Here is a very brief report of the NN/LM Earthquake Summit that was held on Friday, April 6th, at the University of California/San Francisco Library and Center for Knowledge Management.  A full report will be distributed by the end of April.

Dan Wilson, Coordinator for the NN/LM National Emergency Preparedness &   Response Initiative:  Dan gave a background of the NN/LM Emergency Preparedness & Response Initiative and then talked about the NN/LM EP&R Toolkit, one-page pocket response plan, training opportunities, and promotional activities.

Keith Knudsen, Deputy Director of the Earthquake Science Center for the U.S. Geological Survey:  Keith used many USGS maps and charts to illustrate earthquake risks for the Bay Area and the West Coast of the United States.

Monica Gowan, PhD Candidate, University of Canterbury: Monica illustrated the psychological aspects of an earthquake through stories and photographs of recent earthquakes in New Zealand.  

Siobhan Champ-Blackwell, Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) of the National Library of Medicine:  Siobhan gave an overview of NLM products available to first responders, such as WISER, REMM, and CHEMM, and talked about other NLM initiatives, including the Emergency Access Initiative and the Disaster Specialist continuing education program offered through the Medical Library Association. 

Randy Brawley, FEMA Preparedness Planning Analyst:  Randy spoke about the roles FEMA plays before, during, and after a disaster and offered many suggestions that librarians can use to play a greater role in disaster preparedness and response.

Roberto Lombardi, Facilities Director, San Francisco Public Library System:  Roberto provided an inside look into COOP Planning at the San Francisco Public Library System and offered many tips for improving library readiness.

Roberto Lombardi, Facilities Director, San Francisco Public Library

Click on the link or the image below to see our report of the NN/LM Hurricane Summit.  It’s very visual, in order to give the reader a feel for not just the content of the Summit but also the speakers and the venue.  Background information on some of the speakers and their past research is provided through hyperlinks, and contact information is available at the end of each section.  The Takeaways page lists key elements of the Summit that can be used to explore further research.

Featured Speakers

Raymond Santiago: COOP planning for the Miami/Dade Public Library System
MaryEllin Santiago: Experiences as project director for the Bill & Melinda Gates Gulf Coast Libraries Project
Mary Moore: University of Miami Health Sciences Library’s participation in Haiti earthquake relief
Tony Gonzalez: Emergency planning activities at the Miami/Dade Department of Public Health
Michelle Malizia: Survey of public libraries and disaster response

NNLM Hurricane Summit

Here are the elements that would be in place at a library that exhibits the highest state of readiness.  The list is based on our experience along with information we provide in our training program.  It’s likely that very few libraries, if any, have achieved this state, but it provides a bar for all of us to aim for.  As we move into the new year, we will be searching for and highlighting any library that has achieved this esteemed status.Comprehensive Disaster Plan updated at least once a year

We now have a virtual 10-Step program!  The program, under 16 minutes, is broken down into an introduction and 10 individual steps, so it can be worked on as time permits.  In between some of the steps are assignments that, when completed, will greatly improve the readiness capabilities of your library.  Please feel free to offer your comments or suggestions.

Click on this URL and then look below the photographs: http://nnlm.gov/ep/10-stepsservice-continuity/.

For a taste of the program, here is the Introduction:

Last year at this time a blizzard had just dumped up to 30″ of snow in parts of New England.  Here’s a time-lapse video of the snow accumulating on someone’s back deck.

It’s been nearly three years now since the Cologne Archives building collapsed on March 3, 2009.  Below is a firsthand account of the collapse from Bettina Schmidt-Czaia, director of the municipal depository, who was in the building at the time.  The article is from The Guardian Weekly.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/27/germany-cologne

Here’s NOAA’s time-lapse video of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. Although an active season, only two storms, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, had a direct impact on the mainland United States, causing flooding in the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Puerto Rico was spared Lee, but was impacted by Irene and Tropical Storm Emily.