DISASTER RESEARCH 336

December 28, 2000

I am a Deputy Emergency Coordinator (volunteer) for a tri-municipal emergency program in Greater Vancouver, BC, Canada. Our jurisdiction is separated from Vancouver by an inlet and is connected by two bridges; one seismically suspect (though undergoing refit), the other to a lesser degree, but carries the main gas line under the span. The point is, we could easily be isolated from outside assistance in a seismic event or other calamity and we do not have the National Guard or military resources of the U.S.

I have done a basic inventory of ferries, rail carriers, ferry/rail slips, larger charter vessels to complement the two existing passenger ferries, ramp barges, flats and launch facilities, and other resources. I have also identified marinas and yacht clubs on both sides with the thought to establishing a volunteer base to join our jurisdictions' extremes and cross the harbour in a somewhat organized manner, should we be hit by the quakes for which we are overdue.

My question: are any of you aware of jurisdictions that have similar plans or have employed any of these resources in this capacity, or do you have advice from similar projects? I am also interested in marine agency disaster plans.

A net search came up with only one article on ferries assisting in the aftermath of Bay Area quakes.

Thanks in advance,
Mike Andrews
Deputy Emergency Coordinator
North & West Vancouver Emergency Program
E-mail: getset@telus.net

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USGS Officially Joins FEMA's Project Impact

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently signed an agreement to promote mutual activities in support of FEMA's "Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities" initiative - a major national disaster reduction program.

The partnership will enhance federal efforts to improve disaster recovery and mitigation in communities throughout the U.S. Under the new agreement the two agencies will apply science to better understand and prepare for the natural events that cause disasters. The agreement formalizes the strong working relationship that the USGS and FEMA have maintained for more than 20 years. The USGS will provide FEMA with crucial earth science information on natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, wildland fires, and landslides - information crucial to reducing the nation's vulnerability to natural disasters.

More information about this partnership is available from both the USGS and FEMA Web pages: http://www.usgs.gov and http://www.fema.gov. Interested persons can also contact Kathleen K. Gohn, USGS, Office of Communications, 119 National Center, Reston, VA 20192; (703) 648-4242; fax: (703) 648-4466; e-mail: kgohn@usgs.gov.

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New Internet Resources

[These are some Internet resources we've recently discovered. For an extended list of a few of the better Internet sites dealing with hazards, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html]

http://www.fema.gov/library/lib06.htm
Two new planning publications from FEMA, Planning for a Sustainable Future (FEMA 364, the sustainability booklet), and Rebuilding for a More Sustainable Future (FEMA 365, the sustainability guidance) are now posted on the Mitigation Library page of the FEMA Web site at the URL above.

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RFF Offers Postdoc

Resources for the Future (RFF) has announced the continuation of its Gilbert F. White Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, with support available for researchers with doctorate degrees who wish to devote a year to scholarly work in areas related to natural resources, energy, or the environment. Social scientists, as well as natural scientists interested in policy-relevant interdisciplinary research, are encouraged to apply. Fellows will interact closely with RFF staff members, and therefore the applicant's proposed research program should complement RFF work in progress. Fellows receive an annual stipend plus research support and some other expenses. The application deadline for the 2001-2002 fellowships is February 28, 2001. For complete information and an application form, on the World Wide Web see http://www.rff.org/about_rff/white.htm, or contact the Coordinator for Academic Programs, Resources for the Future, 1616 P Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-1400; (202) 328-5060.

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IAEM Bulletin Announces Special Issues, Seeks Articles

The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) has announced that its periodical, the IAEM Bulletin will feature the following special issues in 2001:

February - "Recovery" (fourth of a series), copy due January 10
May - "Emergency Management Education," copy due April 10
July - "Business and Industry," copy due June 10
October - "International Awareness," copy due September 10

Persons wishing to submit an article, suggest a topic, or recommend an author should contact Karen Thompson, IAEM Bulletin editor, e-mail: ksteditor@aol.com. Author guidelines are also available on the IAEM Web site: http://www.iaem.com.

