Kay Orr. Resoruces Executive, NCEG
TO: Governor Kerrey
FR: Kay Orr, Treasurer/Resource Executive. Nebraska Continuous Emergency Government.
RE: Resource and Economic Priorities, Post-Attack
Governor,
Despite the immense damage to key areas of our state, Nebraska still has a great deal of infrastructural assets that have survived and are usable means to deliver emergency supplies and future commerce.
Roads, bridges and waterways between the control points are usable in most areas of the state. Communications between the control points will need repair but the basic infrastructures are in tact, in addition to our radio communications we currently hold.
Immediate Priorities
1. Disposal of corpses.
The Omaha-Lincoln-Interstate 80 corridor is lined with corpses. We estimate maybe up to 150,000 to 200,000 are lining a expanse along both Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 6. There is also the matter of amount of casulties in the Lincoln Metro Area. As Dr. Suhr will attest, we have a serious risk of diseases that could harm more Nebraskans and greatly compromise economic recovery.
With this in mind, we have to affect a crash disposal program without delay.
We do have some options. I have been in contact via telegraph with surviving Nebraska DOT crews and representatives of surviving teams from Peter Kiewit Construction, who have set up a base of operations near Malcolm, Nebraska and Ready Mixed Concrete who have surviving and equipment and teams outside of Lincoln.
PKC personnel and Ready Mixed are working together to design solutions for a system concrete-quicklime mass graves, they say that they ca begin construction immediately. Plus we have incinarator facilties in Lincoln and Grand Island that have fuel and generators and can be put on line immediately.
2. Energy
Nothing run without fuel, that's common sense. We began a county-by-county system of fuel procurement and storage before the attacks. We have a priority system in place for allocations of fuel.
The Priority System
1. Essential Services (Medical, Nebraska Combined Forces)
2. Agriculture/Food Processing
3. Manufacturing of hard goods
4. Essential non-medical, non-military transport.
5. Government services not among priority #1
6. Civilian use.
The pre-attack rationing system will be altered reflecting this pecking order if you will.
Point #6 will have more on this, in addition to building a system of economic exchange in Nebraska.
As for making more fuel. We've already begun a program through individual counties for the production of biofuels and alcohol-based fuels. We have reports of limited production of these fuels by private citizens. Individual county and town governments have been asked to link up with these citizens and in turn report to us, so we can give them more aid to keep producing needed fuel.
3. Communications
Dr. Don Benning, Communications and Education Executive will have more on this, but Nebraska has a stronger communications infrastructure than we thought would survive. It will need work, but between our surviving radio and telephone lines and equipment, we have a situation with good potential.
Each of the Control Points have established at least one solid radio station to carry Radio Nebraska. We are working to coordinate any surviving Northwestern Bell personnel to inspect and repair telephone switchers, and reestablish lines for telephony and telegraphy.
I would suggest that if you don't know Morse Code, learn it. A Morse Code guide was put into the emergency pamphlets that NEMA sent to every Nebraska household prior to the attacks. We must mention throughout future Radio Nebraska broadcast for people to learn it if they don't know it.
4. Fabrication and Manufacturing.
The state has surviving food processing, metalworks, manufacturing facilities. We need to inventory these and get them moving. Our energy priorities have to be focus. We will have a need for building materials, agricultural implements, medical supplies, radiation protection.
The civilian controller for Columbus has been a key advisor to this effort early on. I plan to have a face-to-face meeting with him as soon as we can.
In the long-term. Reconstruction of facilities that can be useful has to be considered. One such facility is Cooper Nuclear Station, which is powered-down but according to aerial reconnaissance is intact and could be restarted when radiation levels are safe.
A lot of raw material will come from my next point.
5. Recycling.
Every scrap of usable material has to be used again. Every product in one way or another has to be used or repurposed. Our major initiative, which we hope to start by April 1st, is the reclamation of abandoned vehicles of all types, to be repaired and used OR to be stripped and used for raw materials or spare parts. Reclamation of unused fuel will also be a part of the effort.
6. Economic Exchange System
I am working with surviving economists in cooperation with our Agricultural Executive and some surviving business leaders on building some type of system of economic exchange. The early consensus centers around using the current U.S. currency as the basis, although that may change. For now, food and services in bartering arrangements are the norm from what we hearing from the Control Points.
We have also received a call from the surviving tribal councils from the Omaha Nation and the Sioux Nations of Nebraska who have lent their expertise and ideas toward an exchange system.
7. Human Capital
A prime priority for my department is procurement and use of our human capital. We've already received massive cooperation from FEMA/NEMA, the Control Points and the Combined Forces. Reconstruction and manufacturing effort must be commenced within the next 10-14 days.
For the short-term my department will use similar metrics used by the Combined Forces to identify essential personnel and expertise. Skilled fabricators, electricians, machinists, carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, industrial cleaning specialists, surveyors, specialists in chemical handling, asphault/concrete will be at a premium. We'll also have a need for teachers who also have administrative expertise. On the surface this may seem like folly, but it is important that we have some people who have experience in leading people, setting priorities and managing staffs within the apparatus. The ability to manage and govern effectively for maximum results is a great a skill as setting a broken bone, laying down a railroad track, or raising a barn. We need to identify as many people who can effectively be liaisons between the plans we make here, the drafting tables at the source point, and the final products.
Teamwork. It makes GOLDENROD work.