**January 12-16, 2004 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education
Activity Report**

**(1) California Earthquake (Un) Preparedness *Los Angeles Times*
Article:**

January 14, 2004 \-- Under the title \"State Still Unprepared For Great
Earthquake,\" by Kenneth Reich, the LA Times paints a sobering picture
of needed improvements in California ten years after the Northridge
Earthquake \-- \"California has made extensive safety improvements but
remains unprepared for a great quake\...\" According to the Chair of the
California State Seismic Safety Commission, Bruce Clark,

> \"\...we have a bad situation with unreinforced masonry buildings in
> many areas \-- and a bad situation with buildings built according to
> weaker codes that are 20-40 years old now\...\"

The article quotes others to the effect that many hospitals and schools
still have to be pushed to make capital improvements and that:

> \"\...advances in quake safety are often counterbalanced by undone or
> incomplete efforts\....proposals to require the retrofitting of
> thousands of vulnerable older structures have frequently been stymied
> politically. Deadlines for some projects, such as upgrading hospital
> safety, have been extended five years to save money in the short run.
> A state survey of more than 9,000 non-wood-frame public school
> buildings said that only 2,122 of them \'are likely to perform well
> and are expected to achieve life-safety performance in future
> earthquakes.\' An additional 7,537 buildings \'are not expected to
> perform as well\'\....Of the \$4.7 billion said to be needed to
> improve the safety of those buildings, not a cent has been
> appropriated.\"

On citizen preparedness and insurance:

> \"\...only about 15% of California homeowners carry earthquake
> insurance, compared to 30% a decade ago, according to the state-run
> California Earthquake Authority. The premiums are higher and the
> coverage is less than before Northridge. The authority estimates that
> individual reimbursements for quake damage would be, on average, only
> about 43% of what they were from private insurers at the time of the
> Northridge quake.\"

Other tidbits:

> \"As attention to earthquakes has faded, budgets have declined. The
> Seismic Safety Commission has reduced its staff by a third from the
> level of a decade ago. The state Conservation Department has not yet
> completed a project to map seismic hazards and identify where extra
> steps are needed to protect new buildings.\"
>
> \"\...there is \'a certain sense of denial\' in California\'s
> relationship with earthquakes. \'Loma Prieta created a perception that
> San Francisco had gone through a big earthquake, and that was the most
> we were going to have to cope with \-- when it was moderate to minor,
> and quite distant from the city\'\....The Northridge quake may have
> had the same effect. The quake measured 6.7\...but it hit at 4:21
> a.m., when roads were mostly empty. And 70% of the quake\'s energy was
> expended north of the San Fernando Valley into the mountains.
> Officials who deal with quake safety say that generating interest in
> the subject is a continuing battle against denial or complaints that
> upgrades are too costly.
>
> \"\'We have been too confident about our ability to fend off harm in
> the future\'.\" \-- Quote from a USGS scientist.

**(2) Department of Homeland Security Fellowships and Scholarships
Program:**

Application Released for 2004-2005 Class of Homeland Security Scholars
and Fellows

The Science and Technology division released on **Jan. 14** an
application for the 2004-2005 class of the **Homeland Security Scholars
and Fellows**. This highly competitive program assists in the
development and mentoring of the next generation of homeland security
scientists and engineers by supporting students pursuing degree programs
at America's leading universities. Through internships at homeland
security venues, many students will focus their studies in areas that
support the Department's mission.

"We are confident that this program will produce talented scientists and
engineers that will play a vital role in securing our nation against
terrorism," said Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Dr. Charles
McQueary. "These students will be the foundation that we can build upon
in the coming years."

Applications for the Program, which are available on the **DHS website
under "Research and Technology**," are due by **February 19**, 2004. The
Homeland Scholars and Fellows Program is open to all U.S. students
interested in pursuing areas of study that can lead to **scientific and
technological innovations** that can be **applied to the Homeland
Security mission**.

The Program will ensure the future supply of individuals skilled in
critical areas such as the life and social sciences and engineering.
After graduation, students are encouraged to consider employment offers
from the Department, state and local operational offices, and Homeland
Security-affiliated laboratories and facilities, and/or related
university positions.

