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

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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.

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

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

·        Report No,: OIG 15-06-D
FEMA Needs To Track Performance Data and Develop Policies, Procedures, and Performance Measures for Long Term Recovery Offices

Black Emergency Managers Association
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. 

                           http://bauxite.world-aluminium.org/refining/bauxite-residue-management.html

                           (Mining locations:  Jamaica, Australia, and Guinea)

Black Emergency Managers Association
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

U.S. Response. National Response Framework in Action.

FYI….

For homeland security and emergency management professionals at the national, state, county, and city level the following information and references are an overview.

For community members, faith-based organizations, and BEMA partners, collaborators, and others this information will serve as a basis of the U.S. response to the current Ebola and other threats.

BEMA

http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1914-25045-8516/final_national_response_framework_20130501.pdf

National Response Framework

The National Response Framework is a guide to how the Nation responds to all types of disasters and emergencies. It is built on scalable, flexible, and adaptable concepts identified in the National Incident Management System to align key roles and responsibilities across the Nation.

This Framework describes specific authorities and best practices for managing incidents that range from the serious but purely local to large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic natural disasters.

The National Response Framework describes the principles, roles and responsibilities, and coordinating structures for delivering the core capabilities required to respond to an incident and further describes how response efforts integrate with those of the other mission areas. This framework is always in effect, and elements can be implemented at any time. The structures, roles, and responsibilities described in this Framework can be partially or fully implemented in the context of a threat or hazard, in anticipation of a significant event, or in response to an incident.

Selective implementation of National Response Framework structures and procedures allows for a scaled response, delivery of the specific resources and capabilities, and a level of coordination appropriate to each incident.          

Situational Awareness: FREE Webinar. Emerging Viral Infections.

https://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl%2Ecom%2Fmmats29&urlhash=EPGt

Ebola and Emerging Viruses

October 21, 2014, 11:00am EDT

With the increase in urbanization and globalization, emerging virus infections are increasing both in prevalence and scale. 

The current Ebola virus epidemic is a notable and devastating example of the toll that emerging viral infections can have on the human population as well as the urgent need to understand the biology of this disease. 

In light of these on-going challenges, this webinar will bring together scientists and clinicians studying Ebola and other emerging viruses to discuss recent advances in our understanding of these viruses as well as potential therapeutic and public health strategies to rapidly respond and control these infections.

Gary J. Nabel
Chief Scientific Officer
Global R&D, Sanofi
View Presenter Biography

Pardis Sabeti
Associate Professor
Harvard University
View Presenter Biography

George F. Gao
Deputy Director-General, China CDC
Director and Professor
CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic
Microbiology and Immunology
View Presenter Biography

Moderator:
Ella Hinson
Scientific Editor, Cell Host & Microbe

Moderator:
Sri Devi Narasimhan
Senior Scientific Editor, Cell

The Upcoming Nonprofit and NGO Wars (2015-2020)

            The Upcoming Nonprofit and NGO Wars  (2015-2020)

The Emerging Market for Nonprofit Control:  Business Model Implications

http://www.philasocialinnovations.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&id=507%3Athe-emerging-market-for-nonprofit-control-business-model-implications&Itemid=31&limitstart=6

………..”the new nonprofit business model will incorporate a holding company organizational structure to facilitate changes in corporate control, capital formation, efficiency, transaction processing, and risk mitigation.  Specifically, the holding company organization structure can be expected to yield the following benefits……..”

Within our community we have so many nonprofit organizations, some performing the same function with variations in mission & vision, and approaching the same funding pool with negative results.  Some forming at the drop of a hat, and even ordered online via the internet. 

We have to begin to combine our resources, by pass egos, promote collaborations, partnerships, and strategic thinking beyond the expected.  Two or four squeaky wheels are more effective supporting the wagon to get greased then one.