Disaster

On Saturday, Chris Poland, a structural engineer and the chairman and senior principal of Degenkolb Engineers, appeared on CCTV Americas to discuss engineering solutions that have helped make buildings more resilient during earthquakes. According to Poland, "earthquake resistance" in structural engineering refers to how a building is constructed to perform after an earthquake hits.

I recently attended an Emergency Management magazine All Hazard Stakeholders Summit.  One presenter, Garry Briese from Denver, introduced the concept of “Followership:  The Mirror Image of Leadership.”  He captured an intuitive concept that many don’t think about but may be practicing.  Some of his points are worth sharing.

Definitions – “leadership” is influencing other, while “followership” is seeking or accepting leadership.  Skills of a good follower make you a good leader.  Part of followership is coaching upward

Are green building and resilience synonymous?  No but they are related.  Bill Lascher’s article in the Pacific Standard got it right.  Why build or rebuild with green building technology and materials without building or rebuilding to reflect the risks and vulnerabilities of the area in which the structure is located.  As the article indicates, Degenkolb, the nation’s oldest and largest earthquake engineering firm, understands the connection between green building and resilience and is doing something about it.  Through its corporate social responsibility-driven Envisa software too

Microsoft and its Citizenship team last week unveiled a new nonprofit alliance to enhance disaster relief management. The partnership with the Aidmatrix Foundation, a supply chain management humanitarian organization, is part of Microsoft's efforts to support disaster response organizations through the use of information and communications technology. As part of the partnership, Aidmatrix Foundation will use a variety of Windows Azure and Bing Maps-based technologies to provide dynamic maps, social media information, photos and video content.

By: Dr. Teo A. Babun, Jr., AmericasRelief Team

Disasters impact port operations, disrupting the supply chain of goods and services and making it difficult to respond to humanitarian needs and economic recovery. Recent catastrophic experiences, such as the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, continue to remind us that ports are crucial lifelines to vulnerable populations during disasters. 

by Shane O'Connor, Program Advisor, FedEx Global Citizenship

I had an interesting conversation this week with Chris Poland, chairman and senior principal at Degenkolb.  Degenkolb is an engineering firm that provides a wide spectrum of structural engineering services to architects, Fortune 500 companies, healthcare institutions, universities, and government entities. Importantly, Degenkolb has a specialty in earthquake design and retrofitting. 

On March 21, 2012, the Disasters Roundtable of the National Academies hosted a workshop to facilitate the exchange of ideas among scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to identify issues related to the understanding and mitigation of natural, public health, technological, and other disasters.