Fugate cites renewed focus on mitigation at FLASH Annual Meeting

“We’re putting mitigation back into the lexicon of how we protect the nation from hazards,” FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said in his keynote address at the 2011 FLASH Annual Meeting. “This is important to building a truly resilient nation. If you’re resilient, you have a credible response to disaster that allows for quick recovery.”

Administrator Fugate was the first of four keynote speakers to address the more than 130 experts in disaster safety, property loss mitigation and weather outcomes attending the meeting.

WeatherPredict Consulting Inc.’s Craig Tillman presented the report,“Impact 2011: Examining a Year of Catastrophes Through the Lens of Resiliency,”  that outlined how improving the world’s resiliency to severe weather and natural disasters depends on how well we integrate our built and natural environments. The WeatherPredict Impact Report was prepared for the FLASH meeting and will become an annual tradition at future meetings.

Build Change Founder and CEO Dr. Elizabeth Hausler discussed the impressive work of her organization and told attendees, “The three main challenges to building safe houses in developing countries are technology, money and people. Earthquake-resistant construction will become common if the technology is widely known, available and culturally accepted.” Since its founding in 2004, Build Change has improved the design of more than 18,000 houses and trained more than 12,000 people including builders, technical high school students and teachers in Indonesia, China and Haiti.

National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read provided an update on hurricane activity this season with a special focus on the unique and historic circumstances surrounding Hurricane Irene. 

The Weather Channel’s Dr. Rick Knabb provided a behind-the-scenes look at TWC operations, including insights on how to bring safety information to broadcast partners. Through his remarks, Dr. Knabb helped the audience think like news professionals.

The 2011 all-star FLASH keynote speakers will be a tough act to follow in 2012.

Attendees pay tribute to stormstruck success and look forward to another 3 year run

The leadership program hosted by CNN's John Zarrella paid tribute to the three-year success of StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes®. It opened with a mitigation trivia game after which FLASH announced five new $1,500 scholarships in honor of the StormStruck sponsors. These scholarships take the study of mitigation to higher education for the first time. The scholarships create an educational link between traditional disciplines that support mitigation – including social science, risk management, financial services, meteorology, engineering and construction--as a field of study and practice.

Thirteen exemplary individuals were named as “Heroes of the Movement” for thier contributions to disaster safety and the success of StormStruck. Those honored included: Mark Benthien, Executive Director, Earthquake Country Alliance; Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency; David Halstead, Deputy Director, Florida Division of Emergency Management; Lt. General Russel L. Honoré, USA (Ret.); Dr. Ernst Kiesling, Professor of Civil Engineering, Texas Tech University and Executive Director of the National Storm Shelter Association; Dr. Rick Knabb, Hurricane Expert and Tropical Program Manager for The Weather Channel; Forrest Masters, PhD, PE, Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, University of Florida; Max Mayfield, WPLG-Local 10 TV (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL), Former Director of the National Hurricane Center; Bill Read, Director of the National Hurricane Center; Tim Reinhold, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Vice President for Research and Chief Engineer, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS); Dominic Sims, COO, International Code Council; Wendy Spencer, CEO, (Florida) Governor's Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service; and John Zarrella, Miami Correspondent for CNN.

The highlight of the program came as Kevin and Sarabeth Harrison of Athens, AL, were honored for sharing their inspiring story of how their existing safe room saved them and their two children from a direct hit by the the April 27 EF-4 Alabama tornado outbreak.

Conversation Session 1: Outreach Program Roundup

Experts on flood, wildfire, hurricane and earthquake safety described the latest resources available to educate families about disaster preparedness and mitigation. Panel members included representatives of ShakeOut, FloodSmart, FEMA, National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP), the FLASH Great Hurricane Blowout and the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL).

“Homes that don’t ignite don’t burn,” said Monica Phillips, Mechanical Engineer, Research and Development Engineering Directorate, SRNL. “Our new WildFIRE Wizard software tool allows the user to learn how to protect their home from ignition if a wildfire comes through.”

Conversation Session 2: Innovations in Communication and Outreach Technologies

Social media experts from USAA, the Salvation Army and FEMA described how they’re leveraging web-based technologies to successfully communicate with their audiences.

Kevin Smith, Director of Emergency Disaster Services for the Salvation Army discussed how his organization uses social media to communicate in times of crisis response and recovery.

"... failing to be engaged in social media today will inhibit your ability to perform in a disaster,” said Smith.

Conversation Session 3: Campus Report – Latest Academic & Research Advancements

Top researchers and engineers provided a preview of the most recent advancements and research shaping disaster preparedness. Among them was Jay Baker, PhD, Geography Department, Florida State University, who spoke of his studies on how and why the public responds to hurricane threats.

“Our current research involves interviews with coastal residents during actual hurricane threats and surveys to help understand how people arrive at their beliefs regarding their vulnerability to hurricanes,” said Dr. Baker, who is currently assisting the state of Florida to update its behavioral assumptions for hurricane evacuation plans statewide.

Conversation Session 4: What’s Hot in Mitigation Policy?

The fourth conversation involved recent government policies and programs having the biggest impact on the disaster safety movement. Steven Cooper, Deputy Regional Director of the National Weather Service (NWS), spoke of the Weather-Ready Nation campaign to save lives and improve preparedness during extreme weather

“Why build a weather-ready nation?” Cooper asked. “This past year, we’ve had 10 billion-dollar weather events – hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, wildfires, flooding and blizzards. A weather-ready nation will empower Americans to make faster, smarter and life-saving decisions; transform response to extreme weather; and save more lives and livelihoods.”

FLASH Showcases Innovations in Product Technologies

The latest technologies in disaster safety and mitigation were featured in the first-ever FLASH Innovations in Product Technologies Showcase. More than 20 companies and organizations participated in the impressive showcase including Storm Shelters of Northwest Florida, which displayed its 4’x6’ All Weather Safe above ground steel safe room.

News Clips: 2011 Annual Meeting Media Coverage

KOTV (News on 6) from Tulsa, OK did a special report on StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes® and interviewed FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson for the story. See the news clip here.

CBS Radio News conducted an interview with Leslie about the meeting and FLASH efforts to strengthen building codes. Listen to the news clip here.

2012 FLASH Annual Meeting Set

Mark your calendars now for the 2012 FLASH Annual Meeting at Disney’s Contemporary Resort on October 31 - November 2. Additional details will be coming your way soon.