ACT NOW Preparedness Update #8 A periodic notice from FEMA’s Community & Family Preparedness Program May 13, 1999 A Note from Ralph Swisher We are living in an age of rapidly expanding communications, presenting new and exciting opportunities for sharing and disseminating information. The pace of technology can be almost overwhelming at times, but we have recognized the potential, and know that many of you have seized these opportunities to make disaster preparedness information available in your own communities. Now we hope to experiment with employing some of these same Internet technologies to maintain a continuing exchange throughout the year. However magical it may seem, we know these things do not happen by magic, and have sought some additional assistance from the Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP). They will help us by making some new tools available, but it is your continued interest and participation that will determine the ultimate benefits.
Working with us from the EIIP will be Kellye Junchaya, who has demonstrated her strong interest in community and family preparedness by publishing a book on the subject, They Laughed at Noah: Preparing for Natural Disasters. Kellye graduated from Arizona State University as a bioengineer, but became interested in this area as a result of her first brush with a hurricane threat while living on the Texas Gulf Coast. She has since moved to New Jersey where she is the mother of three young children. Following are some of the activities we have planned with her assistance:
The annual program conference of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community & Family Preparedness Program (CFP), June 8-11, at the Mt. Weather training and conference center near Berryville, VA, is virtually upon us. The theme this year: "Living Disaster Preparedness." The general emphasis will be on actually achieving disaster preparedness, on continuity in preparedness and keeping it going -- how we "live" disaster preparedness as part of each day in communities nationwide. All indications are this will be an exhilarating time. We will have new people from more diverse places and backgrounds, as well as new faces from old partners with a new look. We'll have a minimum of plenary session speakers, but those promise to be focused and useful. Keynote speaker is Professor Dennis Mileti, Editor of the "Second Assessment" of Disaster Research (the first assessment being Dr. Gilbert White's project from before FEMA's creation in 1979). He'll speak on the implications of what we have learned about public perceptions and behavior for how we can make disaster public education and the communication of emergency public warning more effective. Dennis, as most of you know, is Co-Director of the Natural Hazard Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. Dr. Jasmin Riad, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, will talk about evaluation and assessment of emergency management programs, especially the public behavior aspect. Dr. Riad is currently evaluating Project Impact projects. Because of space limitations and specific program objectives, this is an invitation only event. But anyone with access to the Web can tap into part of the activity. Kellye Junchaya will be facilitating coverage of the conference for the EIIP, and will provide conference updates via the available tools.
We know disaster education works. But sometimes others need convincing. To showcase the true benefits of disaster preparedness, FEMA and the American Red Cross announced a new award last year to recognize your work in disaster education -- it's called "Disaster Saves." We plan to make an award again this year. We're looking for specific examples of how disaster education has made a real difference in people's lives in a natural disaster: how it has saved lives or lessened the hardships or financial consequences of disaster. Perhaps you know of someone who saved himself because he took shelter in a tornado … or a family that was re-united after a flood having practiced a family communications plan …or someone whose home incurred limited damages in an earthquake because he or she learned what to do and acted accordingly because of your program. Let's hear your success stories. No "disaster save" is too small. We're interested in any example of an individual, group or organization that did the right thing -- something that made a difference in a natural disaster -- because of your public education effort. FEMA and the American Red Cross will appoint a panel to select the most meritorious "disaster saves" and present the award to the person(s) responsible for conducting the education that led to the "save." We'll also promote the stories so others can learn how disaster education makes a real difference in natural disasters. Document your "disaster saves" by including:
You could also include a photograph of the educator or the person who was "saved." Letters of support from community leaders are optional. FEMA and the American Red Cross intend to hold a "disaster saves" awards ceremony at the CFP conference in June, but you need not be a conference participant to enter -- entries from any program are welcome. Entries should be mailed (Ralph Swisher, Program Manager, Community & Family Preparedness Program, FEMA, 500 C St., S.W., Room 625, Washington, D.C. 20472) or emailed (ralph.swisher@fema.gov) by May 28, 1999. We hope to hear from you soon.
The first regular offering of the Disaster Education Organizer's Course immediately precedes the Conference at Mt. Weather, on June 5 & 6. This offering follows a highly successful final pilot in Wilmington, NC, April 14 & 15, with Cathy Henry managing the course, taught by Joe Farmer, South Carolina Emergency Management PIO, and Jaime Esparza, Greater Chicago Area American Red Cross.
For many years, national organizations under the auspices of the National Disaster Education Coalition who are involved with disaster safety information have been striving to get our respective information together and consistent with one another. We have finally achieved this goal. We have developed a set of standard disaster safety messages on 13 hazards as well as general disaster safety information. The messages include science, preparedness, and mitigation recommendations. They include back-up explanations, data, facts, and support to explain why these messages are recommended for use by anyone who may write a brochure, pamphlet, book, newspaper article, web-based safety information, or communicate in any way about disaster safety. The National Disaster Education Coalition hopes that anyone who has or will prepare printed or web-based disaster safety information will check their information to see if it is consistent with the content of the most up-to-date messages available in this Guide. We have published this information in printed form, called "Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Disaster Safety Messages." The printed Guide is available through any local Red Cross chapter as stock number A4461M. Chapters are charged $3.00 per copy. We are thankful to the Lowes Home Safety Council for providing a grant that facilitated getting the information all together in one place and reviewed for technical accuracy. "Talking About Disaster" is also available now on the Internet. It is available in both HTML format as well as in downloadable PDF files (organized by hazard; you only have to download what you want to use.) What's really exciting about this is now major national agencies have agreed on standard messages about disaster safety. Best of all, this information is in the public domain. All we ask is that an acknowledgment be provided by users of it. Information on how to prepare that citation is also in the on-line Guide. We hope you are as excited as we are about the release of this Guide in both print and on-line versions as we are. Rocky Lopes
Interest in shaping the attitudes of the next generation is popping up all over the map, through the development of curriculum materials for the public schools. The American Red Cross is developing hazard awareness and natural disaster preparedness materials under a private donor grant. Georgia has implemented state legislation to prepare school students for critical incidents in schools. North Carolina Emergency Management plans a completely revised K-12 curriculum materials project to update the one that the state developed two decades ago. FEMA Preparedness Directorate is partnering with Maryland Emergency Management and Prince George's County Schools in a pilot project stemming from an initiative in Bowie, MD. Some of the individuals involved have recently met to explore the possibilities face to face, and a follow-up Virtual Meeting is planned for May 18 in the EIIP Virtual Forum, 1:00 PM Eastern. Anyone with an interest in the topic is invited to participate. Visit the EIIP Virtual Forum homepage at http://www.emforum.org in advance to set up a User Account, if you do not already have one, then just login at the scheduled time.
Ralph Swisher |
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