BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The Baldwin County Commission will meet Tuesday with federal officials and representatives from the state Emergency Management Agency to review response procedures in cases of natural disasters.

The meeting follows a scathing report released last week from Brett H. Howard, EMA regional coordinator, which describes wide-ranging problems with the county’s EMA.

The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. at the Robertsdale Central Annex, according to Baldwin County Commission chairman Frank Burt.

The report was based on a review of the county’s emergency operation plan and interviews with staff.

“All the commissioners met last Wednesday in Robertsdale with the report’s author and discussed his findings for three-and-a-half hours,” Burt said. “Hurricane season is near and we need to be focused.

“We have the infrastructure, redundancy and a communications system to be the best in the state or in the nation among EMA’s with the same population. “We are totally dedicated to correct deficiencies, and the state is working with us to do that.”

The commission is planning a work session Thursday to review more than 35 resumes for the county EMA slot. Tentatively, each commissioner will choose five candidates. Commissioners will review those, then choose a total of five to be interviewed by the personnel department.

Among the report findings:

• The emergency operation plan has not been updated for years, or approved by the commission.

• The staging and distribution plan was updated in 2008. All 15 addresses of distribution points are incorrect and not located in Baldwin County. A staging area to receive commodities is not identified in the existing plan.

• Shelter information in the plan is not consistent with AEMA plans, and the shelter coordinator was not familiar with procedures to open, populate and close shelters.

• A lack of training and exercises in the last two years resulted in a low state of readiness. Some staff lack training and knowledge to perform their respective duties.

“It is a real concern that anyone currently employed at EMA has the skills or knowledge to properly operate the Emergency Operations Center during a disaster without professional assistance,” the report states.

“This observation is based on current evaluation and past history and the fact that only one person currently employed has ever worked on the EOC floor during a disaster.”

Howard currently is working with an interim director who replaced Melvin Stringfellow. He resigned in April after six months on the job when controversy erupted over attempts to terminate Leigh Ann Ryals.

Ryals asked to be demoted to deputy director last fall.