Hazard Protection Is Goal Of Tennessee Meeting
Release Date: April 2, 2003
Release Number: R4-03-34
Atlanta, GA -- With a goal of readiness to protect citizens and lessen damages from all disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sponsoring a day-long organizational session Thursday, April 3, of the Southeastern HAZUS User Group (SEHUG), a partnership of volunteer organizations and governmental groups. HAZUS is natural hazard loss estimation methodology developed by FEMA.
It will be held in the Centre at Millennium Park in Johnson City, TN, starting at 8:30 a.m.
This cooperative approach to disasters will include state and local planners, emergency services personnel, federal representatives, geologists, Geographic Information System specialists, risk managers from private industry, universities, utility companies and others associated with risk assessment activities. The group will share information and knowledge on the various applications and identify common mutual planning elements with resulting benefits of understanding risks.
SEHUG began as a result of common disaster risks associated with the completion of the new Interstate 26 (formerly US 26) between Johnson City and Asheville, N. C. Its web site is www.hazus.org/SEHUG. States in the region include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
"This organizational meeting will provide information on the potential effect of hazards and show users how to predict and map the location and severity of the impacts," said Todd Davison, division director of FEMA's Region IV Federal Insurance Mitigation Division. "We hope to marry federal, state and local emergency management plans with the broad spectrum of technical experts from universities, utilities, non-profit and private groups."
Alan Bridwell of the Johnson City Metropolitan Transportation Organization will speak on "I-26 Corridor and Incident Management". There also will be an overview and demonstration of multi-hazard loss estimation methodology and a software program developed by FEMA.
"Sensitivity to hazards -- manmade and natural -- has increased significantly since September Eleventh," Davison said. "FEMA responded to growing concerns of communities with development of HAZUS-MH (Hazards US-Multi-Hazard). It will go beyond determining potential losses from earthquakes, providing software to evaluate potential risks from impacts of hazards."
"Be Ready" for all disasters summarizes the overall goal of the group, according to Davison. "The primary purpose of this group is to utilize the resources of participating members to create communities with greater resistance to disasters and to be better prepared by predicting the scope of these problems they might face."
Last Modified: Thursday, 03-Apr-2003 11:23:07