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Volume 20, Issue 7, July 2018
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Build Your Bucket
Engages Community, Promotes Preparedness
On June 2, more than 800 individuals attended Leon County Government's annual
Build Your Bucket
event at the North Florida Fairgrounds where the City of Tallahassee and FLASH Founding Partner American Red Cross served as co-sponsors. FLASH team members Sarah Chason and Jenna Hurst joined the event to help promote the Leon County
2018 Disaster Survival Guide
and
new assets available from the
#HurricaneStrong
initiative.
Attendees used buckets to build hurricane supply kits loaded with free items from local businesses such as tarps, water, batteries, dust masks, flashlights, hand sanitizer, hygiene kits, whistles, and non-perishable food. More than 30 disaster safety groups offered information about local resources, and attendees heard from community leaders about services available for surviving and recovering from natural disasters.
"Hurricane season is here and we have to be prepared," said Leon County Commission Chairman Nick Maddox. "At Leon County, keeping our citizens safe and informed in the event of a hurricane and getting our community back to normal as quickly as possible afterwards has always been a top priority. Events like Build Your Bucket help our community prepare, act, and recover in the face of any disaster."
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Bryan Koon
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Simpson Strong-Tie Hosts Summer Meeting
As a
world leader in products that help make structures safer and stronger, Simpson Strong-Tie strengthens the FLASH Partnership with impeccably-reliable technical information to increase family safety and boost community resilience.
Simpson Vice President Phil Burton is a founding member of the board of directors and is the driving force behind his company's proven service as a committed Legacy Partner.
Last month, Phil hosted his fellow directors and advisors on June 19 and June 20 in McKinney, Texas for the summer board meeting that brought together directors and advisors from academia, corporations, emergency management, financial services, product manufacturing, public service, weather, and more. The agenda included a business meeting, guest speakers, project updates, and an informative tour of the Simpson manufacturing and warehouse facility. The educational facility tour reinforced the importance of strong connections in building as well as the critical role that building codes, standards, and beyond-code programs play to ensure the strong practices are used. Read More >
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Nick Shufro
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FLASH and FEMA Leaders Get Strategic
FEMA Assistant Administrator for the FIMA Risk Management Directorate Nick Shufro briefed gathered FLASH Advisors and Directors on the new strategic direction at FEMA during the summer board meeting on June 20. Nick's presentation highlighted three overarching
plan
goals, including:
- Build a Culture of Preparedness - Every segment of our society, from individual to government, industry to philanthropy, must be encouraged and empowered with the information it needs to prepare for the inevitable impacts of future disasters.
- Ready the Nation for Catastrophic Disasters - FEMA will work with its partners across all levels of government to strengthen partnerships and access new sources of scalable capabilities to quickly meet the needs of overwhelming incidents.
- Reduce the Complexity of FEMA - FEMA must continue to be responsible stewards of the resources we are entrusted to administer. We must also do everything that we can to leverage data to drive decision-making, and reduce the administrative and bureaucratic burdens that impede impacted individuals and communities from quickly receiving the assistance they need.
"In addition to the overall goals, the Risk Management Directorate has defined two 'moonshot' goals. The first is to quadruple public and private mitigation investment and the second is to double the amount of flood insurance policies," stated Nick. "The moonshots provide us with measurable targets to gauge success as we work together with our team and partners."
FEMA is a Founding and Legacy Partner and has worked closely with the FLASH Partnership for more than 20 years.
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James McGowan Alpa Swinger
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New Directors Elected to FLASH Board
James McGowan is the Director of Development and Philanthropy of The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank where he developed and implemented fundraising strategies adapted for Generation X & Y philanthropic habits. James graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration with a focus on non-profit management. Prior to his present role, James served as Director of Strategic Initiatives for the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
Alpa Swinger is the Senior Director of Market Development for the Portland Cement Association where she has served for more than ten years. Her focus is on promotion of cement-based building materials, and she is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics.
"We are very enthusiastic to have James and Alpa join the board," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "Their experience and commitment to disaster resilience have provided extraordinary value in the past, and we are confident of the great contributions they will make in the future."
