**August 23, 2007 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Project
Report**

\(1\) DAMAGE ASSESSMENT:

United Nations, Development Programme (UNDP). Expert Consultation on
Standards and Norms for Assessing Human and Physical Losses in Mass
Emergencies: Final Report (UNDP/CRED Workshop on Improving Compilation
of Reliable Data on Disaster Occurrence and Impact). Brussels Belgium:
Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Universite
Catholique de Louvain, School of Public Health, 19-20 March 2007, 22
pages. Accessed at:
[[http://www.cred.be/Expert_Consultation_2007/report.pdf]{.underline}](http://www.cred.be/Expert_Consultation_2007/report.pdf)

\(2\) DISASTER RISK REDUCTION:

United Nations, International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Chair\'s
Closing Remarks, Presented by John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs, Emergency Relief Coordinator (Global Platform for
Disaster Risk Reduction, First Session, Geneva Switzerland, 5-7 June
2007). At:

<http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/first-session/docs/USG_closing.pdf>

\[Excerpt: \"\...what we need to do is together to advance the arguments
which will actually support further investment in risk reduction and we
need that further investment. We must share our success stories,
celebrate success\...and make sure our advocacy is stronger even than it
has been so far. We need to build our partnerships even more strongly.

We need to analyse what we\'ve achieved and communicate that. Above all,
we need to invest time and money, particularly in those communities
which are at highest risk. So together what we have to do is to
implement the Hyogo Framework for Action. It is a framework for action,
not for reflection and we have to implement it systematically and with a
genuine sense of commitment and conviction. Because we do have the
ability to make a life-saving difference for hundreds of millions of
people who are living in areas increasingly vulnerable to disaster risk.

However, there is a danger\...that in talking to ourselves like this,
that we are preaching only to the converted. And, therefore, we have to
reach out beyond these walls to try to engage the other key
constituencies which are out there.

\* First of all, and perhaps most importantly in some ways, we have to
reach out and convince parliamentarians and political leaders of all
kinds and call upon them to exercise genuine leadership in creating the
legislation, policies and investments needed to prioritize risk
reduction.

\* We need to make sure we can convince government ministries\--above
all perhaps, finance ministries because they hold the purse strings-to
make sure that they integrate risk reduction measures in planning and
project evaluation processes across government, across the spectrum\....

\* We need to make sure we can reach the private sector. And we want
them to work closely with governments and we want them to work closely
with civil society in general, in developing the safer building and land
management codes, the innovative insurance schemes and also the general
participation. And as we\'ve heard this afternoon, it is possible to
participate in really effective public private partnerships.

\* And finally perhaps we need to make sure we can reach the media, and
make sure they can help us in informing the public about the disaster
risks but also about the genuinely practical steps we can take to reduce
vulnerability. And I hope we can gain more profile than perhaps we\'ve
achieved so far for this particular global platform which is not, by the
way, for lack of trying.\"\]

United Nations, International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Chair\'s
Summary (Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, First Session,
Geneva Switzerland, 5-7 June 2007). At:
<http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/first-session/docs/session_docs/ISDR_GP_2007_6.pdf>

\[Excerpt: \"The urgency for all stakeholders to engage in disaster risk
reduction was discussed in plenary on the first day by senior
policymakers, experts and practitioners from three perspectives:

\* Reducing disaster risk through the Hyogo Framework for Action as a
key strategy for climate change adaptation.

\* Challenges in reducing disaster risk in urban settings and
mega-cities.

\* Roadblocks, costs, and opportunities to implement disaster risk
reduction policy.

A series of workshops on the second day provided an opportunity for
participants to exchange good practice and lessons learned from their
work experience. The plenary on the last day focused on monitoring
progress in the implementation of the Hyogo Framework.

