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On EMERS
On HMGP, FMAP Impact Survey
On CAR
Awaiting your response,
Melanie Dillon
Organization of American States
Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment
1889 F Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 458-3695
E-mail: mdillon@oas.org
Kind regards,
Dewald van Niekerk
Disaster Management Centre
Institute for Public Management Development
Technikon Southern Africa
Private Bag X6
Florida
1709
Gauteng
South Africa
Tel: +27 11 471 3538
Fax: +27 11 471 3568
E-mail: dvnieker@tsa.ac.za
WWW: www.tsa.ac.za/dm
The Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services (DoTRS), Bureau of Transport Economics (BTE), and Emergency Management Australia (EMA) are conducting a project to capture the available Australian information on the costs, benefits, and performance of flood disaster mitigation projects. The focus is on both structural and nonstructural flood mitigation projects, with the expectation that the results will be applicable to other risk reduction projects.
We are seeking information from any country or region on cost/benefit analyses of flood mitigation measures. We are interested in both predicted and ex-post (post-disaster) cost/benefit analyses or information.
If you have any such information please contact: Peter Koob, Senior
Education Officer, Australian Emergency Management Institute, Emergency
Management Australia, Mount Macedon, VIC 3441, Australia: tel: +61 (0)3
5421 5283: fax: +61 (0)3 5421 5272; e-mail: peter.koob@defence.gov.au
-or-
Sharyn Kierce, Principle Research Officer, Bureau of Transport Economics,
Department of Transport & Regional Services, GPO Box 501, Canberra, ACT
2601, Australia; tel: +61 (0)2 6274 7176; fax: +61 (0)2 6274 6816;
e-mail: Sharyn.Kierce@dotrs.gov.au.
www.ipcc.ch/
www.meto.gov.uk/sec5/CR_div/ipcc/wg1/ (IPCC Group I)
www.usgcrp.gov/ipcc/ (IPCC Group II)
www.rivm.nl/env/int/ipcc/ (IPCC Group III)
Recognizing the problems posed by potential global climate change,
in 1988 the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP) established the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to assess the scientific, technical, and
socioeconomic information available for understanding the risk posed by
human-induced climate change. The panel has not carried out new research;
it has based its assessment mainly on published and peer-reviewed
scientific technical literature. The IPCC encompasses three working
groups and a task force:
Working Group I's contribution to the IPCC Third Assessment Report is entitled "Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis"; Group II's is "Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability"; and Group III's is "Climate Change 2001: Mitigation." Each working group report is extensive; however, brief summaries intended to provide basic information to policy makers are available from each group's web site.
The complete "Third Assessment Report" will be a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the policy-relevant scientific, technical, and socioeconomic dimensions of climate change, focusing on new findings since the second report in 1995. It will also pay greater attention to the regional (in addition to the global) scale and include non-English literature to the extent possible.
In addition to the reports of the working groups, the IPCC web site (www.ipcc.ch) also offers numerous on-line special reports, including:
www.redcross.org
www.redcross.org/services/disaster/
The newly redesigned Red Cross Web site has been reorganized and
includes a cleaner design and more user-friendly navigation. The disaster
pages are now only one or two clicks away, and the content is organized
into a more intuitive format for the general public. The Red Cross
invites all persons interested in home and business disaster management
to check out the new site.
www.alertnet.org
Well, AlertNet is not a *new* internet resource, but it deserves to
be mentioned again, since, first of all, it is a good resource of
information for organizations involved in disaster response, recovery,
and other forms of assistance, and also because the information provided
changes daily. The site includes articles about current issues and
breaking news; situation reports; feature and opinion articles;
organization, individual, and country profiles; and an "appeal of the
week." AlertNet also hosts on-line discussions and provides databases of
relief resources, jobs, training, and aid supplies. One example of the
useful information provided is a recently posted article by Paul Day on
Mexico's new approach to disaster management - away from a reactive model
to one of increased coordination and information to try to prevent
unnecessary death and damage when a disaster strikes (see
www.alertnet.org/161169).
