HR Talk

Mercury Award
The recipient of the Mercury award is our responder of the year. This is a volunteer who is quick footed and consistently provides coverage for emerging disasters throughout the year, whether it’s the disaster desk, social media support or administrative support. This individual is selected based on the hours and responses worked during the year

Global Fellowship Award
The Global Fellowship award is chosen by team mates for a volunteer’s contributions during the year. The recipient of this award is selected by the team for team MVP and shines in fellowship and Humanitarian Principles. This is the highest award for Humanity Road, and represents honesty, integrity, community, engagement, collaboration and commitment.

For the first time, a single Humanity Road volunteer has received both the Mercury Award and the Global Fellowship award in the same year.  

We are pleased to announce that Cindy Becker has received the Mercury Award for her outstanding active response in 2012. Throughout the year, Cindy responded to 165 events representing more than half of all responses for the year in 2012. 

In April Cindy activated the disaster desk in support of #NYFire in the Long Island area.  Animals in Disaster team worked an urgent need for horse trailers for evacuation of over 110 horses.  In May Cindy responded to 14 events as well as publishing articles articles for the blog including  “Happy Mother’s Day”, to all pet Mom’s and “A Pet’s Summer Wish List”, and from the Animals in Disaster Digest “Horses, Hurricanes and Floods”.  As well as “Toad Power. 

Among the many events throughout the year, Cindy took part in the Great ShakeOut in October 17 and supported our UN OCHA Effort for Typhoon Pablo/Bopha. Also in October and early November she worked tirelessly in support of Hurricane Sandy.  She helped develop a cohesive multistate coverage approach during the event for which Humanity Road received much praise.  In addition to researching pet-friendly shelters and animal rescue groups for disasters monitored by Humanity Road, Cindy leads the Animals in Disaster (AiD) Team in tweeting animal preparedness information and updating its Facebook page and AiD Digest.

Cindy’s team mates have also recognized her with the Global Fellowship Award.  As team lead for Animals in Disaster, Cindy supports a group of volunteers who respond to emerging events with a focus of helping animal owners find critical information about how to prepare and shelter their livestock and pets during disaster.  Her support in helping her fellow volunteers respond to both people and animals in disaster in 2012 earned her this recognition.

 “Cindy is passionate about HR's work and has spent many late nights monitoring disasters. She was a great help to me when I first began volunteering for HR and the AiD team. During Hurricane Sandy, she put in many long hours monitoring and researching information for both people and animals, and she was an indispensable part of the team.” - Aline Carr

On Memorial Day in 2012 Cindy wrote a tribute to salute animals who serve.  Her words are quite fitting today to honor her - “Cindy you act with remarkable loyalty, faith, courage, and strength and we are in awe of your valiant spirit of giving”.

When it comes to communicating during disaster, I am over-prepared. 

Here is an example.  When a tornado warning is activated for my tiny town – we have no outdoor siren.  The siren in town is used to notify the firemen of a call to duty but other than that, it is too old to be converted for use as a tornado siren. 

So…how do I get notified?  Well in active weather, I do listen to radio but I also signed up for 2 separate emergency notification services.  One is offered by an area TV station and I pay a tiny annual fee for it.  But I also signed up for CodeRED.  My county offers CodeRED emergency notification service to the residents and businesses in my county.  I strongly encourage folks to find out what is offered in your local community and sign up today.  You can most likely find this information on your county or city website.  If you can't find any information about it, call your county emergency management office to find out more about it.  If you already subscribe, great!  Check your registration for current phone numbers and alerting types so that you know it is current. Sign up for multiple phone number alerting if its is available

WILL WE GET THE CALL?
Now here is the over-prepared part of the story. On a rainy day in April last year, my phones started ringing.  My father’s cell phone, my cell phone and our landline all started ringing at the same time.   We happened to be all in the same room.  Yeah I knew something was up.  It was WRAL calling with a severe weather alert for a tornado warning.  After hanging up, the phones all rang a second time. Some people might think this is annoying – not me.  It was CodeRED with a severe weather alert for a tornado warning.  Within five minutes of those calls – a tornado passed overhead and did not touch down.  After the tornado passed, the emergency alert signal came on the radio.  Thankfully, the calls got to us before the tornado did.  So yes - I get six phone calls when a tornado warning hits my area.

