Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference

TS 23. Hurricane Decision Making Scenario (limit 60)

The ability of local governments to perform a Rapid Needs Assessment accurately and within the first few hours after an incident or emergency is critical to providing a response designed to save lives and support life sustaining actions. This course explains the purpose of a Rapid Needs Assessment and describes the starting point for planning the assessment. This course is normally taught in conjunction with TS 2 Recovery from Disaster: The Local Government Role (G270.4), which follows this session, as it provides a foundation for the concepts discussed in the course. This is a required course in the EMI advanced professional series.

This course is designed for local government disaster recovery professionals (elected officials, city/county administrators, emergency management coordinators, public works directors, building inspectors, community planners, and unmet needs committee coordinators). The purpose of this course is to increase local government awareness of disaster recovery issues. This course is recommended as a follow-up to TS 1 Rapid Needs Assessment (G557), which precedes this session. This is a required course in the Advanced Professional Series (APS) certificate program.

The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) provides an overview of the progressive exercise process. In a cyclical process, exercises from the planning stages to the evaluation and improvement and how each endlessly builds upon the next will be examined. This class will assist in all issues relating to exercises and familiarize participants with the federal guidance and direction to build and maintain self-sustaining exercise programs. This training session will require additional hours beyond the traditional schedule in order to be a certificated training session. Participants will have a one hour lunch break.

This is an augmented version of the FEMA G290 Basic Public Information Officer class. It is for Public Information Officers and those who may serve in that capacity. Additional information will be provided on social media and the creation of public awareness campaigns.

This training will prepare Red Cross workers for assignments at Joint Field Offices and State Emergency Operations Centers to work collaboratively with the internal and external partners of the Red Cross, helping to ensure a coordinated disaster response that result in effective service delivery.

This course provides training on and resources for personnel who require advanced application of the Incident Command System (ICS). This course expands upon information covered in ICS 100 through ICS 300 These earlier courses are prerequisites for ICS 400.

Florida Counties have been developing their Disaster Housing Strategies in anticipation of that event which could bring thousands of displaced families and FEMA to your EOC doorstep. While Individual Assistance and Direct Housing Assistance may be federal programs, local governments need to have their strategies and partnerships in place to be able to meet the needs of their citizens and facilitate the recovery in their community. This session will provide an overview of the Disaster Housing Program, the process and procedures and what the local government will need to have in place. This will be followed by a Disaster Housing Tabletop Exercise.  Participants should bring a copy of their Disaster Housing Strategy or Checklist with them in order to enhance the learning experience.

Provide basic understanding and knowledge of the fire based resource database system used by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association in the management of intrastate mutual aid deployments as part of their support role to the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the State ESF-4/9 Desk. Attendees representing one of the systems 600 plus Florida fire departments or partnering agencies will be added as a system user, and will be provided live access via their own laptop during the session.

With tight budgets and so many disasters, even Uncle Sam is tightening the belt! Funding for programs that once flowed freely, now require survivor needs assessments. Presenters will talk about integrating data from American Red Cross case files, CR surveys, 2-1-1 and other information and referral services. Learn to use ALL available resources to “make the case.”

The course will provide participants with the knowledge and skills of social media and its uses, as well as the current tools, methods, and models to properly make use of social media for crisis communication. Participants will take part in facilitator-led activities. Through the use of social media tools, participants will learn and master skills to disseminate information and monitor, track, measure, and analyze social media traffic. Participants will be able to use social media as a method to identify warning signs that a crisis is developing.

This course provides participants with a standardized approach in the integration of private sector partnerships with emergency management and continuity programs and provides tools to participants to assist with building and sustaining relationships. Objectives of this course includes recognizing the role public-private partnerships play within the emergency management system; identifying stops for establishing a public-private partnership; discussing best practices for information sharing, emergency communications, resource sharing, and joint planning; and will explain methods for sustaining public-private partnerships.

This basic course will provide municipal emergency managers strategies and tools to expand their response and recovery capability.  The training course will provide instruction on how to build the basic components of a municipal emergency management program with limited resources. Managing resources is a primary mission of the EOC. Learn how to identify resource shortfalls, creatively work with private and nonprofit partners to fill gaps, and employ innovative technologies to manage resources during an incident.

