INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
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Monthly Updates - October 2008

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ICC Monthly Highlights

Hurricane Ike Community Recovery

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike delivered a heavy blow to multiple jurisdictions in East Texas where recovery from Hurricane Rita of 2005 was just taking hold. In the week following Ike's landfall, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requested the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) to provide support as part of the federal efforts aimed at Long Term Community Recovery. Three DHS/CRCL staff, working in two week rotations, deployed to the Hurricane Ike Joint Field Office in Austin, TX to carry out the mission.

In collaboration with an array of federal, state, local, and community representatives, CRCL staff conducted an assessment of long term impacts related to restoration of government and non-government support services on which special needs populations rely. The assessment aimed to: 1) present the characteristics of special needs populations in the impacted area; 2) broadly document the impacts of the disaster on these populations; 3) provide actionable considerations for addressing the needs of these populations during community recovery; and 4) lay out strategies for directly engaging these populations to ensure their perspectives are part of the recovery process.

The assessment identified distinct areas in which communities impacted by Hurricane Ike will need to build capacity to ensure that special needs populations are fully included as communities recover from the disaster. These areas of community capacity include: advocacy and case management, housing, financial security/employment, health and wellness, transportation, individual supports, child and family supports, education, and community access.

Following the assessment process, DHS/CRCL is offering its assistance to state, local, and nongovernmental partners as needed to identify policy issues and resource gaps requiring agency coordination and resolution. In addition, DHS/CRCL will work with its state and federal partners to utilize the feedback gained during this process to refine the assessment approach for future disaster recovery efforts.

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ICC Monthly Updates

US Department of Homeland Security

DHS Ready.Gov Forges New Partnerships During National Preparedness Month

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign (www.ready.gov) received record-breaking growth in the number of national, regional, state, and local organizations that participated in its fifth annual National Preparedness Month (NPM) this September. More than 3,200 NPM coalition members signed up to help educate individuals, families, and communities on the importance of emergency preparedness. To see a complete list, visit http://www.ready.gov/america/npm08/members.html.

Some highlights include:

  • Pennsylvania joined the growing list of regions that have localized the Ready Campaign by launching ReadyPA during NPM. ReadyPA unveiled its Web site and public service advertisements at a press conference that featured a variety of notable speakers, including Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Robert French and national Ready Campaign Director Erin Streeter. ReadyPA also partnered with Walmart to highlight National Preparedness Month in which all 84 Walmart Supercenter stores in Pennsylvania prominently featured a four-way display with key emergency kit items, ReadyPA signage, and informational hand-outs from September 19 to September 21. For more information on ReadyPA, please visit www.readypa.org.
  • Ready launched an NPM blog for the month of September http://www.ready.gov/journal/journal.html. The Campaign is honored to have had guest bloggers bring their diverse and unique message about emergency preparedness to the blog. These guest bloggers include Mrs. Meryl Chertoff, wife of Secretary Michael Chertoff, representatives from Federal leadership, state government, and non-profit organizations.
  • Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, teamed up with Ready to launch Let's Get Ready! Planning Together for Emergencies as part NPM. This bi-lingual (Spanish-English) guide aims to get families planning together for emergencies through simple activities and games that focus on talking to young children about the people, places and things that will keep the family safe during an emergency. The program was created in collaboration with Ready Kids and the Ad Council's ongoing preparedness efforts to help parents and teachers educate children on how they can help their families prepare. The Let's Get Ready! kits are available for download at www.ready.gov/sesame.
  • Ready also added new content to their Web site. There is now emergency preparedness information for the military. This section links to Ready Army and the Navy’s Operation Prepare and provides information specifically for Soldiers and their Families. There is also a Community Pet Preparedness toolkit available for pet advocates who are interested promoting pet preparedness in their community. This toolkit includes sample preparedness brochures, PowerPoint templates and press materials as well as resources and templates. Visit www.ready.gov for more information on these new initiatives.
CRCL and FEMA Staff Present at NEMA Annual Conference

Emergency planning for special needs populations is recognized by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as a priority issue for state and local governments. As a result of this priority, a workshop, Special Needs Population Planning, was offered at the September 2008 NEMA annual conference in Portland, OR. Brian Parsons, DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and Nick Sleptzoff, National Preparedness Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) co-presented on CPG 301, the recently released Interim Emergency Management Planning Guide for Special Needs Populations. The presentation emphasized the importance of considering the function-based needs of populations throughout the emergency planning process. Attendees engaged speakers in a question and answer session and interesting discussion on some of the issues they face in the states.

