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The
Effects of a Major Disaster on Small Communities
by William Benson
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In the post 9/11 world,
people have come to understand that large cities have the potential
to be powerful targets for terrorists. A significant amount of
effort and funding has been expended to increase the capability of
public services’ ability to respond to this threat. In rural
communities, emergency planning generally does not address terrorist
related events, and instead focuses on known natural disasters. Every
small town has some memory of a significant event in its past,
whether it be tornadoes, winter storms, flooding, or wildfires, and
their local First Responders develop their emergency response plans
accordingly. Rural emergency planners believe that the history of
terrorist-related events suggest that smaller communities are not the
preferred target of terrorists and many communities believe
themselves safe from the effects of a terrorist attack. Unfortunately,
this belief creates a false sense of security. The
likelihood of a targeted terrorist attack against a small town is
extremely low, but this does not mean that a successful attack
against a neighboring large city won’t have a catastrophic impact.
Small town emergency response plans generally address the needs of
the townsfolk. First Response assets, emergency shelters, and
procedures to establish communications and logistical infrastructures
are geared to protect the town. For the most part, these plans are
pragmatic, well-thought out, and reviewed for improvements on a
continual basis. Smaller towns, especially rural towns, are
self-sufficient, less reliant on technology, and are able to easily
withstand loss of telephones and electricity, as these events might
be common during periods of extreme weather.
Continued...
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Recent
and Upcoming Events
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RECENT EVENTS
The Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting of
The American Chemical Society was held in Tucson, AZ from
October 14-18, 2006. Stephen Melvin spoke on Chemical
Facility Vuulnerability Assessments and a special thanks goes out to Hill Brothers
Chemical Company who sponsored
500 books for the conference.
CONFERENCES
<>
Stephen Melvin will be speaking at "Homeland Security: The Ripple
Effect" next February. Other speakers will
include: Hon.
Bennie G. Thompson
(ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of
Representatives), Hon.
Gary Hart (former
senator, presidential candidate, and the Wirth Chair in Environmental
and Community Development Policy at the University of Colorado at
Denver & Health Sciences Center), Hon.
James S. Gilmore, III
(chairman of the National Council on Readiness and Preparedness
(NCORP); chairman of the Congressional Advisory Panel to Assess
Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of
Mass Destruction; and former governor of Virginia), Lieutenant
General Russel L. Honoré
(commanding general of the U.S. First Army in Fort Gillem, GA, and
current commander of the Joint Task Force-Katrina), and James
W. Spears (Homeland
Security Advisor and Secretary of Military Affairs and Public Safety,
State of West Virginia). It looks to be an all-star lineup, so we
hope to see you there. More information can be found at: http://www.apus.edu/disaster.
The
Public Agency Risk Manager's Association (PARMA) Conference will be
next February in Monterey, CA. More information is available at: http://www.parma.com/index.cfm?pageid=545
This conference is from Al Fisher from the EPA. For more info on
it, contact him at fischer.al@epamail.epa.gov.
Nov. 13-16
HazMat Explo 10, The Orleans Hotel, Las Vegas; the annual mid-year NASTTPO
conference and our (U.S. EPA) Western Regions EPA conference will also
be conducted at the same location. NASTTPO- National Association
of SARA Title Three Program Officials. The EPA conference is
organized and conducted by Region 9 Emergency Prevention and Preparedness
Section (of which I am a member) and is for EPA Regions 9 (San Francisco
office), 10 (Seattle), and 8 (Denver). Our conference focuses on LEPCs in
the regions. This will be HazMat Explo's 10th year, and the three
conferences collectively bring between 700-800 local, state and national
officials to The Orleans Hotel.
If
you are planning a conference or other event and would like Stephen
Melvin
to appear, please call us at (951) 764-3626 or email us at: info@oursafetowns.com.
His bio and information are available here.
TRAINING
CLASSES
Congressman
Rohrabacher's office (in Orange/LA County) is still sponsoring
regular classes on anti-terrorism topics. If you would like more
information on these classes, please let us know.
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What
lies ahead?
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As mentioned above, We
are thinking of releasing How
to C.O.P.E. with Terrorism in audio format.
Keeping Our Schools Safe is progressing, albeit slowly.
We have begun offering consulting services under the SRM Associates
banner. Emergency Response Planning for businesses, agencies, and
communities. Tabletop exercises, vulnerability assessments,
safety assessments, etc. Many of you have worked with us in the
past, so you know the type of things that we do. It is our
intention to work with businesses and agencies that truly wish to
improve their ability to prevent, respond to, and recover from a
disaster. We find ways to make your community safer, while
working to make your job easier. We help to find grant funding
for emergency preparedness programs and often, can help you accomplish
your project with little to no money out of your budget. If you
are interested in working with us directly to make your community,
business, or agency safer, please contact us at: info@oursafetowns.com.
See
you next month! |
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| ©
2006 SRM Associates |
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