But what if one phone was lying on a desk somewhere and we couldn’t hear it.  What if the landline was dead because the tornado already hit somewhere else and knocked out the landline or hit the cell tower and knocked out the wireless signal?  What if I am away with my cell and my father is away with his cell and my husband is at home with the landline?  We all need to know and I wanted a backup plan in case one failed.  So I get notified twice - on three different devices.

REVIEW AND UPDATE YOUR NOTIFICATION SERVICE
If you are signed up with reverse notification – please check your registration and be sure that you make full use of multiple phone numbers.  When disaster threatens – make sure you stay near your phone and radio to stay informed.  And even if you do not get an official notification of a mandatory evacuation but the situation at your location seems at risk - evacuate!  You do not need to wait for official mandatory evacuation. 

Make a Plan – Get a Kit – Stay Informed

Taking Shelter with Small Children

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Emergency Management Magazine hosts a series of conferences around the U.S. for Emergency management and responders.  These events are actionable, thought-provoking summits for all-hazards professionals and industry experts to share expertise, best-of-breed solutions and best practices around preparation and response to disasters caused by nature and enemies of state.  Its a free program for Emergency Management professionals.  Its a great space for networking and its  filled with fast fact filled and informative presentations.  Below is a link to the presentations in Miami in December which included a presentation by Humanity Road on Crisis Communication strategies in Social Media.

For 2012 they kick off the year in Seattle, to see when they come to your area visit http://www.emergencymgmt.com/events/2012-All-HazardsAll-Stakeholders-Summits.html

Followership: The Mirror Image of Leadership
Garry Briese
Local Program Integrator, Wide Area Resiliency and Recovery Program, Denver UASI

Crisis Communication Strategies in Social Media
Crisis Communication Strategies: Video
Cat Graham
Vice President, Humanity Road, Inc.

Evolution of Social Media for Emergency Management
Jeff Baranyi
Senior Solutions Engineer, Esri

Secure and Manage your Information Driven World to Ensure Business Continuity
Dale “Dr. Z” Zabriskie
CISSP, Symantec Evangelist, Symantec Corporation

Why Satellite?
Tony Bardo
Assistant Vice President, Government Solutions, Hughes

Emergency Operations Centers – New Advancements in Interoperability
John Degory
Chief Operating Officer, Knowledge Center

Harnessing the Unstoppable Wave of Mobile Devices
Dale “Dr. Z” Zabriskie
CISSP, Symantec Evangelist, Symantec Corporation

Can you prepare for the hazards of a volcanic event? Yes. Besides an evacuation plan, one of the most critical items you should have in your disaster kit is a mask or respirator. If you do not have a respirator, a dust mask will substitute to some degree. If you do not have a dust mask, wet a bandana or kerchief and wear as a mask to help reduce inhalation of ash.  http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/

Be prepared for the hazards that can accompany volcanoes:
Be familiar with mudflows and flash floods, Landslides and rockfalls as they are hazards associated with volcanic eruption. Listen for unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together. Ash: Cover your mouth and nose. Volcanic ash can irritate your respiratory system. Wear goggles to protect your eyes.   Keep skin covered to avoid irritation from contact with ash. Volcanic events often have earthquake or tsunami risks as well so be familiar with these Earthquakes, Tsunamis. The most common hazard to deal with for Volcanic events is ash fallout.

What to do if volcanic ash is falling (Source)
• Don't panic - stay calm.
• Stay indoors.
• If outside, seek shelter (e.g. car or building).
• Use a mask, handkerchief or cloth over your nose and mouth.
• If warning is given before ash fall starts, go home from work.
• If at work when ash fall starts, stay indoors until the ash has settled.
• Do not tie up phone lines with non-emergency calls.
• Listen to your local radio for information on the eruption and cleanup plans.
• Do not wear contact lenses as these will result in corneal abrasion.
• If there is ash in your water, let it settle and then use the clear water. If there is a lot of ash in the water supply, do not use your dishwasher or washing machine. Water contaminated by ash will usually make drinking water unpalatable before it presents a health risk.
• You may eat vegetables from the garden, but wash them first.

