Disaster Recovery Roundtable

Recent disasters this summer including the devastating condominium collapse in north Miami, the Haiti Earthquake, deadly floods in central Tennessee and Hurricane Ida’s impact in the Gulf Coast and Northeast have demonstrated the crucial role of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams. In this episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable, we discuss the origins of Miami-Dade’s USAR program and how it led to the national program we have today.

Topics Covered

• Stephanie Abrams grew up in Florida and the first time she considered a career in meteorology was after witnessing the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew’s impact to south Miami Dade County in 1992.
• Some of the most memorable storms she has covered in the past include Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Michael in 2018, and Hurricane Laura during the historic 2020 hurricane season.
• Another memorable event Stephanie covered for the Weather Channel was the 2017 Solar Eclipse in the U.S., her love of the sciences as a kid from participating in NASA’s science camp, and by chasing an eclipse with her dad culminated into an emotional event while witnessing the 2017 eclipse.
• Stephanie prefers the humid Florida summers to the cold and snowy winters in New York.

The Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University has been releasing a seasonal hurricane forecast every year since 1984 under Dr. William Gray. Dr. Phil Klotzbach currently leads the research program and is well known among the emergency management community for his annual forecasts. Dr. Klotzbach will share the latest update for the 2021 season and indications on how the forecast might be changing on the eve of an updated forecast, which will be released by Colorado State on June 3, 2021.

A California campaign is helping to engage the most vulnerable in that state as they promote five steps for safety and survival from disasters. In this episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable, we hear from Justin Knighten, the previous co-chair of the Listos California Preparedness Campaign, about how it is reaching targeted audiences to support personal preparedness.

Topics Covered:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) announced that the state’s emergency preparedness campaign (launched in August 2019) has surpassed its goal of engaging at least one million socially vulnerable Californians. The campaign, titled “Listos,” which means “ready” in Spanish, provides the communities it targets with accessible, in-language, and culturally competent disaster readiness information.
• Along with California Volunteers, another state-managed program, Listos California, which is anchored at Cal OES, has provided more than 1.6 million Californians with information they would need in the event of a natural disaster.
• The campaign is aimed at engaging community-based organizations, faith groups, social clubs, schools, civic or neighborhood groups to encourage five easy and free steps to prepare for a disaster like an earthquake, wildfire or flood.
• The campaign provides simple tools and resources to build awareness and help get people in the community prepared.
• Listos California’s tools differ from many conventional preparedness lessons that too often fail to get people to act. Campaign organizers believe their approach will increase the chances of success and bring more communities closer to being ready for a disaster.

Additional Information:

• To learn more on preparing for wildfires and how the state responds to these events, visit the California Listos Preparedness Campaign's website.  

The state of California continues recovery efforts from a historic wildfire season which included some of the largest fires (in acreage burned) in state —second only to the COVID-19 pandemic for worst disasters of the year. By the end of December, over 9,000 fires burned nearly 4.4 million acres, or about 4% of the state’s approximate 100 million acres of land. The August Complex Fire has been classified as the first “gigafire”- burning over 1 million acres across seven counties. It was one of several large-scale fires and ranked as the Top 5 of the 6 largest fires in California’s recorded wildfire history.    

Topics Covered:

• The August Complex Fire has been classified as the first “gigafire”- burning over 1 million acres across seven counties. It was one of several large-scale fires and ranked as the Top 5 of the 6 largest fires in California’s recorded wildfire history.
• Since August of last year, California has received 19 fire management assistance grants approved for 25 counties.
• The year’s season was forecasted early in 2020 to be severe after an extremely dry January and February, which set the stage for a catastrophic season when extreme heat and high winds fueled hundreds of fires across the state in August and September.
• Due to the nature of ongoing events that California has faced over the last several years, the state continues to evolve around the phases of emergency from Recovery to Preparedness to Mitigation back to Response and Recovery
• The wildfires may be over, but now California is looking ahead to the next threats. The large burn scars could produce dangerous mud slides if heavy rains come through the rainy season. The state has been working closely with cities and counties throughout our Watershed Task Force to map out the possible threats and areas of risk where mudflows could be likely.

Additional Information:

• To learn more on preparing for wildfires and how the state responds to these events, visit the Cal Fire website.
• California Governor’s Office of Emergency Service
• Blog - "California on the Road to Recovery After Most Active Wildfire Season in State History"

As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses. 

In today’s episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable Podcast, Tidal Basin CEO Daniel Craig says the biggest challenge for states will be managing the vaccine program.  

Topics Covered:

• The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is meeting to consider approving the first COVID-19 vaccine use in the U.S. The committee will consider emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine with final FDA approval coming as early as this week (12/10/20).
• The Pfizer-BioNTech group is requesting an “emergency use authorization,” shy of a full approval. The vaccine is desperately needed as public health experts warn virus cases will continue to climb. As of December 10th, there have been more than 15.3 million cases and 289,000 deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University data. 
• As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses.

Additional Information:

• Learn more about Tidal Basin’s COVID-19 services and resources
• Blog - "Challenges for States Managing the COVID-19 Vaccination Process" 

The United Way has a dedicated Disaster Services division to support local chapters and the communities they serve in preparing and recovering from disasters. This support includes preparing the chapters and their staff to be prepared for events in their community, in addition to positioning their resources to support the recovery of the entire community from events. We’ll hear from the Director of Disaster Services, Tinika Fails, on how her division is supporting the 1,100 chapters in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

Key Takeaways

• The United Way Worldwide operation supports communities and local United Way chapters in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. Local chapters help to provide information to the public after a disaster through utilizing their 211 Network.
• This year has been very challenging for communities as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Way has been working in partnership with local emergency management to support the needs of the community and to help with local disaster recovery efforts.
• The United Way is a member of the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) which coordinates with other non-profits to help communities prepare for and respond to disasters.

