Responders

2003-01-11T22:37:00.000-06:00

Should local Emergency Management officials be required to keep office hours? Here is an article highlighting controversy over this in the state of Tennessee.

2003-01-11T18:48:00.000-06:00

How has my view of Emergency Management changed, since I began my degree program?

When I began studying Emergency management, I took a terrorism course. That gave me a narrow focused view with the law enforcement and response management aspect of field. Then I took a general introductory class and a class on Disaster Response. These classes gave me a broader view of the All-Hazards perspective, the history and emergence of a profession, an introduction to the technical aspects of the field, and most importantly the instructors in these two courses strived to select materials that would keep a human face on both the responders, and the victims of the disaster. Sociological implications to everything were always discussed, and I began to see that all the groups involved in EM are centered on the victim. Different groups help the victims in different ways. The process produces a synergism between various agencies.

Emergency management seems to be all about “How can the synergy of the all-hazards process be streamlined?” How can redundancy, and the 'administrative process' be best streamlined for the benefit of those that we respond to in a time of need. Time and time again agencies involved in Emergency Management have restructured their plans, mission statements, and their very core to improve this efficiency. Under the guise of government, the process is not quick or painless, but it is that slow gradual progression that will drive us to work towards perfection.

Some difficulty, I believe, will remain. One such problem is the trouble that ensues when academia tries to disseminate information in a way that practitioners will absorb. Many practitioners are dedicated professionals, but have little time to wade through scholarly material. Scholarly material is presented in such a way that fellow academics can benefit, but as far as a vital source of knowledge for the lay-practitioner leave much to be desired.

Since my first course, I have a greater feel for the total process of Emergency Management. I no longer see it as a response. I see it as an on-going effort pre, during, and post disaster. The body of knowledge for the field will continue to increase, and there will be much pressure to disseminate this knowledge quickly, fluidly and effortlessly to those that need it most.

2003-01-10T22:35:00.000-06:00

What would be one of the worst disasters in US history?

The answer would be a sizeable New Madrid Seismic Zone event. A large earthquake along this zone would leave tens of thousands homeless, and potentially leave many dead and injured in it's wake, along with damages that could potentially reach hundreds of billions of dollars. Some good news recently came though. A US Geological Survey Employee lowered the risk for a major quake along the zone from a 90% chance in the next 50 years. The new risk estimate is 7% to 10% for the next 50 years. There is still a 20% to 45% chance for a moderate earthquake registering a 6.0 or less. The article can be found here.

2003-01-09T13:22:00.000-06:00

I just realized. . . and other updates.

My weblog has been mentioned on David's Homeland Security Weblog. I appreciate the mention, and please do visit his excellent weblog.

Also, thank you all for bearing with me other night while I changed my blog's template. The old template simply would not work with Netscape/Gecko powered browsers, and I imagine that alot of Linux browsers were not working as well. I am fairly proficient with html, but I did not have the skill to figure out what was wrong with the previous template. Also, give me a few more weeks, and I plan on upgrading my site to a paid listing, meaning no more banners.

2003-01-08T16:56:00.000-06:00

Schools across Arkansas recieve safe room grants.The safe room grants are part of a mitigation project in Arkansas funded by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and FEMA.

2003-01-08T16:50:00.000-06:00

FEMA won't immediately change as it is merged into the Department of Homeland Security. The Stafford Act remains intact. . . but some worry how immigrant communities affected by disaster will react to services offered under the umbrella of 'Homeland Security'. The effect remains to be seen.

2003-01-07T21:48:00.000-06:00

Cars offer better protection in tornados than mobile homes. Researchers give recommendations in the article.

2003-01-07T21:47:00.000-06:00

New Years Rung in by Storms across Southern US. At least one death occured in Louisiana when a tree fell across a car. Mobile homes were destroyed in Florida.

2003-01-07T21:46:00.000-06:00

FEMA director to resign. Director Joe Allbaugh says in a prepared statement,"I have been a longtime advocate for the Dept. of Homeland Security and now that it is a reality and the president has a great team in place, I feel I can move on to my next challenge." Allbaugh started his career with FEMA managing an 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Washington last year. Since then he has oversaw over 80 disasters.

Allbaugh angered Iowa residents in Davenport for his opinions on thier lack of a floodwall.

2003-01-07T21:45:00.001-06:00

The studies are still not clear about what, if any, the health effects are from the dust of the World Trade Center. 99% of the dust is in the 10 Micron range, and is easily expelled by the body. However, the remaining 1% of the dust represents tons of material which some researchers believe is a substantial health risk.

2003-01-07T21:45:00.000-06:00

A pilot threatened to crash his small aircraft into a skyscraper in Frankfurt's banking district.

2002-12-30T19:51:00.000-06:00

FEMA may have a future in donations management. The GAO said that federal oversight may be necessary to coodinate massive donations efforts. Sen. Charles Grassley R-Iowa said, "Charities can learn many lessons from the events of Sept. 11. . .By working together to pool information and resources, I believe charities can do an even better job at helping those in need."

The GAO reports that the 35 largest charities collected $2.7 billion. The GAO estimates that 70% has been distributed to survivors on disaster relief so far.

What do you think? Should FEMA coordinate charitable organizations? Email me your reply.

2002-12-30T19:38:00.000-06:00

GIS and Satellite Imaging are excellent tools for Emergency Managers. A recent tornado in Faulkner County, Arkansas, caused alot of damage just before Christmas. Local Emergency Managers are using the technology to create an accurate damage assesment. GIS, coupled with satellite imagery, will be instrumental in the future of precise damage assesments.

2002-12-30T01:24:00.000-06:00

Multi-Hazard Advisory Maps are available here. It is free and open to the public, and brings some of the power of GIS to the web. Would it not be wonderful if every state's disaster impacts could be superimposed to this type of map, at a state, then a county/parish level? Does your state already use this technology? If so write me and let me know. . .

2002-12-30T01:05:00.000-06:00

In Norse Peak, Washington an Avalanche buries 7 skiers; 1 is dead. The US Northwest had recieved as much as 40 inches of snow last week, making conditions much more favorable for an avalanche.

2002-12-29T15:05:00.000-06:00

Is 2003 the year for some Nasty Hurricanes? Researcher Dr. William Gray, an atmospheric science professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder is predicting more than the usual number of hurricanes next year. Also, the probability for intense hurricanes rises slightly. Dr. Gray has been doing hurricane predictions for the last 20 years. If Gray is right, it will be an interesting year. . .

2002-12-26T13:37:00.000-06:00

Well I am in the process of understanding all of the technology behind blogs, I've downloaded an app called w.blogger, and I am currently testing it out. This post is a test of this program. Seems great!

2002-12-25T09:40:00.000-06:00

Well this is the beginning of my first weblog. I'll start updateing this evening...