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The January-March '01 EENET Schedule

Below is a list of satellite broadcasts scheduled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Education Network (EENET) (all programs begin at 2:00 pm Eastern time; length varies from 1 to 2 hours.):

January 3
Consequence Management News, Equipment, and Training (CoMNET) Magazine
January 10
Unified Command: Practical Issues - Part II
January 17
National Alert Broadcast (Best of) - FEMA's monthly video magazine on emergency management activities and issues - see the EENET Web page listed below for topics
January 24
Weapons of Mass Destruction - "Live Response"
January 31
"A Conversation with Ken Burris" - A one-hour program based on an extensive interview with FEMA's United States Fire Administration's Chief Operating Officer
February 7
Classroom Connection - "Making Safe Schools"
February 14
Unified Command: Emergency Operating Center (EOC) Focus
February 21
National Alert Broadcast
February 28
Consequence Management News, Equipment, and Training (CoMNET) Magazine
March 7
"Fire Quest 2000" - A game-show-style program taped live at the Virginia Association of Hazardous Materials Response Specialist's Conference - with questions and answers on topics ranging from hazmat and fire to general knowledge
March 14
CHER-CAP - The Lake Havasu City Exercise - The Comprehensive HAZMAT Emergency Response/ Capability Assessment Program (CHER-CAP) is designed to help local communities identify planning deficiencies, work toward a greater understanding of HAZMAT risks, update plans, train responders, and test systems for strengths and needed improvements
March 21
National Alert Broadcast
March 28
Weapons of Mass Destruction - "Live Response"

Note: Satellites and transponders vary for these programs, see the EENET Web site - http://www.fema.gov/emi/eenet.htm - for broadcast details.

Additional broadcasts are frequently added. For the most current listing, or to sign up for regular e-mail updates about EENET events, see the EENET Web Page above.

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Conferences and Training

[Below are some recent announcements received by the Natural Hazards Center. A comprehensive list of upcoming hazards-related meetings and training is available from our World Wide Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/conf.html]

40th Annual Texas Emergency Management Training Conference. Sponsor: Texas Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management. Austin, Texas: February 18-21, 2001. Contact: Emergency Management Training Conference, P.O. Box 4733, Austin, TX 78765; (512) 424-2138; e-mail: conference@txdps.state.tx.us; WWW: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

Biennial Arid West Floodplain Management Conference. Sponsors: New Mexico Floodplain Management Association (NMFMA) and Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM). Albuquerque, New Mexico: February 21-23, 2001. See http://weather.nmsu.edu/nmfma/index.htm; or contact: Les Bond, NMFMA, P.O. Box 531, High Rolls, NM 88325; (505) 682-1359; fax: (505) 682-1369; e-mail: bond@wazoo.com.

Third United States Weather Research Program (USWRP) Symposium: Focus on Hurricane Landfall; in conjunction with the Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference (IHC). USWRP abstracts due January 22 (IHC abstracts due January 5). Orlando, Florida: March 5-9, 2001. Contact: Russ Elsberry, e-mail: elsberry@nps.navy.mil; (831) 656-2373.

Annual Conference of the Illinois Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management. Orland Park, Illinois: March 7-8, 2001. Contact: Mary Lu Wetmore, IAFSM, (708) 747-5273; e-mail: iafsm@aol.com.

Twenty-Seventh Disaster Management Course. Offered by: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). Bangkok, Thailand: March 19-April 6, 2001. Contact: Training and Education Division, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, P. O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand; tel: (66 2) 524-5386/524-5362; fax: (66 2) 524-5350/524-5360; e-mail: tedadpc@ait.ac.th; WWW: http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th.

11th Conference on Contingency Planning, Business Continuation, and Disaster Recovery Using Telecommunications
- and -
First Annual Conference on Employee Security, Workplace Violence, and Protection.
Host: International Disaster Recovery Association (IDRA). Providence, Rhode Island: April 9-12, 2001. Contact: IDRA, c/o BWT Associates, P.O. Box 4515, Shrewsbury, MA 01545; (508) 845-6000; fax: (508) 842- 2585; e-mail: idraconference2000@idra.com; WWW: http://www.idra.com.

2001 National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Conference. Dallas, Texas: April 21-25, 2001. Contact: NDMS, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 360, Rockville, MD 20857; (301) 443-1167 or (800) 872-6367; fax: (301) 443-5146 or (800) 872-5945; e-mail: ndms@usa.net; WWW: http://www.oep-ndms.dhhs.gov.

Avalanches and Related Subjects - II International Conference. Kirovsk, Murmansk region, Russia: September 3-7, 2001. Abstracts due April 1, 2001. Contact: P.Chernous@apatit.com.

Third International Conference on Computer Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation. Organizer: Wessex Institute of Technology. Sintra, Portugal: June 19-21, 2002. Contact: Karen Neal, Wessex Institute of Technology, Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton, SO40 7AA, U.K.; tel: 44 (0) 238 029 3223; fax: 44 (0) 238 029 2853; e-mail: kneal@wessex.ac.uk; WWW: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences.

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