By Joel Sams
In March, the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), a CSG affiliated organization, is hosting an Emergency Management Virtual Learning Lab series exploring topics selected by NEMA members to address timely issues in emergency management and to address lessons learned over the past year. To view the recordings of these sessions, visit the NEMA YouTube Channel.
Continuing its Emergency Management Virtual Learning Lab series, the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) hosted a conversation exploring congregate housing and shelters in the wake of disaster.
Presented by Harbor Industries, the March 11 session incorporated audience participation to outline lessons learned from the pandemic and recent natural disasters and provided insights on how to improve in the face of changes.
The session was moderated by Jon Barry, the product director of wellness and emergency response at Harbor Industries, and panelists included the following:
- Ryan Broughton, vice president of emergency management solutions, Deployed Resources, LLC
- Dr. Joe Holley, medical director, Tennessee Department of Emergency Medical Services
- Sam Bradley, host of The Disaster Podcast
- Alex Rose, senior associate for response strategy, American Red Cross Disaster Cycle Services
Barry, who also serves as a logistics and medical services officer in the National Guard, says force health protection has been a consistent challenge during emergency responses even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the things that’s consistent, regardless of what time of year it is, is cold and flu,” Barry said. “And we can lose anywhere between 10-20% of our available manpower resources for one to several days just because of the common cold and the common flu. We are constantly looking for ways to maximize the spaces we have available, not only so we can make sure we can fit everybody in, but also just to keep everybody as safe as possible.”
Other leaders pointed to similar challenges facing emergency responders in congregate housing, both for survivors and responders, in terms of social distancing, cleanliness and hygiene.
Some standards and practices implemented during the pandemic might become permanent even in a post-COVID world.
“Before coronavirus existed, norovirus was occurring in some of our disaster shelters, and there certainly have been other infectious diseases where many of the protocols that we’re following now needed to exist,” said Rose. “But I think this is a great opportunity for us as an organization, and for us as a whole community, to really recognize and appreciate how important simple things like hand washing stations are and having hand sanitizer everywhere when you’re congregating lots of people. If I had a magic wand, it would be the maintenance, the overabundance, of supplies like that where we’re operating.”
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The NEMA Virtual Learning Labs will continue every Tuesday and Thursday until March 25.
To register for upcoming sessions, visit: nemaweb.org/index.php/forums-meetings/nema-webinar-series-march-2021
To view recordings of past events, visit the NEMA YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/NEMAforyou.