About NEMA
NEMA is the professional association of and for emergency management directors from all 50 states, eight territories and the District of Columbia. It provides national leadership and expertise in comprehensive emergency management; serves as a vital emergency management information and assistance resource; and advances continuous improvement in emergency management through strategic partnerships, innovative programs and collaborative policy positions.

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Recently Released Resources

Pandemic Preparedness in the States: An Assessment of Progress and Opportunity

States are making significant progress toward safeguarding their citizens against an influenza pandemic, but the nation as a whole remains inadequately prepared for a severe pandemic outbreak as reported by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). The report, Pandemic Preparedness in the States: An Assessment of Progress and Opportunity, presents an overall appraisal of the current level of pandemic preparedness in the states and offers recommendations for improvement in five areas. To access to the full report, please visit: http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga.

Public Health During Disasters

A team at the University of Pittsburgh's World Health Organization Collaborating Center created "Supercourse", compiling more than 3,500 lectures on health and epidemiology, including many on pandemics, mass casualties, and other issues related to public health during disasters. Please visit: http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/index.htm.

Southern California Wildfires After Action Report Released

The Southern California Wildfires After Action Report (2008) by June Isaacson Kailes, Associate Director, Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions, Western University of Health Sciences, documents the experiences of people with disabilities and individuals with access and functional needs during the wildfires.

The report was prepared in collaboration with California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, the Access to Readiness Coalition and the Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions at Western University of Health Sciences.

This report offers 71 specific recommendations for strengthening and improving preparedness, response actions and recovery efforts that are inclusive of people with disabilities and activity limitations. Many of the recommendations reinforce a variety of continuing emergency concerns that existed before the 2007 fires and continues today. The intended audience for this report includes state, regional, and local government policy makers and emergency planners, non-government organizations, long-term care facilities, and older adults and disability advocates. This report covers cross-cutting issues, communication access, mass care and shelter, evacuation and transportation, the roles of nongovernmental providers and advocacy organizations in disaster response, long-term care facilities, and training and exercise programs.

This report is available at www.jik.com/disaster-new.html and www.access2readiness.org.

About Western University of Health Sciences
Western University of Health Sciences (www.westernu.edu), located in Pomona, Calif., is an independent nonprofit health professions university, conferring degrees in health sciences, nursing, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies and veterinary medicine. In 2009, the university will admit students to new degree programs in dentistry, optometry, podiatry and biomedical sciences.

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Upcoming Events

November 12-14, 2008
Los Angeles International Earthquake Conference
Omni Hotel
Los Angeles, CA
The conference will bring together the world’s leading authorities in seismic safety and disaster preparation and recovery. Exchange ideas and identify best practices with public officials, academics and emergency planners from around the world. Key goals include developing policy recommendations for future legislation that will improve preparedness, response and the ability to quickly rebound from major earthquakes. The conference is part of the Great Southern California ShakeOut, which will feature the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history. The conference will be presented in partnership with the Earthquakes in Megacities Initiative (EMI), an international, not-for-profit, scientific organization that works with several megacities and metropolises in the world to reduce disaster risk.

For more information, go to http://iec.lacity.org/html/registration.html.

November 15-20, 2008
IAEM 56th Annual Conference & EMEX 2008 "Putting a New Spin on Emergency Management"
Kansas City (Overland Park), Kansas
The IAEM Annual Conference provides a forum for current trends and topics, information about the latest tools and technology in emergency management and homeland security, and advances IAEM committee work. Sessions encourage stakeholders at all levels of government, the private sector, public health and related professions to exchange ideas on collaborating to protect lives and property from disaster.

For more information, see http://www.iaem.com/events/annual/intro.htm.