www.adpc.ait.ac.th/default.html
The information staff at ADPC have created a new web section to
support reconstruction following the January, Gujarat, India, earthquake
(click on "India Earthquake" at the bottom of the left-hand column of the
main page at the URL above). That section provides reports by various
agencies on the Gujarat quake, an annotated bibliography on
reconstruction after disaster, and information about an e-mail listserve
established to support reconstruction, as well as an archive of past
listserve messages. The listserv is open to anyone interested in or
working on postdisaster reconstruction, development planning, and
disaster management. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to
rebuild_gujarat-request@ait.ac.th with the word þsubscribeþ in the
subject line. Messages intended for list members should be sent to
rebuild_gujarat@ait.ac.th.
www.ema.gov.au/gdin/index.html
The Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN - see DRs #247, #320,
and #327) 2001 conference, held in Canberra, Australia, March 21-23,
focused on global participation in the provision of disaster management
information. Further details on sessions, presentations, discussions,
recommendations, and proposals, as well as the GDIN "Canberra Statement"
can be found at the conference's home page at the URL above.
www.csu.edu.au/faculty/health/aemf/chat.html
The Australian Emergency Management Forum (AEMF) is now on-line with
live discussion about current issues in emergency management. The next
session is Thursday April 26, 2001, 7.30 p.m. Australian time (the site
includes a handy time converter). The topic will be "Emergency Management
Education and Personal Development into the 21st Century - What Are the
Needs?" To participate register at the AEMF chat page above.
In the March 19, 2001, Federal Register (Vol. 66, No. 53, pp. 15478-15479) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a request for comments on its Emergency Management Exercise Reporting System (EMERS). EMERS was designed in 1992 to collect information on the results of emergency management exercises or actual disaster responses. The revised EMERS 2.0 is an automated data collection Windows-based software program that state and local emergency managers can download from a FEMA web site. EMERS data is used to analyze the capabilities of state and local governments to respond to disasters and to determine areas of strengths and weaknesses and actions that can be taken at the national level to improve programs. State and local governments can also use EMERS data to monitor exercises and to determine lessons for improving their operations.
FEMA is soliciting written comments to a) evaluate whether the proposed data collection is necessary for the proper performance of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; b) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; c) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and d) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. Written comments should be submitted within 60 days of the date of the notice (March 19) to Muriel B. Anderson, FEMA Information Collections Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street, S.W., Room 316, Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-2625; fax: (202) 646-3524; e-mail: Muriel.Anderson@fema.gov.
Further information about EMERS is available from Bruce Hildebrand, FEMA, Preparedness, Training & Exercises Directorate, Readiness Division, Program Development Branch, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC; (202) 646-3114; e-mail bruce.hildebrand@fema.gov
**On HMGP, FMAP Impact Survey**
Also in the March 19, 2001, Federal Register (Vol. 66, No. 53, pp. 15479-15480) FEMA solicited comments on a proposed survey to 1) assess the impact that FEMA's local mitigation planning initiatives have had on local planning; 2) identify communities with successful mitigation plans; and 3) document "best practices" that led to the formulation of successful plans. There are three FEMA programs that provide either direct funding or insurance incentives in order to promote mitigation planning at the local level. They are the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA), the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System. Anecdotal information regarding the value of hazard mitigation planning exists, but this has never been studied in a systematic way. This review will attempt to objectively evaluate if and why these programs are effective. The goal of the survey is to determine the extent to which communities are formulating, adopting, and adhering to local mitigation plans, and to review the overall quality of these plans. Again, the aim is to document the "best practices" and identify characteristics of successful planning programs at the local level.
Written comments are being solicited as above, and should also be submitted to Muriel Anderson at the address above.
Additional information about this survey is available from Rosemary Krueger, Program Analyst, FEMA, Mitigation Directorate, Program Support Division, Planning Branch, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC; (202) 646-4189.