Additional Information

• Learn more about the United Way.

The 2020 hurricane season ends November 30th. This hurricane season resulted in historic impacts across the U.S. including a record five landfalling storms hitting Louisiana. The effects from this season were felt in almost every state along the Gulf Coast and up the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. In fact, every coastal county or parish east of the Mississippi — except one — was under a tropical-related watch or warning at some point during the season. To put this historic season in perspective we welcome back Dr. Phil Klotzbach — one of the world’s leading researchers in tropical meteorology and heads up the research division at Colorado State University. 

Key Takeaways

• One of the major takeaways from the 2020 Hurricane Season was the number of storms that underwent rapid intensification right at landfall. Another impact from this record season was the unusual activity in the last third of the season in October and November.
• Louisiana was the hardest hit state with an historic five landfalling storms. This season’s atmospheric conditions produced a favorable environment for storms, especially in the Gulf of Mexico.
• As Dr. Klotzbach looks ahead to 2021 he predicts no significant El Nino or other major change in the atmosphere to indicate a dramatic change in next year’s season. Although, he doubts we will see the 2020 record number of storms repeated.  

Supplemental Links:

• Colorado State’s November 30th 2020 Season Verification Report.
• Learn more about Colorado State’s Tropical Meteorology Project.

The United Way has over 1,100 chapters around the United States supporting needs in local communities. The United Way of the Mohawk Valley serves Oneida and Herkimer Counties in the Utica area of Upstate New York. The agency supports a variety of community programs including food banks, after school programs, job and career programs, tax filing services, and hosting the communities 2-1-1 network. 

About the United Way of the Mohawk Valley

United Way of the Mohawk Valley is an independent, volunteer-led, locally governed, non-profit organization that has been serving the people of the Mohawk Valley since 1921.

The Mohawk Valley chapter began as the Utica Community Chest on November 1, 1921. Founding executives included Fredrick T. Proctor, Warnick J. Kernan, and Frank X. Matt. Our United Way addresses the root causes of key issues, is accountable for stewardship of resources, and is accountable for short-term and long-term results. We partner with community volunteers to best serve the Mohawk Valley with the Board of Directors and several committees made up entirely of local volunteer experts and professionals.

The United Way of the Mohawk Valley is one of the community's largest nonprofits, funding dozens of local programs and initiatives. They work with funding partners to ensure outcomes are being met and impact is being made. Through their Strategic Investment process, United Way carefully analyzes local needs, as well as social and economic changes in the community before thoroughly reviewing the agency’s request for support. This process allows the agency to make tough, yet smart, goal-oriented decisions regarding the region's most critical needs. To be considered for United Way funding, each program must meet a number of important standards, including but not limited to the following; the agency must provide a human care service that meets an important need in the community, be governed by a board of volunteers, be legally recognized as a not-for-profit organization, comply with New York State (not-for-profit) audit guidelines, and operate at a reasonable cost.

Topics Covered

• The United Way of the Mohawk Valley serves communities of all sizes and demographic makeup in Oneida and Herkimer Counties in Upstate New York.
• The organization has raised over $1 million dollars in a special COVID-19 fund to support the community’s needs during the pandemic.
• The organization is expanding its services to provide fresh food for families who need additional support from being out of work or experiencing a change in wages, children being home from school more, and other impacts of the pandemic.
• The United Way’s 2-1-1 system can be expanded in a disaster to provide a text response service to help in providing feedback from the public who may need assistance immediately following a disaster.
• In late October – early November of 2019, heavy rainfall caused significant flooding in the Utica area. The United Way of the Mohawk Valley played a crucial role in providing support to those impacted by the floods. As a member of the Herkimer-Oneida Organizations Active in Disasters (HOOAD), the United Way engaged those impacted through use of the 2-1-1 network.
• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Way established a COVID-19 Fund in partnership with Community Foundation of Oneida and Herkimer Counites. Approximately $1 million was raised to purchase life-saving medical equipment, essential PPE, and cleaning supplies, increased access to food, offer technology support, and more. The Rising Phoenix Holdings Corporation provided donations to this fund. About 100,000 masks have been distributed to residents and organizations in need since March.
• The United Way has created a Take and Make Meal Box campaign designed to provide meals for those impacted from the COVID pandemic. The program is being funded by a grant from the City of Utica and will support the distribution of over 4,500 boxes of food and supplies and hundreds of grocery store gift cards.

Additional Information:

• Learn more about the United Way of the Mohawk Valley
• To learn about the United Way’s Make and Take food box campaign, visit: https://www.unitedwaymv.org/uticafood
• To Donate to the United Way of the Mohawk Valley, visit unitedwaymv.org/donate

The United Way has over 1,100 chapters around the United States supporting needs in local communities. The largest privately funded non-profit supports many needs, especially after a disaster. During 2020, the non-profit has stepped up to fill in the gaps typically provided by local organizations and agencies, including food banks, and other necessary services lacking as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.   

Topics Covered:

• United Way’s local chapters adjusted how they deliver services during the pandemic to account for families who have kids home from school, family members losing their jobs, and those who need supplemental food.
• Many local nonprofits are struggling to deliver their normal services due to the pandemic, and the United Way is helping to step in and support those needs.
• There are many ways for people to support the United Way. They can volunteer virtually, donate to their local chapter, or volunteer in-person with United Way activities in the community.
• This year the United Way has supported several major disasters around the U.S. including the California Wildfires, the Gulf Coast hurricanes, and the pandemic impacts in communities around the country.

Additional Information

• United Way WorldWide