Joint Special Operations University

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Out of the Ivory Tower and into the Mud The
Role of Academia in Disaster Preparedness and
Civil-Military Relations
Joint Special Operations University May 20, 2001
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Out of the Ivory Tower and into the Mud The
Role of Academia in Disaster Preparedness and
Civil-Military Relations
Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian
Assistance Melinda Hofstetter 20 May 2001
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The Center for Disaster Management and
Humanitarian Assistance (CDMHA)

• is a joint program of
• Tulane University
• and the

• University of South Florida
• in partnership with

• United States Southern Command

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Rationale for the CDMHA
Founded in 1998 to support critical analysis and
facilitate resource management for

• Natural disasters

• Manmade disasters

• Environmental threats

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• Independent
• Convert basic and applied research into useable
  tools
• Scientific grounding in
• RD and tech transfer
• Training and Education

The Role of the University
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ACADEMIA
INDUSTRY (NGOs/IOs/UN)
CDMHA
GOVERNMENT (MILITARY, CDC, etc.)
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Missions of the CDMHA

• Facilitate collaborative education, training,
  research information and communication services
  among disaster response and humanitarian
  assistance agencies primarily in Latin America
  and the Caribbean.
• The military
• IOs, NGOs
• Regional Organizations

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Missions of the CDMHA

• Facilitate civil-military operations and
  coordination by
• Development and implementation of education and
  training programs in disaster and crisis
  management
• Applying state-of-the-art communication and
  information technologies to support
  disaster/crisis managers, technicians and field
  personnel.
• Catalyzing improvements in disaster management
  through organizational networking and research.

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Engagement Focus
Focus Activities for U.S. SouthCom

• Support U.S. goals /objectives
• Support PN goals /objectives
• Enhance regional cooperation
• Mitigate challenges
• Maximize opportunities

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Disaster Preparedness Strategy

• Develop regional capabilities and collaboration.
• Encourage cooperation and training between
  USSOUTHCOM, national authorities, relief agencies
  and multilateral institutions.
• Establish a mechanism that supports disaster
  preparedness and response within the theater.

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Disaster Preparedness Objectives

• Information
• Technology
• Methodology

Promote the rapid exchange of critical
information among military forces and civilian
agencies in the region.
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Humanitarian Assistance Database

• Used to store a list of important organizations
  and contacts in the region
• All information can be indexed by country or
  disaster type, allowing for highly-focused
  searches
• Completely web-based, users can view from the
  web, authors can edit from the web
• Windows-based editor in development

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(No Transcript)
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HADB - Country Search
By clicking on any country on this map, you can
get a listing of contacts and documents related
to that country.
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HADB - Contact Information Form
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Disaster Preparedness Objectives
PAHO
OFDA

• Partnerships
• Regional Cooperation
• Regional Collaboration
• Self sufficiency

CDMHA
FEMA
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Illustrative Activities

• Evaluation and Response to Hurricane Mitch
  Conference (Feb. 1999)

• Global Disaster Annual Meeting Australia (Mar.
  2001)

• Southern Cone Disaster Preparedness Seminar,
  Buenos Aires (June 2000)

• Central America Disaster
• Seminar II (for Nov 2001)

• Caribbean Disaster Preparedness Seminar (Jan
  2001)

• Presentations on Professional Issues
• (i.e. contingency planning for FHA/DR coping
  behaviors vulnerability and community education)

• FAHUM 2000, 2001

• World Wide Civil Affairs Conference 2001

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Provide an effective and rapidly deployable
disaster response capability through trained
personnel.
Disaster Preparedness Objectives
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Reasons for Slow Organizational Learning Among
the Institutions (Civilian and Military)

• Rapid turnover in personnel at the strategic and
  operational levels
• Traditional vertical structure
• (stovepiped information)
• Lack of standards/norms of practice leads to
  continual re-learning
• Ad hoc training strategies
• Limited empirical knowledge base
• Organizational cultures

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Training and Education

• Develop computer-based, training software
  products with the purpose of strengthening
  regional, institutional capacity in responding to
  critical events
• Develop residential short courses to enhance
  civil-military readiness
• Establish certificate, undergraduate and graduate
  programs in disaster management and complex human
  emergencies through a consortium of universities

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INTERHANDS
Integrated Regional Humanitarian
Assistance And Natural Disasters Training Program
A 5-day program designed to provide military and
civilian personal with basic information about
disaster management and related issues with case
studies focusing on Latin American and Caribbean
area of operations. Graduates of this course
will be better prepared to accomplish disaster
relief and humanitarian assistance missions.
Developed by CDMHA with direct input by
USSOUTHCOM staff.
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Disaster Preparedness Objectives
Develop just-in-time training tools and other
deployable computer-based technologies
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Libraries Project
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Conduct Readiness-Enhancing Research
Disaster Preparedness Objectives
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Readiness-Enhancing Research

• Assessment of Helminth Infections in Military and
  Civilian Relief Workers Involved in Humanitarian
  Assistance

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Readiness-Enhancing Research (cont.)

• Wind Resistant Modular Buildings

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• Comparative Study of Trauma Survivors Nicaragua,
  Dominican Republic and South Florida

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• Modeling the Role of Women in Determining
  Household Health in Post Disaster Environments

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• Region-wide vulnerability mapping and assessment,
  improving GIS based analysis, and enhancing
  simulation models and other tools for prediction
  and exercise

Adapted from original material produced by USGS
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Networking

• Communicate regularly with regional institutions
  engaged in crisis mitigation and response
• Collaborate in research and training
• Create and implement MOUs with other
  like-organizations
• Provide material and input to the newsletter with
  the Center of Excellence in Disaster Management
  and Humanitarian Assistance

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Networking (cont.)

• Participate in relevant conferences and seminars
  on information management and civil military
  partnerships

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Its not a matter of if but only a question of
when, where and how bad.
WWW.CDMHA.ORG