Tuesday, May 17, 2005

With the promise of a particularly active hurricane season starting June 1, timing is perfect for universities to get prepared by learning from each other.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is hosting a Disaster Resistant Universities (DRU) conference May 19-20 to focus on disaster planning, mitigation, response and recovery. Seventy people from 38 universities will be attending. Keynote speakers include Sam Winningham, FEMA Region IV senior mitigation planner; Hal White, executive vice president of the University of West Florida, which withstood the wrath of Hurricane Ivan Sept. 16, 2004 and saw 50 buildings damaged and a $30 million impact; and Charles Gottlieb, former director of environmental health and safety for the University of Miami.

In addition, the conference will draw on the expertise of Warren Lee, director of New Hanover County Emergency Management, and Tom Matheson of the Wilmington National Weather Service. These speakers will bring their considerable experience in disaster planning, mitigation, response and recovery to the conference which will be held at the Hilton Riverside in historic downtown Wilmington.

“The conference will provide an opportunity for representatives from DRUs all over the country to meet, network, and learn about best practices in disaster resistance,” said Suzanne Blake, UNCW emergency management coordinator. The information-packed conference is designed to provide practical tools, innovative ideas and best practice guidelines to help the participating schools and universities reduce vulnerabilities and improve responses to potential disasters. “Intense, ultra-interactive workshops, open-forum panel discussions and presentations by experts in the disaster management field will make this conference a valuable and enriching experience for all attendees,” said Blake.

Of special interest will be the sessions on planning and responding to disasters as diverse as hurricanes and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), creating effective hazard plans, and creating and implementing emergency exercises.

In addition, DRU conference participants will be treated to a reception at the UNCW Center for Marine Sciences, the state-of-the-art marine research facility located on the water near both the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Fear River.

“This conference demonstrates UNCW’s commitment to the ideals of continued information sharing and learning among DRUs and their partners to promote more resilient universities and help reduce vulnerability to future disasters,” said Stan Harts, UNCW environmental health and safety director.

For complete details or to register for the conference, please contact Suzanne Blake at 910-962-7874 or visit https://busaff.uncw.edu/ehs/dru_conference_2005.



Agenda and major speakers

Thursday, May 19, 2005

9:30 - 10:20 Keynote Speaker: History of the DRU program (Charles Gottlieb - former director of environmental health and safety, University of Miami)

10:35 - 11:30 Panel Discussion: The Original Six - The DRU Experience from 2000 to the Present

11:30 - 12:45 Lunch and Keynote Speaker: The 2004 Hurricane Season - A University Perspective (Hal White - executive vice president, University of West Florida, Pensacola)

12:45 - 1:30 Speaker: The University - A Community Within a Community

(Warren Lee - director of New Hanover County Emergency Management and Tom Matheson - Wilmington National Weather Service)

1:30 - 2:15 Speaker: Unknown Hazards and Unknown Resources on University Campuses (Robert Cullins, CEM - emergency planning coordinator, University of Nevada Reno)

2:30 - 3:15 Speaker: READY CAMPUS (Helen J. Speziale, Ed.D., director, Service Leadership Center and National Programs, College Misericordia)

3:15 - 3:35 Speaker: Opportunities and Constraints to Disaster Reduction of the Education Sector: The Case of University Campuses (Sylvana Riciarini - Disaster Reduction of University Campuses in the Americas (DRUCA) program)

3:35 - 4:50 Choice of Two Workshops: The Mitigation Plan or The Response Plan

6:30 - 8:00 Reception at UNCW Center for Marine Science



Friday, May 20, 2005

9:15 - 10:45 Workshop: Exercise Design - Creating and Implementing an Emergency Exercise at a University

1:00 - 11:45 Speaker: A SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) Outbreak on a University Campus (Pete Reinhardt and Mary Crabtree - UNC Chapel Hill)

11:45 - 12:45 Lunch Keynote Speaker: The Importance of University Hazard Mitigation (Sam Winningham - senior mitigation planner, FEMA Region IV)

12:45 - 1:30 Workshop and Panel: The Vulnerability Assessment (including the Hazard Assessment)

1:30 - 1:55 Discussion and Q&A: The Future of the DRU Program