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[The following appeared on the new wind hazards e-mail list - wind_haz_mit@egroups.com (see DR #281)]
We at the State of Connecticut Office of Emergency Management are
doing some hurricane preparedness planning. We are interested in
gathering any studies done on loss of strength and wind speed once a
hurricane makes landfall and moves inland. We're particularly
interested in using a Category 3 storm as our model, but any info on
any type of hurricane would be appreciated. If anyone knows of
anything, could you please inform me?
Thanks.
Greg Chiara
gchiara.ctoem@juno.com
For years, changes in occupation and moves to other cities didn't change my interest in emergency management (from different perspectives) or my readership of the Disaster Research newsletter.
Now that my theoretical work on the application of distributed information management systems for emergency management in cities at the University of Magdeburg is completed, I'm with the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) in Magdeburg since January 1999. Here, fields of competency are geographic information systems, simulation (especially distributed simulation) and (inter-)networking; being my field of interest for many years now, I would like to foster their application for emergency management applications (with focus on environmental and information/ communication/co-ordination support issues).
The Fraunhofer IFF is engaged in applied research and development as an independent institute of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. in Munich. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is a nonprofit organization and finances necessary precompetitive research predominantly by public research programs.
Therefore, we are looking for international partners from research, industry, education, and public authorities for emergency management related-research, development, and application projects.
For further information please contact me, Ulrich Klein, at
Fraunhofer-Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF
Sandtorstrasse 22
39106 Magdeburg
Germany
Tel.: +49-(0)391/67-18849
Fax: +49-(0)391/67-12644
E-mail: uklein@iff.fhg.de
Last summer, Congress passed the National Drought Policy Act (P.L. 105-199 - see DR #264), which, among other things, established a National Drought Policy Commission. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) chartered that commission on January 4 and will provide administrative support for the group. The purpose of the commission is to provide advice and recommendations on the creation of an integrated, coordinated federal policy designed to prepare for and respond to serious drought emergencies. The USDA is currently soliciting nominations for commission members. Comments are requested as well on categories of membership and duties of the commission. Written nominations must be received before February 11, 1999. Nominations should describe and document the proposed member's qualifications for membership. The USDA seeks a diverse group of members representing a broad spectrum of persons interested in national drought policy.
Nominations should be sent to Leona Dittus, Executive Director, National Drought Policy Commission, USDA, Farm Service Agency, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 6701 South Building, STOP 0501, Washington, DC 20250-0501. For further information contact Leona Dittus at the address above or call (202) 720-3168.
The U.S. Weather Research Program (USWRP) is an interagency effort supporting the research and technology development needed to improve weather services. The overarching USWRP objective is to improve the specificity, accuracy, and reliability of weather forecasts for disruptive, high-impact weather. The program has established as its initial focus a coordinated effort to determine the "best practicable mix" of observations, data assimilation schemes, and forecast models for operations beyond the year 2000. The National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) all participate in the USWRP.
The USWRP is currently soliciting research proposals for FY 99. Although the program's principal focus is the physical sciences, behavioral, economic, and societal research will be supported as well. The six major areas of social science emphasis are:
Questions concerning the USWRP should be directed to Dr. William Hooke, Director, U.S. Weather Research Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, HCHB, Room 5835, Washington, DC 20230; (202) 482-5419; fax: (202) 482-4636; e-mail: william.hooke@noaa.gov; WWW: http://uswrp.mmm.ucar.edu/uswrp.html.
[These are some of the latest and more useful Internet resources we've encountered. For an extended list of selected Internet sites dealing with hazards and disaster management, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html.]
http://www.fema.gov/EMI/edu/higher.htm
One of the goals of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) is to encourage increased emergency management-related
education in colleges and universities across the United States. To
further this end, FEMA's Emergency Management Institute, Higher
Education Project has created an annotated list of colleges,
universities, and institutions offering emergency management courses
at various levelsþfrom certificate to graduate degree programs.
Additionally, the project has developed its own outline of a potential
emergency management curriculum and is working with a variety of
institutions to develop these courses; the project recently issued a
third course in this series - The Political and Policy Basis of
Emergency Management. It is also maintaining a working draft of an
emergency management bibliography for anyone developing hazards or
emergency management-related courses.
