This workshop is made possible through the partnership with NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) and the Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center in cooperation with the Coastal Response Research Center.
Goal and focus for the Hurricane Preparedness Summit:
- Enhance NOAA’s support of its own people and resources for safety and improved disaster resilience considering the current pandemic.
- Meeting hurricane response mission objectives while maintaining response personnel safety.
- Enhance NOAA communications surrounding a potential hurricane-related disaster during a pandemic.
Some key questions for the summit include:
- What are the plans for NOAA’s people and facilities who are in harm’s way as they prepare for the hurricane season?
- What do the partners need from NOAA to support their efforts?
- How do we share information/lessons learned from facility to facility?
- How do we recover our own people/staff?
- Clarify and understand the guidelines for evacuation and recovery (e.g., funding and orders)
- How do we best conduct internal communications before, during and after the hurricane-related disaster?
Questions asked of the Panelists:
- How are you changing your posture from last year’s hurricane season? What lessons learned are being implemented?
- How are you addressing the COVID-19 restrictions?
- Do you have a response posture during shelter-in-place/telework?
- What is posture for response with social distancing/quasi-normal?
- What action is needed to protect people and facilities (specifically to hurricane-prone locations) if COVID-19 restrictions continue?
Resources
Primer on hurricanes, and pandemics
FEMA FactSheet Covid 19 PPE 4/22/2020
Long-Term Data Show Hurricanes Are Getting Stronger (ECO Magazine, May 19, 2020)
Severe Tropical Storm Vongfong Takes Aim at Philippine Heartland (New York Times, May 15, 2020)
FEMA's Hurricane Pandemic Plan-Operational Guidance for the 2020 Hurricane Season (FEMA, May 2020)
Steering Committee Members
Charlie Henry, NOAA OR&R Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center
Collin Buckner, NOAA OR&R Disaster Preparedness Program
Nancy Kinner, Coastal Response Research Center, University of New Hampshire
Brad Benggio, NOAA OR&R ERD, SSC
Matthew Chasse, NOAA, Ofc of Coastal Management
Liz Kretovic, NOAA, Ofc of Coast Survey
Jason Rolfe, NOAA
Lisa Symons, NOAA ONMS
Questions? Please contact Kathy Mandsager.
