Animal Rescue and Recovery Planning Several current planning initiatives address pet evacuation procedures and sheltering; however, what may even be more significant are the post event rescue and recovery efforts required for both domestic and wild animals that are left behind or stranded and caught in the storm. This workshop addresses potential issues and provides ideas for local recovery planning efforts.
But It Can't Happen Here This presentation will explore the impacts from Hurricane Sandy in light of misconceptions with respect to the actual storm threat along the New England shore. Presenters will explore various potential threats along the eastern coast and discuss some of the reasons why people do not act on warnings, focusing on why this is such a dangerous or even life threatening mistake.
Damage Assessment Documentation - How New Technology Can Benefit YouDamage assessment is an extremely important task following a disaster and we often find that when performing damage assessments the documentation can slow down reporting to GEMA and FEMA. This interactive workshop will highlight new software that can improve and speed up the process. Participants will learn about available mobile apps and will see how they have been used during actual events.
Debris Management - Lessons Learned and New Application Several natural disasters over the past few years have led governments and those providing contracted services to look at how we deal with the debris caused by these events. This workshop will look at recent events and provide planners with best practices and how to better handle the large volume of debris that is expected to be left behind.
Dos and Don'ts of ContractingThis workshop focuses on contractual issues local governments may face following a Public Assistance Presidential Declaration. Topics such as, common misconceptions, procurement considerations, general contract provisions, and other things to consider when seeking reimbursement from FEMA under the Public Assistance Program will be discussed. The workshop will also highlight discussion points surrounding pre-event contracts and requests for proposals when preparing for potential disastrous events.
Dr. to Dr. Emergency Management - 2 hoursThis two hour session specifically focuses on doctors in hospitals and other practices. This session will discuss the importance of emergency management and what doctors should expect before, during and after a hurricane. It will help prepare doctors for how to support the disaster and get things back to normal as quickly as possible post-hurricane.
GA Hurricane Evacuation StudyThis workshop will cover the recently updated Georgia Hurricane Evacuation Study (GAHES). The GAHES is joint effort funded by FEMA and USACE in partnership with NOAA, GEMA, and coastal county emergency management agencies. This study reveals the updated clearance times for Chatham County and how the increased times will significantly affect our evacuation planning efforts. Storm surge inundation mapping and vulnerability and behavioral analysis will also be presented.
Hospital Preparedness, What We Can LearnOur hospitals are safe havens for our most fragile and precious residents and there are few locations in any community that are more vital. After a disaster, such as a hurricane, hospitals become even more important. Join us for this interactive and fast paced presentation on hospital hurricane preparedness.
Hurricane Jargon, Surge and ChangesThis presentation will summarize the latest changes for the 2013 National Weather Service Hurricane Program and how those changes will affect customers and partners. In addition, during hurricanes, the National Weather Service has been transitioning from predicting storm surge to forecasting how much water will actually cover the land, known as "inundation". Do you know the difference between "storm surge" and "inundation"? If not, you will after this presentation.
Incident Action Plan FormsIncident action plans (IAP) ensure that everyone is working in concert toward the same goals. IAPs provide a coherent means of communicating the overall incident objectives for both operational and support activities. They include measurable strategic objectives to be achieved in a time frame called an operational period. The consolidated IAP is a very important component of the Incident Command System; this lecture will provide you with the tools and knowledge necessary to produce a well-written IAP.
Keeping the Public Informed During an Escalating Event During an emergency, keeping the public informed is one of the most crucial components of the response and recovery process. This workshop will walk participants through the Joint Information System and demonstrate how it can be applied during an emergency or disaster. The interactive session will allow participants a firsthand look at an expanding emergency situation, guide them in how to work together in order to develop a unified message, and provide best practices on how to keep the media and public informed.
Managing Volunteer Resources (Volunteer Reception Center Plan)When a disaster strikes it's inevitable that people will show up to help. After the 2011 tornado outbreak, 10,000 volunteers showed up at a volunteer reception center (VRC) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the first week of opening. The VRC serves a clearing house to credential, organize and match volunteers to the needs of a community. In this session, the Chairman of Chatham County Organizations Active in Disaster will discuss Chatham County's VRC plan and how to successfully manage those who come to help.
National Disaster Medical System OverviewThe National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) is a federally coordinated system that augments the Nation's medical response capability. The overall purpose of the NDMS is to supplement an integrated National medical response capability for assisting State and local authorities in dealing with the medical impacts of major peacetime disasters. It also is designed to provide support to the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs medical systems in caring for casualties evacuated back to the U.S. from overseas armed conflicts. This lecture walks you through the system and how it benefits your community.
Partners for Preparedness: Creating Connections between the Cultural Community and Emergency Management in New York CityDuring a disaster one of the most important steps for a community is to protect historical and cultural documents and artifacts; the challenge is in how that is executed. This workshop will discuss how the Alliance for Response NYC functions as a partner between private organizations and the New York City Office of Emergency Management and how successful that partnership was during Hurricane Sandy. Presenters will highlight what this means for both the cultural community and the emergency management community in terms of future planning and preparing.
Planning for People with DisabilitiesIn any disaster, planning and preparing for every situation should be taken into consideration, especially in terms of protecting people. This interactive workshop will provide tips on assisting people with disabilities, helping people with disabilities understand their own obligations in disaster planning and recovery, and lessons that officials have learned from recent natural disasters.
Points of Distribution Planning This discussion will provide local and municipal planners with the tools necessary to establish commodity Points of Distribution (PODs). Participants will receive planning guidance along with a comprehensive survey document to use to establish their local PODs on their own time schedule.