**(3) Disaster-Related Films and Videos Reference Project:**

We did receive an encouraging response to the Activity Report
solicitation last week seeking someone we could commission to undertake
a project of putting together a resource document on disaster-related
films and videos which could be used in support of
hazard/disaster/emergency management college courses. In addition, a
FEMA HQ Mitigation Division Officer called to recommend that we work
with that office in incorporating a number of mitigation-oriented videos
that the Mitigation Division has been developing in recent years. Sounds
like a good idea to me. Am hopeful that we can put this project into
motion within the next month \-- or two. In the meantime, if anyone
would like to suggest a disaster film or video, would be happy to
receive. Would need to know what negative or positive point is made in
the film that would recommend it for use in a hazard/disaster/emergency
management college course, and how the film could be accessed by
interested parties.

**(4) Disaster Response Operations and Management \-- Upper Division
Course Development Project:**

January 13, 2004 \-- Reviewed the second draft of Session 16, \"Mass
Fatality Management,\" and provided review comments to course developer,
Dr. David McEntire, University of North Texas. From the session Scope
statement:

> This session starts off by discussing the deaths that result from
> natural and other types of disasters. The professor then discusses
> typical problems to be encountered in mass fatality incidents, as well
> as the need to plan for this important disaster function. The methods
> to manage these challenges effectively are then discussed. The session
> concludes with a review of the nature and operations of Disaster
> Mortuary Teams (DMORTs).

The session was forwarded to the EMI Webmaster for upload to the EM HiEd
Project web site \-- Academic Emergency Management and Related Courses
section \-- Courses Under Development subsection.

**(5) Earthquake Hazards Management \-- Upper Division Course
Development Project:**

January 15, 2004 \-- Reviewed the second drafts of Session 1,
\"Introduction to Earthquake Hazard Management,\" Session 2, \"Causes of
Earthquakes,\" Session 3, \"Distribution of Earthquakes,\" Session 4,
\"Seismic Hazard and Seismic Risk in the US,\" Session 5,
\"Characteristics: Earthquake Size and Nature,\" and provided review
comments to course developer, Dr. James Martin, II, Virginia Tech
University. From the Session 1 Scope statement:

> Trends for disaster losses are rapidly increasing, and earthquake
> disasters are among the highest threats. Projected losses are
> unsustainable, and there must be greater emphasis placed upon
> mitigation of hazards, as opposed to the traditional approach that
> placed most emphasis on response and recovery. This course is intended
> to help create a new generation of earthquake hazard managers that are
> better informed and better prepared to make decisions, obtain relevant
> information, and better understand how to make effective impacts upon
> reduction of earthquake hazards.

From the Session 2 Scope statement:

> During this session, the instructor will present the major geological
> concepts responsible for the occurrence of earthquakes. The instructor
> should briefly cover the historical development of the understanding
> of earthquakes, and spend the bulk of the time discussing current
> theories (plate tectonics) and the relevancy of these concepts to
> earthquake hazards in the US. The notes for these sessions were
> developed to emphasize only those basic aspects of geology relevant to
> the overall goals of this course. That is, the material in this
> section is to be presented with the understanding that the students
> will have a wide range of backgrounds, many of which are
> non-scientific in nature.

From the Session 3 Scope statement:

> During this session, the instructor will present the major plate
> boundary systems, and discuss the locations of earthquakes worldwide.
> The instructor will then focus on specific regions of the US where
> earthquakes are prone to occur. Of particular importance, the
> instructor should stress the fact that earthquakes occur in areas
> outside of the western US, although their causes cannot be as easily
> explained. The instructor should then present and discuss the national
> seismic hazard maps and tie in the fact that the hazard maps reflect
> in scientific terms the information presented in the first part of the
> lecture.

From the Session 4 Scope statement:

> In this session, the instructor will begin with a discussion of the
> definitions of seismic hazard and seismic risk. The difference between
> the two should be clearly distinguished. The instructor should then
> discuss the seismic hazard in the United States and refer back to the
> seismic hazard maps discussed in the previous lecture. The lecture
> should then progress to a discussion of the seismic risk in the United
> States. A useful exercise is to first query the students as to their
> ideas of how the risk in the eastern US compares to that of the
> western US, and to then present the issues associated with the risk
> comparison.