This course will provide an overview of program enhancements to take your municipal emergency management program to the next level. Learn from your peers who managed the Republican National Convention, Super Bowl, and numerous other events, the basic of large-scale, worst case contingency planning.

The course is designed to strengthen the abilities of local jurisdictions to successfully prepare for and handle volunteer and donations management issues that may arise. The course content and activities may also serve as a template, thereby enhancing uniformity in addressing areas of donated unsolicited goods, unaffiliated volunteers, and undesignated cash. This training also provides information regarding the State’s volunteer and donations management responsibilities, which are designed to help build relationships between government and non- government organizations.

This course introduces the skills and planning considerations required to manage large numbers of volunteers who are not affiliated with an experienced relief organization, but who want to help in disasters. These helpers or “spontaneous volunteers” can often be put to effective use, making a positive difference in the affected community. Effective use of this resource requires pre-disaster planning, team building and policy decisions by local emergency managers. Learn the keys to success in managing spontaneous volunteers, and best practices from the nation’s most experienced disaster volunteer managers.

This training session will offer emergency management practitioners in institutions of higher education tools and resources to better prepare for our ever-changing all-hazards environment.  From best practices in continuity of operations planning to protection of critical infrastructure and hazardous materials, this session will combine presentations and exercises with the goal of increasing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of higher education emergency management practitioners. 

The HSEEP Toolkit is an interactive, on-line system for exercise scheduling, design, development, conduct, evaluation and improvement planning. The HSEEP Toolkit includes the National Exercise Schedule (NEXS) System, Design and Development System (DDS), and Corrective Action Program (CAP) System.

STUDENTS WILL NEED TO HAVE HSEEP USER ACCOUNT. Please email support@hseep.net or call (866) 476-4827 to request a user account prior to the training.  Be sure to bring your account information with you.

This session is the first of a four part lecture training series for emergency managers, response personnel and technical staff regarding basic principles of tropical meteorology. The discussions will focus on those concepts which need to be understood to assist in applying tropical cyclone forecast information to the emergency decision-making process. This session will include a basic introduction to the atmospheric and oceanic processes of the tropics as well as an introduction to tropical cyclone terminology, climatology, structure, and the methods and technologies used to detect, measure, and track tropical cyclones.

This is the second of a four part lecture training series for emergency managers, response personnel and technical staff regarding basic principles which need to be understood to assist in applying tropical cyclone forecast information to the emergency decision-making process. This session will include in-depth discussions from a meteorological standpoint of the various threats to life and property posed by tropical cyclones.

This is the third of a four part lecture training series for emergency managers, response personnel and technical staff regarding basic principles which need to be understood to assist in applying tropical cyclone forecast information to the emergency decision-making process. This session will include in-depth and sometimes technical discussions of NHC and WFO tropical cyclone forecast processes and their associated uncertainties, products, and services.

This session is the last of a four part lecture training series for emergency managers, response personnel and technical staff regarding principles of tropical meteorology. In this session we will examine potential future improvements to NHC products and services, future concepts of WFO services and the Weather Ready Nation Initiative, the science behind seasonal forecasts, and the hurricane forecast improvement project.

Building upon the meteorological information presented in the Tropical Meteorology training sessions, the goal of this session is to familiarize emergency management and other decision making personnel with the real world applications of weather information during a tropical cyclone landfall event. This is an interactive exercise simulating a hurricane landfall along the Florida Coast. National Hurricane Center and local National Weather Service personnel will brief the scenario and guide participants through meteorological factors. Participants will then make very general decisions about protective measures based largely upon the weather briefings.