Post Event Search and Rescue Following a disaster, first responders will likely be focusing on search and rescue (SAR). In this lecture participants will receive an overview of search and rescue issues and challenges that may be encountered during the initial response efforts. SAR planners will be able to discuss recent events and map out some of the best strategies to use during search missions.
Post Event Security Concerns Law enforcement and security agencies play a crucial role in maintaining order following a disaster. Officers will likely face a multitude of issues and challenges. This interactive discussion will dissect recent events by focusing on security concerns and presenters will provide participants with the skills needed to keep the community safe.
Post Recovery Decision Making A-ZThis workshop will provide participants with a basic overview and summary of the latest recovery principals, including a review of the latest changes of the Stanford Act with regards to recovery. Fundamental recovery components covered and in concert with the National Disaster Recovery Framework are: Public Assistance verses Individual Assistance, Recovery Team Assembly, Emergency Operations Center Staffing/Decisions/Execution, Procurement Decisions and Procedures, Emergency Response Decisions, Financial Decisions, Long-term Recovery Opportunities and Follow Through.
Rapid Needs Assessment - Getting to Tybee When the Roads are GoneTybee Island is the most vulnerable location in Chatham County if a hurricane was to threaten. By car there is only one way in and one way out and that roadway could easily wash away. Following a hurricane, the City of Tybee is prepared to mobilize back to the island using several alternate transportation resources. In this workshop, presenters will discuss the city's plan and what agencies would be involved in the mobilization effort.
Recovery Leadership Roles and Responsibilities Recovery from a storm can last years. The initial structure and leadership of the recovery process is critical to the success of the community. In this workshop, participants will consider how normal job responsibilities may change during storm recovery and what agencies and government leaders need to be prepared for the period after a hurricane.
Re-Entry/Render Safety Teams - Countywide Coordination of Staging of Government and Contractor AssetsDuring a major disaster, local resources will be depleted quickly. Municipalities have disaster contracts in place to mobilize the additional resources into the County. Coordination of government and contractor assets will be a major effort during response and recovery. How will Chatham County handle this? This panel discussion will answer that question and guide you through the process of pre-disaster contracting.
Restoring Urban Forest After the Storm The urban forest includes all the trees in a community. After a hurricane, communities have the opportunity to plan and rebuild the urban forest so that future storms are less devastating. This workshop presents concepts to manage trees properly in order to provide additional benefits such as protection from high winds
Superstorm Sandy - A Case Study and Lessons Learned - Power Utilities Superstorm Sandy damaged an area of our country that is not usually exposed to hurricanes and it proves how important it is to plan and prepare for a multitude of disasters. Preparing for "All Hazards" is the responsibility for emergency management agencies across the country and agencies use vulnerability analyses to determine what to focus on. This discussion will highlight lessons learned in those areas impacted by the devastating storm.
The Storm Has Passed...Now What? Every storm is different; however, as a community we must be prepared for the worst. This topic will cover the reality of what happens after the wind stops blowing and the sun is shining. It will help to focus on the activities and priorities that need to be addressed immediately following a storm in order to have a successful recovery, right from the start.
USCOE: Local Government Liaison The US Army Corps of Engineers is training ten people in the Savannah District who will serve as liaisons to county emergency management agency during a disaster. The concept is designed in order to prevent side-stepping the proper resource requesting process. The Corps has members who can identify problems a county is having and alert responders in advance if there is a potential damage assessment mission that needs to be conducted. This workshop will discuss how this can save time and allow for a rapid response.
Using Volunteers Beyond the Call of Duty: What's the Liability There are a growing number of cities and counties in Georgia using volunteers more frequently these days, especially in areas where paid resources are limited. When volunteers are put in situations where there is potential for injury, mitigating liability becomes a significant concern. This can prove to be a barrier to their involvement in emergency situations. In this discussion, State Citizen Corps coordinators discuss the diverse concerns when using volunteers, from personal injury or property damage, to medical expenses of a volunteer who has been injured. They will provide guidance on how to successfully use volunteers in a variety of capacities while mitigating known risks.
When the Stafford Act Doesn't ApplyThe BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Explosion taught local, State, and Federal officials that it is critically important to regularly maintain, update, and evaluate emergency operations and area contingency plans. Additionally, it exposed the need for businesses, vital to the communities impacted, that continuity of operations plans are critically important. Finally, this extraordinary event left many emergency managers questioning how to plan for the unexpected and whether or not the National Response Plan framework needs to be further expanded to better incorporate non-Robert T. Stafford Act disaster events. This session will provide a state incident commander's perspective, planning lessons learned, as well as expose break out session attendees to the various types of assistance available outside of the traditional Stafford Act disaster when FEMA is not the lead federal agency.
Hurricane Sandy - Why Some Communication Strategies Worked and Others Didn'tSome classify Hurricane Sandy as a social storm because millions of people relied on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get information about where to go, where to find food and water, and what leaders were doing. Social media was just one way information was disseminated during the aftermath and some leaders learned that to reach every citizen, they had to get creative. In this session, the Mayor and Town Manager of Westfield, New Jersey share how their team kept residents informed. Hear how they used conference calls to reach thousands of people and how their communication strategy paid off.
Please note: This conference is approved for POST credits of 8 hours.
POST officers must have their OKEY number and sign out at the end of the day.
EMS and Fire credits are given by individual workshop. Fire/EMS will have
to sign into each workshop for credit. Approval for Fire and EMS is being
coordinated at this time.
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Even more information is available at www.citizencorps.gov/cert/
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) are about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can make a difference. Through training, citizens can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective during an emergency.