From the Session 5 Scope statement:

> During this session, the instructor will present important
> characteristics of earthquakes, including earthquake sizes and how
> they are determined, earthquake waves, and the nature of ground
> shaking in an earthquake. The instructor should emphasize the
> important differences between the characterization of the sizes of
> earthquakes. In terms of the nature of ground shaking the instructor
> should attempt to emphasize the cascading effects of earthquake
> disasters and discuss how earthquakes are different than other natural
> hazards.

January 16, 2004 \-- Reviewed first draft of Session 6, \"Earthquake
Research and Information,\" and provided review comments to Dr. Martin.
From the Session 6 Scope statement:

> The objective of this series of lectures is to introduce the student
> to key earthquake research organizations and information sources, and
> provide perspective on the role of research
> informational\...initiatives\....this section is designed to educate
> the student in terms of where to obtain specific types of research
> information, recognize the latest trends in earthquake research,
> identify who the key players are, learn about the major initiatives
> underway, appreciate the important role research information plays in
> hazard reduction, understand how research information is used by
> decision makers (i.e. hazards managers), and appreciate the importance
> of building constituencies to promote funding of earthquake disaster
> research and other government-sponsored programs.

**(6) Emergency Management for Native Americans:**

January 14, 2004 \-- Received for review from Larry Carlson, United
Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, North Dakota, a proposed new draft
session for the existing *Social Vulnerability Approach to Disasters* EM
HiEd Project course, entitled: \"Emergency Management for Native
Americans.\"

**(7) Emergency Management Higher Education Conference, June 8-10, 2004,
Emergency Management Institute:**

January 12-16, 2004 \-- Involved in numerous email conversations
concerning the next EM HiEd Project Higher Education Conference \--
particularly concerning the international disaster management subject
area. Will have more to say on this topic as things sort themselves out.
Dr. Brenda Phillips, Jacksonville State University, has taken the lead
on \"International Disaster Management.\" She can be reached at:
brenda@jsucc.jsu.edu

**(8) Floodplain Management \-- Graduate-Level Course Development
Project:**

January 16, 2004 \-- Received from lead course developer, Bob Freitag,
University of Washington, a revised Module 6 outline (Final Class
Project), and forwarded to the EMI Webmaster for upload to the EM Higher
Education Project web-page \-- Academic Emergency Management and Related
Courses Section \-- Courses Under Development subsection.

**(9) Hazards Risk Management \-- Upper Division Course Development
Project \-- Course Review:**

January 12-16, 2004 \-- Received course material review comments from
quite a few reviewers \-- two dozen paper copies of the course were
mailed out in late November. The deadline for review comments was
January 16th. Will now communicate with the course developer, Greg Shaw
at George Washington University, on reaching agreement on modifications
to be made to the original course materials package based upon review
comments. Received many very good and thoughtful review comments. Will
share just a couple or three of statements received. One was made by a
New Zealand reviewer, while commenting on Session 8, on emergency
management vis-à-vis terrorism:

> The debate and extract on handout 8-1 presents an interesting reality
> of the current trend driving emergency management in many countries
> \-- terrorism. The challenge we all face is developing a truly
> all-hazards approach to comprehensive emergency management. Bokman\'s
> comments are interesting when he asserts that we are facing a rift
> between two paradigms; perhaps more accurately we face a rift between
> an all-hazards approach and an emergency management approach
> extensively driven by political desire.\"

One from a West Coast reviewer, states that:

> Interesting how, in the weeks that I have been reviewing this
> Instructor\'s Manual, we\'ve had the San Simeon, CA and Bam, Iran
> earthquakes, the Cad Cow scare in Canada and the USA; we\'ve had
> deadly mudslides in California, a fatal avalanche in Idaho, and
> national security is at Level Orange. These events serve to underscore
> the need for courses like this one.

One from a well-know East Coast academic and disaster/emergency
management researcher:

> On the whole the IG is a masterfully crafted deliverable on a par with
> some of the best IG\'s the FEMA Higher Education Program has produced.
> The IG represents an effort comparable to the effort required to
> produce a major university press book. The IG furnishes users all the
> tools and guidance they need to run a stand alone course on hazard
> risk management. I suspect communications faculty, disaster
> sociologists teaching in applied settings, and research center faculty
> able to tailor courses for the emergency management community would
> make most use of the IG.

I suspect that we will probably have a final uploadable course,
incorporating modifications made pursuant to this review process, within
about 6-8 weeks. In the meantime the complete course, in earlier working
draft form, is accessible on the EM HiEd Project web-site \-- in the
Academic Emergency Management and Related Courses section \-- Courses
Under Development subsection. Just click on the title of the course to
access the course sessions.