The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) established in 1996, stands today as the cornerstone of the nation’s mutual-aid network. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U. S. Virgin Islands have enacted EMAC into law. The strength of EMAC, and the quality that distinguishes it from other mutual aid compacts, lie in its governance, its relationship with federal organizations, states, counties, cities, territories, and regions, and its ability to legally move any publicly owned resource from state-to-state. The primary objectives of this session are to focus on the recommended actions that should be taken by both Requesting and Assisting States and Resource Providers during the Pre-event Preparation, Activation, Request and Offer, Response and Reimbursement Phases of the EMAC process. The Mission Ready Package (MRP) concept and cost-estimation methodology will be highlighted. Attendees will receive expert guidance on creating MRPs, whose use will greatly facilitate identifying, mobilizing, and deploying resources to provide both intrastate and interstate mutual aid support to impacted states. The Session will conclude with a look at the process for initiating reimbursement procedures for deployed personnel as well as the Resource Provider.

This training session will offer best practices and practical tools to maximize resources and expertise to enhance economic recovery and overall community continuity. Trainers will draw from their experiences with the National Disaster Recovery Framework and with developing and implementing recovery initiatives in Florida, in the Northeast following Super Storm Sandy and elsewhere.

G-393 is a required course for the Advanced Professional Series. It covers basic mitigation principles including the ideal role of emergency managers and the steps of mitigation planning.

This course will introduce the roles, responsibilities and tasks of the shelter manager. Using the Sheltering Handbook, participants will work through a case study that takes them through four of the six phases of the sheltering cycle: Opening, Organizing, Operating and Closing. The course purpose is to prepare participants to effectively operate a shelter facility in a safe environment for its residents and workers.

This DHS course will empower emergency managers, planners, first responders and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs) with the planning and management-level skills they need to identify key legal issues and potential liabilities that typically arise during emergencies. Using a case study approach, participants in this 8-hour instructor-led course will examine legal issues surrounding selected emergency management challenges, be introduced to relevant legal guidance and emerging trends, and through discussion with other participants gain a sense of the larger operational and policy constraints faced by different actors involved in emergency planning, response and recovery.

This full day training will address the daunting challenges of meeting the preparedness and response needs of Limited English Proficiency Communities. Expert presenters will offer powerful tools for overcoming these challenges, including cataloguing LEP community assets and alternative methods of communication with LEPs, before and after a disaster strikes. A presentation on the innovative CERT program in a Volusia County LEP community and a first responder’s perspective on improving local, state and federal response to LEP disaster needs offer ready-to-implement strategies for any LEP community.

This is a basic course of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hurricane decision-making software program known as HURREVAC. This training is designed for users who want to learn the basic components of the program. Students will work hands-on with HURREVAC.

This is an advanced course of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hurricane decision-making software program known as HURREVAC. The training is designed for users who want to expand their knowledge and use of more applied components of the program. This training session will include how to apply HURREVAC examples and problem solving skills development. Students will work hands-on with HURREVAC 2010.

As the hazards and vulnerabilities of our built environment expand throughout our increasingly technological society, so too do the strategies and tools that can be utilized to anticipate and respond to them. This session will guide students through several methodologies for developing and maintaining a basic all-hazards situational awareness model for their community. Students will then spend time with Google Earth, SERT GATOR, and other existing applications that can be leveraged to produce a common operating picture using data from a daily situational awareness routine. Finally several case studies from recent events at the local, state, and federal level will be used to help students relate real-world best practices and lessons-learned to the classroom skills taught in the session.

This session will include a panel of experts that will provide discussion of various strategies and approaches that have been successfully used in assisting communities of various sizes to plan and establish resilience measures to recover from hurricanes and other disasters. The panelists will identify available resources to aid emergency management practitioners in integrating community resilience strategies into their long-term recovery plans.

This tour will visit the EOCs at Florida International University, Broward County and the City of Fort Lauderdale.  It will also include a visit with the South Florida Weather Forecast Office and Forecasters and Hurricane Liaison Team at the National Hurricane Center.  Participants will travel by bus to visit the identified EOCs. They will have an opportunity to view the facility layouts and function, communication equipment, information management software systems, functional break out areas and meet and talk with EOC staff. This is a great opportunity to visit and ask questions. Transportation will be provided.

This session will include a tour of the NHC and the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Miami. The purpose of the tour is for participants to gain a better understanding of the operations of the NHC and the local Weather Forecast Office (WFO), as well as their duties and roles during tropical cyclone situations. Transportation will be provided.

