Leadership

FLASH CEO Addresses Resilience at United Nations

Leslie Chapman-Henderson joined high-level disaster safety experts at the United Nations on October 4 to address “Resilient Design for Sustainable Urbanization”.  Invited by the UN’s Economic and Social Council in conjunction with UN-Habitat, Chapman-Henderson’s remarks focused on advancing disaster resilient communities fostering a ‘culture of prevention’ through policy leadership, creating public value and leveraging an open source framework. “It was an honor to bring our perspective and experience on resilience to the UN community, and the opportunity represents a true milestone for the disaster safety movement,” said Chapman-Henderson.  View the United Nations broadcast or download the prepared statement.

FLASH Partners Lend Support to Federal Legislation

FLASH, Florida Insurance Council, The Home Depot, Kohler, RenaissanceRe and Simpson Strong-Tie have stepped forward in support of proposed federal legislation introduced in October by U.S. Representative Dennis Ross that would help Americans pay for disaster mitigation and preparedness expenses tax-free.  The Disaster Savings Accounts Act of 2013 would allow individuals to deduct up to $5,000 per year through tax-preferred "disaster savings accounts" to use for expenses related to the mitigation of natural disaster risks, including earthquakes, floods, hail, hurricanes, lightning, power outages, tornadoes and wildfires. 

“This legislation will give families more tools to invest in their safety and resiliency, and will help contribute to a potential reduction in the economic costs of natural disasters,” said Congressman Ross. Contact FLASH today if you’d like to support this promising policy.

Disaster safety champions U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) marked the Superstorm Sandy anniversary by emphasizing the link between strong building codes and mitigation as a way to save lives, property and taxpayer money. 

“We know Mother Nature will strike us again. The question is: will we be better prepared the next time? If we remember Ben Franklin’s advice and put in place preventative measures that encourage strong building codes, we will be prepared.”

Read the entire Op-Ed in The Hill.

Outreach

New Tale of Two Homes Released on One-Year Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy

As the October 29 Superstorm Sandy anniversary approached, FLASH released a new Tale of Two Homes video documentary to help raise awareness that choices in how we build can mean safety and survival when disaster strikes. The “Tale of Two Homes – Superstorm Sandy” captures the remarkable story of the Sochacki family of Union Beach, NJ, who lost their 1940’s bungalow in the deadly storm, but survived by sheltering in a concrete home next door.  

This fourth installment in the Tale of Two Homes series came to FLASH from partners at Portland Cement Association (PCA).  According to PCA’s Donn Thompson, “We appreciate the Sochacki’s willingness to share their story and encourage other families to build safe and strong, and we are proud to partner with FLASH to bring their story to others.”  For more on the diverse benefits of building with concrete, visit www.flash.org/concrete.

Hurakan Makes a “Great” Comeback for Hurricane Season 

Hurakan, the beloved FLASH cartoon character based on the mythological ancient Mayan God of Weather, has joined the Great Hurricane Blowout on social media to help keep families in hurricane zones alert and prepared in case of a late season storm.  Hurakan provides weekly tips, reminders and will share a real “story of survival” each Friday to bring the message of hurricane preparedness and safety to life.

Be sure to follow @GHBlowout on Twitter and “like” the FLASH Facebook page to stay engaged and share Hurakan and his important messages.

Partnership

Memphis Partners “Shake Up” Earthquake Awareness with Resiliency Forum and Great ShakeOut Drill

On October 17, FLASH joined the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium, Legacy Partner FEMA and local, national and international experts in Memphis for an earthquake resiliency forum. At the forum, Barbara Harrison discussed the role that modern, model codes play in creating resilient communities.

Prior to the forum, the partners participated in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut along with preschoolers at the Barbara K. Lipman Early Childhood School and Research Institute. Institute Director Sandra Brown Turner introduced the drill and stated, “My philosophy as a teacher and as a parent is that our first job is to keep our children safe … holding emergency preparedness activities so the children are aware of procedures, process and drills are an extremely important aspect of keeping yourself safe in a time of emergency whether it’s an earthquake, an intruder or a tornado.”

Education

State Farm, ARA and FLASH Team Up to Present at the 2013 CPCU Society Annual Meeting

Tim Smail joined Applied Research Associates and State Farm to present a seminar on Coastal Building Codes: Post Andrew and Katrina at the 2013 CPCU Society Annual Meeting on October 28 in New Orleans. The seminar covered changes to coastal building codes that resulted from Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and others, detailed the role the residential building code plays in the development of new housing stock and retrofitting existing housing, and highlighted the impact these code changes have had on the number of claims and claims payments resulting from disasters.

FLASH Conducts Contractor and Inspector Trainings for South Carolina

FLASH continued a longstanding partnership with the South Carolina Department of Insurance on October 16 and 17 to deliver a Wind Certification Entity (WCE) Inspector Course and the Blueprint for Safety Contractor Course in Myrtle Beach. The courses have been offered since 2007 and are required for Inspectors and Contractors to participate in the SC Safe Home Program. “The courses offer in-depth, practical content that is delivered in an interactive and engaging way, and is required for professionals involved in our state’s mitigation program and responsible for assessing homes for their strength and resistance to high winds,” said Ann Roberson, Program Manager of the South Carolina Safe Home Program.

On the Horizon

Room Block Expires Today – Reserve Your Room Now for 2013 FLASH Annual Conference – Mitigation 360°

The 2013 FLASH Annual Conference is just around the corner on November 20-22 in Orlando at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek. Join leaders in the disaster safety movement like Lt. General Russel L. Honoré, US Army (Ret), The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, CNN’s John Zarrella, HGTV’s Mike Holmes, Insurance Commissioners from various states, leading researchers and more as we explore 360˚ of the mitigation movement.

  
Still trying to decide? Visit flashannualconference.org to view full speaker lineup, check out highlights from our 2012 Annual Conference and register. Then call 407-390-2300 or book your room online at the Wyndham Grand Orlando. You must be in the FLASH room block to take advantage of exclusive savings and amenities. If you need a government rate room, please email Sarah Chason.

Save the Date for Northridge 20

Mark your calendars for the Northridge 20 Symposium on January 16-17, 2014 in Los Angeles, CA.  The Symposium will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake in Southern California, which served as a catalyst for life-saving changes to earthquake engineering, risk mitigation and building codes. 

Joining FLASH at the symposium are leaders from the California Earthquake Authority, FEMA, Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER), RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation, Southern California Earthquake Center and more. Register now at www.northridge20.org.