July 25, 2008

Yaussy is now applying those varied experiences as Catawba County’s Emergency Management Coordinator. She began her new duties on July 21, 2008. Her role is part of a reorganization of the structure of the County’s Emergency Services Department approved by the Catawba County Board of Commissioners on April 21st.

As Emergency Management Coordinator, Yaussy will be responsible for updating and maintaining Catawba County’s Emergency Plans. She will also be a part of the County’s response teams to any naturally occurring emergency or event, as well as events related to human activity, such as those involving hazardous materials. She will be one of several members of the County’s Emergency Services staff involved in public outreach, occasionally speaking to community groups on emergency preparedness topics and will also research grants available from the state and federal governments and submit grant applications for the County for funds that can be used for new equipment and to cover the costs of planning exercises.

“Karyn’s years of experience, as a nurse in both of Catawba County’s hospitals, as a volunteer with the American Red Cross and as the North Carolina’s State Liaison to the national Red Cross management gives her great insight into the needs of Catawba County Emergency Services,” said David Weldon, Catawba County’s Emergency Services Director, “She has been involved in many practical applications that demonstrate the importance of planning prior to a disaster, experiences which relate directly to the responsibilities she now has with Catawba County. She will be working to make sure the emergency response plans we have in place are practical and make sense, and work to insure these plans are user-friendly and helpful to the agencies that will actually use them. She has worked hard for the citizens of our county for many years, she is dedicated to making our community a safer place to live and work, and I am very pleased that she has joined our team.”

An Ohio native, Yaussy has lived in Newton, North Carolina since the mid 1980s. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Ohio Wesleyan University. She worked for several years in critical care and emergency trauma, in hospital settings, both in Ohio and in North Carolina. She has worked for both Catawba Valley Medical Center and Frye Regional Medical Center in Catawba County.

Yaussy has consistently volunteered with the American Red Cross, both in routine times and times of disaster. From 2000 through 2007, her involvement with the Red Cross grew and she began to be drawn more and more toward disaster preparedness, response and recovery services. Her volunteer work led to the opportunity to serve as State Liaison from the Red Cross national organization to the State of North Carolina government from 2004 through 2006. She played a vital role in making sure the concerns and needs of North Carolina’s top emergency planning officials were known by the national Red Cross. Although funding for that position was discontinued in 2007, Yaussy realized she definitely wanted to focus her energies on emergency planning and response.

While serving as a consultant in disaster management in 2007, working with counties and states, including the State of California, Yaussy earned Graduate Certification in Disaster Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She said the new opportunity with Catawba County came at a very good point in her life.

“Being a Catawba County resident for 25 years, I have a love for this community,” Yaussy said. “The County was creating a position as a time when I really wanted to move into something like this. I’d really missed working with government. I have known the leaders of Catawba County Emergency Services for many years and also know a number of the people working for the Emergency Medical Services. I have admired them and the way in which they work. The quality of their work made this a very attractive opportunity and I’m very pleased to be a part of this team.”

The reorganization of Catawba County Emergency Services, approved in April 2008, aligned the actual services provided by the department with the duties of employees. Following the events of September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina, the day-to-day tasks for emergency management have become very time intensive and increased greatly. Federal requirements for the amount of time that a county’s “emergency manager” must spend on specific activities have also increased. A study of services performed by staff showed that having the Emergency Services Director oversee all of these tasks had becoming impractical.

In addition to creating the position of Emergency Management Coordinator being filled by Yaussy, the reorganization also combined the Fire Marshal and Rescue Coordinator positions into one position called the Fire and Rescue Manager. Mark Pettit was appointed to that position in April 2008. David Weldon continues to serve as Emergency Services Director, responsible for Catawba County’s overall emergency response and for supervision of the County’s Animal Services and Veterans Services Offices.

Yaussy said work on the County’s Emergency Plans is among her earliest goals.

“I have already begun examining the County’s Emergency Operations Plans, which are due for updates and revision,” Yaussy said. “Some of our reporting requirements to the state and federal governments have changed and I will be working to make sure we are meeting those requirements. One of my overall goals is to insure these plans are user friendly for other agencies, so I will be working with those agencies. For example, I will be working with Catawba County Public Health and Social Services on the portions of the County’s Emergency Plans that relate to human service needs in times of disaster. I’ll be looking for ways to enhance and strengthen the plans and their effectiveness in practical use. I’ll also start working to involve more of our businesses and manufacturers in emergency preparedness through the County’s existing Emergency Planning Committee.”

When not working or volunteering in emergency situations, Karyn Yaussy is an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Newton. She and her husband, Ken, have two daughters. Elise is a student at Elon University while Samantha attends Newton-Conover High School.