September 23, 1997

A Note from Ralph Swisher

Since many of you have been asking for more information about disaster education, here's an update on FEMA CFP activities and some great work from around the country. We'll try to keep you informed the best we can with periodic updates. Please forward this message to others, or send names and e-mail addresses to me. If you do not want to receive messages like this, let me know and we'll take you off the list. Thank you.

World Disaster Reduction Day

World Disaster Reduction Day, October 8, 1997, presents a good opportunity to do a local media interview or perhaps a school activity. A packet of disaster education materials was mailed to 28,000 elementary school principals by FEMA, the Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. National Fire Prevention Week is that same week, so remember to coordinate with the fire service. The American Red Cross (Rocky Lopes), NOAA's National Weather Service (Linda Kremkau) and the U.S. Geological Survey (Paula Gori) are working on related efforts. FEMA's contact for World Disaster Reduction Day is Holly Harrington (202-646-4600 or holly.harrington@fema.gov).

New York Promotes Disaster Education

New York put a spotlight on community and family preparedness at its recent emergency preparedness conference in Albany. FEMA Region II Director Lynn Canton addressed some 50 local directors, talked about the need for disaster education and promoted FEMA’s Disaster Preparedness & Mitigation Library on CD-ROM. South Carolina and Florida are planning to do the same at their respective state conferences. For information on New York activities, call New York’s Assistant Director for Preparedness, Les Radford (518) 457-9987).

Youth Outreach Opportunity

The Explorers attended New York’s conference to promote their emergency management program for men and women (ages 14-20). The program is teaching youth about disaster preparedness, and it's working quite well in a number of communities. To learn how to sponsor an Emergency Management Explorer Post in your area, look up Boy Scouts of American in the white pages and ask for Exploring. A guide on the program is available through the Explorers.

NEMA and NCCEM Outreach

Lots of effective networking took place at the recent NEMA and NCCEM conferences. We met with numerous state directors, emergency managers and others to talk up disaster education and distribute materials, including FEMA's Disaster Preparedness & Mitigation Library on CD-ROM. To order a copy, call 202-736-1648.

Smart Ideas for Program Leaders

Thanks again to those of you who attended our July CFP conference in Emmitsburg. We appreciate your time and energy. Keep an eye out for "Practical Ideas for Strengthening Community & Family Preparedness Programs," our conference report. It's loaded with suggestions from emergency mangers, American Red Cross educators and others on educating children, promoting mitigation and developing partnerships. We'll mail you a copy.

Let’s stay in touch and please contact me if the CFP Program can assist you in any way.

Best wishes,

Ralph Swisher
FEMA CFP Program Manager
Phone: 202-646-3561
Fax: 202-646-4371
E-mail:  ralph.swisher@fema.gov