English
US Volcano lists: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/volcanoes/volcanolist.php  
Volcano Hazards Poster English: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/64/  
Pilot instructions Aviation: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3116/fs2010-3116.pdf  

Spanish
Cuáles son las Amenazas o Peligros Volcánicos? PDF
Antes de una erupción volcánica PDF
Volcanes de Canarias http://www.volcanesdecanarias.com/index.htm  
¿QUÉ ES LA CENIZA VOLCANICA? PDF



 

Defining Disaster

There are different types of events and this should be considered when planning for your future and your family.  Discussing how to plan for an incident requires an approach to categorizing the nature, size and duration of events.  For the purposes of this article, incidents can be considered in four different categories, Hazards, Emergency, Disaster and Catastrophic event. The post disaster time frame is typically divided into three phases: acute or short term (1 month or less), intermediate (1–12 months),or chronic or long term (12 months or longer).[1]

Hazard:  has the potential to cause harm to health, life, safety, or the environment and increases vulnerability, although it may not require a rapid response.  Learn how to reduce hazards in your home and how to recognize hazards in your surroundings.  

1.  Emergency:  A level 1 event is an event that moves beyond the potential of a hazard and poses an immediate threat to one’s health, life, or surroundings.  Examples of an emergency would be a fire in your home.

2.  Disaster:  Extraordinary situations that require an immediate response, but can be adequately managed at the local level by designated responders, such as police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and public health officials using local resources (Guha-Sapir, 2000) Essential services such as food, water, housing, health care, and sanitation are usually disrupted for prolonged periods of time.  World Health Organization defines a disaster as an event involving 100 or more persons, with 10 or more deaths, an official disaster declaration, or an appeal for assistance.  Disaster could be an isolated tornado.

3.  Catastrophic Event: is a sudden and extreme disastrous event, causing an upheaval in the order of communities, which requires an extensive recovery process that fundamentally changes the surrounding environment (Homeland Security, 2008). Catastrophic event example would be Hurricane Katrina, or the Japan Earthquake.

Below are some examples of disaster level planning.

Be Prepared For A Tsunami In Hawaii

Most visitors to Hawaii do not expect to encounter a tsunami. However, during March 2011, this event caused panic for Hawaii visitors and residents. A monster 8.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami had moments earlier wiped out the Japanese port of Sendai. Hawaii was in the direct path to receive giant waves of 10 feet. It was a back lash of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake. 

Looking for information is the worst thing to do during a tsunami evacuation. This information is to help individuals find assistance and safety during emergency weather in Hawaii.  Not taking the necessary steps could mean injury or death.  Therefore, safety of life is top priority. The Hawaii Department of Emergency Management (DEM) advises the following actions to be taken.

A significant earthquake can occur in distant areas of the Pacific Basin, i.e., Japan. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) will issue a Tsunami Watch until it can be confirmed or discounted.

 When a tsunami is confirmed and evacuation is necessary, a warning will be announced over radio through the Emergency Broadcast System in conjunction with the sounding of Civil Defense sirens. Sirens may not be audible in some locations. Keep radio or television on for broadcast notification.

Tsunami Watch: All Watch advisories are your signal to prepare. Monitor radio for Watch upgrade to Warning status or Watch cancellation.

Tsunami Warning: Listen to radio for Civil Defense instructions to evacuate.

Tsunami Evacuation: If you are within an evacuation zone,

• Leave by either walking or driving to a safe area or shelter outside the zone.
• Be aware, however, that steel and/or concrete buildings of six or more stories in height should provide adequate protection if you move to the third floor or above.
• If you are outside the evacuation zones, you are not in danger. To avoid traffic gridlock, you should curtail non-essential travel, avoid roadways in or near the evacuation zones, and do not interfere with evacuation.
• Remain in safe areas until the "All Clear" is announced over the radio.

