Tornado Recovery - The Gold Standard
Have you ever heard of Greensburg, Kansas? If you are a disaster worker, it is likely you recall the F5 tornado that destroyed the town in which approximately 1400 people lived in May 2007. Why do I bring this up now? It's because I recently had the pleasure of meeting the Greensburg, Kansas mayor, Bob Dixon.
Bob and I both were presenters at the Third Annual Resilience and Disaster Mental Health Response Conference: Community Resilience in Indianapolis last week. His presentation about rebuilding Greensburg, which had been wiped off the map, is inspirational. The recovery plan "...is a document that emerged directly from the community and is representative of both the planning team’s recommendations, the City’s operational requirements and input from many stakeholder groups." And, for those who are now in the process of picking up the broken pieces of their homes, schools, and businesses from the recent tornadoes, Greensburg is a shining beacon of hope for the future.
Yesterday I sent a message to Mayor Bob, in which I expressed my concern for Greensburg and the tornadoes of late. He left a voice message for me, saying that all was well. Greensburg citizens, he said, had started helping those in other areas who were impacted. When I see the news about tornadoes (e.g., Harveyville), I wonder if any of the volunteers I see are from Greensburg.
I've invited Mayor Bob to present at Tulane University's Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy for the benefit of my students and others on campus. I'm certain that they will experience the true meaning of leadership as they listen to Mayor Bob describe Greensburg's triumphant return to life.
Note: Greensburg KS will mark the 5 year anniversary with a weekend of events: Tragedy to Triumph...5 Years Later on May 4-6, 2012.
ESF-8 Disaster Behavioral Health Plan - Florida and Indiana
When I still lived in Tallahassee, I was privileged to participate as a member of the Florida Crisis Consortium as a member of Green Cross Academy of Traumatology. The mission of the Consortium was to "...develop Florida’s Disaster Behavioral Health (BDH) Response Plan, as part of the ESF-8 annex to the Florida Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP).... The intent of the disaster behavioral health response plan is to mitigate the adverse effects of disaster-related trauma by promoting and restoring psychological well-being and daily life functioning in impacted individuals, responders, and communities."
Florida has been cutting edge in Emergency Management for many years, so of course I felt proud to be a part of this group whose mission made so much sense to me: remedy the gap between disaster impact and implementation of the FEMA Funded Crisis Counseling Program. The ESF 8 DBH plan addressed that delay and assured funding for the response. Little did I know that another state had run with the same idea. The State of Indiana has a similar plan. Check out their Field Guide which includes section on Self-Care.
The Federal Response Plan addresses Disaster Behavioral Health; the Department of Health and Human Services published their HHS Disaster Behavioral Health Concept of Operations in December 2011.
These are great steps forward in taking care of the public in the aftermath of disaster. I hope more states follow the leads of Florida and Indiana.
Note: If other states have similar Disaster Behavioral Health Programs, I'd love to hear about them.
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