The EIIP continues to grow in numbers of Partners, participation, and means of spreading the word. Statistics on visitors and utilization of the Virtual Forum are quite revealing. The Virtual Forum naturally scores the highest because of our interactive 3-day-per-week schedule, timely topics and high-level expertise of speakers and presenters. Running a close second is the Virtual Library due to the growing number of transcripts and papers/documents available for download. Discussion Groups and Mail Lists are expanding in numbers of subscribers as well as messages posted. Australia represents the second highest number of visitors to the site; of course, U.S. emergency professionals are the first.

EIIP and FEMA's CFP Program Team Up to Deliver ACT NOW Preparedness Updates

Starting a disaster education program in your community? Looking for tips on reaching young people or senior citizens with the preparedness message? How about ideas for working with other organizations that have similar goals?

FEMA's Community & Family Preparedness (CFP) Program offers an on-line notice with the latest ideas and information on how to organize a disaster education program. It's called the Act Now Preparedness Update and it's available from the EIIP Virtual Library Archive at:
http://www.emforum.org/vlibrary/actnow.htm.

Readers may also subscribe for quarterly email delivery of the text version from
http://mail.speccomm.com:81/guest/RemoteListSummary/actnow.

FEMA's CFP Program works to help state and local emergency managers, voluntary organizations, businesses, neighborhood groups, and other organizations plan and run programs that educate the public about disasters. The goal is for all Americans to have the necessary information, education and skills to protect themselves, their families, their neighbors (especially people with special needs), and their homes and businesses, from the devastating consequences of disaster. This month's edition features information about the upcoming CFP conference, a pilot course for educators, and a new awards program.

EIIP Road Trips

April was a busy month for the EIIP, starting with a formal presentation at Intercomm 98 in Toronto, Canada, on April 1. Avagene Moore, CEM, EIIP Coordinator, and Robert Fletcher, Director, State and Local Programs, PTE, FEMA, co-chaired a session on "Real-Time and Projected Applications to Provide Emergency Management Tools and Information." Slides used for the Intercomm program are available from http://www.emforum.org/eiip/confer.htm.

The EIIP was represented at the 1998 Spring Conference of the South East Business Recovery Exchange (SEBRE) in Tunica, Mississippi, April 19-21. SEBRE promotes the interaction of persons involved in, or responsible for, business recovery planning in their respective organizations. Business Recovery is defined by SEBRE as disaster recovery, business continuity planning, emergency response and business resumption. The mission of SEBRE is to effectively serve the membership through professional excellence by providing a forum for information exchange. Members of SEBRE include: Alltel; AmSouth Bank of Alabama; Branch Banking & Trust; Capital One Services, Inc.; Coca-Cola Enterprises; Deposit Guaranty National Bank; Duke Power; First Union Corporation; Gwinnett County Government; Hibernia National Bank; Holiday Inn Worldwide; Home Depot; International Paper; InTuition, Inc.; Michelin North America Tire Co.; NationsBanc Services, Inc.; Southern Company Services; SouthTrust Data Services; and SunTrust Service Corporation.

The EIIP was a presenter in the 1998 SALEMDUG Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia, April 22-24. In addition to participating in the official program, the EIIP Virtual Forum hosted a "live from" broadcast from the exhibition area to give our Wednesday audience a taste of the SALEMDUG Conference, its attendees and topics covered (see our Live Chat Archive for the transcript). Amy Sebring, EIIP Technical Projects Coordinator, and Avagene Moore were responsible for the formal EIIP session and the interactive portion of the Wednesday Virtual Forum live dialogue.

The EIIP Virtual Forum continues to bring timely, informative discussions to emergency professionals on the Internet. Login each Tuesday, 1:00 PM EDT, for an informal Brown Bag discussion/help desk session; every Wednesday at 12:00 Noon EDT for a formal moderated online dialogue with various experts from academia, business, government and voluntary associations/NGOs; and Thursday evenings Round Table, 8:00 PM EDT, boasts an informal discussion of a timely topic led by a Guest Host. May's schedule for the Wednesday sessions in the Virtual Forum are as follows:

May 1998 - Wednesdays - 12:00 Noon EST

May 6 - Dr. Louise Comfort, University of Pittsburgh, presents a paper in the Virtual Library, "An Interactive, Intelligent, Spatial Information System for Disaster Management: A Community Model;"

May 13 - Dr. Wayne Blanchard, FEMA EMI, discusses FEMA's Higher Education Initiative in the Virtual Classroom;

May 20 - Since May is "Older Americans Month," the EIIP Panel Room presents several experts discuss the special needs and considerations of our older citizens and the relationship to emergency management; and

May 27 - James Bowen, Sitrep 2000 (formerly Apex-M), will demonstrate planning and incident coordination software in the Tech Arena.