Moving to the Safe Zone

• Walk out of the evacuation zone to a safe area, or to the nearest shelter. 
• Request assistance of nearby friends or neighbors to relocate to areas outside the evacuation zone.
• Take the Bus. Designated city buses will change from normal routing, operate as evacuation shuttles, and pick up evacuees and provide transport to pre-designated tsunami refuge areas. 
• Flag the buses down along their adjusted routes and they will take you, without charge, to within walking distance of one of the refuge areas. Use the shuttle buses to assist in your evacuation, but do not rely solely on their availability as accidents or unexpected delays could occur.
• If wave arrival time is approaching and no bus is in sight, move outside the evacuation zones immediately. Also be aware that tsunami evacuations are likely to cause disruptions to all city bus schedules.

Maps to safe zones

There are over 30 safe zone locations and shelters. Go to http://www1.honolulu.gov/dem/maps.htm  to view specific safe zone maps. All information is taken from the Department of Emergency Management official web site.

For additional information go to http://www1.honolulu.gov/dem/tsunami2.htm .  Or contact the Department of Emergency Management at (808) 723-8960. 

Other helpful links 

The Pacific Disaster Center tweet alerts available for iPhone, iPod and iPad. The PDC conducts cutting edge research and analysis to aid in greater support of disaster management and humanitarian assistance worldwide. For more information got to http://www.pdc.org  

Disaster Assistance and Recovery center at Keehi Lagoon in Hawaii helps individuals and families in the aftermath of a disaster. Counseling, temporary housing, employment and repairs are some of the services offered. For detailed information and other helpful contacts go to   http://www.scd.hawaii.gov/recovery.html

National Defense University
Under a partnership between the National Defense University and the Naval Postgraduate School, the STAR-TIDES initiative hosts quarterly experiments at a remote field site in Paso Robles, CA (Camp Roberts). These experiments explore the edge of the possible within humanitarian operations, focusing on the creation of a common operating picture between all responding organizations–civilian and military, domestic and international.  STAR–TIDES (Sustainable Technologies, Accelerated Research–Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support) is a networked effort that combines centralized and decentralized types of organizations. Its greatest strength is an extended network of interested individuals, businesses, government offices (civil and military), universities, and other entities.  The underlying model for STAR–TIDES and its whole-systems approach to infrastructure solutions is based on the Hexayurt Project’s "six ways people die" model.  These are too hot, too cold, thirst, hunger, illness, and injury. Shelters can help mitigate the first two risks, supply chains can address thirst and hunger, public health and medicine can mitigate many illnesses, and safety and security can reduce the likelihood of injury. These are too hot, too cold, thirst, hunger, illness, and injury. Shelters can help mitigate the first two risks, supply chains can address thirst and hunger, public health and medicine can mitigate many illnesses, and safety and security can reduce the likelihood of injury.  You can read more about National Defense University http://www.jfsc.ndu.edu/ (Source)

Arizona State University
DMML http://dmml.asu.edu/ School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering.  The mission of DMML HA/DR group is to enhance communication and coordination between governmental and non governmental organizations during disasters.  "At DMML, we carry out research and build systems that use social media and crowd based sources to enable speedy response during disasters and events of crisis." The DMML research focuses on developing computational methods for data mining, machine learning, and social computing, and designing efficient algorithms to enable effective problem solving ranging from basic research, text/Web mining, bioinformatics, image mining, to real-world applications. The research includes (i) dealing with high dimensional data via feature selection and feature discretization; (ii) social computing, identifying the influentials in the blogosphere, group profiling and interaction; (iii) integrating multiple data sources to overcome ambiguity and uncertainty, (iv) employing domain knowledge for effective mining and information integration, and (v) assisting human experts by developing effective methods of ensemble learning, semi-supervised learning, and active learning with hierarchical classification, subspace clustering, and meta data.