**(10) Idaho State University, Boise Center \-- Homeland
Security/Emergency Management Program:**

January 12, 2004 \-- Posted today on \"The College List\" on the EM HiEd
Project website, \"Programs Under Investigation/Development\" section,
the description of this program development initiative, last mentioned
in the EM HiEd Project Activity Report on August 22, 2003. Contact
information for Dr. Robin Dodson, the point-of-contact for this
initiative, is provided in The College List initiative description.

**(11) Introduction To Emergency Management Textbook:**

January 13, 2003 \-- Completed a review of the 66-paged Chapter 9,
\"Preparedness For Emergency Response,\" and provided review comments to
lead textbook developer, Dr. Michael Lindell, Texas A&M University. From
the Chapter Abstract:

> Emergency preparedness refers to the readiness of an organization or
> jurisdiction to constructively react to threats from the environment
> in a way that minimizes the negative consequences of impact for the
> health and safety of individuals and the integrity and functioning of
> physical structures and systems. The achievement of emergency
> preparedness takes place through a process of planning, training and
> exercising accompanied by the acquisition of equipment and apparatus
> to support emergency action (Gillespie and Colignon, 1993). Chapter 1
> introduced the local emergency management system as a collection of
> roles and offices that reach across a jurisdiction and are
> interdependent with roles and offices in other jurisdictions. The
> objective of this chapter is to examine the emergency planning
> process, review the content of an emergency plan and describe the
> organizational structures-the incident management system and emergency
> operations center-through which emergencies are managed.

January 14, 2004 \-- Completed review of the 131-paged Chapter 10,
\"Emergency Response\" and forwarded review comments to Dr. Lindell.

Forwarded both working draft chapters to the EMI Webmaster for upload to
the EM HiEd Project website \-- the new \"Introduction to Emergency
Management Textbook\" section \-- listed after the \"Academic Emergency
Management and Related Courses\" section \-- where they should be
accessible within a few days. Review comments are welcome.

**(12) Natural Disturbances and Human Disasters:**

January 12, 2004 \-- Received from Dr. Fred Scatena, Professor and
Chair, Department of Earth & Environmental Science, University of
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), a copy of his course syllabus \-- Natural
Disturbances and Human Disasters \-- which is being taught this semester
\-- class started on January 12. Forwarded syllabus to the EMI Webmaster
for upload to the EM HiEd Project website \-- Syllabi Compilation
section, where it should be accessible shortly. For more information on
this course, Dr. Scatena can be reached at: fns@sas.upenn.edu.

**(13) New Directions In Hazards Mitigation \-- Breaking The Disaster
Cycle (Graduate Seminar Development Project):**

January 12-16 \-- Began receiving review comments on the first draft of
this course, developed by Dr. David Godschalk, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. Forwarded copies to Dr. Godschalk and filed set
in master review comments document to be used at the end of the review
comments process (deadline is February 6), to decide on modifications to
be made in the production of the final course.

**(14) New York University:**

January 8, 2004 \-- Talked with Howard Greenstein (after forwarding last
week\'s activity report), Director, Center for Management, School of
Continuing and Professional Studies at NYU, concerning an email received
here noting his interest in \"adding classes in Emergency Management to
our curriculum.\" Discussed the kinds of information and materials on
the EM HiEd Project website which might be helpful in this effort. For
more information, Howard Greenstein can be reached at:
howard.greenstein@nyu.edu

**(15) Report on Hurricane Isabel Electrical Power Restoration:**

January 14, 2004 \-- James Lee Witt Associates places for public comment
its 177-page draft report *Pepco Holdings, Inc. Hurricane Isabel
Response Assessment* on its website \-- at:
[[http://wittassociates.com/PHIReport.pdf]{.underline}](http://wittassociates.com/PHIReport.pdf)

The former FEMA Director\'s company was hired by the Pepco utility\'s
holding company to study the utility\'s preparation for and response to
Hurricane Isabel in an attempt to help restore public and governmental
confidence in the company, which came under widespread criticism for its
restoration of electricity following the September 18th hurricane that
knocked out power for about 74 percent of Pepco\'s customers, comprising
approximately 550,000 households and businesses in the District of
Columbia and several Maryland counties. About 119,000 Conectiv (a Pepco
sister company) customers in Maryland and a much smaller number in
Northern Virginia also lost electricity. It took up to about two weeks
to restore electricity to all who had lost it. In addition, the
utilities were widely criticized for its poor customer service \-- not
answering phones, not providing power restoration estimates, not
coordinating well with government agencies and emergency services crews,
not working well with the press \-- not being very helpful in general.

