NATCHEZ &8212; The county can get outside input on its emergency management plan, but the board of supervisors needs to take ultimate responsibility for the document, the interim director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency told the board Monday morning.

Mike Womack attended the meeting to discuss recent questions in the county about revisions to the plan.

&8220;I applaud the United Way in it&8217;s efforts to try to make sure you are prepared for any type of disaster, but I would like to talk about process,&8221; Womack said.

&8220;The United Way and other volunteer agencies working with the county and city agencies certainly should develop plans and do exercises that complement your county plan. But your county plan should be something that is brought before the board and you approve.&8221;

Earlier this summer, the United Way paid $49,000 for an outside consulting group to review the current Adams County plan. The group&8217;s findings and report were donated to the county. IEM of Baton Rouge said the current plan is incompatible with state and federal plans.

Womack said Monday much of the state has been awaiting a new state plan, which the governor signed on Aug. 1.

&8220;We can start as early as the first of September doing a rewrite of your plan,&8221; Womack said.

MEMA will send a full-time employee down to help the county construct the plan.

Womack suggested the county plan focus on broad outlines of what agencies and departments will handle which tasks in the case of an emergency. The plan shouldn&8217;t list names, but should name offices, he said.

Womack said his office would review any plan to make sure it complies with the state plan, then the county should plan exercises and implement the plan.

Supervisors President Darryl Grennell said it was time for the board to act on plan.

Womack told the board they should work through the plan with Emergency Management Director George Souderes.

&8220;He does have a legal responsibility for administering emergency management planning,&8221; Womack said.

Souderes said he has been waiting three or four years for the state&8217;s plan revision, and now that it&8217;s here, he is prepared to revise the local plan.

&8220;We definitely are going to start our planning,&8221; he said.

&8220;We have already kind of started that.&8221;