Sunday, November 23, 2014

Ebola Crisis. African Risk Capacity

1.  Should the African Risk Capacity only be focused upon extreme climate risk?
2.   Is African Risk Capacity not being utilized in the current 'natural' disaster
      caused by the Ebola crisis to member nations?

http://www.africanriskcapacity.org/home 

African Risk Capacity
Vision and Mission

Vision

The African Risk Capacity (ARC) was established as a Specialized Agency of the African Union by a Conference of Plenipotentiaries to help AU Member States improve their capacities to better plan, prepare and respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters. It aims to assist its Member States to protect the food security of their vulnerable populations. 

Mission

The objective of the ARC Agency is to assist AU Member States to reduce the risk of loss and damage caused by extreme weather events and natural disasters affecting Africa's populations by providing targeted responses to disasters in a more timely, cost-effective, objective and transparent manner. (See Articles 2 and 3 of the ARC Establishment Agreement).
As currently structured, the international system for responding to natural disasters is not as timely or equitable as it could be. Funding is secured on a largely ad hoc basis after disaster strikes and only then can relief be mobilized toward the people who need it most.  In the meantime, lives are lost, assets are depleted, and development gains suffer major setbacks – forcing more people into chronic destitution and food insecurity in the world's least developed countries. 
ARC is an African solution to one of the continent's most pressing challenges, transferring the burden of climate risk away from governments – and the farmers and pastoralists whom they protect – to the ARC that can handle that risk much better.  This African-owned, AU-led financial entity will use Africa RiskView, an advanced satellite weather surveillance and software – developed by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) – to estimate and trigger readily available funds to African countries hit by severe weather events.  Because such events do not happen in the same year in all parts of the continent, pan-African solidarity in the creation of a disaster risk pool like ARC is financially effective.  Pooling risk across the continent could significantly reduce the cost to countries of emergency contingency funds, while decreasing reliance on external aid.
By merging the traditional approaches of disaster relief and quantification with the concepts of risk pooling and risk transfer, ARC will help create a pan-African disaster response system that meets the needs of those affected in a timelier and more efficient way and provides an important step forward in creating a sustainable African-led strategy for managing extreme climate risks.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Training Opportunity: January 13-14, 2014. Disaster Management for Electric Power Systems


On January 13 & 14, 2015, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments will be hosting a course on Disaster Management for Electric Power Systems.  This course is designed to provide training to managers and employees to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, or mitigate against threatened or actual natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters affecting electric power facilities and systems. The intended audience for this training includes:
·         Local Governments
·         Critical Infrastructure Owners
·         Fire Services
·         Emergency Medical Services
·         Law Enforcement
·         Emergency Managers

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to implement techniques to prepare for, respond to, and recover from incidents that threaten electric power systems.


You may register for the training by clicking here:  http://tinyurl.com/MGT345-NCR

Friday, November 14, 2014

Situation Awareness: Ebola Response and Recovery. Financial Controls

FYI…..
·       Could the Sixth Region (Diaspora) of the AU provide assistance in assuring financial controls are implement in the response and recovery from the Ebola crisis to ensure communities receive at a minimum 70% of funds for assistance, with 30% administrative and other costs?
·       Controls should be implemented to receive and disburse funds at every level (top level to community), and detect discrepancies in expenditures within standard procedures (weekly or monthly)

Following U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report should offer insight in disaster response and recovery controls for disasters, emergencies, and crisis events for financial control and performance.

BEAM


DHS Inspector General Report


Black Emergency Managers Association  
We Support the GC

1231  Good Hope Road  S.E.

Washington, D.C.  20020

Office:   202-618-9097 

bEMA 

“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” ― David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

Situation Awareness. Hazards. Oil, Gold, and Bauxite mining.

FYI…..
Emergency Management (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery), Monitoring, and Community Response concerns (water and food security).
            Control your resources ( new 70/30 rule to build your infrastructures), effects to your 
                        environment, and impact to your communities.
           

Oil & Gas
        2008 Nigeria spills bigger than thought, says Shell    http://www.biznews.com/africa/2014/11/13/2008-nigeria-spills-bigger-thought-says-shell/

Mining
       Gold
             A By Product Mercury: A Forgotten Source of a Global Poison.  
                            http://ban.org/Ban-Hg-Wg/Briefing%20Papers/byproduct.pdf
       Bauxite
            Jamaica Bauxite mining and environmental concerns.                 
                           http://www1.american.edu/ted/bauxite.htm
            Bauxite Residue Management. 
                           (Mining locations:  Jamaica, Australia, and Guinea)




Black Emergency Managers Association  
We Support the GC

1231  Good Hope Road  S.E.

Washington, D.C.  20020

Office:   202-618-9097 

bEMA 

“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, 
                 and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” ― David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas




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