Tag: disaster prevention

Florida’s Plan to Team Up for Disaster Response

Posted on by robbie

It’s common knowledge that Florida is often subject to severe weather like hurricanes and super storms, which is why it may sound strange that the state has no process in place for emergency management teams other than keeping “a basic roster.”
So now, Florida is creating a credential process for a statewide disaster-response team in hopes of being able to deploy about 20 people to respond to emergency management issues ranging from super storms to terrorist attacks.
“In the past, these teams have been fire-rescue-heavy, and that does not always work,” says Ashley Davis, deputy operations chief of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Aside from asking lawmakers to approve nearly $80,000 for a position that would lead the credentialing process, the state is also emphasizing the need for a team to send to other states during emergency situations to ensure that they’ll return the favor, reports Emergency Management.

“If Florida does not periodically deploy our teams out of state on mutual aid, we are less likely to receive mutual aid support from other states during a catastrophic event,” reads a division funding request.

In fact, Florida’s 2004-05 hurricane season saw assistance from 750 emergency management employees across 36 states. While the credentialing program is new, Florida’s initiative is among the first and considered “more forward-looking,” explains Aaron Gallaher, a division spokesman.
Because of Florida’s vast experience with bad storms, states often turn to Florida for help with weather emergencies, according to Davis.
“We, unfortunately, have a lot of experience,” Davis says.

MORE: Hurricane Katrina Inspired This Man to Revolutionize Emergency Housing

How Los Angeles Is Setting the Tone for Disaster Preparedness

Posted on by robbie

Earthquakes, superstorms, hurricanes and flooding have become a mainstay in American headlines. But rather than simply brace for Mother Nature, Los Angeles is joining an international initiative to help cities better prepare for natural disasters.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced plans to hire a “chief resilience officer,” tasked with improving the city’s recovery plan from man-made or natural disasters, according to the Los Angeles Times. The mayor also committed to surveying the city for at-risk infrastructure in the event of a major earthquake as well as how efficiently the city is using water and electricity.
“Why should we be going and looking at buildings on their seismic safety if we don’t also look at the energy that they’re consuming and the water that they consume?” Garcetti said.
Los Angeles’s action is part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s effort to help cities around the world implement better safety prevention and planning. The aim is to help urban planners prepare for the influx of people moving to cities. In fact, the United Nations projects that three-fourths of the world’s population will move to an urban area by 2050, according to a Rockefeller Foundation report.
The nonprofit is awarding 100 cities with funding to hire a “chief resilience officer,”  and has selected 33 recipients so far, according to the foundation website. Los Angeles is one of 372 cities that applied to become one of the 100 Resilient Cities, and the nonprofit has pledged to pay the salary of L.A.’s future CRO for the first two years, as well as other funding to develop a response plan.
But Los Angeles has already begun its efforts without the nonprofit’s help. The mayor approved action to hire three people at the building department to outline a list of vulnerable residential buildings. Garcetti also acknowledged support for a compulsory check on retrofitting older building at risk as well as grading buildings for seismic safety.
He also appointed a prominent U.S. Geological Survey seismologist to spend this year meeting with scientists and community members to draft recommendations on retrofitting buildings for better safety and ensuring water and communications systems remain available in the event of a disaster. The foundation’s president, Michael Berkowtiz, said he was “really impressed by the innovative and visionary leadership that the mayor was providing on these issues.”
New Orleans, Berkley and San Francisco have also been selected, adding “chief resilience officer” responsibilities to their respective earthquake czar job title. Another U.S. recipient using funding for sustainability issues: El Paso, Texas.
MORE: A New Museum Exhibit Educates About Disaster Preparedness