Tools of the Mitigation Trade

FLASH Debuts a New Look for FLASH.org

Noticed a new look at FLASH.org? As part of the 15 year anniversary, FLASH launched a refreshed and redesigned homepage with a greater focus on ease of navigation to programs and resources.The changes enhance usability and overall consumer experience.

The new features include an at-a-glance view on what is happening with FLASH and partners as well as alignment of the news feed, Twitter and Facebook in one convenient place. Stay tuned for more exciting enhancements this year.

FLASH Releases Building Code Education Study

Now available --- Residential Building Code Education Current Status and Best Practices. As previously reported, FLASH teamed up with Clemson University to evaluate whether or not residential building codes are taught in post-secondary education settings. The survey included university administrators, professors, graduate students and industry professionals such as building code officials, engineers and architects to:

• Identify barriers that keep colleges and universities from teaching residential building codes
• Assess if there is a need to teach residential building codes at the college or university level
• Identify benefits that would motivate universities and colleges to develop courses on residential building codes
• Identify methods that will assist universities and colleges in the development of courses on residential building codes
• Identify useful themes that residential building code courses should contain

The survey revealed that the International Residential Code (IRC) is not included in most construction programs and that most industry professionals learn residential codes “on-the-job”. That said, more than 90% of those surveyed agreed that residential codes should be taught within degree programs prior to industry experience. Click here to read the full report and recommendations.

FLASH on the Road

FLASH President & CEO Joins  Leading Weather Experts at the National Tropical Weather Conference

Leslie Chapman-Henderson joined some of the biggest names in meteorology at the National Tropical Weather Conference, “Tropical Systems: Preparing for the Storm” April 17-21 in South Padre Island, Texas. Featured speakers included; National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb, former National Hurricane Center Directors, Dr. Neil Frank, Max Mayfield and Bill Read, and (via skype) co-developer of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, Dr. Robert H. Simpson among others. The conference focused on tropical system forecasting, disaster preparedness, safety, research, and social media communications.

Leslie’s presentation focused on the 2013 Great Hurricane Blowout and Mitigation 2.0 --- the newest  FLASH initiative to help families prepare more efficiently through the use of technology like the FLASH Weather Alerts App.

FLASH and the Portland Cement Association Look to the Future

Leslie headed to Chicago April 29 to spend time with the Portland Cement Association (PCA) membership and further strengthen the new partnership by giving a presentation and attending the spring committee meeting. The PCA membership represents cement companies in the United States and Canada who bring critical products and systems to the building process that deliver durable, resilient and energy-efficient products.

Partner Round Up

Don’t Miss Out - Register Now for the FLASH / RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation 9th Leadership Forum – Build-it-Better

Time is running out to register for the Build It Better Leadership Forum, May 16 - 17 in Charlotte, NC featuring a keynote address from North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, along with conservationists, construction experts and emergency responders, leading scientists and policy makers.

Panels Include:

• Inventory Resilience: Commercial and Residential Exposures
• Post-Sandy Solutions: Which Communities Are Next and How Ready Are They?
• Sandy: A Wake-up Call for Hurricane-exposed Communities
• Unique Challenges of Low-income Communities in Natural Disasters
• Unique Meteorological Challenges of Sandy
• What Do We Do Now? The Path to Community Resilience

To reserve your complimentary seat today, view the agenda and register visit www.mitigationleadership.com.

Calendar

Register Now for the 2013 FLASH Annual Conference - Mitigation 360°

Join an exclusive gathering of the Mitigation Movement’s thought leaders, policy makers and subject matter experts at the 2013 FLASH Annual Conference November 20-22 in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Attendees will explore best practices, lessons learned and innovations from leaders of the movement.

Sessions to include:

• Breaking the Chain Reaction of Cascading Disasters
• Building Codes – Safety Delayed is Safety Denied
• FLASH Back – FLASH Forward: The Next 15 Years of the Mitigation Movement
• Home Improvement Television – The Next Frontier
• Reporter’s Notebook – Learn from the News Correspondents
• The Innovation Advantage - The Latest in Research
• The Mitigation Generation - From “Boomers” to “Millennials”

New This Year:  RenaissanceRe $20,000 Challenge

Watch, participate and judge this winner-takes-all, Shark Tank-style academic competition where Florida college and university students compete for a $20,000 prize with projects that help Floridians confront catastrophic wind events. Join VIP leaders and celebrities for this dynamic and engaging event. Don’t miss your opportunity for high-level networking and unparalleled mitigation discussions in a setting unlike any other.

Visit flashannualconference.org to register, view the agenda and learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

Milestones

FLASH Appoints Tami Torres SVP of Outreach & Communication

Tami Torres will join FLASH as SVP of Outreach & Communication on May 6th in the Tallahassee office. Tami’s professional experience includes more than 20 years of responsibility and broad experience in advocacy, communications, outreach, and program management. She began her career in communications, marketing and legislative advocacy for two high profile trade associations before moving to the Florida Senate where she handled media relations and communications, and assisted in policy development.  

In 2001, Tami was recruited to the executive branch of government to manage media relations and communications for Florida’s Insurance Commissioner and subsequently the Chief Financial Officer.  In 2007, she was tapped to serve as Executive Director of the My Safe Florida Home program. During this time, she also served as Executive Director of the legislatively created Windstorm Mitigation Study Committee and was an appointee to the Residential Construction Mitigation Advisory panel and Home Hurricane Rating System Coalition.

Following the conclusion of the My Safe Florida Home program, Tami was appointed Director of the Division of Consumer Services. Most recently, Tami served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer, overseeing internal and external communications, consumer assistance and outreach, personnel management and policy and program initiatives.