Boone County Office of Emergency Management

10/14/2026

Next Wednesday is the last meeting of 2026 for the Boone County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)! The meeting will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. on October 21st at 2145 County Drive, Columbia MO 65202. Meetings are open to the public.

10/13/2026

10/12/2026

⚠️LEPC Meeting: The fourth quarter meeting is coming up on Wednesday, October 21st, 2026, from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. The meeting will occur at 2145 County Drive, Columbia, MO 65202.

If you have any questions, feel free to visit our website here: https://www.boonemo.gov/oem/plan-prepare/lepc.asp

10/09/2026

Our very first Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) meeting was last Friday! Many thanks to all of the organizations in our communities that attended the first meeting.

Heart of Missouri United Way strives is partnering with The Boone County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to create a collective of community partners throughout Boone County to proactively plan how to address disasters and crises once they arise.

Our next meeting will be January 15th. Reach out to us or OEM for additional details. We would love for new organizations to join this network. Every voice counts!

10/09/2026

👏What has our CERT team been up to?

Our volunteers helped with Mizzou's homecoming parade last weekend!

At the monthly CERT training, members participated in a basic skills practice sessions. Members were asked to conduct tasks necessary in several of the key units of CERT basic training, including a test of CERT Kits and preparedness bags, organizing a CERT Response, conducting a initial search and assessment of an impacted neighborhood, and providing triage and treatment for the simulated victims found.

Interested in joining CERT? Find more information here: https://www.boonemo.gov/oem/training/cert/

Missouri CERT Association

10/07/2026

Boone County OEM Expands School Reunification Readiness

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Boone County Office of Emergency Management (BCOEM) is continuing its investment in school emergency preparedness by providing the Centralia R-VI School District and Southern Boone County R-I School District with equipment to support student reunification following a serious emergency.

The equipment includes a Reunification Operation Kit and impacted-site support materials based on the Standard Reunification Method developed by The “I Love U Guys” Foundation. The kits contain equipment and supplies designed to help school officials and emergency response partners organize and manage reunification operations following an evacuation or other major incident.

Centralia R-VI School District will house reunification equipment that can support schools in northern Boone County. Centralia will work with the Sturgeon R-V School District, Harrisburg R-VIII School District, and Hallsville R-IV School District to make the equipment available if one of those districts experiences an emergency requiring reunification support. If needed, Centralia personnel can help transport the equipment to the affected district.

Southern Boone County R-I School District in Ashland will also house reunification equipment, which will be available to support Southern Boone schools as well as any other K-12 school in Boone County, should the need arise.

Columbia Public Schools previously purchased reunification kits using district funding.

Together, these resources place reunification equipment in different parts of Boone County and provide another way for school districts to support one another during a major emergency.

“We hope there is never a day when our schools have to use this equipment for a real emergency, but if that day comes, we want the training, tools, and relationships to already be in place,” said Boone County Emergency Management Director Chris Kelley. “We thank our school districts for their continued partnership, participation in training, and willingness to support one another during an emergency. This effort works because our schools and public safety partners are planning and preparing together.”

The equipment is part of a multiyear effort by Boone County OEM and local school districts to strengthen school emergency preparedness.

Over the past three years, Boone County OEM has brought three-day reunification training based on guidance from The “I Love U Guys” Foundation to Boone County. Staff from all public school districts in Boone County have participated in the training, which helps school personnel and emergency response partners understand the roles and steps involved in moving students from an affected school and safely reuniting them with parents or guardians at another location.

“Equipment by itself does not make a community prepared,” Kelley said. “The real value comes from having people who have trained together, understand the process, and know how to use these resources. These kits help turn that training into an operational capability.”

BCOEM will continue working with Boone County schools and public safety partners on planning, training, exercises, and coordination to strengthen school emergency preparedness throughout the county.

Centralia R-VI Schools Southern Boone High School Harrisburg R-8 School District Hallsville School District Sturgeon R-V School District

10/07/2026

Our office will test the Boone County Outdoor Warning Siren system today at noon. During this test the sirens will sound for 3 minutes.

If you believe a siren did not activate, contact us at [email protected] so we can troubleshoot that siren location.

10/06/2026

10/06/2026

📢 ONE DAY until the Third Faithful Readiness Workshop! 🎉

The workshop is for faith-based communities to learn more about the Emergency Operations Planning process and how to get involved in their communities. 🤝🏘️

🎤 The workshop features panelists like Ed Stansberry, Executive Director for the Voluntary Action Center. 💙

10/05/2026

👏The Boone County COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster) met for the first time last week! COAD is a local network that brings together community organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, and other partners to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. In the event of a disaster, the COAD will serve as the coordination entity responsible for bringing together nonprofits, community organizations, and faith-based organizations to help get resources and support to residents who need them most.

National Association of Counties Heart of Missouri United Way