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Mike Rimoldi, Illya Azaroff, Joel May
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A'18 Features #HurricaneStrong Home
FLASH joined Legacy Partner BASF Corporation and +LAB to share the
#HurricaneStrong Home
story on June 21 as the 2018
American Institute of Architects Annual Conference
opened in New York City. The conference began with FLASH SVP Mike Rimoldi, BASF's Joel May,
Director of Resilient Construction, Disaster Durable Solutions™ and Illya Azaroff, Director of Design, +LAB Architect PLLC, updating more than 50 attendees on the project during a morning session.
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Partnership Programs Shine Spotlight on Resilience
News organizations featured FLASH Partnership programs in the lead-up to the beginning of hurricane season on June 1. Coverage included a live interview on The Weather Channel's
Weather Underground
about the designation of Miami-Dade County as a new #HurricaneStrong Community
.
Miami-Dade is the second designated community and shares the honorary distinction with Leon County.
The Weather Channel's
We Love Weather
aired mitigation information multiple times featuring FLASH SVP Mike Rimoldi who offered tips during the NOAA Hurricane Awareness Tour (HAT). #HurricaneStrong National Sponsors Cummins Generators and Legacy Partners State Farm, and USAA joined FLASH during the HAT to deliver safety and home protection information.
Read More >
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| Dr. Ernst W. Kiesling |
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Partner Spotlight - Dr. Ernst W. Kiesling
Dr. Ernst W. Kiesling has provided 48 years of teaching, research, leadership, administration and public service during his career at Texas Tech University where he leads the storm shelter research effort within the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center. Perhaps most notably, he and his colleagues developed the Tornado Safe Room, a life-saving, above-ground storm shelter.
Dr. Kiesling serves on the International Code Council (ICC) Committee that developed the NSAA-ICC 500 storm shelter standard, and was instrumental in founding the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA). NSSA is a non-profit trade association dedicated to quality in the shelter industry, and he currently serves as Executive Director of the Association.
Read More >
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LPI Turns Up the "Roar" for 2018
Lightning Protection Institute's
(LPI) National Lightning Safety Awareness Week took place from June 24 to 30 with a 2018 focus on protecting, "People, Property, and Places."
The annual effort supports the longstanding lightning safety mantra, "
When Thunder Roars Go Indoors," supported by the FLASH Partnership for more than 15 years.
During the week,
LPI shared the following information via traditional and social media:
All FLASH partners are welcome to share this information through their outreach programs, and you can learn more at
lightningsafetycouncil.org. F
ind out about the benefits of safety standard compliant lightning protection systems at
lightning.org
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Collaboration Opportunities and Upcoming Events
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FEMA, FLASH Ready Business Workshops Head to Puerto Rico
FLASH and Legacy Partner FEMA will present two
Ready Business - QuakeSmart Workshops
July 31 and August 2 in Fajardo and Ponce, Puerto Rico continuing a series of workshops for businesses, cities, counties, corporations, organizations, and others looking to prepare for earthquakes.
The agenda is focused on earthquake hazards and features a strong lineup of leaders and experts, including the Honorable María E. Meléndez Altieri, Mayor - Municipality of Ponce, Alejandro R. De La Campa, Capacity Building Sector Chief - FEMA Region II, 2018 National Weatherperson of the Year Ada Monzón, President - EcoExploratorio, Wisbel Ayala, Executive Officer - Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency (PREMA), Dr. Elizabeth Vanacore Assistant Research Professor/Coordinator of Research and Development, Red Sísmica de Puerto Rico/UPR-Mayaguez, Glorymar Gomez, Coordinator of Education and Outreach/ Red
Sísmica de Puerto Rico/UPR-Mayaguez, and more.
The Ready Business Program provides tools to plan, take action, and become a prepared business with information and resources focused on Staff, Space, Systems, Structure, and Service.
The workshops are free, but advance registration is required.
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Dynamic 2018 NDRC Agenda Now Available
This premier leadership conference brings together the nation's foremost voices in the disaster safety and resilience movement including design professionals, emergency managers, financial services experts, futurists, housing experts, insurers, journalists, meteorologists, product manufacturers, risk communicators, scientists, social psychologists, and many others.
Read More >
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