To login for any of the sessions: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/formchat.htm

To receive further information and event reminders via email, subscribe to the EIIP mailing list:
http://www.mail.speccomm.com:81/guest/RemoteListSummary/EIIP

The following submitted the agreement form to become formal Partners and are listed on the EIIP Virtual Forum web site, with links to Websites if available. Each Point of Contact (POC) has been welcomed to the EIIP and encouraged to become an active participant and worker in the Partnership:

Allegany County Emergency Management POC: J. E. Smith, Director (acema@allconet.org)

CERL, Inc., Environmental Consulting Field Sciences Institute - Environmental, Health & Safety Training POC: Michael S. Curtis, President or Robert W. Weeks, PhD (mcurtis@execpc.com)

Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) POC: Tom Durham, Executive Director (eqdurham@aol.com)

City of Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Division POC: Anna M. Day (aday@cao.ci.la.ca.us)

Cote Saint-Luc EMS Department POC: Hal Newman, Director (Newmanha@mail.cum.qc.ca)

Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Association (DERA) POC: Bascombe J. Wilson, Executive Director (n3dak@ix.netcom.com)

DXtra, Inc. POC: Robert T. Griffin, Jr., President & CEO (info@dxtra.com)

Emergency Management Associates POC: Ron Brittan, Managing Associate (ronbrittan@aol.com)

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) POC: Leon K. Shaifer, Deputy Director (shaifer@mema.state.ms.us)

Ohio Emergency Management Agency POC: Keven Clouse, Regional Coordinator- SW Region (swczar@aol.com)

Pacific Grove Fire Department POC: Dr. Russell C. Coile, CEM, Emergency Program Manager (russell@coile.com)

University of Richmond, VA - School of Continuing Studies POC: Walter G. Green, III (n0psb@aol.com)

Interested in joining the EIIP? New Partners are welcome; Partnership Criteria and Agreement Form may be found at the following URL: http://www.emforum.org/partners/criteria.htm

Opening Day of the Virtual Fire and Rescue Expo (VFRE) is May 3!

Virtual Fire & Rescue Expo, the world's first major interactive Web-based conference for the global online fire and rescue community, will hold its second conference at this site May 3-17, 1998. Established in 1997 by National Fire & Rescue magazine and WCES, VFRE was modeled after site-based trade conferences, offering a full slate of interactive educational workshops from credentialed speakers from across the United States, a virtual exhibit hall featuring multimedia exhibits by vendors of products and services, door prizes, live chat workshops and socials, and lots more. Unlike other trade conferences for the fire service, however, you can travel to this conference at no charge through the World Wide Web. Attendance is FREE, and our exhibit halls and workshops will be open to visitors round the clock during the conference.

VFRE's live chat schedule is set for Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Deduct one hour if you live in the Central time zone, two hours if you live in the Mountain time zone and three hours if you live in the Pacific time zone. Be sure to check the chat schedule in the VFRE Workshop Chat Hall (http://www.vfre.com) for any changes and updates when the conference begins. Please see the VFRE site for full 2-week schedule; May 3 schedule is below --- Please note the EIIP Virtual Forum session at 4:30 PM EDT, when we will be demonstrating the use of the Virtual Tour feature of the eShare chat software.

Sunday, May 3

Noon-1:30 PM (EDT): Pat West, Managing Editor, and Monty Gearhart, National Fire & Rescue magazine, VFRE Opening & Orientation.

1:30-2 PM (EDT): Keynote Address: Kay C. Goss, CEM, Associate Director, Preparedness, Training & Exercises Directorate (PTE), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), "Using the Internet & Other Technological Resources to Enhance Integrated Emergency Management."

2:30-4:15 PM (EDT): Bob Fletcher, Director, State and Local Preparedness Division, PTE, Federal Emergency Management Agency.

4:30-6:30 PM (EDT): Avagene Moore, CEM, Coordinator, Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP), and Amy Sebring, EIIP Technical Projects Coordinator, "Networking and Information Sharing Opportunities through EIIP."

