2004 Roundtable

The second Roundtable of Federal Hazard Mitigation Partners in the Pacific Islands (FHMPPI) was held March 16 to 18, 2004, in Honolulu, Hawai`i, and resulted in the establishment of the Pacific Risk Management `Ohana, or PRiMO. Local, national, and regional agencies, institutions, and organizations in attendance included the following: NOAA, EPA, FEMA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geologic Survey, State of Hawai`i, Territory of Guam, Territory of American Samoa, South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), Pacific Basin Development Council (PBDC), American Red Cross, and participants from New Zealand, Australia, and French Polynesia.

The overall objective of the 2004 meeting was to sustain and expand upon the dialogue started at the 2003 meeting about ways to enhance communication, coordination, and collaboration among the `ohana, or family, of partners and stakeholders involved in the development and delivery of risk management–related information, products, and services in the Pacific. Specific objectives for the 2004 meeting included the following:

• Cultivating a sense of community and an appreciation for the unique physical and cultural characteristics of the Pacific Islands;
• Expanding the community as a means to increase the awareness of a regional perspective and enhance opportunities for collaboration;
• Updating participants on the status of agency, institution, or organization hazard mitigation projects and activities being conducted in the Pacific Islands;
• Reviewing the outcomes of the 2003 FHMPPI meeting for the purpose of revising and refining the embryonic action plan;
• Activating several working groups, or hui o hana; and
• Establishing a regional coordinating council.

At the 2004 meeting, information about a wide range of partner agencies and their programs, initiatives, projects, and activities was shared, and opportunities for collaboration were explored. In this way the unique challenges and opportunities of working in the Pacific, given issues of geography, culture, politics, and risks, were illuminated. Some specific accomplishments of the 2004 meeting include the following:

• Growth in attendance of participants and organizations involved in risk management–related programs and activities from 55 participants in 2003 to 90 in 2004;
• Activation of working groups, or hui o hana, in the following areas:
• Coastal and Ocean Observations and Processes
• Data Management
• Data Analysis and Decision-Support Tools
• Communications Infrastructure and Information Dissemination
• Post-Disaster Evaluation and Performance Indicators
• Education, Outreach, and Training
• Traditional Knowledge and Practices;
• Identification of a specific set of actions (PDF, requires a plug-in such as Adobe® Reader® to view) to be carried out by each hui over the next 12 months that are intended to enhance the delivery and development of risk management–related information, products, and services;
• Creation of a "canoes and paddles” conceptual framework for interagency communication, coordination, and collaboration among federal partners as well as other agencies, institutions, and organizations as a means to address issues of local, national, and regional concern. The framework will serve as the basis for development of a joint regional action plan over the next 12 months;
• Formation of an interim coordinating council composed of two members from each hui and tasked with developing a draft joint regional action plan and coordinating council policies and procedures over the next 12 months;
• Creation of a Pacific Risk Management ‘Ohana (PRiMO) e-mail list and a set of individual hui e-mail lists as a means of facilitating an ongoing post-meeting dialogue. Contact Russel.Jackson@noaa.gov if you are interested in joining the PRiMO e-mail list;
• Agreement to convene again in 2005.

The Proceedings and Appendices of the March 2004 Federal Hazard Mitigation Partners in the Pacific Islands meeting are available on-line (PDF, 1,061 and 286 kilobytes; requires a plug-in such as Adobe® Reader® ). Contact Russel.Jackson@noaa.gov if you are interested in obtaining a CD-ROM copy of the Proceedings that includes the presentations (in PowerPoint format) made at the 2004 meeting.