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Memphis Hosts Community Resiliency and
Earthquake Preparedness Summit
By the CARRI-MUA Team
Many members of the Community and Regional Resilience Initiative's (CARRI) Memphis Urban Area (MUA) team recently attended
meetings on a variety of topics relating in some way to community and regional resilience. During those meetings they encountered many of the
same people from the same organizations. An MUA Advisory Group member suggested that it would be valuable to bring all of these
individuals together, not to discuss a particular topic, but instead to learn about the objectives and missions of each organization.
As a result, on February 11th, the CARRI-MUA team
jointly hosted a Community Resiliency and Earthquake Preparedness Summit as the kickoff event of West Tennessee Earthquake Awareness Week
activities. Co-hosting the event was the West Tennessee Seismic Safety Commission and the University of Memphis' Center for Earthquake Research
and Information (CERI). The event drew more than 80 attendees with a broad range of perspectives on emergency preparedness, public
safety, and resiliency.
Presenters included:
- CERI at the University of Memphis
- West Tennessee Seismic Safety Commission (WTSSC)
- Mid-South Association of Contingency Planners (MSACP)
- Infragard of West Tennessee
- Sierra Club - Environmental Justice Program
- Volunteer Memphis and Americorps
- American Red Cross, Mid-South Chapter
- Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
- U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Area Security Committee
- Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC)
- New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Disaster Planning Project (FEMA)
- Shelby County Public Heath Department, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program
- Shelby County Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee
- Community and Regional Resiliency Initiative
Many of the service organizations in the MUA were invited to describe
the mission and objectives of their organization, some of their accomplishments, who they served, what they defined as resilience, relevant
indicators of resilience, and the role their organization played in fostering resilience. Through this information exchange, it was hoped that
presenters and Summit attendees could network, learn about where their organizational missions overlap and differ, and begin to lay the foundation
for inter-organizational coordination.
During the Summit and
throughout the briefings and discussions, several recurring themes became apparent to the CARRI MUA team. Theme 1:
Training. The resilient organization, and resident, participates actively in a wide variety of training courses that prepares them to react,
respond, and recover during a disruption; they volunteer their time and resources to assist others to also participate in training
courses.
The most frequently raised topic at the Summit was
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-sponsored Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) program (https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/).
Many of the speakers that mentioned CERT felt that it was highly successful and encouraged other organizations and agencies to undergo CERT
training. The CARRI-MUA research element will explore the spatial distribution of CERT participation across the six county study region and
compare that distribution to the location of vulnerable populations in an effort to describe and enhance the community resilience landscape of the
MUA.
Theme 2: Planning. The resilient organization
regularly conducts realistic planning that is coordinated with all parts of the organization while educating and exercising the plan with the
organization's members so that they are cognizant of the plan and able to execute it during a disruption.
Planning was another recurring theme with deliberate, inclusive planning vitally important.
Organizations that conduct deliberate, organization-wide planning and exercise their plan regularly are better positioned to react and recover to a
disruption. To highlight the importance of this theme, several speakers mentioned instances of organizations that failed to plan, failed to
plan adequately, failed to train and exercise their plans, or failed to follow their plans in a disruption. Commitment to inclusive, realistic
planning and testing of plans is an indicator of the human and leadership elements of resilience that CARRI seeks to capture.
Theme 3: Information. The resilient resident knows how to access
information about disruptions from multiple sources of information; they are able to use this information to react, respond and recover from the
disruption.
The need to provide accurate, timely, and
appropriate information to individuals in times of crisis or disruption was highlighted repeatedly. As diverse as the six county MUA
is, information needs to reach the affected residents in a variety of languages, in ways that are accessible to special needs residents, and via
methods of communication to accommodate residents that have little or no access to radio, television or the Internet. Equally important is
the message that information needs to be relevant to the intended audience, providing precise direction and guidance so that individuals can
help themselves as best they are able. A community that can define and communicate realistic expectations enables its residents to take
preparedness actions that enhance their individual and household resilience. This community is then positioned to manage the expectations of
residents during all phases of an emergency.
Theme 4: Hazard
Awareness. The resilient resident/individual/household is aware of the hazards around them and has an individual and household plan to react,
respond, and recover from a dangerous or disruptive event.
Finally, the belief that community members needed a firm awareness of hazards (both seen and unseen) and the impact that
hazard might have upon them was noted. For instance, day-to-day, residents should have an understanding of the location of potentially
hazardous industrial sites, chemically or otherwise contaminated areas, and flood zones that are in proximity to their homes, their work locations,
their children's schools, and other family member/loved ones locations. Once equipped with this information, they are able to develop household
and individual response plans for a variety of scenarios.
The
CARRI-MUA team learned a great deal about the network of service organizations, both public and private, from this unique gathering. Briefings
and discussions were invaluable in focusing CARRI research and have been reported by participants to have met their needs as well. As the CARRI
Team moves forward with its research, it will start to focus its efforts in these and other related areas.
As a start, some questions that will be asked of the community are:
- What is the capability and capacity of the community to disseminate public information to the disrupted population?
- What is the ability of the community to provide basic human needs to the disrupted population for the appropriate amount of
time?
- What is the ability to identify and coordinate the relief workers and the logistics associated with relief supplies and
material?
- What is the capacity of the transportation system and network to function during a disruption?
- Are there adequate numbers of non-governmental organizations in the MUA sufficiently staffed and equipped to assist all
potentially disrupted social groups?