This session will include a tour of the NHC and the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Miami. The purpose of the tour is for participants to gain a better understanding of the operations of the NHC and the local Weather Forecast Office (WFO), as well as their duties and roles during tropical cyclone situations. Transportation will be provided.

This course will teach students to understand and use the US National Grid (USNG) System in both emergency response as well as planning.  Students will use maps, compasses, and GPS as well as other simple tools that will assist as they prepare for and respond to emergencies of all sizes. After action reviews from nearly every large multi-jurisdictional incident have called for a common grid to ensure interoperability among responders (search & rescue, fire, EMS, LE, mass care and mutual aid). Operational implantation of the USNG spans preparedness and response operations. Use of the USNG provides a uniform platform for pre-scripted mission planning and drives situational awareness across disciplines and jurisdictions.

Deep dive into today’s Mass Communications tools and services:  Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), National Communications System (NCS) Emergency Alert System (EAS), Wireless Priority Service (WPS), Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) and First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), Florida’s plan for Mobile Public Safety Broadband. Learn from the experts how these tools can support your planning, response and recovery operations.

The Florida Association for Volunteer Resource Management will conduct The Excellence in Volunteer Management Training Series; a sequence of six courses on organizing and implementing an effective volunteer program in a nonprofit or government organization. The interactive curriculum is based on the newest research and effective practices in the industry, and is packaged in an easy-to-use format. The six courses include:

1. Understanding Volunteering: Exploring the Heart of the Volunteer Sector
2. Planning Your Volunteer Program: Building a Solid Foundation
3. Recruiting and Placing Volunteers: Matching Volunteer Skills with Service Needs
4. Orienting and Training Volunteers: Achieving Service Excellence
5. Supervising Volunteers: Maximizing the Volunteer Experience
6. Evaluating Your Volunteer Program: Improving Results Through Data and Feedback

Each participant will receive a workbook with resources, copies of the power point slides and templates to support each course. Attendees will have an opportunity to take an open book exam to earn an Excellence in Volunteer Management Training Certificate of Achievement from Volunteer Florida and The Florida Association for Volunteer Resource Management for successfully completing course work.

This is a two-day intermediate training course focusing on the dynamics of emergency logistics planning and operations. Areas covered include supply chain; critical path and resource management; strategic and tactical planning for recurring and major disasters; purchasing methods and contracts; mission tasking and fulfillment; Forward Operating Bases; Mobilization Areas; County and State Logistics Staging Areas; County Points of Distribution and Emergency Base Camps. The new county level Logistics Capability Assessment Tool (C-LCAT) process will be presented as will Joint Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration (JRSOI) and the State Resource Management Network (SRMN) software used for managing resources statewide. Recommended participants include; emergency managers, logistics, mass care, health, military support, and public works, function personnel. Non-profit organizations, business and industry, finance staff and purchasing agents all have critical roles and will benefit from this course.

A Healthcare Coalition is a collaborative network of healthcare organizations and their respective public and private sector response partners that serve as a multi-agency coordinating group to assist with preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities related to healthcare organization disaster operations. The primary function of the Healthcare Coalition includes sub-state regional, healthcare system emergency preparedness activities involving the member organizations. This training session would present topics that would include how local communities would develop a regional, healthcare coalition. Specific areas of discussion would include planning, organizing and equipping, training, exercises and evaluation. Discussion would also include preparedness, response and recovery roles of a healthcare coalition.

Recent events have highlighted the importance really knowing if healthcare facilities are prepared for a serious storm. Flood resistance, facility hardening, emergency power capability and evacuation planning can either all come together as a plan, or clash at the worst possible time. This presentation will review the relationship between facility risk level, planning, resources and key decision making to ensure that the plan matches the threat. When a storm threatens, healthcare providers, Emergency Managers and emergency services must all know what the plan is, and that it will really work for all community partners.

