriate Maryland residents from China and other overseas locations . However , efforts quickly turned to identifying and planning for vulnerabilities and to implement initial priorities . Early on , officials anticipated that response coordination efforts would be complex and needed to be based on accurate information provided by both the public and private sectors . It was clear that robust private-sector coordination would be essential in terms of mounting critical infrastructure needs .
Although State agencies had been coordinating for nearly two months , the pandemic response dramatically increased on February 27 , 2020 , when Maryland Governor Hogan conducted the first COVID-19 press conference held at the State Emergency Operations Center ( SEOC ). He urged Marylanders to prepare and announced supplemental funding for the COVID-19 response ( Maryland State Government 2020 ). Many states activated their emergency operations centers ( EOC ) at this time ( Bouffard 2020 ). On March 4 , MEMA raised the SEOC activation level to “ Enhanced ” and several local EOCs took similar action . This was also the start of MEMA ’ s active staffing of the SEOC , a move that would last deep into summer 2020 .
The COVID-19 crisis in Maryland escalated quickly . On March 5 , Governor Larry Hogan announced Maryland ’ s first presumptive positive case of COVID-19 . That day , the Governor issued a Declaration of a State of Emergency , and the SEOC activation level moved to “ Full .” This designation is reserved for incidents that require local , state , and federal resources to actively manage consequences . From that point forward , MEMA staff , and those of other State agencies , faced a continued barrage of new challenges , problems , and issues , many requiring multiagency problem solving and coordination . It accelerated the response tempo , with the Governor appropriately supporting an aggressive , evidence-based stance on the pandemic . From March 5 through October 6 , 2020 , the Governor issued 12 Proclamations ; re-affirmed 31 Orders in Effect ; provided 14 Interpretive Guidance documents ; and 21 Superseded Orders ( not in effect ) related to the pandemic . 1
In mid-2019 , Governor Hogan had begun a one-year elected term as the Chairman of the National Governors Association ( NGA ). His impact on pandemic activities on the ground in Maryland continued to be pervasive . As the pan-
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