The CARRI- MUA Team is learning with and from its local
partners in the MUA that resiliency already has roots in the community. They are looking forward to the continued exploration of the
characteristics of resilience in the MUA and watching resilience strengthen as dialogues are initiated with CARRI and
sustained.
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CARRI Partner Community Briefs
Gulfport, Mississippi
A CARRI Gulfport/Gulf Coast Advisory Group has been formed and will have
its first meeting in April. The Advisory Group represents 23 community leaders covering many aspects of the public and private sectors, and
for-profit and non-for-profit organizations. Each member of the Advisory Group has much to contribute to our understanding of
community and regional resilience and how to increase the resilience of the Gulfport/Gulf Coast area. CARRI is excited to have such a dynamic
Advisory Group to guide and shape the resilience initiative in Gulfport and along the Gulf Coast, and gratefully acknowledges their support and
participation.
The local community resilience research for
Gulfport and the Gulf Coast is progressing well. This effort (which is being led and conducted by Professor Tom Lansford and Visiting Professor
Jack Covarrubias at University of Southern Mississippi- Gulf Coast) will result in an annotated bibliography leading to the development of a
resilience case study for Gulfport and the Gulf Coast region. Integrating the research of USM with input from the Advisory Group will
help direct community engagement activities with various sectors of the Gulfport community. It is expected that these engagement activities
across multiple sectors of the community will help underscore key data points that impact and enhance the social and economics fabric of the Gulfport
community and the Gulf Coast region.
In the long run, the results
of the local community resilience research will feed into a larger scale research initiative to help define a national resilience research roadmap and
a framework for resilience. The support of the Advisory Group, the local community research being conducted by USM, and the participation of the
Gulfport community and the Gulf Coast region represent the integration of academic research with real life experiences. The seamless integration
of these vital sources of information will help construct a better picture of resilience for the southeast region and for the
nation.
Charleston, South
Carolina
The CARRI-Charleston Team is preparing for
their Advisory Group Charter Meeting on April 1st. The Advisory Group represents 35 community leaders covering public and private sectors and
for-profit and non-for-profit organizations. Each member of the Advisory Group has much to contribute to our understanding of community
and regional resilience and how to increase the resilience of the Charleston/Low Country area. CARRI is excited to have such a dynamic Advisory
Group to guide and shape the resilience initiative in Charleston and the surrounding area, and gratefully acknowledges their support and
participation. The meeting agenda will include discussion about what is known about resilience in Charleston and the path forward for the
CARRI-Charleston team with the community stakeholders.
Members
of a Gulf Coast Business Council graduate level leadership program will travel to Charleston in late March. This is an executive program that fosters
enlightened leadership and advances the discussion and resolution of regionally significant issues through a series of seminars based on comprehensive
study, critical thought and open discussion. At the request of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, the CARRI-Charleston Team will give a presentation
to this group from the Gulfport Mississippi area. Some members of the leadership program are also participants on the CARRI
Gulfport/Gulf Coast Advisory Group.
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April 1
CARRI-Charleston Advisory Group
Meeting
Charleston, SC
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April 16
CARRI-Gulfport/Gulf Coast Advisory Group Meeting
Gulfport,
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Creating the
Future of Homeland Security Through Partnering and Education
by Jay
Fraser, ThreatsWatch.Org
March 26, 2008
Last week more than 500 people from government, academia and the policy sector came together at the
Second DHS University Network Summit to discuss what Jay Cohen, head of the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology
directorate, recognizes as the need to educate a new group of scientists and business managers who are educated to create the products, methods and
systems to more effectively defend the homeland.
Click here for full story.
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University of Southern Mississippi Leads State in
Security
by Lesley Walters,The Student Printz
March 27, 2008
Southern Miss is leading the state, as well as the nation, in
sports arena security by working with officials from other universities to ensure the safety of spectators and competitors in events of
emergency.
Click here for full story.
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Bush
Fills Key Posts In Homeland Security
Washington Post
March 20, 2008
President Bush yesterday tapped veteran
prosecutor Kenneth L. Wainstein to serve as his White House homeland security adviser as he moved to name another key counterterrorism official and
defuse criticism that he has left important positions unfilled.
Click here for full
story.
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Homeland Security Cites
Successes
by Paul Bedard, U.S. News and World Report
February 27, 2008
Just days from its official fifth birthday on March 1, the Department of Homeland Security is crowing about its successes
in establishing tighter security to thwart terrorism.
Click here for full
story.
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April 7-10
National Radiological Emergency Preparedness
Conference
Las Vegas, NV
Click here for
details.
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April 29-May 2
Georgia Emergency Management Governor's Conference
Savannah, GA
Click here for details.
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May 6-9
2008 Flood Warning Systems, Technologies and
Preparedness Conference
Palm Springs, CA
Click here for
details.
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May 7-9
Midwest Emergency Preparedness and Response Conference
Rockford, IL
Click here for details.
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May
12-13
2008 IEEE Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security
Waltham, MA
Click here for details.
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May
12-16
Governor's Hurricane Conference
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Click here for details.
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May 28-29
2008 Tennessee Valley Corridor National
Summit
Huntsville, AL
Click here for
details. |
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Community and Regional Resilience
Initiative
National Security Directorate
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P. O. Box 2008
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6252
www.ResilientUS.org/
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