There are twelve Joint Commission standards for emergency management and 106 elements of performance.  Within the 106 elements of performance there are 79 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) crossovers with additional requirements. In addition the Joint Commission or other regulatory agency there are Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) requirements for the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) of s. 395.1055, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 59A-3, Florida Administrative Code.  These requirements do not stop with hospitals but also branch out to home health care, etc. Healthcare emergency planners must have the ability to manage and coordinate many different organizations requirements while meeting all of the objectives outlined in each of their individual standards.  This session will assist hospitals and healthcare providers in understanding the different regulatory agencies and how they connect to one another and best practices of merging the requirements to have one comprehensive approach to compliance.  The session will answer the following questions:
•           Who are the regulatory agencies that monitor emergency management in healthcare?
•           What are the crosswalks between each organization?
•           What are the all or nothing standards?
•           How do different agencies use one another’s reports to assist them in their surveys?
•           How to prepare for a successful survey?
•           How do you request their assistance?

Conditions are rarely ideal during disasters. When people are displaced and need to stay in a shelter, it is important to use appropriate infection prevention and control measures, in order to limit disease transmission.  Tips, challenges, recent experiences, and planning resources will be discussed.

This session will provide an explanation of the Center for Disease Control and the American Red Cross processes for collecting surveillance data of health conditions in multiple service delivery sites following a disaster. Data collection methods and means of communication, including jointly developed forms, will be discussed along successes and challenges. Recent responses, including to Super Storm Sandy, will be highlighted.

Volunteer management is the ability to coordinate the identification, recruitment, registration, credential verification, training, and engagement of volunteers. In regards to medical surge, actions are required to effectively direct all activities related to processing, integration, and oversight of volunteers to provide personnel surge. This session looks to assist hospitals and healthcare providers in understanding the systems and volunteer organizations currently in place to assist with catastrophic incidents; specifically Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), State Emergency Response Team (SMRT), and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). The session will answer the following questions:

• Who are these organizations and what are their missions?
• Where do they come from and who deploys them?
• What are their similarities and differences and limitations?
• How do you request their assistance?
• How to put them to work?

Specific areas of discussion will also include memorandums of understanding, credentialing/vetting, liability protections and worker’s compensation, capabilities, exercise integration, and written plans to include volunteers.

The very nature of hurricanes and the flooding and damage they cause creates an increased opportunity for diseases to be spread within a population. Whether it is an increase in pests and the resultant spread of pest borne diseases, the close proximity of people in public shelters, or the spread of organisms caused by flooding and water contamination, public health threats can greatly increase after a storm or flood event. This workshop will highlight the most typical issues related to diseases and their transmission, as well as ways to mitigate the impact.

WS 102

This workshop will provide answers to basic questions about how to develop a successful Long Term Recovery Plan to engage public, private and community-based stakeholders who are impacted by a disaster event. Attendees will learn how to lead a team in coalescing around a common recovery vision, establishing implementation priorities, and connecting multiple partner organizations’ projects to fulfill a common vision. The presenters will discuss topics to include developing an area baseline, recovery strategies and implementation approaches, and best practices in sustaining long term-recovery planning.

The very nature of hurricanes and the flooding and damage they cause creates an increased opportunity for diseases to be spread within a population. Whether it is an increase in pests and the resultant spread of pest borne diseases, the close proximity of people in public shelters, or the spread of organisms caused by flooding and water contamination, public health threats can greatly increase after a storm or flood event. This workshop will highlight the most typical issues related to diseases and their transmission, as well as ways to mitigate the impact.

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The presence of radiological and nuclear materials at locations throughout the state offers another concern when planning for the impact of hurricanes and other events. The presence of these materials on our highways, in our ports and various medical facilities is cause for concern. Are you aware of the Preventative Radiological/Nuclear Detection and response capabilities in the state that can assist you following a storm? Hear the latest information available on Florida’s response capabilities and First Responder Do’s and Don’ts.

The panel of Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) subject matter experts will discuss the response to Hurricane Sandy through the use of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. The panel will also discuss the keys for a successful EMAC deployment.

This workshop will explore what damage assessment information is available from emergency management, the American Red Cross and other organizations.  The session will describe what damage assessment data can tell you and how to access it. The session will focus on how county emergency management and the American Red Cross can work together to complete damage assessment more quickly and effectively, with concrete examples from Martin County.

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Drs. Gray and Klotzbach will outline their latest forecast for the 2013 hurricane season, along with the methodology used to develop these forecasts. Discuss the methodology behind Colorado State University's seasonal hurricane predictions. The 2012 hurricane season will briefly be reviewed, with a focus on Hurricane Sandy. The latest forecast for 2013 will be presented, including landfall probabilities for the United States and the Caribbean. Landfall probabilities for the United States and the Caribbean will be presented. New forecast innovations will be described, such as the two week forecasts for the Atlantic Basin. The causes of observed multi-decadal variability in Atlantic basin hurricane activity will also be examined.

Each year, emergency management practitioners at institutions of higher education use this opportunity to gather together and openly discuss issues of interest or concern to them. Due to the overwhelming popularity and success of this workshop in previous years, we have expanded it to be a double-workshop. This will give us three solid hours to make sure everyone’s thoughts are heard thoroughly. Please come to the table and be prepared to participate. Bring a list of topics that you would like to discuss and actively engage in others’ topics.

This is not a repeat of WS110a, but a continuation.

A Geospatial Common Operating Picture is being replaced by the idea of a COP that does much more than just provide a picture. It allows for mission specific information to flow across an EOC and to enable many people to find, use and contribute to one common dataset open to everyone. This session will detail lessons learned and best practices from recent events, and provide a forum for participants to exchange ideas and datasets toward a more robust statewide Common Operating Picture. Special focus for GIS administrators and the Information Management Community.

This workshop will provide an awareness of the EWP Program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  The program is available to State and local governments (Sponsor) to repair watershed impairments caused by a natural disaster that threaten lives and/or property.  Topics covered include: eligible disaster events, criteria for projects to be eligible under the EWP Program, requesting financial and technical assistance from NRCS, completing damage assessments, sponsor’s roles and responsibilities, NRCS’s roles and responsibilities, cost share amount and procedure for reimbursement, Entering into a project agreement with NRCS to complete the work.

The Florida National Guard (FLNG) will provide a workshop detailing the capabilities, standard operations, planning, and requesting procedures.  FLNG will also provide an overview of lessons learned from the past seasons and how to best employ the Florida National Guard at the local level.

This workshop will inform attendees of the new delivery system and operating guidelines adopted by the state to assist emergency managers in responding to the needs of the private sector following a disaster event. Presenters will provide attendees with an overview of ESF 18 support organizations’ roles and responsibilities, and learn how private sector state and federal-level resources can be used to compliment local response efforts to assist businesses.

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Basic introduction of FL-MutualAidNet, the fire based resource database system used by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association in the management of intrastate mutual aid deployments as part of their support role to the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the State ESF-4/9 Desk. Attendees will be introduced to this new program and will provided a basic overview of the system’s capabilities & components that will include a live demonstration of the system.

This session will feature selected research presentations from students in emergency and disaster management related academic courses or programs.  A panel discussion with key emergency management stakeholders regarding the students’ research will follow their presentations.  All student scholarship recipients should plan to attend this session.

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This roundtable will enable communities who have completed Post-Disaster Redevelopment Plans (PDRPs) to have an interactive discussion regarding lessons learned and, importantly, the next steps. How do we truly build resilient communities? Who needs to be at the table? What are the major challenges? Communities beginning their planning process can have a bird’s eye view as veterans discuss what worked and what didn’t.

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The workshop will present an overview of the State Disaster Housing Planning initiatives including federal and state activities in 2012.  It will also provide insight from those communities who have developed and exercised their Disaster Housing Strategies. Local Disaster Housing Coordinators will discuss the benefits and challenges in this planning process, the accomplishments and pitfalls and best practices.

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After Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Mid-Atlantic States, a team from central Florida was dispatched to assist New York City with the recovery efforts. While the team worked in logistics, many lessons were learned in how to communicate the magnitude of the event to the public back in Florida. Learn about the tools, techniques and methods used to communicate, and the lessons learned from this devastating storm.