This summary provides the Chair\'s assessment of the key views expressed
during the session highlighting the key points and suggestions raised
during the event. Participants had an opportunity to comments on a first
draft. A full report of the session is being prepared to document the
event and its discussions. More information on the event can be found at
[[http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform]{.underline}](http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform).\]

Related to the above, see:

Pelling, Mark. Visions of Risk: A Review of International Indicators of
Disaster Risk and its Management (A report for the ISDR Inter-Agency
Task force on Disaster Reduction - Working Group 3: Risk, Vulnerability
and Disaster Impact Assessment). United Nations Development
Program/BCPR, Disaster Reduction Unit, December 2004, 73 pages. Accessed
at:

<http://www.unisdr.org/HFdialogue/download/tp1-visionsofrisk.pdf>

\(3\) DISASTERS WAITING TO HAPPEN:

Bourne, Joel K. Jr. \"New Orleans: A Perilous Future.\" National
Geographic, August 2007, Accessed at:
[[http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0708/feature1/]{.underline}](http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0708/feature1/)

\[Excerpt: \"\...history, politics, and love of home are powerful forces
in the old river town. Instead of rebuilding smarter or surrendering,
New Orleans is doing what it has always done after such disasters:
bumping up the levees just a little higher, rebuilding the same
flood-prone houses back in the same low spots, and praying that
hurricanes hit elsewhere\.... To make matters even more confusing, the
federal government declared it would offer flood insurance for most new
or substantially rebuilt houses only if they were raised by several
feet. Yet the city government granted exemptions to many returning
homeowners, grandfathering their houses at their prior elevations. The
result has been an unplanned patchwork recovery, with some people
raising their homes to protect against floods and others building right
back where they were in the lowest sections of the city\....THE REALITY
REMAINS DAUNTING for those trying to rebuild, or trying to decide
whether to come back at all. The risk of catastrophic flooding is rising
year by year, with no end in sight-in no small part because the city is
sinking.\"\]

\(4\) FEMA FEDERAL PREPAREDNESS COORDINATOR POSITION DESCRIPTIONS:

SALARY RANGE: 110,363.00 - 143,471.00 USD per year

OPEN PERIOD: Monday, August 13, 2007 to Monday, August 27, 2007

SERIES & GRADE: GS-0301-15

POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time Career/Career Conditional

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 15

DUTY LOCATIONS: multiple duty locations

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: U.S. Citizens and Status Candidates

JOB SUMMARY:

When disaster strikes, America looks to FEMA. Now, FEMA looks to you.

Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of
greatest need. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepares
the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery
efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward
performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis
with a well skilled, knowledgeable, high performance workforce.

The Federal Preparedness Coordinator (FPC) has the responsibility to
help strengthen, integrate and operate their region\'s preparedness
efforts to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from
threatened or actual domestic terrorist attacks, major disaster and
other emergencies.

Click here for more info:

[http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=60933166&AVSDM=2007%2D08%2D13+00%3A00%3A06&Logo=0&pg=3&jbf574=HSCB&FedEmp=N&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&caller=/dhscareers/index.asp](http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=60933166&AVSDM=2007-08-13+00%3A00%3A06&Logo=0&pg=3&jbf574=HSCB&FedEmp=N&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&caller=/dhscareers/index.asp)

\(5\) INTERNATIONAL DISASTER STATISTICS:

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disaster. Annual Disaster
Statistical Review: Numbers and Trends 2006. Brussels, Belgium: CRED,
School of Public Health, University of Louvain, May 2007, 54 pages.
Accessed at:

[http://www.em-dat.net/documents/Annual%20Disaster%20Statistical%20Review%202006.pdf](http://www.em-dat.net/documents/Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2006.pdf)

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disaster. Disasters In
Numbers 2006. Brussels, Belgium: CRED, School of Public Health,
University of Louvain, January 2007, 2 pages. Accessed at:

[[http://www.em-dat.net/documents/Confpress%202006.pdf]{.underline}](http://www.em-dat.net/documents/Confpress 2006.pdf)

Guha-Sapir, D., et al. Thirty Years of Natural Disasters 1974-2003: The
Numbers. Brussels, Belgium: UCL Presses, Universitaires De Louvain,
Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, 2004, 190 pages.
Accessed at:

[[http://www.em-dat.net/documents/Publication/publication_2004_emdat.pdf]{.underline}](http://www.em-dat.net/documents/Publication/publication_2004_emdat.pdf)

\(6\) RECOVERY:

Newswise. \"Social Networks Help People Recover From Disasters.\" August
17, 2007. Accessed at:
[[http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/532576/]{.underline}](http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/532576/)

B.Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM

Higher Education Project Manager

Emergency Management Institute

National Emergency Training Center

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Department of Homeland Security

16825 S. Seton, K-011

Emmitsburg, MD 21727

\(301\) 447-1262, voice

\(301\) 447-1598, fax

wayne.blanchard@dhs.gov

[[http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu]{.underline}](http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu)

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