Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Richard C Hazel. Making Mitigation Matter: The Critical Pathway to Achieving Resilience:


Richard C. Hazel is an International member of the Black Emergency Managers Association and originally posted this article for publication in the area of public investment and disaster risk reduction.  

Resilience is a word that has become much touted in discussions surrounding disaster risk reduction (DRR). As a goal and a standard it represents a true litmus test for how effectively a community or nation has performed across all phases of the disaster management cycle. It requires long term strategies that involve demonstrable commitments to DRR including multidisciplinary partnerships amongst key stakeholders, continuous knowledge development, and investments that are financial and intellectual in nature. The goal of resilience cannot be achieved if mitigation remains the most underserved phase of the disaster management cycle. This article examines long term mitigation as an essential prerequisite to the overarching goal of disaster resilience amongst communities and its role in the priority established by the Hyogo Framework for Action to utilize “knowledge, innovation, and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels”.

Human history coupled with the forces of nature continually serve as a reminder that disasters care little for socio-economic conditions, electoral boundaries, seasonally dependent industries or stock market outcomes. “The losses, costs, and impacts of future natural disasters will be the consequence of today’s mitigation decisions and nondecisions”.1   In our efforts to prepare for, respond to and recover from the adverse impacts of a disaster event, mitigation maintains a unique role in this iterative process. It has been stated that unlike the other emergency management disciplines, mitigation “looks at long-term solutions to reducing risk as opposed to preparedness for hazards, the immediate response to a hazard, or the short-term recovery from a hazard”. 

It has also been viewed as “the only component of comprehensive emergency management that has the potential to break the cycle of damage and reconstruction that can occur when a community is subjected to repeated natural hazards”.3   Whether either perspective is preferred or disputed, mitigation can remain distinguished as the most event-independent phase of the disaster cycle.  (see figure 1)

                  
Figure 1. Event-driven versus Event independent phases of the Disaster Management Cycle


Just as essential operational and response characteristics typify participants in the event driven phases of the cycle; mitigation in its true form demands an even greater commitment. It requires a diverse set of stakeholders whose efforts to achieve the resilience goal must remain unwavering well beyond the advent or aftermath of any singular disaster event.

For developing countries this may also require the active participation of regional or international stakeholders and policy considerations of a political, economic, social and environmental nature that may quickly extend the scope beyond the existing mandate of local disaster and emergency management professionals. The most important decisions to be made by public and private stakeholders are deliberated and transpire long after the focusing event has occurred and faded from the media headlines and public outcry. Therefore a tendency to prioritize the visible activities of the event driven phases to the detriment of mitigation could stem from the fact that “disasters and emergencies provide excellent windows of opportunity for public officials to demonstrate their leadership capabilities and their willingness to tackle difficult problems”4  whilst recognizing that a failure to resolve such visible issues in an efficient manner can easily endanger an incumbent administration’s political future.

Increased proficiency across the event-driven phases of preparedness, response and recovery whilst neglecting long term mitigation activities will not achieve the goal of resilience. The Hyogo Framework’s established priorities are reasonable, but for many developing nations the harsh reality may be that their local disaster and emergency management agencies are viewed as deserving neither elevated concern in the order of investment priorities, nor an equal seat at the public investment table alongside traditional GDP stalwarts such as Tourism, Agriculture and Manufacturing. Unless an actual disaster event has occurred and is threatening to negatively impact the normalcy of economic activities, DRR priorities may be easily superseded by seemingly more acute needs.

Resilience as a goal emphasizes “planning and strategic mitigation…it aims to thwart, diminish, or curtail a disaster’s worst effects well in advance of calamity... it is deliberate, strategic, and enduring for the affected community”.5

Mitigation as its principal prerequisite requires the willingness to sacrifice returning to old norms which may themselves be culpable for the resulting disaster consequences. It is a shared responsibility that will test the resolve of political leaderships, private sector entities and civil society to adopt a proactive mitigation posture that charts a path toward resilience. The neglect of mitigation as a key element in risk reduction strategy is often borne out in the exacerbated impacts of recurrent hazard events on the most vulnerable nations. Locations at highest risk are predominantly occupied by financially vulnerable communities. Such population segments are generally unable to independently recover from any disruption without significant external assistance, are often unaware of the true nature of the hazards inherent in the locations they inhabit, or may have simply chosen to ignore such risks in light of promised disaster recovery assistance from local governments or international agencies6.

As the forces of nature continue to intensify (either as a direct result of greater human/technological interactions with the environment or just the evolutionary nature inherent in any living planet), it also increases the probability that we experience more frequent disaster events that threaten to disrupt or paralyze the socio-economic conditions we have come to expect. For example it has been stated that “economic losses worldwide from natural disasters in the 1990s could have been reduced by as much as $280 billion by investing only as much as $40 billion in risk reduction strategies”.7   Decades later in the presence of such prior information, it still presents an easier alternative to focus efforts on heightened preparedness activities and short term investment in response and recovery efforts. Much of what can be done to elevate this phase in policy consideration is feasible and well within reach but may have been avoided to delay unpopular decisions and sacrificing of old norms. Any meaningful effort aimed at building resilient communities and nations cannot avoid the hard decisions inherent in mitigation.

The pervasive nature of new media for communication and information sharing must be integrated into disaster management activities that assist in knowledge development and stimulating a culture of disaster resilience. Mainstream and new media entities often focus their reporting almost exclusively on the response and immediate recovery efforts. This can inadvertently convey to the public that a disaster event is successfully resolved once the recovery phase is complete. Ending the focus here ignores the critical risk reduction role of mitigation. An enlightened media can help ensure that mitigation becomes the phase of greater concern and discussion amongst the affected population, adjacent communities and an action item for elected decision makers.

International lending and development agencies are key stakeholders for many developing nations and their involvement in key aspects of mitigation can be facilitated without usurping the sovereign authority of country governments. The economic uncertainty gripping many leading nations will be magnified in lesser developed nations for several years to come. The ability of G20 countries to provide the expected levels of pre and post disaster financial and technical assistance to other nations will be severely tested. What this means for disasters of the future is that larger numbers of vulnerable people may resort to taking greater risks. “Growth pressures in communities have resulted in the failure of governments to enact stricter building and disaster prevention standards that would reduce the need for and the cost of disaster response and recovery.”8   Public and private sector leaders will continue to make prudent budget decisions addressing immediate economic concerns but may also relegate mitigation to the back seat of policy priorities.

International lending and development institutions can ensure that disaster mitigation efforts become one of the key metrics in a ‘balanced scorecard’ approach to their assessments and reports on the economic stability and outlook of vulnerable nations. At the same time care must be taken to ensure that any preconditions attached to loan or development assistance do not inadvertently derail local efforts to pursue DRR strategies. Failure to ensure that mitigation’s role in DRR is fully understood and supported at all levels through multidisciplinary efforts, makes the goal of resilience more elusive than it needs to be.

We are now inside the final segment of the Hyogo Framework’s initial 2015 timeline for substantive reductions in repetitive disaster losses. In facing the economic uncertainties and climate variability of another year, the final critique of how well we lived up to our obligation to build a culture of resilience hinges on our collective success or failure to pursue proactive mitigation measures well in advance of the next disaster event.

Richard Hazel
Graduate Student in the Crisis, Emergency and
Risk Management Program,
Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management
The George Washington University
rhazel@gwu.edu

Works Cited

1 Mileti, D. S. (1999). Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press. p.65

2 Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2008). Introduction to Emergency Management. (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA, USA:  Elsevier Inc. p.75

3 Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment. (1997). USAID/OAS Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project Planning to Mitigate the Impacts of Natural Hazards in the Caribbean. Retrieved from:  http://www.oas.org/cdmp/document/mitiplan/mit manl.pdf p.II-1

4 Sylves, R. T. (2008). Disaster Policy and Politics: Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p.18 Page 3 of 3

5 McCreight, R. (2010). Resilience as a Goal and Standard in Emergency Management. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management 7(1):15.

6 Hazel, R. C. (2011). Socio-economic Indifference to Natural Forces: Can Proactive Land use Policies Make New Orleans a Resilient City? Unpublished manuscript, Department of Engineering Management & Systems Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.

7 Charvériat, C. (2000). Natural Disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Overview of Risk. Retrieved from
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pub WP-434.pdf pp.90-91

8 Ward, R., & Wamsley, G. (2007). From a Painful Past to an Uncertain Future. In C. Rubin (Ed.), Emergency Management: The American Experience 1900-2005.Fairfax, VA: Public Entity Risk Institute. p.233 

Monday, April 16, 2012

BEMA Affiliate: Never The Less Ministries. Foreign Mission Projects

Foreign Mission Projects

Kipsitet Baptist Church Clinic

The mission component of Nevertheless is operating locally and on the international level. Over the past fifteen years services have been provided locally that address the needs of mankind in many different capacities such as:  counseling, couching, mentoring, health services, government assistance, housing, community initiatives, funerals, counseling for weddings and ceremonies, senior services referrals, problem solving, services within the Social Security Administration, preaching, teaching, workshop and conference facilitator, and motivational speaking, and in helping the terminally ill and bereaved to come to an understanding that God has not forsaken them.  View 2011 Foreign Mission Trip Photo's
In 2005 Reverend Brown-Hall joined in with Dr. Larry Wayne Jordan, Pastor and Deacon James Thompson, Ph.d, of Maples Springs Baptist Church, 4131 Belt Road, Capitol Heights, MD 20743, by becoming apart of their foreign missions ministry in Africa. This ministry was later named “The Kericho, Kenya Foreign Missions Project.”  In 2006 she accompanied Dr. Jordan and Dr. Thompson to Africa for her first mission immersion.  Upon her arrival in Nairobi, Kenya she realized that God had called her to the foreign mission field to make a difference, and has retuned for the past 7 years to eagerly address the needs of the people.  Her love for mankind in Africa has bestowed upon her the name of “Che Bai Bai” which means the “Happy One”.
 In 2007, the Kericho Kenya Foreign Missions Project opened the doors of “The Kipsitet Baptist Church Medical Clinic in Kipsitet, Kenya (East Africa), to address the medical needs fo thousands that had gone unattended.  The clinic was funded by the following partners:  Maple Springs Baptist Church, Central Baptist Church of Camp Springs, Open Door Baptist Church, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Tabernacle Full Gospel Church, Sharon Witherspoon, Esquire, Catherine Kilonzo-Yara, RN, and Minister Deborah Boston.  As of today the clinic has seen over 200,000 people who have been treated for various illnesses such as infections, malaria, cuts, diabetes, high blood pressure, pregnancy, and many, many others.  The clinic is solely funded by donations and an annual fund raiser breakfast held by Nevertheless Outreach Ministry. The proceeds are used to purchase medication for the clinic and its upkeep.  The foreign missions component of Nevertheless Outreach Ministries, Inc., will be further enhanced, in the very near future, by the use of grant funds to increase the humanitarian services that the Kericho, Kenya Foreign Missions Project provide to the people of Africa. In addition, Rev Brown-Hall has traveled to Guyana, South America with the Lott Carey Foreign Missions Convention where she ministered, encouraged, and learned greatly from the people there.
This ministry maintains the services we provide in Kenya from the committed financial support of the following Mission Partners:
Maple Springs Baptist Church, Capitol Heights, MD
Dr. Larry W. Jordan, Pastor and Mission Coordinator/Dr. James Thompson, Mission Ambassador
Central Baptist Church of Camp Springs, Camp Springs, MD. Reverend John H. Parker, Senior Pastor/Reverend Lynda Brown-Hall, Mission Ambassador
Zion Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., Elder Debra James, Pastor/Elder Aurora Delelspin-Jones, Missions Ambassador
Minister Deborah Boston, Shady Side, MD
Catherine Kilonza-Yara, Bowie MD
Tabernacle Full Gospel Church, Temple Hills, MD, Elder Doretha Best Pastor
Open Door Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., Reverend Bernard Taylor, Pastor
New Home Freewill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., Dr. Ernestine Battle, Pastor
Morse Hall, III, Founder/CEO, On With Life Therapies, Inc., Washington, D.C.
Denelle Parker, Founder/CEO, Parker Events and Consulting, Newport News, VA
Salvation Music Ministry, Washington, D.C.
Annually we seek new mission partners to join us in our effort to serve the people of God who are less fortunate than we are.  Please consider joining us if you will.

read moreFurther reading
In addition to the Clinic, Nevertheless Outreach Ministry has spearheaded other projects as indicated:
Bone Marrow Drive 
Senior Living Placement  
Kericho Foreign Mission Kenya, East Africa
Michael& Niccole Jones Scholarship 
Who Cares for the Caregivers     
Annual Citywide Women's Conferenc
Senior Citizens Move to Freedom
What Are Your Wishes? (Wills, Estate Planning for seniors)
Kipsitet Widows Group Kenya, East Africa  read moreFurther reading
Abstinence Seminar for Teenage Girl
Strength for the Journey
Lott Carey Foreign Missions Convention

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Background Checks, Security Clearances.


http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/13/11166181-shoddy-background-check-could-cost-you-a-job?lite\

Shoddy background check could cost you a job

Apply for a job and there's a good chance that potential employer will do a background check on you. Most U.S. employers (about 70 percent) conduct criminal background checks for all potential employees.
According to a new report from the National Consumer Law Center, the information provided by background screening companies is often wrong in some way.