In the March 30, 2001, Federal Register (Vol. 66, No. 62, pp. 17423-17424) FEMA also issued a request for comments on its "Capability Assessment for Readiness" (CAR) evaluation program.
The CAR program was established because both the U.S. Congress and FEMA recognized that an assessment of state capabilities was needed to determine states' readiness to effectively respond to major disasters, and secondarily to ensure that FEMA financial assistance to the states is being effectively used. The answers to these questions are provided through the CAR assessment, which involves detailed programmatic questions on mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities.
In short, CAR is needed by FEMA to report the status of emergency management programs in the nation to the President and Congress. At the same time, states, territories, and insular areas use it for program evaluation, strategic planning, and budgeting.
The data collected through CAR will be summarized in a report to the President and Congress in 2001.
Written comments about CAR are currently being solicited (focusing on the same issues listed above). Comments should be submitted within 60 days of the date of the notice (March 30) to Muriel Anderson at the address above.
For further information, contact: Cassandra Ward, Preparedness, Training, and Exercises Directorate, FEMA, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC; (202) 646-3703.
Proposals and applications in response to the Hurricane Floyd disaster will be accepted on a continuous basis until the funds have been expended. Proposals for other recent disasters must be received by May 21, 2001 to be considered for funding.
Proposals should be submitted to the appropriate EDA regional office and Economic Development Representatives (EDRs) for the states of New Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia. The addresses for these offices are provided at the end of the notice issued by EDA. To read and/or download that notice, see the EDA web site: www.doc.gov/eda/; specifically: www.doc.gov/eda/html/1d2_1_nofas.htm
Additional information is available from Carol Transou, FEMA, 500 C Street, S.W., Room 402, Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-3701; fax: (301) 646-3231: e-mail:carol.transou@fema.gov.
The RFP requires that a multidisciplinary team work under a prime contractor that must be a nonprofit agency. The project requires extensive community involvement at all phases. The anticipated budget for CAPSS Phase II is approximately $500,000. Any organization, firm, or individual interested in receiving a copy of the RFP should contact Laurence Kornfield, Chief Building Inspector, San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, 1660 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103; (415) 558-6244; fax: (415) 558-6688.
Anyone interested in contributing to the book should contact Gary Webb - e-mail: webbgr@okstate.edu - one of the editors of the book.
General Requirements
Candidates should have the ability and strong desire to develop innovative scientific solutions to practical problems and the ability to plan and execute collaborative projects. Strong written and verbal communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work constructively in multidisciplinary and team environment are essential. Competency in English is essential and skills in other languages are very desirable. Candidates must be willing to travel and to represent the IRI in diverse settings around the world, and to contribute to training events. A knowledge of development issues and experience of less-developed country settings would be very desirable.
Specific Requirements - Disaster Mitigation
This scientist will assist in shaping and coordinating the IRI's applications research activities in the disaster mitigation sector, as well as participating in research and development projects. The IRI is currently involved in a number of projects concerned with the capacities of vulnerable countries to manage climate impacts. These include research on climatic vulnerability and on the design and communication of prediction information, and capacity building projects funded by development banks to assess capacities to monitor and predict the climate and to design and develop the infrastructure, information products, and training required. Disaster and risk reduction are cross-sectoral, particularly involving the areas of agriculture and food security, water, and health. Relevant crosscutting issues include the nature of vulnerability, communication of uncertain information, institutional behavior and the identification of risk factors and risk reduction measures. The three principal areas of responsibility are:
Candidates are requested to state the position they are interested in and to provide a vita, which must include an e-mail address, along with a statement of research interests and career objectives, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three referees from whom comments and letters of recommendation can be obtained if required. This should be sent either by mail to: Search Committee/Applications, International Research Institute for Climate Prediction, Attn: Ann Binder, Room 125, Monell Building, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964; or by e-mail in ASCII format to: ann@iri.ldeo.columbia.edu. Screening will begin on or about April 15, 2001.
Geologic Hazards of Utah Conference. Host: Utah Section of the Association of Engineering Geologists and others. Salt Lake City, Utah: April 12-13, 2001. See: www.users.qwest.net/~ssbartlett/geohazutah.htm.