Having read portions of the report, which lists 150 recommendations, I
recommend it to academics teaching Intro, Preparedness, Response, and
Recovery Emergency Management courses. Thus, I recommend accessing the
draft report while it is available on the Witt website \-- until
February 16th, I believe. The report states that the utility should
become more involved in community emergency drills, tests and exercises,
should do more to educate the public on how to prepare for and respond
to power outages, and collaborate more with political jurisdictions on
addressing the problem of downed trees and lost electrical service. It
notes that the company had for too long underemphasized the importance
of disaster preparedness and response: \"Regardless of how well a
utility performs day-to-day, how it performs in an emergency
crystallizes public opinion about it and its reliability.\" It is
noteworthy that in the aftermath of public and governmental criticism
the utility has created a senior executive position for organizing
emergency response, has begun the process of retraining its customer
service employees, and has begun to work more closely with local
governments in tree trimming programs.

**(16) Social Dimensions of Disaster, 2nd Edition \-- Upper Division
Course Revision Project:**

January 12, 2004 \-- Reviewed Session 37, \"Field Trip: American Red
Cross,\" Session 38, \"Field Trip: Local Emergency Management Agency,\"
Session 39, \"Field Trip: State Emergency Management Agency,\" and
Session 40, Field Trip: Federal Emergency Management Agency,\" and
provided review comments to course developer, Dr. Thomas Drabek,
previously with the University of Denver.

From the Session 37 Scope statement:

> Through a field trip (or guest lecture) to a local Red Cross chapter,
> students are introduced to the mission, structure, history,
> interagency relationships, and disaster responses.

From the Session 38 Scope statement:

> Through a field trip (or guest lecture) to a local emergency
> management agency, students are introduced to the mission, structure,
> history, interagency relationships, and an example research study.

From the Session 39 Scope statement:

> Through a field trip (or guest lecture) to a state emergency
> management agency, students are introduced to the mission,, structure,
> history, interagency relationships, and an example research study.

From the Session 40 Scope statement:

> Through a field trip (or guest lecture) to the Federal Emergency
> Management Agency, students are introduced to the mission, structure,
> history, interagency relationships, and an example research study.

Forwarded all sessions to the EMI Webmaster for upload to the EM HiEd
Project web-page \-- Academic Emergency Management and Related Courses
section \-- Courses Under Development subsection.

**(17) Ulster County Community College, Stone Ridge, NY:**

January 16, 2004 \-- Talked with Douglas Sandbrook, SUNY (State
University of New York) Ulster Center for Emergency Services, concerning
email received today noting that he was in the process of developing
\"an AAS or AS program in Emergency Management at SUNY Ulster\...\"
Discussed the EM HiEd Project web-site, which he was already somewhat
familiar with, recommended that he sign up for Activity Reports, and had
put into the mail to him a CD ROM of EMI training courses which could be
used to support Associate Degrees in Emergency Management. For
additional information, Douglas Sandbrook can be reached at:
sandbrod@sunyulster.edu.

**(18) Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC:**

January 13, 2004: Received note from Bernard Dougherty, WCU noting that
the first semester of the new BS in Emergency Management program, though
small, went well. Have increased enrollments this Winter/Spring
semester. Dr. Dougherty goes on to note that:

> \"\...in response to a deluge of requests from working professionals
> who, for a variety of reasons cannot come to campus, we are in the
> process of seeking formal authorization to offer a parallel program
> via distance learning. To implement the program, I will initially
> require the services of part-time, contract instructors\...

Dr. Dougherty went on to ask if we would post a vacancy announcement,
which was readily agreed to. Forwarded this announcement to the EMI
Webmaster for posting to the \"Emergency Management Faculty Positions\"
section of the EM HiEd Project website \-- where it should be accessible
shortly. For additional information, Dr. Dougherty can be reached at:
bdougherty@email.wcu.edu