How can we respond faster and better to disasters such as last year鈥檚 earthquake in Haiti? That鈥檚 the challenge speakers, first-response practitioners, emergency managers, researchers and educators will discuss at聽the seminar next week at 91亚色.
The seminar, being held one year after the earthquake, will take place Monday, Jan. 10, from 9am to 5pm, in the Harry Crowe Room, 109 Atkinson Building, Keele campus. It is hosted by 91亚色鈥檚 School of Administrative Studies Disaster & Emergency Management Program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies in collaboration with .
Right: The earthquake in Haiti caused widespread damage. Photo by Marco Dormino of the United Nations
It聽will look at what lessons can be learned from the Haiti earthquake and how societal resilience, humanitarian response and the handling of similar future events can be improved. The Haiti earthquake presented a special challenge for first-response practitioners, emergency managers, researchers, educators and those responsible for capacity building because of its setting, the scale of the initial event and its impact on a particularly vulnerable urbanized area of a fragile state.
Michael Morton of Emergency Management Ontario and Jeff Noel, a logistical officer with the Salvation Army, will discuss first response, search and rescue, emergency operations coordination, mobilization and logistical issues as part of the first panel.
In the second panel, Jean Claude Louis of Panos Canada and the Caribbean will join Heather Leson of Crisis Camp Toronto and Ken Kidd of the Toronto Star in looking at the 鈥淩ole of the Local, National and International Media; Communication Challenges; Reality, Myths聽and Perception Issues鈥.
John Coo of Green Cross Canada will discuss the topic of 鈥淓nvironmental, Critical Services, Health and Sanitation Issues, Urban Management and Built Environment Challenges鈥 in the third panel.
In the fourth panel, the topic of 鈥淢anaging the Transition and Recovery, Coping with the Displaced/Refugees, Rehabilitation and Recovery Issues鈥 will be tackled Mike Weickert of World Vision Canada and Stephen Evans, associate chair of the University of Waterloo鈥檚 Earth & Environmental Sciences.
For more information or to register, visit seminar website or e-mail haiti@yorku.ca.
Republished courtesy of YFile鈥 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin