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The Charleston Model
 The Southeast Regional Meeting of the NCORP Advisory Council was held in Charleston, South Carolina on November 30, 2006. Hosts include the City of Charleston, Charleston County Emergency Preparedness, the Medical University of South Carolina and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. This Southeast Regional meeting of the NCORP Advisory Committee was attended by 250 members of the business community, responders, academicians, faith-based and relief-based organizations.  In the event of ANY disaster, stadiums can serve an important function. They have large outdoor and indoor open spaces. They have high ground (stands and press box facilities). They have community identification. They have route access to other emergency support. They have the potential of emergency power (generator) lighting. They have existing medical rooms and equipment. They have locker room and restroom facilities. They lend themselves to the potential of pre-planned distribution (concession areas, parking lot) for water, medical aid, batteries, sandbags, diapers/clothing, food). They can serve well as assembly points and communication coordination (press box areas) for National Guardsmen or police. Regional Hospital Coordinating Center (RHCC) is an important element in multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency domestic incident management. It provides guidelines to enable agencies, in this case Hospitals with different legal, geographic, and functional responsibilities to coordinate, plan, and interact effectively. As a team, the Regional Hospital Coordinating Center overcomes much of the inefficiency and duplication of effort that can occur when agencies from different functional and geographic jurisdictions, or agencies at different levels of government, operate without a common system or organizational framework. In a RHCC structure, the individuals designated by their Hospitals jointly determine objectives, plans, and priorities and work together to execute them.  During Hurricane Hugo, the inbound interstate lane traffic flow was reversed in order to speed evacuation of the metro area and coastal islands. Though not in effect during Hurricane Floyd, this best practice has been in place since 1989, and requires the coordination and communication between government leaders and the public to make sure there is sufficient time to put the practice into effect. 1) Outline Disaster Preparedness Plan at Neighborhood Association Meeting A. Include Outline in Neighborhood Newsletter B. Overview from Community Cert Leader  The Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy brings its unique “ministry of presence” to those who suffer the worst that life can bring. Chaplains bring their comforting prayers, helping hands, listening ears, and connection to resources and information for families during times of severe crisis caused by a natural disaster, terrorist or violent acts or unexpected tragedy. The Chaplaincy also provides invaluable pastoral care to those emergency workers who have been through traumatic experiences in the line of duty. CCC is a national leader in crisis chaplaincy.
December 1 '06: On Thursday, November 30, about 250 local government officials, first responders, medical response personnel, fire and law enforcement officials and members of academia gathered in Charleston, South Carolina's Gaillard Auditorium to discuss ways to develop a National Blueprint of best practices and private public partnerships. The NCORP Advisory Council was a joint-hosted event including members of the City of Charleston, Charleston County Emergency Preparedness, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The College of Charleston's Department of Geology and the Santee Cooper GIS laboratory are in discussions with Charleston County to formalize the College's ability to aid in post-disaster response in the Charleston region. The College currently has a fleet of 38 laptops and over 900 gigabytesof mobile driver space that can be used immediately following a disaster. Coordinated through Dr. Norman Levine, the mobile lab can allow each disaster response Command Center, and the field units, to have adequate access to GIS data, aerial photographs, and mapping services to aid in immediate response. The City of Charleston Neighborhood Councils, some 97 strong and growing, provide a system of communication and a substantial base for providing training and preparation for disaster readiness for city residents. City staff regularly meet with neighborhoods and provide basic training for the neighborhoods as they understand that there is a period of time when the city and its citizens must be able to operate and function without outside help. Neighborhoods are encouraged to send representatives for CERT Training from the Charleston County Emergency Preparedness Division. CERT trained volunteers are prepared to be first responders in their neighborhoods. These volunteers and other neighborhood members offer a front line response for the individual neighborhoods in the City. Currently, the College of Charleston is part of the Charleston County Disaster mitigation and preparedness plan, and is in the process of developing a college-wide disaster mitigation and response plan. The plan is being developed by the Hazards Working Group in the Geology Department, in conjunction with the administration, C of C Physical Plant, and C of C Public Safety Department. According to Dr. Briget Doyle, the current college goals for 2006-2007 include more fully preparing a robust, college-centered hazard mitigation plan, raising hazard awareness on campus, and developing more ties to local, regional, state and federal authorities for disaster mitigation and response.
Copyright ©2007 TheBreakingNews.com. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in part or full without prior written permission.
Copyright ©2007 TheBreakingNews.com. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in part or full without prior written permission.
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