December 8-9, 2008
Second Annual Conference on National Preparedness
Florida Institute of Technology, Global Center for Preparedness
Melbourne, Florida
The conference will focus on cutting-edge topics, technologies and integrated solutions including: cyber-security and interoperability; humanitarian and disaster relief logistics (HDRL); architecture and engineering-based sustainable security; command and control; situational awareness; global preparedness: policies, procedures and programs; and disaster simulation with avatar technology. The conference will feature top speakers from government, military, business, industry, non-profits, universities and professional societies.

For more information, see http://uc.fit.edu/cnp/.

December 9-10, 2008
Disability and Special Needs Technical Assistance Conference
Understanding the Four Phases of Emergency Management
Government*Horizons and National Organization on Disability's Emergency Preparedness Initiative
San Diego, CA
 This conference will bring together some of the most influential Federal, State, and local experts in emergency management to discuss the processes involved in the emergency management spectrum and describe how special needs issues should be integrated into the four phases of emergency management. This conference will provide in-depth information on the four phases of emergency management: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.

For more information, see http://www.governmenthorizons.org/Disability-Special-Needs-Technical-Assistance.html.

February 3-4, 2009
Workshop: Emergency Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs
Kellogg Conference Hotel
Washington, DC
 The ANSI-HSSP, in collaboration with the National Organization on Disability (NOD) Emergency Preparedness Initiative (EPI) and the NFPA Disability Access Review and Advisory Committee (DARAC), is launching a new Workshop to examine existing and/or needed standards for Emergency Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs. This is an issue that has been raised in many of the previous ANSI-HSSP Workshops and Plenary meetings, leading to the decision to have a focused Workshop devoted entirely to this important subject area. This kick-off event will consist of a targeted group of experts, including the members of DARAC and those involved with the NOD EPI, working to identify what standards currently exist and in what areas new standards need to be developed, followed by actionable recommendations for the timely development of standards in the identified needs areas. Any ANSI-HSSP members who are interested in participating in this new Workshop, or have suggestions on individuals/organizations that should be extended an invite, are encouraged to contact Matt Deane, mdeane@ansi.org, at your earliest convenience.

March 4-6, 2009
Third National Emergency Management Summit:
Forum on Disaster, Epidemic and Terrorism Planning, Response, and Recovery for Healthcare Organizations
Washington, DC
 An extraordinary confluence of events, both environmental and geopolitical, have coalesced to create a heightened risk of natural disaster, epidemic and terrorism in the United States. The National Emergency Management Summit seeks to assess these risks and articulate practical approaches to strategies of planning, response and recovery.

For more information, go to http://www.emergencymanagementsummit.com/.

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Join the ICC Listserv!

The Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities (ICC) has created a listserv. Please join our listserv to receive the ICC’s Monthly Updates and access other information pertinent to emergency preparedness and individuals with disabilities.

To join, see http://listserv.access.gpo.gov/archives/icc-dispreppubs-l.html or go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov/ and click "Online Mailing List Archives," then select "ICC-DISPREPPUBS-L" and complete the subscription form.

For more information about the ICC, seet www.disabilitypreparedness.gov.

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About the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties oversees the implementation of Executive Order 13347, Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, which was signed by President Bush in July 2004. This Executive Order is designed to ensure the safety and security of individuals with disabilities in all-hazard emergency and disaster situations. To this end, the Executive Order created an Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities. The ICC is comprised of senior leadership from more than 25 Federal departments and agencies. Its mission is to ensure that people with disabilities and their specific needs are fully integrated into all aspects of our nation's emergency management system; including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The Secretary of Homeland Security is the Chair of the ICC, and he has delegated that role to Mr. Daniel Sutherland, the DHS Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The Council has concentrated its work in nine major areas:

  1. Emergency Communications;
  2. Emergency Preparedness in the Workplace;
  3. Emergency Transportation;
  4. Health and Human Services;
  5. Homeland Security Policy and Operations;
  6. Housing;
  7. Nongovernmental Outreach
  8. Research; and
  9. State, Local, and Tribal Government Outreach

For more information about the ICC, seet www.disabilitypreparedness.gov.

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