EMERGENCY PARTNER POSTINGS

Volume 4, No. 7

March 2000

EIIP Progress
As a nonprofit corporation, the EIIP is proud to announce that EIIP Corporation Bylaws were approved by its Board of Directors in February, Officers were elected, and all necessary paperwork has been completed and submitted as appropriate. These impressive accomplishments are due to the interest and time given by the individuals who serve on the EIIP Board. The EIIP Board conducts all business online via the Virtual Forum.

The EIIP Board of Directors and Officers are:
Dr. Louise Comfort, Chair of the Board of Directors, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA;
Avagene Moore, President, Lawrenceburg, TN;
Amy Sebring, Vice President, Corpus Christi, TX;
Claire Rubin, Secretary, EPA, GWU, Arlington, VA;
David Butler, Financial Officer, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO;
Brent Woodworth, IBM, Woodland Hills, CA; and
Myra Thompson Lee, Oregon Emergency Management, Salem, OR.

Student intern, Dawn Weise, is working with the EIIP Board of Directors to assist with minutes and other administrative work. Dawn is a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; UTC is an active EIIP Partner.

EIIP Road Trip
On behalf of the EIIP, Amy Sebring attended a one day workshop in Houston, February 2nd, to learn about the Technology Opportunities Program grant process, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The EIIP is considering submitting a grant proposal to carry forward its goals and objectives. While attending the workshop, a new initiative to bridge the "digital divide" was announced by the White House, which includes a budget request for additional future funding for the grant program. See the February 2nd Press Release for further information regarding this initiative.

RRBDIN Update
The Red River Basin Disaster Information Network hosted a February 24 online workshop to discuss the current status of the International Joint Commission / International Red River Basin Task Force's Final Recommendations Report. The featured speaker was Bob Halliday, RRB Task Force Member, President, R Halliday & Associates, Saskatoon, Canada.

After devastating floods in the Red River basin in 1997, the governments of Canada and the United States asked the International Joint Commission (IJC) to investigate the causes and effects of flooding in the basin and to provide them with an interim report by the end of 1997. On December 31, 1997, the IJC reported the interim measures that should be undertaken to prepare for possible floods in the short-term. The Task Force reported on actions taken in July 1998 and updated a summary in April 1999. The IJC Task Force will release its draft final report soon, including final recommendations. Mr. Halliday provided the current status of the report and the process expected from this point forward.

The RRBDIN is sponsored by the International Joint Commission, the Global Disaster Information Network, and the Red River Basin Board with support by the EIIP. Workshop transcripts and related materials are available via the Web site. http://www.emforum.org/redriver/

Wednesdays - 12:00 Noon EST:
March 1: Virtual Library - Open For Business: A Disaster Planning Toolkit for the Small Business Owner, with Herbert Mitchell, Deputy Associate Administrator, SBA, and Diana McClure, Assistant Vice President, IBHS.

March 8: Virtual Classroom - The NWS StormReady Program, with John Ogren, Program Manager, NWS. (See feature article below.)

March 15: Special Event in the Student Lounge - Second Annual Spring Break Student Day!

March 22: Virtual Forum - Co-opting Customer Competence: What Are the Implications for Emergency Management? group discussion.

March 29: Tech Arena - SALEMDUG Technology Certification Program with Preston Cook, SALEMDUG President, and Walter Green, University of Richmond (VA).

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 (see http://www.emforum.org/partners/partic.htm). Each Point of Contact (POC) has been welcomed to the EIIP and encouraged to become an active participant and worker in the Partnership:

Global Emergency Response: POC Tom Robinson, Chief Administrator, International Liaison, liaison@usa.com

Michigan State Police/Emergency Management Division: POC Mark H Wesley, Government/Public Affairs Officer, wesleym@state.mi.us

Disaster Recovery Yellow Pages: POC Steven Lewis, President, DRYP@javanet.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

by Amy Sebring
asebring@emforum.org

States around the nation have either observed Severe Weather Awareness Week during the latter part of February or will be during March. (See http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/svrawar/sw_stats.htm for a state by state calendar of observance dates.) The recent tornado disaster in Georgia highlights how vulnerable we remain to this threat, particularly when tornadoes strike at night. In order for a warning system to work, the message must be delivered and the recipient must know what to do, so development of warning systems must go hand in hand with a community education program.

One way to make this direct connection is to include examples of in-home warning devices in your outreach, especially in activities geared around the Severe Weather Week observation. According to a recent press release "The NWS released statistics this week showing three nighttime tornadoes since 1998 have claimed nearly 100 lives. According to the NWS, between 85 to 95 percent of Americans can receive NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts, however only 5 to 10 percent actually own a NOAA Weather Radio." The press release also mentions Operation Warn," an initiative to make available 100,000 specially-priced NOAA Weather Radios to Oklahoma City area residents by the end of 2002."

We will be observing Severe Weather Awareness week in the EIIP on Wednesday, March 8, with a session devoted to the new NWS StormReady program, which is being rolled out this week in Norman, Oklahoma, home of the Storm Prediction Center. This is a program whereby a community can earn an official "StormReady" designation by meeting sets of criteria customized to the size of the community. Warning capability is a key feature of this program, as is trained storm spotters. The goals and potential benefits of the program are presented in an overview page. Please join us in our observation as we present John Ogren, Program Manager, to explain the program and respond to your questions.

March '00 EENet Schedule:
March 1, 2:00 PM EST: Learning Again, "Safe Room"
March 8, 2:00 PM EST: A Case Study on Critical Incident Stress Management
March 15, 2:00 PM EST: National Alert Broadcast, FEMA video magazine
March 22, 2:00 PM EST: Managing Stress Threats: A Comprehensive Approach
March 29, 2:00 PM EST: "Around the Table" in Emmitsburg (new series)

For a description of each of these programs and broadcast information,
visit the EENet Web site: http://www.fema.gov/home/emi/eenet.htm .

