Editorial by Alessandra Jerollerman, NHMA Executive Director

Forward by Ann Patton, Founding Director of Tulsa Partners. Several involved with Tulsa Partners joined with others from around the country to create the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA). 

NHMA's purpose is to bring together individuals and organizations working to reduce disaster losses. Tulsa partners who are current or past members of the NHMA Board of Directors include Ron Flanagan, Tim Lovell, Bob Roberts, JoAnn Woody, and Ann Patton. NHMA has a growing membership that includes many hazard-mitigation leaders, at the national, academic, and grassroots levels. NHMA is a natural extension of the Tulsa Partners philosophy and work, from local to the national and even international arenas.  It gives us a needed, new vehicle for working together to curb the rising toll of disasters and create sustainable communities.-Ann Patton 

      The Natural Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) would like to express heartfelt sorrow at the devastation and suffering in Haiti following the January 12 earthquake. As the needs begin to shift from response to rebuilding, members of NHMA hope to see recovery and reconstruction occur in ways that make the people of Haiti less vulnerable to the next natural disaster. 

      Our association, NHMA, was formed in 2008 with the intention of bringing together individuals involved in hazard mitigation so that they could learn from each other and work together to reduce losses from natural disasters.  We advocate building and rebuilding based on the principle of hazard mitigation (sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people, communities, and property from hazards), and ensuring that all construction takes into consideration the need to reduce future damages.  We are a collection of professionals who focus on curbing the toll of disasters because we passionately want to avert the kind of suffering and loss that we have seen in Haiti.   

      There are many options for reducing risk, in Haiti and elsewhere.  Mitigation may be as simple as not building too near the coastline or adding some steel rebar to reinforce new concrete buildings.  Friends from around the world have already stepped forward to help, and together we can help Haiti to develop locally supported community plans, building codes and mitigation measures.  We need to think beyond simply protection from future earthquakes, and ensure that mitigation occurs across the spectrum of hazards that can impact Haiti. 

      The following examples, while from the United States, illustrate the benefits of hazard mitigation.  We realize that Haiti is an entirely different context, and that all mitigation must be local, but we share these examples in an effort to show the benefits of hazard mitigation and the importance of its integration into rebuilding. 

      Seattle's Regional Earthquake Home Retrofit Program has trained thousands of homeowners in ways to strengthen older wood frame homes to resist structural earthquake damage.  The program has also trained hundreds of building professionals.  As a result of these efforts, retrofitted homes survived the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake without reported damage.  "We are confident that the basic improvements (connecting buildings to their foundations, adding strength to shear walls in the lowest part of the home, and adding blocking and framing connectors in key places) will greatly reduce or eliminate damage," says volunteer trainer and NHMA member Roger Faris who spearheaded the program. 

      Hurricane Wilma hit Miami-Dade, Florida, in 2005 but the many homes and business with completed hazard mitigation projects such as window shutters and floodproofing were spared from damage.  When killer tornadoes plowed into Moore, Oklahoma, in 2005, and later through Manhattan, Kansas, in 2008, many residents were able to find shelter in SafeRooms built in the past decade.  Storms over the past 20 years have often flooded, without damage, the Tulsa, Oklahoma, lands where flood prone homes were cleared and families moved to higher ground. 

      Starting in Haiti, we need to work together to curb the rising costs of disasters. We need to rededicate ourselves to reducing the terrible toll of natural and man-made disasters. Now is the time to interrupt the endless cycle of disasters. A fair amount of human progress arises from the ashes of disaster.  Terrible as it is, this calamity can offer opportunities for Haitians to build better communities and better lives for their people. 

      NHMA pledges its best efforts to supporting building and rebuilding that is safe, sound and sustainable, in Haiti, the United States, and around the world.  For more information about NHMA please visit www.nhma.info or email nathazma@gmail.com.

Corey Williams, of Sustainable Tulsa spoke at the first Green Bag Lunch of 2010. She spoke about  Sustainable Tulsa and the PlaniTulsa progress being made in the city as well as the Green Directories that are now available at the Tulsa Partners office.  

On February  26th, the Vice President of Tulsa HBA Green Building Council, John Madden of ICF Construction, will be speaking at Kendall-Whittier Library from 11:30am to 1pm.

On March 26th, Integrity Pest Control will be speaking on 'green' pest control for your home and business. We look forward to seeing you at each of these events!

You know...saying "Happy New Year" seems a bit trite right now, considering all that has gone on in just a few short weeks.  The earthquake in Haiti, severe storms in California, flooding in Arizona and, just as many were recovering from December's Winter Weather Event - another round of ice and snow!  I am hoping, however, that this finds everyone safe, warm and with power. 

By the way - did everyone heed the advice of the many agencies and media outlets about being prepared?  I know I saw several postings and emails flying about reminding individuals to stock up on food items, fill up the fuel tank in vehicles, check flashlights and radios (weather and regular) to ensure batteries were good - as well as the warnings about the dangers of alternate heat sources (fire and carbon monoxide to name the biggies).  Just in case you've misplaced those handy dandy checklists, here are a few websites to visit to refresh your memories.