Complete information about the project, the courses developed so far, and all the related materials are available at the URL above. Questions concerning the Higher Education Project can be addressed to Wayne Blanchard, FEMA, NETC/EMI, Building N, Room 430, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; (301) 447-1262; fax: (301) 447-1598; e-mail: wayne.blanchard@fema.gov
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/programs/emergenc/prevent/prev_em.htm
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National
Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) has issued several on-line
Prevention Guides to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety Before,
During, and After Emergencies and Disasters in both English and
Spanish. The guides in English cover earthquakes, extreme cold,
extreme heat, floods, and hurricanes. Only the flood and hurricane
guides are currently available in Spanish. The earthquake guide, to
take one example, covers general information about earthquakes, how to
prepare for a quake, inspection of a home for possible hazards, what
to do during and after an earthquake, and issues concerning people
with special needs. It includes several checklists, including
suggested first aid and survival kits for the home, automobile, and
workplace.
http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/flood/home.htm
The North Dakota State University Extension Service offers this
thorough Web section entitled Coping with Floods, which covers
resources for homeowners and family members and discusses both how to
prepare for flooding and steps to take after a flood. It includes
detailed information on everything from assessing damaged electrical
systems and appliances to dealing with financial concerns.
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/013tornado/index.html
The mission of the Why Files is to "explore the issues of
science, math, and technology that lurk behind the headlines of the
day." Founded in 1996 as a project of the National Institute for
Science Education with support from the National Science Foundation
and produced by the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin,
the files include this section, which provides background information
on tornadoes, including an explanation of these phenomena and
information on prediction, personal protection, and tornado effects on
the natural landscape.
http://www.bluekey.co.uk/gcuk
Green Cross UK (see DR #226) has launched this new web site,
which features regular updates on the Environmental Response Network
(ERN), a resource of environmental information and expertise regarding
disasters. The main objectives of the ERN are:
http://www.naem.com/connection.html
The Connection Newsletter (see DR #270) comprises articles by
people involved in community disaster preparedness on a daily basis.
Its aim is to share good ideas about civilian disaster preparedness
programs. The first edition provides background information and a
sampling of exiting programs from around the country.
[The Natural Hazards Center lists Y2K sites that might be helpful for emergency managers on its Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html]
http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mks/yr2000/y2khome.htm
http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mks/yr2000/cioy2k.htm
U.S. Federal Government's Gateway for Year 2000 Information
Directory and the companion CIO Council Committee on Year 2000
Information Directory provide access to abundant information on both
policy and recommended actions to deal with this looming problem.
http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/y2k.html
The American Red Cross has taken the lead in providing concrete
suggestions to local citizens about how they can prepare for Y2K. The
agency has updated its Y2K Web page with a revised preparedness
brochure and a new "Frequently Asked Questions" area.
http://www.lawsonline.com/bulletin.htm
Another useful Y2K Web site is the Lawcheck Bulletin - the
latest issue of which is entitled Y2K and You. Lawcheck has
researched state government home pages to determine which states have
addressed the Y2K problem, and the bulletin lists Y2K Web pages with
Y2K office contact information for all 50 states. The organization
also gathered an assortment of "the most reliable, useful, and
informative" Y2K-related links and has grouped them into the following
categories: State Governments, FAQs & Glossaries, Articles, Humor,
Small Business, Telecommunications, Utilities, Finance, Education,
Medical, Correctional Facilities, Transportation, Legal, Insurance,
Local Governments, Federal Government, The White House, and Home Use.
http://www.davislogic.com
Interested Net surfers might also look at the DavisLogic site,
which contains much Y2K information including a "Y2K Emergency
Management Page" (http://www.davislogic.com/emergncy.htm [note: no "n"
in emergncy]).
http://www.y2k.state.wi.us/
The Wisconsin Department of Administration offers a useful Y2K
Web page, which includes Countdown 2000: A Handbook for Local
Governments and Schools; an electronic newsletter, The Countdown
Gazette; and a lot of other information on individual, state agency,
local government, and business preparedness for Y2K.
Introduction to Mitigation (IS-393) is now available through the FEMA's Emergency Management Institute Independent Study Program. The course provides an introduction for those who are new to emergency management and/or mitigation. It explains the rationale for mitigation and its function as a component of emergency management; defines the principles, purposes, and priorities of mitigation; describes the mitigation measures that apply to local hazards; summarizes responsibilities and resources; and outlines mitigation planning considerations. Interested persons can enroll electronically via the FEMA Home Page, http://www.fema.gov. For more information, call Roxanne Gray, (608) 242-3211, or Linda McDermott, (608) 242-3214.
The Open GIS Consortium (OGC) is a tax-exempt group whose mission is to promote the development and use of open standards and techniques in geoprocessing and related information technologies. OGC now includes a special interest group addressing the needs of the disaster management community for geospatial information and decision support technology. This initiative by OGC reflects recent studies arguing that improved effectiveness in disaster management can only be achieved with better tools for the exchange and use information. The group has recently produced a white paper that describes its mission and is currently offering for review a workplan and discussion paper regarding future work to address the needs of the disaster management community. These materials, contact information, and related documents are available at the group's Web site: http://www.opengis.org/disaster/.