HAZMAT 2000 Spills Prevention Conference
The HAZMAT 2000 Spills Prevention Conference will be held April 4-6 in St. Louis, MO, at the Regal Riverfront Hotel. Get the latest information on chemical accident prevention, counter-terrorism and special event planning, the risk management program (RMP), risk communication, the comprehensive hazardous materials emergency response capability assessment program (CHER-CAP), states and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, methamphetamines and clandestine drug labs, integrated contingency plans, ammonia refrigeration awareness training, and Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) training. Visit Web site at http://www.nrt.org/hazmat2000, call 703-934-3760, e-mail: hazmat2000@nrt.org

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Update:

Project Impact Expands to Almost 200 Communities: Since FEMA began Project Impact in October 1997, the federal disaster agency has enlisted the partnership of all states and territories, more than 1,000 business partners, and provided technical assistance and a small amount of seed money to Project Impact communities to give them the tools to support their actions to make themselves disaster resistant. For a complete list of Project Impact communities and for more information about this disaster prevention initiative please visit to the Project Impact section. http://www.fema.gov/impact/

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International Association of Emergency Managers Update:

IAEM Working to Support HR 2588: IAEM is working with the office of Congressman Bud Cramer (D-AL) to collect data to support HR.2588. He introduced this bill to ensure that emergency management professionals receive death and disability benefits if they die or become disabled in the line of duty.

The specific information that is needed is how many people in the emergency management community have either died or been permanently disabled in the line of duty over the last 5 years.

Please forward any data to Iaem@aol.com by March 15. Include the subject's name, city/state, date and type of injury, and what type of disaster was involved. Congressman Cramer has had a long standing friendship with the Emergency Management Community and he is committed to ensuring that our needs are met in the future.

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American Red Cross (ARC) Update:

ARC Announces "Implementer's Awards": The ARC continues its work on finalizing its "Masters of Disaster" curriculum that will help teachers accomplish learning objectives in science, math, social studies and languages arts through natural hazards, and, in general, family disaster preparedness. For more information, see http://www.redcross.org/disaster/masters.

Applications for "Implementer's Awards" that will enable 30 communities in the U.S. get a jump-start on using the curriculum in schools this fall are now available to Red Cross chapters. (Chapters can get the application in Disaster Services Connection #96.) Awards will be given to 30 teams composed of a local Red Cross representative and a school district partner to receive expenses-paid training on how to use and market the curriculum. In addition, each team's local Red Cross chapter will receive up to 25 free copies of the curriculum, a $500 grant to obtain expendable teaching supplies, and ongoing support to enhance implementation throughout the school year. Red Cross chapters are urged to work with local school administration partners to complete and return applications to Red Cross National Headquarters by April 14, 2000. Questions? Email: curric@usa.redcross.org.

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State and Local Emergency Management Data Users Group (SALEMDUG) Update:

SALEMDUG Updates Web Site and Announces Technology Certification Program:
Although still under construction and revision, the SALEMDUG Web site may be viewed at a new location http://www.salemdug.org. SALEMDUG will be featured in the EIIP Virtual Forum on Wednesday March 29 to discuss their new Technology Certification Program.

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Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) Update:

ASFPM Seeks Mitigation Success Stories: The Association of State Floodplain Managers Mitigation Committee is searching for information and photographs for the 2000 edition of "Mitigation Success Stories in the United States" (see the ASFPM Web site http://www.floods.org for this year's edition). Format for entries in the compendium is 1) background, 2) description, 3) benefits, 4) cost, and 5) funding sources. Submissions should be succinct (a couple of pages or less) and should be illustrated with photos or other graphics, if possible. Send submissions as an attached Word file to ASFPM Mitigation Committee Co-Chair, Mark Matulik, e-mail: mark.matulik@state.co.us. The deadline is March 31, 2000.

ASFPM Conference brochure for Austin, TX, June 18-23, 2000, is available in PDF format at http://www.floods.org/aushome.htm.

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Disaster Recovery Yellow Pages (DRYP) Update:

New Partner Begins Shipments of New 9th Edition of the DRYP: The updated, "New Century/2000" 9th Edition of the Disaster Recovery Yellow Pages(tm), by The Systems Audit Group, Inc. is a 350-page, comprehensive sourcebook designed to help users locate scores of crucial but hard-to-find recovery services throughout the United States and Canada. The reference contains five comprehensive sections, covering restoration services, mobile buildings, computer and emergency equipment, planning and data recovery software, as well as training publications, videos, and an alphabetical listing of companies for ease in locating a vendor without knowing an address.

The Disaster Recovery Yellow Pages(tm) also includes a tutorial on areas which are frequently overlooked when preparing disaster recovery plans, as well as hints on "getting started" and preparing a disaster plan. The DRYP comes in a three-ring binder, for ease in adding sources which individual users have gathered that are unique to their own circumstances. The price is US$98 per copy, plus US$3 for shipping and handling. Regular updates are available. To obtain a free brochure, or to order The Disaster Recovery Yellow Pages(tm), contact Steven Lewis, President, V: 617-332-3496, FAX: 617-332-4358, E-mail: DRYP@Javanet.com or see http://www.DISASTER-HELP.com .

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"Emergency Partner Postings" is a monthly update on progress of the partnership, activities, and services available through Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP) Virtual Forum web site, other electronic sources of information, and articles of interest concerning awareness and use of information technology. The news will be posted on the web site the last week of each month.

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 Lori Wieber, lwieber@emforum.org.

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