FEMA funds to mitigate the costs of serving persons during a disaster do not begin to flow until a Disaster is Officially Declared.  What can emergency planners do to identify and deploy community-based resources cost-effectively before a disaster is officially declared? Attend this workshop to find out the Who, What, When, Why, and Wherefores of real-world planning for the safety of persons with access and functional needs including the following disabilities: mobility, communication, transportation and sheltering.  Special emphasis will be placed on identifying community-based resources and including the persons with access and functional needs including disabilities throughout all five phases of the emergency management process: protection – actions taken to prevent an incident from occurring; preparedness – actions taken to increase capacity to respond to reduce the impact; response – actions to save lives, reduce losses and alleviate suffering; recovery – actions taken to return a community to ‘normal’; and mitigation – actions taken to reduce the damaging impacts of unavoidable emergencies.  This workshop will be presented by persons with access and functional needs including disabilities who are also trained in various aspects of Emergency Management: Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), etc.

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When a hurricane causes damage, unqualified contractors arrive en masse to target desperate homeowners. The presentation will address:
•           Professional Licensing: What it is, why it is important, and how to verify it on state websites. (examples of State of Florida webpages containing database search results will be shown).
•           Insurance: (General Liability and Workers’ Compensation.) What it is, why it is important, and how to verify it on state websites and at private agencies.
•           Clerk of Court records. How to use public records to determine a contractor’s character.
•           Division of Corporations records and how to determine if the contractor’s corporation is   active.
•           Building department records. How to use the permit database to get a comprehensive list of previous clients in that municipality and how to research inspection results.

Helpful contracting tips and cautionary red-flags will be discussed. General information about construction methods and materials related to hurricane wind uplift will be presented.

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Panelists will engage participants in a discussion about the emerging topics in mass care sheltering, Client Casework, Government Operations, etc. Panelists will lead discussions about how Red Cross activities have been improved based on lessons learned from the 2012 Hurricane Season.

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The purpose of this workshop is to have a roundtable discussion with appropriate stakeholders on what information they would find useful for re-entry planning and operations to determine if a new volume in the Statewide Regional Evacuation Studies is warranted. A reentry volume would include elements of the data that would be useful in establishing, review or successfully implementing a reentry plan, or developing a post disaster redevelopment plan. Examples of data types would include: additional detail on coastal zone infrastructure vulnerability; additional data on business vulnerability in evacuation zones; additional data on business types; enumeration of county ordinances that would be applicable to re-entry control; enumeration of county ordinances that would be applicable to Redevelopment restrictions.  Discussion will focus on the above data types as well as what is identified by the participants as useful for the process.

FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed updates of the Hurricane Evacuation Studies for Alabama and Mississippi. The study technical data was developed and delivered in an interactive format that allows non-GIS users to interact and access the study technical data in a manner not previously available. These Interactive Technical Data Reports (ITDR) were developed in a GeoPDF Format. 

The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate this new tool (GeoPDF) that that uses ArcGIS to present hurricane and disaster planning maps, data, and information from a Hurricane Evacuation Study (HES) in an easy to use tool.  The presentation will highlight its portability for sharing location-based intelligence that can be easily accessed, queried, shared and updated by emergency managers. The tool provides non-GIS emergency managers and decision-makers a way to interact with, query, and make timely and better informed decisions during periods of disaster threats. Similar efforts are underway for the Georgia and South Carolina HES.  A practical application of the tool will also be demonstrated showing how the GeoPDF could be used to display geo-spatial infrastructure data obtained from a project conducted by Auburn University’s Geospatial Research and Applications Center (GRAC), funded by a grant from the Economic Development Administration, to map surface level coastal utility infrastructure along Alabama’s gulf coast region.

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Phones in foreign consulates ring relentlessly after disasters, as survivors with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) seek help from a source they trust. Consulates are a significant resource for survivors and emergency managers when we equip them with critical information. A diverse panel will present the perspectives of consuls, LEP survivors, and emergency managers on the challenges of meeting needs in culturally diverse communities; and discuss ways to improve communication and coordination among LEP survivors, consulates, and government and VOAD responders.

Representatives from FEMA, the Agency for Children and Families, Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and Volunteer Florida will discuss the Federal Disaster Case Management Program’s assessment process and applications. The panel will share tips for planning for and implementing the Federal Disaster Case Management Program in local communities.

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