New details on the Jackson County Emergency Operations Center

JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WXXV)- As progress continues at the site of the new Jackson County Emergency Operations Center, county leaders are talking to us about how it will streamline emergency response operations in the county moving forward.

The 10,000 square foot facility being built at the Sunplex Industrial Complex will cost around $7.2 million to build with around $5 million of that covered by Hurricane Katrina recovery funds and the rest funded by the county.

It’s also being built to withstand 180 to 200 mile per hour winds.

Jackson County Emergency Operations Manager Earl Etheridge says this building is replacing one the county’s emergency department has use for more than 50 years. “The existing emergency operation center we are operating out of was built in 1974 and is in downtown Pascagoula. This new center will be more state-of-the-art than the one in Pascagoula. We will have more area to work out of, it will be a great asset for the work we do serving the citizens of Jackson County.”

Etheridge says this new building is centrally located in the county, also allowing more timely access to all communities in the county.