Seattle To Host National Earthquake Conference
Understanding the Hazards and Managing the Risks
Release Date: July 12, 2000
Release Number: R10-00-60
SEATTLE, Wash. -- The first National Earthquake Risk Management Conference will be held in SEATTLE, Wash. at the SeaTac DoubleTree Hotel, September 17-22, 2000. Sponsored by the Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC), FEMA, USGS and the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW), the six-day conference offers geoscientists and engineers, insurance regulators and emergency managers, building code developers and private citizens access to local, state and national seismic policy makers. According to FEMA Director James Lee Witt, the conference content --partnerships, risk analysis, pooled resources and aggressive mitigation actions taken before disaster strikes -- reflects his own agency's commitment to changing the way America deals with disasters.
"The painful lesson learned from every major disaster is that there is no substitute for solid pre-disaster mitigation for saving lives and speeding recovery," said Witt. "These painful and expensive lessons forged this Administration's Project Impact: Building disaster resistant communities initiative, and the tenets of this initiative are reflected in virtually every policy session, breakout group, field trip and exhibit of this first national conference."
WSSPC Executive Director Patti Sutch agrees. "SEATTLE, Wash. was one of the original seven Project Impact pilot communities back in 1997, and is a perfect venue for the National Earthquake Risk Management Conference," said Sutch. "World-class experts will go beyond sharing technical knowledge with participants. They will also be examining applications and implications of that knowledge to reducing seismic hazards exposure, considering how to make mitigation strategies more effective, and identifying priorities for future public policy action."
For more information visit http://www.wsspc.org/currenteq/events/nec2000.htm , e-mail wsspc@wsspc.org, call: (415) 974-6435 or write: WSSPC, 121 2nd St., San Francisco, CA 94105.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 18-Nov-2003 10:00:59