Vice President Al Gore launched the first backbone in the Internet2 project, connecting universities across the country to one of the fastest computer networks in history. Using a fiber-optic network provided by telecommunications firm Qwest Communications and routers, switches, hubs, and other equipment from Cisco Systems and Northern Telecom, today marked the beginning of Internet2. The new IP-based backbone, referred to as Abilene, should begin full operating by the end of 1998. The new backbone will tie into other high-speed networks currently being used for research purposes. Funded with nearly $500 million in private investments, the Internet2 project will eventually replace the current Internet with one radically faster and more reliable. First to be used by universities and educational institutions, the new network could bring to fruition dreams of remote surgeries and instant access to volumes and volumes of information. The new high-speed networks could be made available to the public within three years or less.

As the International Decade for Natural Disaster Relief (IDNDR) moves towards its last year, DMIT'98 aims to bring together the large number of researchers from academia, business and public services who have been working on aspects of risk evaluation and disaster mitigation. The conference is aimed at people from all aspects of the field to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and closer integration of activities. The contribution information technology can make to the area is of special interest. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Forecasting tools and models
• Risk evaluation tools
• Decision Support Systems
• Training and information systems
• Visualisation tools
• Automated data collection
• Automated Warning Systems
• GIS
• IT supported collaboration
• Business Risk Models
• Risk education of populations

For more information, contact Dr. Soren-Aksel Sorensen at: S.Sorensen@cs.ucl.ac.uk or http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/S.Sorensen/

Students, volunteers, and AmericCorps members in the San Francisco Bay spent Spring Break helping to make the homes of Oakland residents more resistant to damage from earthquakes and other disasters. The volunteers visited more than 300 housing units and implemented mitigation measures such as weather-proofing doors and windows, strapping water heaters to walls and taking inventories of heavy objects to make sure that in an earthquake they would not fall and block exits or cause injuries.

The students, volunteers and AmeriCorps members are part of Project Impact's Spring Break '98, a collaboration between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Corporation for National Service (CNS). CNS, which administers AmeriCorps, is a public-private partnership that engages 1.2 million citizens in service to communities. Its mission is to lower the economic and human costs of disasters. There currently are seven Project Impact communities in the U.S. FEMA's goal is to have at least one disaster-resistant community in each state by September.

http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/textindex.html
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquakes site includes information on recent earthquakes, earthquake facts and information, maps and lists of earthquakes, information on earthquake research, and hazard and preparedness planning suggestions.

http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/
The World Data Center For Seismology the NEIC determines the location and size of all destructive earthquakes that occur worldwide and disseminates this information immediately to concerned national and international agencies, scientists, and the general public. Additionally, the NEIC collects and provides to scientists and to the public an extensive seismic database that serves as a solid foundation for scientific research, principally through the operation of modern digital national and global seismograph networks and through cooperative international agreements.

http://civeng.carleton.ca/cgi-bin2/quakes
Provided to the public by the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), this site contains up to the second information on recent quakes including date, time, latitude, longitude, city/country, and magnitude. Additionally, locations are provided on a map of the world. You may be surprised by how many minor quakes occur near you.

http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/documents/
The Americans With Disabilities Document Center offers a variety of information for those interested in ADA statutes and regulations, ADAAG (Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines), Federally Reviewed Checksheets and other useful documents.

Organizational & Issue Updates from EIIP Partners

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)Update:

Allegany County, MD, Designated Project Impact Pilot Community - Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director James Lee Witt, accompanied by local, state and federal officials, toured key local sites preceding a formal signing ceremony designating Allegany County, MD, as one of seven national Project Impact pilot communities. Project Impact pilot communities are committed to bringing private and public partners together to build disaster resistant communities and to serve as a model for the rest of the country.

Revised Flood Insurance Booklet Available - FEMA has announced it has published a new version of Answers To Questions About The National Flood Insurance Program. The 63-page booklet, last updated in 1987, is designed to provide the public with basic information about flood insurance and how to obtain it. The new version reflects changes mandated by the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994, which increased coverage ceilings, extended the waiting period before new policies become effective and strengthened lender compliance rules, among other provisions. Copies of Answers To Questions About The National Flood Insurance Program (FIA-2/November 1997, Inventory # 084) may be ordered by contacting the FEMA Distribution Facility, 8231 Stayton Drive, Jessup, Md. 20794; Telephone: 1-800-480-2520; Fax: (301) 497-6378. The full text is also available on FEMA's Internet site http://www.fema.gov/nfip/

FEMA Launches New Flood Insurance Ads - A new series of commercials began on April 27 on network and cable television and ads in consumer magazines to remind Americans that almost everyone needs flood insurance. Sponsored by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which makes flood insurance available to property owners in communities that adopt and enforce regulations designed to reduce future flood losses, the campaign is tied to FEMA's nationwide effort known as Project Impact: Building a Disaster-Resistant Community.

