Thursday, January 26, 2012

University of West Indies. African-Americans, ever thought of a different location for your education?

The University of the West Indies, established in 1948 initially as an external College of the University of London and made fully independent in 1962, is the oldest, fully regional institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Supported by fifteen countries all current or former colonies of Great Britain, the UWI is committed to the development of the region through the training of its human resources, conducting research, delivering advisory services to governments as well as to the private sector and forging links with other institutions in the wider region and the rest of the world.

FEMA Think Tank conference call. Thursday, January 26, th 2012

Please join FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino as he hosts the first FEMA Think Tank conference call, being conducted from the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Thursday, January 26, th 2012
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern (1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Central)
Call in number: 800-593-0692
Password is Think Tank January

Deputy Administrator Serino announced in November the launch of the FEMA Think Tank.


The call will be open to a national audience of State, local, and tribal governments, and to all members of the public, including the private sector, the disability community, and volunteer community, who share an interest in improving the Nation’s role in emergency management. Individuals who would like to access the captioning for this event may do so by following the link below: http://fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1897142&CustomerID=321.

During this call we will discuss three innovative ideas generated from the online forum. The ideas we will discuss are:

Community Mapping to Implement the Whole Community Concept

U.S. National Grid as the Response Language of Location

Incorporate Preparedness into School Curriculums


The individuals that submitted these ideas will provide a brief presentation. We will then open up the call to a national audience for further discussion and a Q&A (see agenda below).

We look forward to your participation in this first of many important discussions on how we plan and implement innovative ideas captured in our online forum. We also encourage you to continue to visit the online forum at www.fema.gov/thinktank to submit your own ideas, comment on others, or participate in conversations that will help to generate creative ideas. 

  
Kickoff Think Tank Conference Call
Milwaukee, WI
January 26, 2012; 1:30-3:30 p.m.
AGENDA

1:30-1:45         Opening Remarks by Deputy Administrator Richard Serino
1:45-1:55         Idea 1 Presentation
1:55-2:05         Discussion with Deputy Administrator Serino
2:05-2:20         Open discussion with national audience
2:20-2:30         Idea 2 Presentation
2:30-2:40         Discussion with Deputy Administrator Serino
2:40-2:55         Open discussion with national audience
2:55-3:05         Idea 3 Presentation
3:05-3:15         Discussion with Deputy Administrator Serino
3:15-3:30         Open discussion with national audience

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Community Participation: How Recovery Is Ingrained in Waffle House’s Culture

By: Elaine Pittman on January 19, 2012

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate has been sharing one of his more unique ways of determining how badly hit a community is after a disaster: He looks at Waffle House restaurants. If they’re closed after a storm or emergency, Fugate knows he needs to get to work.

“No matter how bad it was, the first thing that got open invariably was a Waffle House,” he told attendees at the International Disaster Conference and Expo on Jan. 17 in New Orleans.

And on Wednesday, Jan. 18, Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer described how recovery is ingrained in the company. He said the culture of the company revolves around two words: Show up. Getting restaurants open as quickly as possible following an emergency not only gives Waffle House the competitive advantage, but it also allows employees to return to work and provides a sense of normalcy for residents who may not have had a hot meal in days.

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, more than 100 Waffle House restaurants were closed. “It was something unlike we’d ever seen before,” Ehmer said. The company set up a command center and brought in supplies to reopen its locations. In areas where there wasn’t power, gas grills were used to cook food and boil water. Word spread that the company was on a mission to reopen its restaurants – while on their way to check on more locations following Hurricane Rita, company representatives entered Beaumont, Texas, where they were told, “We were expecting you.”

Ehmer shared lessons that the company has learned through the years:
  • get momentum going quickly after a disaster;
  • think of itself as locals in a community and get to know customers;
  • prepare employees before a disaster happens with information like what to do during and after a storm; and
  • do a better job of building relationships with government.
But with more than 1,600 restaurants in 25 states, working with government in advance isn’t always easy. Government rules like curfews in disaster-impacted areas can prevent companies from operating as efficiently as possible, and Ehmer reminded attendees that open businesses like restaurants not only benefit the public but also first responders who work round the clock following an emergency.

“The challenge is that every county, municipality and state has different people that we need to talk to,” Ehmer said. Building relationships across government and industry has been promoted more frequently, and examples range from FEMA hosting private-sector representatives in its coordination center to localities including industry organizations in their EOCs. With more partnerships and coordination, the nation will be better prepared to respond to a disaster.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

CONTINGENCY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE & EXPO

April 2 - 4, 2012                       Washington Convention Center | Washington, DC 
 
Don't worry: when it comes to contingency planning, we've got you covered!
1. An event you know and trust. Contingency Planning & Management is THE resource for COOP and business continuity planning tools. http://contingencyplanning.com/events/cpm-2012/information/expo/expo-overview.aspx?utm_source=AttendeeMktg&utm_medium=E-Mail&utm_campaign=CPM01
2. Who doesn't love a good deal? Get risk management education (and lots of it) at a reasonable price. http://contingencyplanning.com/events/cpm-2012/information/attendee-info/rates.aspx?utm_source=AttendeeMktg&utm_medium=E-Mail&utm_campaign=CPM01
3. 360 Views. With both unbiased experts and industry insiders leading the program, you'll get every perspective necessary to fine tune your contingency plan. http://contingencyplanning.com/events/cpm-2012/speakers/speaker-list.aspx?utm_source=AttendeeMktg&utm_medium=E-Mail&utm_campaign=CPM01
4. Copious contingency planning content. Build the learning program that meets your needs with sessions on Continuity of Government, Cloud Contingency Planning, Supply Chain Business Continuity, Social Media Contingency Planning, Business Recovery and much more! http://contingencyplanning.com/events/cpm-2012/sessions/session-list.aspx?EventDay=3&utm_source=AttendeeMktg&utm_medium=E-Mail&utm_campaign=CPM01
5. We dive deep. Waaaay deep. Check out the deep-dive workshops on The Disaster Experience, Business Continuity Testing Solutions and Ensuring a Successful BIA.
http://contingencyplanning.com/events/cpm-2012/tracks/preconference-workshops.aspx?utm_source=AttendeeMktg&utm_medium=E-Mail&utm_campaign=CPM01
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Information about MADRA: 

MADRA, a 501(c)(3) corporation, was formed in October 1989 to stimulate communication among individuals, groups and the community in the areas of disaster recovery and business continuity planning. By disaster recovery and business continuity planning, we mean those areas and disciplines which are required to recover an organization which has suffered a catastrophic event, seriously impairing its ability to perform its normal business. In a simple word, "a disaster." 

The meetings are free, so bring a friend or co-worker. If you think the experience is worthwhile, we would be pleased for you to become a member of MADRA. As a member of MADRA, we ask that you support us with an annual contribution of $50, which is used to support our non-profit educational association. We are totally dependent on donations to keep our information exchange going. If your donation is not reimbursed by your employer, it is deductible as a charitable donation at tax time. 

Don't forget: Attending MADRA meetings allows you to gain 4 continuing education credits for your certification! 

Attention Vendors: Are you interested in becoming a MADRA sponsor? 

Please contact Paul Striedl or Robin Fishman at contactus@madra.org for details. 

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