Mar. 14 , 2007

NRP review
The Department of Homeland Security is conducting an interagency review of the National Response Plan to assess its effectiveness and recommend improvements. This is the second review of the plan since DHS first issued the NRP in 2004. Changes from the first round of comments will be incorporated into a modified version, which will be available for further review on March 26. Final comments are due no later than April 6. The NRP is based on the National Incident Management System and provides a single and comprehensive framework for domestic incident management. State and local governments use the incident reporting protocols outlined in the NRP to communicate with local and regional Joint Terrorism Task Forces and the Homeland Security Operations Center.

The NRP is available for download at http://www.dhs.gov/xprepresp/committees/editorial_0566.shtm.

Seminars enhance dialogue
The special needs community, emergency managers and first responders have a unique opportunity to begin a dialogue about specific medical, communication, mobility or behavioral needs during a disaster, and how emergency responders can best meet those needs. The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Virginia Department of Health, the disAbility Resource Center and VDEM have collaborated to create the "Preparing for All Abilities" workshops throughout the Commonwealth. The free seminars will include panel discussions, question and answer sessions about general and specific aspects of individual preparedness, shelters and evacuations. The next seminar will take place in Roanoke on March 22. Members of vulnerable populations, first responders, emergency managers, public health professionals, service providers and advocacy groups can find registration and schedule information online at http://va.train.org (site registration is required).

Commonwealth signs alerting system contract
VDEM has finalized a contract that will allow localities to purchase staff and citizen alerting systems at a pre-negotiated, reduced cost. The Commonwealth will use the Statewide Alerting Network to send alerts to key personnel and first responders. The Citizen Alerting System is available to localities to send alerts to citizens. Both systems offer a single, integrated interface to send alerts to a variety of devices, such as pagers, e-mail, cell phones, fax machines and landline phones.

Contact Gordon Barwell via e-mail at gordon.barwell@vdem.virginia.gov or by phone at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6611, for more information.

2007 statewide tornado drill
More than 170,000 students, employees and citizens participated in the annual statewide tornado drill yesterday. VDEM and the National Weather Service co-sponsor the drill, which is an opportunity for Virginians to practice their tornado emergency plans.

Unlike hurricane season, there is no such thing as a "tornado season." In 2006, Virginia experienced 16 tornadoes throughout the state, with five occurring in January and February. Families and businesses should conduct regular tornado drills throughout the year. Virginia's public schools are required to participate in at least one tornado drill per year.

VDEM's tornado preparedness site: http://www.vaemergency.com/threats/tornado/index.cfm

Update readers have a new opportunity to give feedback
Update readers now have a chance to provide feedback in a new online survey. The survey will help the VDEM Public Affairs Office to assess readers' preferences and to improve the newsletter. The survey will be available for a limited time.

Take the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=264383327493

Emergency financial preparedness tool
An online tool is available to assist citizens in maintaining financial stability in the event of an emergency. The Emergency Financial First Aid Kit © helps citizens to identify and organize key financial records and provides a quick reference file for important financial documents, regardless of financial status. Developed by Operation Hope, Citizen Corps and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the main sections of the kit address personal household information; professional advisors and health care providers; a checklist of important legal documents and financial statements; and private security / access information. Operation Hope offers toll-free assistance in completing the process at (888) 388-4673.

The financial preparedness kit is available online: http://operationhope.org/effak.

New model helps tsunami forecasting
Scientists with the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences have created a high-resolution digital elevation model, or DEM, for the area around Virginia Beach. The model is designed to improve forecasting for early tsunami warning systems and to help coastal communities prepare for storm-driven flooding. It will also provide the underlying framework necessary to accurately forecast the magnitude and extent of coastal flooding during a tsunami or storm surge event. The model centers on Virginia Beach and covers approximately 10 square kilometers, including the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Portsmouth.

Digital elevation models have been created for coastal communities in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as Puerto Rico and San Juan. They expect to complete more than 100 such models for U.S. coastal communities in the coming years.

Completed digital elevation models, with accompanying graphics and documentation, are available online: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/inundation.

CERT video
A new video outlines Community Emergency Response Teams' importance and challenges. Cynthia Kellums, CERT program coordinator for Arlington County, and Millicent Williams, executive director of Serve D.C., appear in the film to describe the need for citizen responders and to explain the funding challenges they face. It also shows Arlington County CERT members during a training exercise. The video was produced by Homeland Defense Week.

View the 15-minute video: http://www.homelanddefenseweek.com/Blogmain/TheWarRoom/CERT/FrontlineCERT.html.

Conferences...
Virginia Healthcare Emergency Management Forum
Emergency planners, first responders and hospital managers are invited to attend the 2007 Virginia Healthcare Emergency Management Forum, May 22-24 in Charlottesville, Va. The forum will include:

• Healthcare facility management during a disaster
• Recovery and rebuilding the health care infrastructure in Mississippi and Louisiana
• Updates of Virginia emergency preparedness activities
• Hospital compliance with NIMS standards
• Healthcare system support from local, state and federal agencies

The deadline for registration is May 7. Registration information and agenda are available online: http://www.vhha.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageID=150.

Virginia Emergency Management Conference
Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, will be the keynote speaker at the 2007 Virginia Emergency Management Conference, "Shaping Our Destiny." In 1997, Fugate joined the division as chief of the Bureau of Preparedness and Response and later served as chief of the State Emergency Response Team. Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Fugate as director in 2001. During that time, Florida has experienced 24 federally declared disasters, including eight hurricanes and three tropical storms during 2004 and 2005 alone. Fugate's 15-year career in local government includes serving 10 years as the Emergency Manager for Alachua County, Fla., as a volunteer firefighter, paramedic and as a lieutenant with Alachua County Fire Rescue. His awards include Florida's Distinguished Service Medal and the National Hurricane Conference Neil Frank Achievement Award, and he has been inducted into the Florida National Guard Hall of Fame.

The conference will take place at the Williamsburg Marriott Hotel on April 17-20. More information about the conference is available on VDEM's Web site: http://www.vaemergency.com/newsroom/events/vema2007.cfm. Electronic registration is available on the Virginia Emergency Management Association's Web site: http://www.vemaweb.org/.

NEMA and IAEM soliciting abstracts for conference
The National Emergency Management Association and the International Association of Emergency Managers are soliciting abstracts for the 2007 National Conference on Community Preparedness, June 10-13, 2007, in Alexandria, Va. Conference planners are soliciting proposals from potential panelists on a variety of topics and best practices related to community preparedness. Submissions are due March 23.

To view the preliminary agenda and submit proposals, visit the conference Web site: http://www.iaem.com/NCCC2007.htm.

Produced by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236