The special interest group plans to meet six times this year in various locations around the globe. Through these meetings, it will solicit input from and determine geoprocessing problems and needs among the disaster management community. If necessary, the group will make recommendations regarding both revisions to existing standards and possible demonstration projects to test potential solutions. Persons interested in these issues and/or desiring more information about the upcoming meetings should contact Lance McKee, Open GIS Consortium, Inc., 35 Main Street, Suite 5, Wayland, MA 01778-5037; (508) 655-5858; fax: (508) 655-2237; e-mail: lmckee@opengis.org; WWW: http://www.opengis.org/disaster/index.htm.
The Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP) recently released its schedule of Internet presentations for February. To monitor these discussions or participate, on the World Wide Web go to http://www.emforum.org, create a user account and password, and follow the simple instructions. If you have questions, contact Avagene Moore, e-mail: amoore@emforum.org -or- Amy Sebring, e-mail: asebring@emforum.org.
Tuesday Roundtable Discussions (1:00 p.m. EST):
Wednesday Presentations (12:00 noon EST):
Some upcoming broadcasts from EENET, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Education Network:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced its schedule for regional Y2K Preparation and Consequence Management Workshops to be held around the nation (see DR #281, item #4). In addition to FEMA officials, participants will include state and local emergency managers, state fire marshals, state Y2K coordinators and regional representatives of key federal agencies. The workshops will provide a forum where the emergency management and fire services communities can discuss initial Y2K compliance assessments, potential consequences of Y2K disruptions, and the coordination of necessary responses among local, state and federal responders. The regional workshops will pave the way for a national-level Y2K consequence management exercise to be held in Washington, D.C., in June. The upcoming workshops include:
We recently received a catalog from the American Society of Civil Engineers and happily noted that ASCE offers several courses that address natural hazards, including "FEMA National Flood Insurance Program," "Applications in Storm Water Management," "Municipal Stormwater Management," "Seismic Design and Performance of Pipelines," "Earthquake Induced Ground Motions," "Seismic Design and Performance of Building Structures," and "Wind Loads for Buildings and Other Structures." For details about these and other ASCE continuing education courses, contact ASCE, Continuing Education, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400; 1-800-548-2723; fax: (703) 295- 6144; e-mail: conted@asce.org.
In the previous DR, we announced several new Quick Response reports available from the Hazards Center Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr.html.
Unfortunately (we have no idea how this one happened) we listed
QR Report #111 as Public Health Emergency Response: Evaluation of
Implementation of a New Emergency Management System for Public Health
in the State of Oregon, by Lora S. Werner, Matt Naud, and Anita
Kellogg. Well, that should say State of Georgia (not Oregon).
Sheesh.
Sorry for the confusion.
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has received funds from the National Science Foundation to support travel by U.S. students and young scientists to the IUGG General Assembly in Birmingham, England, July 18-30. Interested persons are encouraged to see the AGU Web site, http://www.agu.org, or contact AGU, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009-1277; (202) 462-6900 or 1-800-966-2481; fax: (202) 328-0566; e-mail: service@agu.org.
[Below are some recent announcements received by the Natural Hazards Center. A comprehensive list of upcoming disaster-related meetings and training is available from our World Wide Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/conf.html]
Weapons of Mass Destruction and Domestic Preparedness: Integrating First Response and Medical Management. Sponsor: Defense Week magazine. Washington, D.C.: March 9-10, 1999. Contact: King Communications Group, Inc., 627 National Press Building, Washington, DC 20045; (202) 662-9710, 1-800-926-5464; fax: (202) 662-9719; e-mail: kingcomm@kingpublishing.com; WWW: http://www.kingpublishing.com.
Year 2000 Contingency Planning and Preparedness for Government. Offered by: International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC). Arlington, Virginia: March 16-17, 1999. Contact: IQPC, 150 Clove Road, P.O. Box 401, Little Falls, NJ 07424-0401; (800) 882-8684 or (973) 256-0211; fax: (973) 256-0205; e-mail: info@iqpc.com; WWW: http://www.iqpc.com. [Note: IQPC offers a series of Y2K seminars for various sectors - health, utilities, local government, business, etc.; see their Web site for details.]
Environmental Issues in Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Response. Host: Green Cross UK. London, U.K.: March 18, 1999. Contact: Green Cross UK, Kingston University - Millennium House, 21 Eden Street, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, KT1 2EE, U.K.; tel: 44 (0) 181 547 8274; fax : 44 (0) 181 547 7789; e-mail: greencross@kingston.ac.uk; WWW: http://www.bluekey.co.uk/gcuk/.