"These reports really should be accurate. Unfortunately, too often, what we found is, they're not,” says Persis Yu, an NCLC staff attorney who worked on the “Broken Records”report.
Take the case of Samuel M. Jackson of Illinois, profiled in the report. Jackson was allegedly denied a job because of an inaccurate background check that said he was convicted of rape in 1987 – when he was just 4 years old. The conviction belonged to 58-year-old Samuel L. Jackson of Virginia, who was in prison at the time the background check was requested.

Virtually anyone with a computer and Internet service can go into the business of background screening. There is very little, if any, oversight.

“It’s really the Wild West out there,” Persis says. “They're not required to be licensed. They're not required to be registered. And yet they're generating billions of dollars in revenue with very little accountability."
The head of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) says the NCLC report makes some very broad statements that are not accurate. In an email statement to msnbc.com, Theresa Preg says background screening through Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRA), such as those that are members of NAPBS have “a very, very low error rate.”

Preg says members of her organization are highly regulated at the state and federal level. She warns employers not to use "free" criminal record searches offered via the Internet because they have no updating requirement and therefore can have inaccurate information.

 “The member companies of NAPBS help put millions of people to work, including ex-offenders,” she writes. “We also help consumers correct misinformation that may be contained on them at the actual courts or law enforcement agencies, as well as any incorrect criminal history information that may have been contained in a consumer report.

In preparing its  report, NCLC contacted attorneys and community groups that work with people who are hurt by faulty background checks. They say these reports routinely mismatch people. This can be devastating when a person with no criminal background is confused with someone who has a criminal history. Such mix-ups are more likely if you have a common name.

(Read: More background check horror stories)

“People are being denied employment because these companies are returning reports about the wrong person,” Persis says.

Background reports also commonly:
  • Omit crucial information about a case. For example: A person is arrested, but then found innocent.
  • Reveal sealed or expunged information, such as a juvenile offense.
  • Provide misleading information, such as a single charge listed multiple times.
  • Misclassify offenses, such as reporting a misdemeanor as a felony.
Even if you’re lucky enough to catch a mistake in a background check, it’s not always easy to get the error corrected.

“Many of these companies don't have very clear dispute processes,” Persis says. “Depending on the state and how the company got their records, it can take weeks or a month or more even to actually get the information corrected. By that time, a lot of times, the job is gone.”

The National Consumer Law Center wants the federal government to clean up the marketplace by creating rules that would ensure complete and accurate information. NCLC believes data providers should be registered, required to update their records each year and prohibited from making matches based solely on a person’s name.

Lake Arbor Jazz Festival. Sat. July 14th, Noon - 9:00 PM


 Lake Arbor Jazz Festival


Saturday, July 14, 2012, 12 noon - 9:00 pm
  • Make plans now to attend the 2012 Lake Arbor Jazz Festival! Now in its third year, we're making it bigger and better than ever! Don't miss this year's festival! It's going to be another wonderful day of great music, friends, family and fun!
  • Join us for a day and evening of contemporary and traditional jazz on the grounds of the Lake Arbor Community Center in beautiful Mitchellville, MD!
  • In partnership with M-NCPPC and the Prince Georges Cultural Arts Foundation, this event will feature some of Washington, DC's finest jazz and R&B groups.
  • Enjoy delicious food from a variety of food vendors, and arts and crafts merchandise from an array of vendors offering jewelry, clothing, books and more!
  • Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, family and friends for a wonderful day and evening of jazz!


This is a FREE event!             You don't want to miss it! 


SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2012, 2:00 - 9:00 PM
(Gates open at 1:00 pm)
    _________________________
Gates/Vendor Marketplace Opens: 1:00 pm
 Show Times: 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    _________________________
Admission: Free to the Public
    _________________________
Event is "Rain" or "Shine"
    _________________________
Location: Grounds of the Lake Arbor Community Center
10100 Lake Arbor Way
Mitchellville, MD 20721
    _________________________
About the Festival 

The Lake Arbor Jazz Festival (LAJF) is a community music event showcasing top flight local and regional jazz and R&B musicians from the greater Washington, DC and Baltimore areas. This event brings together a diverse audience of jazz music lovers, young and old, for a one-of-a-kind event in a neighborhood community environment.

Enjoy delicious food from a variety of food vendors and arts and crafts merchandise from an array of vendors offering jewelry, clothing, book and more!

Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, family and friends for a wonderful day and evening of jazz!

The Lake Arbor Jazz Festival is an event of the Prince Georges Cultural Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

(Free parking on-site; free shuttle service for off-site parking)
    _________________________

http://www.lakearborjazz.com/index.htm


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