The IAEM-Oceania Council's Professional Development Committee has scheduled a workshop on Sept. 13-14, in Mildura, Victoria, Australia. The committee immediately seeks EM practitioners and EM/CRC students (undergraduate /post graduate) to submit papers for presentation at the workshop. Presenting at the workshop may count towards your Certified Emergency Manager credentialing. Learn more by downloading the Call for Papers. Questions may be directed to Oceania Vice President Chris Ainsworth.
Looking for additional emergency management training? IAEM's 61st Annual Conference is the place to be!
IAEM offers many courses from the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC), Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) and more. For a full listing of our courses visit our online program and click on the "Tracks" tab and then scroll down and click on the arrows for "Track: Pre-Conference Trainings and Post-Conference Trainings." Register now for training classes. Space is limited so don't delay.
Take advantage of the Sept. 5 Prep Course webinar scheduled from 1-5 p.m. Eastern. Join in to get helpful information from USA CEM Commissioner Daryl Spiewak, CEM, about the CEM process, exam, and application requirements. This is the perfect first step for anyone thinking about working toward certification. Interested candidates should register by Sept. 3. The cost is $219.00 per person. If you have any questions, contact the CEM Administrator Kate Walker McClimans.
IAEM is pleased to announce that it has launched a new medium for communication. We recognize that members participate in many forms of social media. To keep up with our membership, IAEM has joined Google+. If you are on Google+, please follow us today. A new social media button has been added to the bottom of every page of the IAEM website to make it easy to find us.
The International Emergency Management Society recently released issue 18 of its newsletter. The issue provides updates from the Italian and Japanese Chapters as well as articles of interest from members. Download the issue.
For the public, getting clear, accurate information during a disaster can be as difficult as getting Bigfoot to hold still for a high res photo. Unfortunately, the local government entities can contribute to the problem with conflicting information, slow response times and lack of communication with other agencies. The result is that our credibility is damaged and they tune out. The answer? Collaboration, both internal and external. Join National Association of Government Communicators President Glen Thomas for a look at how collaboration can help government communicators paint a clear picture for their constituents. Thomas will provide tips for both large and small organizations, drawing on his own experience as the supervisor of communications and public relations for Memphis Light, Gas and Water. Learn more.
Recent incidents such as the devastating explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas in April are tragic reminders that the handling and storage of chemicals present serious risks that must be addressed.
New technology being co-developed in Wellington, New Zealand could allow smartphone owners to contact emergency services and loved ones even if all mobile and internet services collapse or are overloaded in a natural disaster.
The major disaster declaration for West has been approved and $3.2 million will be released immediately to help rebuild the northern McLennan County town, federal and state officials said.
After being hit by two huge storms two years in a row, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has secured $200 million dollars of insurance protection. It will help pay repair costs for any damages caused by natural disaster until August 2016. This is the first "catastrophe bond" that specifically protects against hurricanes or tropical storms. It's also the first time that the agency tapped into the capital markets to manage property damage risks.
The terrorist threat that prompted the closure of 22 U.S. embassies and consulates in predominantly Muslim countries is "very credible" and "specific as to how enormous it was going to be," lawmakers from both parties said.
Scientists in Japan said they were trying to identify four objects, all highly radioactive, found in an area evacuated after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The first found object is a small pile of what looks like dirt, discovered 9 miles from the nuclear plant that was crippled in March 2011 during Great East Japan Earthquake and the disastrous tsunami that followed, The Asahi Shimbun reported.
Disaster relief officials issued fresh flood warnings recently after the death toll from heavy monsoon rains rose to 46 and waters paralyzed several cities and towns across the country. Flooding nullahs washed away hundreds of houses in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh.
A "moderate" quake shook the northern end of Vancouver Island recently, waking many people in their beds as windows rattled and blinds swayed from the tremors. Earthquakes Canada said the 5.5 magnitude quake hit at about 6:20 a.m. local time about 25 kilometres west of Nootka Island, off the north coast of Vancouver Island.