Australian Emergency Management Forum (AEMF). The Internet: April 26, 2001, 7:30 p.m. (Australia time). The new AEMF forum supports live discussion about current issues in emergency management. The topic of this session will be "Emergency Management Education and Personal Development into the 21st Century - What Are the Needs?" To participate register at www.csu.edu.au/faculty/health/aemf/chat.html.
Risk Awareness/Decision Making Workshop. Host: Institute of Civil Defence and Disaster Studies. Coventry, U.K.: April 28, 2001. Contact: Les Moseley, Coventry University, School of Science and Environment, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB, U.K.; e-mail: cbx067@coventry.ac.uk
Emergency Management (Disaster) Planning Workshop for Business, Industry, and Government. Sponsor: American Red Cross, Capital Area Chapter, and others. Tallahassee, Florida: April 30, 2001. See: www.tallytown.com/redcross; or contact Disaster Services Office, American Red Cross, 187 Office Plaza Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32301; (850) 878-6080. NOTE: A Self Study version of this workshop is available for $85.00. To order, contact the Disaster Services Office at the address above.
Emergency Management Association of Tennessee (EMAT)/Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Training Conference 2001. Gatlinburg, Tennessee: May 15-17, 2001. See: www.emat.org/spring.htm.
SAR 2001 - 28th Annual National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) Conference and Exposition. Colorado Springs, Colorado: May 24-27, 2001. Contact: NASAR Headquarters, 4500 Southgate Plaza, Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151; (703) 222-6277; fax: (703) 222-6283; e-mail: sar2001@nasar.org; WWW: www.ichiefs.org/conferences/SAR2001v2.htm.
Workshop: Avalanche Control - On the Base of Hazard Mapping in Avalanching Areas. Innsbruck Austria: June 18-21, 2001. Contact: Gernot Fiebiger, e-mail: dr.gernot@fiebiger.at or fiebiger@eunet.at.
National Symposium and Workshop: Coastal and Estuarine Wetland Restoration into the New Millennium - Improving Effectiveness. Host: Institute for Wetland Science and Public Policy, Association of State Wetland Managers. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: June 19-21, 2001. Abstracts are due May 1. See: www.aswm.org/meeting/coastal01.htm; or contact: Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers, P.O. Box 269, Berne, NY 12023-9746; (518) 872-1804; fax: (518) 872-2171; e-mail: aswm@aswm.org.
11th World Conference on Disaster Management. Host: Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada: June 24-27, 2001. See: www.wcdm.org; or contact Dylan Bailey, Conference Coordinator, Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness, P.O. Box 2911, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3R5; tel: (905) 546-3911 or (800) 965-4608; fax: (905) 546-2629; e-mail: dobailey@ccep.ca.
Evaluation and Mitigation of Seismic Hazards: University of California- Berkeley Civil Engineering Short Course. Berkeley, California: July 2001; Los Angeles, California: August 2001. Contact: Continuing Education in Engineering, UC Berkeley Extension, 1995 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720-7010; (510) 642-4151; fax: (510) 642-6027; e-mail: course@unx.berkeley.edu; WWW: www.unex.berkeley.edu/eng.
Summer Course on International Humanitarian Law. Offered by:
International Institute of Humanitarian Law. San Remo, Italy/Geneva
Switzerland: July 9-22, 2001. Applications due April 10. Contact: Dr.
Michel Veuthey, Summer Course Director, International Institute of
Humanitarian Law, Geneva Office, 7 bis Avenue de la Paix, CH-1202,
Geneva, Switzerland; tel: +41 22 730 86 30; fax: +41 22 730 86 33;
e-mail: summer@iihl.org;
WWW: www.iihl.org;
- or -
International Institute of Humanitarian Law, Villa Ormond, Corso
Cavallotti 113, 18038 San Remo, Italy; tel: +39 0184 541848; fax: +39
0184 541600; e-mail: sanremo@iihl.org;
WWW: www.iihl.org.