* * * *

International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM, formerly NCCEM):

Virtual Board Meeting in EIIP Partner Room - IAEM Board members met in their first online virtual board meeting on April 30 in the Virtual Forum. The meeting was chaired by Randall Duncan, IAEM President. The IAEM Board was pleased with the ease of the Virtual Forum software and how effectively they were able to conduct their business. A transcript of the meeting proceedings is an additional benefit of using the Virtual Forum chat capability, making a much easier task for the administrative staff. Please note and be looking for IAEM's new logo which was recently designed and adopted in keeping with their new name.

* * * *

May 7, 1998: So, You Think It Can't Happen To You? Think Again! in Anaheim, CA.
This session is designed to provide a step-by-step approach to the development of a comprehensive information contingency plan for any organization. Attendees will be instructed on how to develop a written plan to reduce the possibility or minimize the consequences of any disaster, large or small. Numerous practical ideas will be presented using a variety of "real life" case study examples. For more information, contact Steve Gray at World Vision International (steve_gray@wvi.org).

May 26-27, 1998: Hazards and Sustainability: Contemporary Issues in Risk Management (Center for Risk & Crisis Management, Durham University Business School, Mill Hill Lane, Durham City, DH1 3LB, UK). The conference aims to raise managerial awareness to the nature of risk and environmental sustainability and explore Issues involved risk perception and hazard identification, the management of risk and crisis/disaster prevention and recovery. Contact Eve Coles (E.L.Coles@durham.ac.uk).

June 22-25, 1998: International Conference on Modeling Geographical and Environmental Systems with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Hong Kong. Includes sessions on natural hazards. Organizers: Department of Geography, The Chinese
University of Hong Kong and others. Contact: Conference Secretariat, Department of Geography, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, (geo-conf@cuhk.edu.hk) or http://www.geo.cuhk.edu.hk/geo-conf.

August 24-26, 1998: Association of Contingency Planners International Symposium in Breckenridge, CO. Workshops and topics include: Emergency Planning, Planning and Recovery Issues, Voice and Telecommunications, Business Continuity, Security and Building Issues, Mainframe/Client Server Recovery, Risk Assessment, and Natural Hazards. Contact: Linda Haag, 1998 ACP Symposium, P.O. Box 3943, Englewood, CO 80155-3943; (303) 768-4369 or http://www.acp-crmc-colorado.com.

September 4-6, 1998: Disaster and After: An International Conference on the Practicalities of Information Service in Times of War and Other Catastrophes in Bristol, U.K. Contact: Philip Thomas, 25 Bromford Gardens, Westfield Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, U.K (pzdt@btinternet.com) or at http://www.la-hq.org.uk/conf.htm.

ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO CHAT

http://www.lhj.com
Ladies' Home Journal and the American Dietetic Association have teamed up to bring bonus diet features, including an LHJ-ADA Chat, where you can talk to ADA nutrition coaches about your diet concerns; a special email service that puts you in touch with a diet coach after the chat; plus lots more tips to help you meet your nutrition and weight-loss goals. Visit LHJ Online details, dates and times.

100 GREATEST MOTION PICTURE SEQUENCES OF ALL TIME

http://www.geocities.com/~100best/100great.htm

As the year 2000 approaches and we reflect back on a century of filmmaking achievements, this site celebrates the things we tend to remember most about the movies. These are timeless film moments, scenes that remain in our minds long after we leave the theater. Each sequence has a commentary and images from the sequence. These film moments are sometimes so powerful they overwhelm even the movie themselves, and become what we truly remember when we think of the magic of the movies.

We encourage readers to submit articles for this newsletter about use of the Internet for emergency management and other aspects of information technology. Deadline for contributions is the 20th of each month for that month's newsletter. Submit contributions to Ashley Streetman, (astreetman@emforum.org).