Partnership For Disaster Reduction Program, University Collaborators' Meeting. Idaho Falls, Idaho: March 23, 1999. Sponsor: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. This meeting is open to the public. Contact: Bill Richins; (208) 526-0522; e-mail: wdr@inel.gov. More information on the Partnership for Natural Disaster Reduction is available from http://www.inel.gov/homesaver.
Third Annual West Coast Emergency Medical Symposium: Emergency Care - Diversity in Practice. Palm Springs, California: April 21-23, 1999. Contact: Emergency Medical Symposium; 1-888-367-9119; e-mail: emed@esanetwork.com.
Basic Hazards in the U.S. (HAZUS) Training. Offered by: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Emergency Management Institute (EMI). Emmitsburg, Maryland: April 26-29, 1999. Contact Lillian Virgil, EMI, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; (301) 447-1490.
Retrofitting Flood-Prone Residential Buildings. Offered by: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Emergency Management Institute (EMI). Emmitsburg, Maryland: May 3-7, 1999. Contact Dan Bondroff, EMI, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; (301) 447-1278.
1999 Georgia Governor's Severe Weather Conference. Hosts: Georgia Emergency Management Agency and others. Jekyll Island, Georgia: May 10-12, 1999. Contact: Buzz Weiss or Ken Davis, (404) 635-7000; 1-800- 879-4362.
Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN) Conference. Mexico City:
May 12-15, 1999. Sponsors: Mexican National Government in partnership
with the U.S. State Department and the World Bank. See
http://www.state.gov/www/issues/relief/gdin99.html
or contact Larry Roeder, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street,
N.W., Washington, DC 20520; (202) 647-5070; fax: (202) 647-9722;
e-mail: lroeder@hotmail.com.
Local- and Community-Level Disaster Risk Management. Offered by: Asian Pacific Disaster Management Centre (APDMC). Tagaytay City, Philippines: May 17-28, 1999. Applications are currently being solicited. Contact Sanny Jegillos, APDMC, P.O. Box 1005, Makati Central Post Office, 1250 Makati City, Philippines; tel/fax: (632) 826-0389; mobile phone: (63) 0915-806-4850; e-mail: sannyj@nsclub.net or apdmc@nsclub.net.
Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) Regional Conference. Fort Collins, Colorado: May 19-20. Contact: Bob Glancy; (303) 361-0661/0662; fax: (303) 371-5508 e-mail: Robert.Glancy@noaa.gov.
Community and Family Preparedness Conference. Host: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Community and Family Preparedness Program. Emmitsburg, Maryland, June 8-11, 1999. The organizers are currently soliciting ideas for possible presentations. Contact: Ralph Swisher, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-3561; e-mail: ralph.swisher@fema.gov.
Multihazard Building Design Summer Institute. Offered by: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Emergency Management Institute (EMI). Emmitsburg, Maryland: July 19-23 (earthquake and fire), July 26-30 (flood and wind), 1999. For more information and an on-line registration form, see http://www.fema.gov/emi/mbdsi3.htm. Additional details are available from Joe Bills, EMI, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; e-mail: joe.bills@fema.gov.
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention (CEPP) Conference. Washington, D.C.: September 20-23, 1999. Contact: Al Brown, Conference Director, EPA Region III (3HS33), 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029; (215) 814-3302; fax: (215) 814-3254; e-mail: brown.alan@epa.gov; WWW: http://www.epacepp.com.
Sixth Annual Congress on Natural Hazard Loss Prevention. Sponsor: Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). Memphis, Tennessee: October 27-28, 1999. Contact: IBHS, 175 Federal Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02110; (617) 292-2003; fax: (617) 292-2022; e-mail: info@ibhs.org; WWW: http://www.ibhs.org.
International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Annual Meeting. Louisville, Kentucky: November 13-16, 1999. The organizers have issued a "Call for Presentations"; proposals are due March 10. Contact: IAEM, 111 Park Place, Falls Church, VA 22046-4513; (703) 538-1795; fax: (703) 241- 5603; e-mail: iaem@aol.com; WWW: http://www.iaem.com.
Sixth International Symposium on Land Subsidence (SISOLS 2000). Sponsors: UNESCO, International Association of Hydrological Sciences, and others. Ravenna, Italy: September 25-29, 2000. Abstracts are due June 1, 1999. Contact: Jane Frankenfield Zanin, SISOLS 2000 Secretariat, c/o CNR-ISDGM, San Polo 1364, 30125 Venezia, Italy; tel: +39-041-5216826; fax: +39-041-5216892; e-mail: jane@isdgm.ve.cnr.it.
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