Safeguarding our Cultural Heritage: Emergency Response Regional
Workshops. Offered by: Foundation of the American Institute for
Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FAIC).
- Seattle, Washington: July 19-21, 2001
- Independence, Missouri: September 6-8, 2001
- Fort Bragg, North Carolina: October 25-27, 2001
Each workshop will be limited to 15 participants. To apply or receive
more information, contact: FAIC, 1717 K Street, N.W., #200, Washington,
DC 20006; e-mail: info@aic-faic.org; or Mary Lee, (860) 927-0178; e-mail:
mlee@mohawk.net.
Oklahoma Fire and Life Safety Education Conference. Host: Fire Service Training, Oklahoma State University. Tulsa, Oklahoma: August 1-3, 2001. Contact: Pamelia Glennan, Fire Service Training/Oklahoma State University; 1-800-304-5727; e-mail: pglennan@ifstafpp.okstate.edu.
"E-Health" - The Use of Information Technology and Telematics in Emergency Management and Education. Sponsor: Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Kuopio, Finland, and others. Kuopio, Finland: August 23-25, 2001. Contact: Conference Secretariat, University of Kuopio, Department of Health Policy and Management, P.O Box 1627, FIN- 70211 Kuopio, Finland; tel: +358 17 163 631; fax: +358 17 162 999; e-mail: aapo.immonen@uku.fi.
14th Australia-New Zealand Climate Forum. Darwin, Australia: September 18-21, 2001, Contact: Bureau of Meteorology, P.O. Box 40050, Darwin, NT 0811, Australia; (61) 8 8920 3814; fax: (61) 8 8920 3832; e-mail: anzcf2001@bom.gov.au; WWW: www.bom.gov.au/weather/nt/inside/anzcf_2001/.
Floodplain Management Association (FMA) Fall Conference: "Water Quality and Floodplain Management - A Concept Whose Time Has Come." Lake Tahoe, Nevada: September 23-26, 2001. Contact: Laura Hromadka, Executive Director, FMA, P.O. Box 2972, Mission Viejo, CA 92692-0972; (949) 766-8112; fax: (949) 459-8364; e-mail: fmalaura@pacbell.net; WWW: www.floodplain.org.
17th National Avalanche School - Phase I. Host: National Ski Areas Association. Salt Lake City, Utah: October 28-November 2, 2001. See: www.nsaa.org; or contact Timothy White, NSAA Director of Education, (720) 963-4213; e-mail: timw@nsaa.org.
Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Meeting.
- Boston, Massachusetts: November 1-10, 2001.
- Denver, Colorado: October 27-30, 2002.
- Seattle, Washington: November 2-5, 2003.
Abstract deadline for the 2001 meeting is July 17. Contact: GSA, P.O. Box
9140, Boulder, CO 80301-9140; (303) 447-2020 or (800) 472-1988; fax:
(303) 447-0648; e-mail: meetings@geosociety.org.
82nd Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). Orlando, Florida: January 13-18, 2002. The AMS annual conference is held in conjunction with numerous additional symposia and subconferences addressing various aspects of meteorology, including meteorological hazards. For additional information about these meetings and abstract submission, see the AMS web site: www.ametsoc.org/AMS/; or contact: AMS, 45 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108-3693; (617) 227-2425; fax: (617) 742-8718; e-mail: amsinfo@ametsoc.org.
Third East European Conference on Wind Engineering. Organized by: National Academy of Science of Ukraine and others. Kiev, Ukraine: May 21- 25, 2002. Contact: Organizing Committee, Third EECWE, Ahelyabova 8/4, Kiev, 03057, Ukraine; e-mail: vgr@ihm.jiev.ua.
European Conference on Severe Storms (ECSS) 2002. Sponsor: Czech Meteorological Society; local organizer: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Prague, Czech Republic: August 26-30, 2002. Information will be posted on the conference web site - www.chmi.cz/ECSS2002/ - in June.
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