The longtime deputy director of Mobile County’s Emergency Management Agency was named its director on Tuesday at a time of turnover with some of the leading agencies charged with hurricane preparedness in Alabama.

Mike Evans, 54, of Semmes, will oversee an agency with nine full-time employees that operates on an annual budget of $1.6 million. It’s an agency that Evans has been employed with for 21 years, the past 14 as its deputy director.

“I got skin in the game,” said Evans, a graduate of Satsuma High School. “I’m from here, my family is from here and I want to be here. I want to take care of the community.”

He added, “Leading this agency in a large community along the Gulf of Mexico is a tremendous responsibility. I don’t take it lightly.”

Evans is the seventh full-time director of Mobile County’s EMA since it was first established in 1952, and he will be based out of the 3-year-old Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in west Mobile. He replaces Ronnie Adair, who retired as director on August 1. Adair served in that position since 2009.

Evans was the only person considered for the position, given his lengthy tenure with the agency and experience in coordinating emergency responses. The county agency has the primary responsibility to plan and prepare for all emergencies — not just hurricanes — that may affect the county. That includes coordination and communication, and mobilizing resources swiftly when needed.

“We believe in 2023 that there is no one better to lead us in preparation and rapid response emergencies in Mobile County,” said Saraland Deputy Fire Chief Shayne Lovitte, who chairs a committee that hired Evans. “As you know, Mike was appointed to this position right in the middle of hurricane season. There was not time for on-the-job training. We needed someone to take over on Day 1.”

Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said Evans and his “long resume with leadership” in Mobile County was a main reason he was tapped to lead the agency.

“I think the confidence we have in Mike is really based on what we’ve seen with him through the years,” Ludgood said. “We’ve had great directors before. Mike will walk in the same ways as his predecessors did.”

Evans said his goals as director include preparation, dedicated outreach, efficient emergency response, cultivating relationships to ensure peak functioning, and building and maintaining the EMA moving forward.

“We need to let our citizens know there are many vulnerabilities in this community and should be prepared for them,” Evans said. “Part of that is identifying and communicating disaster risk for our community and sustaining and building community partners and stakeholders. And they are everyone who sits in the (EOC) for a disaster.”

His hiring comes at a time of changeover in emergency management director positions elsewhere, including posts that are crucial in coordinating hurricane response.

In Baldwin County, Zach Hood resigned from the EMA director’s post at the start of hurricane season in early June. He has been replaced, on an interim basis, by the agency’s assistant director Tom Tyler.

The Alabama Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates with the two coastal counties on hurricane response, is headed by Director Jeff Smitherman, who was appointed to that post by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey in May 2022. He replaced Brian Hastings, who served in that position from 2017-2022.

Greg Robinson, spokesman with Alabama EMA, said Smitherman assisted in response and recovery efforts during his military career for multiple hurricanes, winter storms, tornados (including the April 27, 2011, outbreak in Tuscaloosa) and the Deepwater Horizon disaster and oil spill. Smitherman has also been director of multiple divisions at Alabama EMA, Robinson said, including as executive operations officer.

“Because our agency consistently practices and never stop learning we continually enhance our readiness for this hurricane season,” Robinson said.

Evans said he has a good working relationship with the state EMA and Baldwin County. He said his agency participated with the Baldwin County EMA during a pre-hurricane drill last week. He also praised Smitherman’s experience in disaster preparedness during his 28-year military career.

Evans said his agency has frequent video conferences with state EMA officials, and have been able to bridge previous gaps in communication through technology. The state EMA coordinates its disaster relief in Clanton, more than 200 miles away.