FEMA Updates

• Catastrophic Planning Initiatives – wanted to make sure you are familiar with activities as a result of Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA).
  • New Madrid – Face to face meeting scheduled for August.  Donations meeting set.  Working with IEM.  Will keep you posted as this moves along, particularly when exercises are scheduled.
  • Herbert Hoover Dike – Lake Okeechobee – Two meetings – Lauderdale and Miami.  A number of voluntary agencies involved.  Will keep you posted because need of VOLAG involvement.
  • Gulf States Host Evacuation- focusing on storms anywhere in gulf for purpose of identifying shortfalls, mechanisms for evacuating coast should a storm come in.  Next meeting scheduled for state/feds (August?).
  • California EQ and Captol Area Region also has scheduled meetings.

• Donations Management Training – This is the new course training.
  • St Louis (New Madrid States) July 16 – 20 – New Madrid States. In addition to Region IV states, AK, MO, IN have been invited.  Looking at new course as it relates to the potential damages as a result of fault.  Question on how more people could have been added to list.  Might be good to have VOAD Chair involved in conversation with State Volunteer Coordinators to get more folk involved in future.
  • Atlanta (Region IV States) August 6 – 10 – State Volunteer Coordinators got message.  You have to contact POC to identify people who would like to take the training.  Note: out of region folk not invited because of budget constraints.   Have spoken to other regions regarding it but need to identify additional funding.

• ESF-6 Conference – Baltimore (July 23 – 25) – Four people from each region will be going, along with ESF-6 Red Cross Folk, TSA, 32 Voluntary Agency reps, and state IA officers.  Agenda is still being developed.  Once conference concluded will be updated on it.  ESF- 6 is sheltering, feeding, and other things done by FEMA under IA.  So it goes beyond the old definition of ESF-6.
  

• ARC Updates (John Daly) – Ken mentioned internal announcement re Partner services new director is Noah Simon, coordinated assistance network being combined.  Replacing Natalia Mason.

• CWS Updates (Lesli Remaly) – Ken changes affected July 1st have taken place.

• KAT Updates (Stephen Carr) – 56,979 cases in coordinated assistance network.  Representing @150,994 people.  Verbal approval through March of 2008.  Realignment conducted based upon input from states.  Region IV states are to move through March 08.  Working with Means to Recovery, providing additional resources.  Gearing up for 2007 Hurricane season to do Long Term Recovery if needed.  Details on phase two recovery efforts being worked out as I present.  (Note 25% of all cases in region IV)

• TSA Updates (Jeff Jellets) – Transition of Rob Walter/Jim Morrow will be taking new positions at Georgia Division.  August 3rd will be last day for them.  Will be replacing them as fast as possible.  In interim will be Jeff and Tyra Gore.  June orders for TSA officers are out.  Big move was Rob Vincent for Mississippi Gulf Coast.  Maj. Will Cundiff has taken over for Rob.

State Updates

• AL (Becky Booker) – Unavailable. Ken reported that AL conducted their 2nd Annual VOAD training in May.  150 people in attendance.  Shared agenda with NC.
• GA (Bob Tribble) – No report.
• FL (Marcus Hepburn) – Unavailable
• KY (Mary Anna Speller)/Kerry McKinney – Donations management drill conducted with Senior Olympics.  Changes in Senior Olympics program negated some of the training we wanted to do.
• MS (Bill Feist)/Rachel (TRO) – MS VOAD is in process of reorganizing.  Have new board meeting once a month by conference call.  General meeting is scheduled quarterly for August 2nd for Web EOC training.  Developing a donations coordination plan for state.  Worked with Alabama to provide two forums at Alabama conference.  Working on better relations at the state and local level.  Developing a MS VOAD Conference in November.  Committee has been formed.  Working on cadre to sit at SEOC during disasters. Marianne Wingo – Convoy of Hope has 2,500 volunteers coming to the area.  Will need to provide feeding.  Other groups are self sufficient.  Building Self Sufficiency – grants for rebuilding not individual assistance.  Have camps for children – 19 different programs.  Camp NOAH is involved.  Suggested Laurel and Meridian as possible site for future camp.
• NC (Charlie Moeller) – Quarterly meeting scheduled for July 24th.  Moving around state to encourage participation in meeting.  Have VOAD desk at EOC, trying to develop protocols to more effectively use volunteers in this position.
• SC (Mike Patterson) – Unavailable
• TN (John Sims) – Met May 10th.  Had largest attendance in the history of VOAD.  Next meeting on August 9th at UMCOR Center in Nashville.  Craig Erwin – Had 3 day functional exercise (TN Spills of National Significance SONS) focused on EQ at New Madrid.

NVOAD Updates

• New Executive Director: Diana Rothe-Smith – Contact info sent out.  Will ensure it is attached to the minutes.
• NVOAD Conference Update, Little Rock AR, May 5 – 9, 2008 – Encourage your thinking about training topics.
• NVOAD Annual Dues – Encourage payment of $35 annual dues.
• Website Update.  If you have a connection to update your state, please let NVOAD know so national site can be updated.
• NVOAD Recovery.  Bob encouraged folk to go to the site/lists for getting info.  Should google to find similar sites.

• NSS Training Flyer - Resend
• Minutes from 04/11/07 Conference call
• Diana Rothe-Smith – Contact info