General Winter Preparedness Tips

From our partners at FEMA, the following link provide helpful tips for preparing your family, home and car in a handy printable guide ("Are You Ready?") - http://www.fema.gov/pdf/media/2007/winter_ready.pdf

Additionally, the American Red Cross provides a printable checklist ("Winter Storm Safety Checklist") that itemizes the supplies needed, things to do (don't forget that "contact family" piece!) and things to be aware of (dangers of open flames and Carbon Monoxide) - http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/Preparedness/WinterStorms.pdf

Carbon Monoxide

And to build on the information above, this link from the EPA provides formation including symptoms and prevention tips, discussion of CO Detectors and a link to download a printable PDF version of the info.   http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/coftsht.html#CO Poisoning Symptoms (you may need to cut and paste this link if you're not able to follow it by clicking).

The following page, also from the EPA, provides a much more detailed collection of information as well as some additional links for more information.  http://www.epa.gov/iaq/co.html

Haiti

We've all seen pictures of and read about the devastation caused by the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 13^th - and read countless stories about some of the efforts currently underway.  But just who are some of the "key players" working together in the huge effort, and how do we help them?  If you would like to see a compilation of agencies currently working abroad and at home in support of the efforts in Haiti, visit http://www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti .  Here, you will find information on several organizations that have had a strong (and many times long-term) presence in Haiti and are either on the ground providing services, or working behind the scenes to provide support for those that are providing services.  Websites, brief operational summaries of activities, ways to help support their mission and sometimes contact information are included on this page.

A couple agencies providing regular operational updates on their activities are the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and Save the Children. Each of these entities has a section of their website dedicated to such reports - with statistics, photos and videos available for viewing.  Visit the ICRC at http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/haiti, and Save the Children at http://www.savethechildren.org/emergencies/latin-america-caribbean/haiti/earthquake-10/?WT.mc=0110_hp_fb_haiti) to review some of their information.  I'm sure there are many more sources with some excellent reports and stories - these are just two phenomenal examples.

Volunteers

Whenever we see many of these great humanitarian organizations going about their daily work - whether it is here in the U.S. or abroad - quite often we are seeing countless volunteers performing a multitude of tasks.  Volunteers work long arduous hours, often in the most difficult types of conditions (physically and emotionally) - all just to know they have made a difference in someone's life.  Where do these volunteers come from?  And how do volunteer numbers look now compared to years past?  I mean, after all, the economy is such that it is challenging to find time and money to do what has to be done - let alone spending unpaid time away from family and sometimes work to do these things...right?  A recent Federal survey shows that approximately 1 in 4 Americans volunteered their time to any organization last year.   The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 63.4 million people aged 16 or older gave unpaid time through or for an organization.   This equates to roughly 26.8%, which is up just a hair from 2008 (26.4%) - with the median amount of volunteer time spent being around an hour a week.  The complete "Volunteering in the United States - 2009" report is available online at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/volun.pdf .

An interesting piece to put with that information is the 2010 report from Independent Sector, which shows that the current value of Volunteer Time is now approximately $20.25/hour.  The most recent report can be found at http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/volunteer_time.html - and shows the progression of the value of those volunteer hours.  (And when you're done....thank a volunteer!!  They are AWESOME!)

Ok - time for some quick and easy information links -

Want to help kids, learn about how to take care of the planet and not spend an arm and a leg?  Check out "The Green Book" at Kohl's.  Part of their Kohl's Cares for Kids campaign, this guide is filled with simple everyday ways you can help save the planet.  More information on the Kohl's Cares for Kids program can be found at http://www.kohlscorporation.com/CommunityRelations/Community02.htm . 

For our GIS gurus and Hospital Management folks...a two-part article entitled "Integrating Location into Hospital and Healthcare Facility Emergency Management" by Ric Skinner, as published on Directions Magazine website:

http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php?article_id=3348 - Part One

http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php?article_id=3369 - Part Two

Do you have a FaceBook page?  Are you a "Tweeter"?  Are you a Blogger?  Social Media is more and more in the news and disaster management journals and articles, as well as the subject of workshops and seminars everywhere.  Some of the "heavy hitters" have caught the fever in a BIG way and are racking up "Fans" and "Followers" by the dozens! (Including your very own Tulsa Partners!)

http://1xtramile.com/2009/07/social-media-keeps-transforming-emergency-management/

http://projectspatial.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/the-age-of-social-media-a-look-at-emergency-management/

http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/

http://www.fema.gov/help/social_media.shtm

I recently came across a website developed to assist special needs populations in preparing for emergency situations.  There is a variety of videos featuring ASL interpreters providing information on different topics, an Emergency Preparedness Guide formatted for Braille printing (on a specially designed printer), large print and regular print versions in pdf format.  The sponsor is looking for feedback and suggestions, so visit - explore - and share your thoughts!  http://www.accessibleemergencyinfo.com/ .

Check out the announcement from FEMA regarding the following press release: FEMA and Department Of Health and Human Services' Administration On Children And Families Improve Disaster Case Management Through Interagency Agreement - http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=50037 .  Efforts continue to improve Disaster Case Management through strong collaboration and communication between key partner agencies.

And to wrap things up this month - how about a challenge?  Can you sum up your life in just six words?  Yes...that's right...six (6) words.  It can indeed be done.  Apparently, Ernest Hemingway wrote a six-word story (supposedly) "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."  Not a new concept, but these "six-word memoirs" are a hot (and fun) topic right now.  If nothing else, it will get you thinking about things.  Check out some examples at http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/, or even look into ordering a t-shirt!  http://landing.spreadshirt.com/sixmemoirs/sixword.html

Betcha don't know mine!!  Well, ok - you probably do -

Be Aware ~ Be Informed ~ Be Safe

Woody