Mayor Thomas M. McDermott Jr. has authorized Hammond City Hall to serve as the operating location for Governor Mike Braun’s Incident Commander, Anthony “Tony” Ferraro, as state and local officials continue coordinating recovery efforts following the devastating August 11 storm that caused widespread damage throughout Hammond and Northwest Indiana.
Ferraro has been coordinating the State of Indiana’s response and recovery efforts from the Porter County Emergency Management Agency facility in Portage. At Mayor McDermott’s direction, the City of Hammond is making space available at City Hall for Ferraro and the state’s incident command operation as recovery efforts increasingly focus on the significant needs facing Hammond and communities throughout Lake County.
“Hammond was among the communities hit hardest by this storm, and the recovery is far from over,” said Mayor McDermott. “I offered City Hall as an operating base so Tony and the State’s incident command team can be here in Lake County where the storm had its greatest impact. We appreciate Governor Braun and his team continuing to devote resources and attention to Northwest Indiana as we move from the immediate emergency response into the longer recovery process.”
From Hammond City Hall, Ferraro will continue coordinating with state agencies, local governments, emergency management officials, NIPSCO and other organizations involved in disaster recovery throughout Hammond and Lake County.
The incident command operation at City Hall is not a public assistance center and will not maintain public office hours or accept walk-in requests for disaster assistance. Residents seeking assistance should continue to utilize the disaster recovery resources and contact information provided by the appropriate state, county and local agencies.
Mayor McDermott said the City will continue working closely with Governor Braun’s administration and other partners to identify damage, coordinate resources and advocate for assistance for residents, businesses and communities affected by the August 11 storm.
“The storm may have passed, but the work is not finished,” McDermott said. “Having the State’s incident command operation here in Hammond will strengthen the coordination that is going to be necessary as our community and the rest of Lake County continue to recover.”