In this essay the author recalls the process of organizing and interpreting an exhibition of art and language made in response to a catastrophic fire that devastated California's Sonoma and Napa counties in late 2017. The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art invited a group of artists and writers to be part of its small exhibition planning team to help…

This study presents the design and pilot of the environmental education course with one of the communities, living under environmental emergencies in Pakistan. The study employs the case study as a research approach. Community-based participatory research is used as a method. Forty participants are selected from one of the communities in Hunza,…

This research aims to systematically compare the educational concepts between the U.S. and China, to answer a research question: what courses, based on the experience of developing fire services in both countries, should be included in firefighting higher education programs to increase knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)? The authors utilized…

Stakeholders in Mississippi perceived that Extension could lead volunteer management and donations management after a natural disaster. In response, Mississippi State University Extension professionals developed a training on volunteer management and donations management to supplement the existing Incident Management System/Incident Command System…

Emergency preparedness is a fast developing field of education driven by the numerous disasters worldwide with more recent notable examples including the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in the US in 2001, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the London bombings in 2005, the earthquake in China in 2008, the Great East Japan…

Extension is uniquely positioned to participate in emergency exercises, formally or informally, with the goal of engaging community members in emergency and disaster preparedness. With their knowledge of community needs, Extension personnel are valuable resources and can assist emergency managers in the process of identifying local risks and…

On average, natural disasters directly impact approximately 160 million individuals and cause 90,000 deaths each year. As natural disasters are becoming more familiar, it stands to reason that school personnel, particularly mental health professionals, need to know how to prepare for natural disasters. Current disaster preparation and response…

A freak blizzard, a mentally ill and armed student, a record-breaking flood. No matter how idyllic a campus may feel, no matter how cocooned the ivory tower, disaster can strike. If a campus is unprepared, it comes like a sucker punch, potentially turning a crisis into a tragedy of unimagined proportions--and causing reverberations that will be…

Sometimes all it takes is a little fate to accomplish something great, or in this case, something green. The Broward County Public School (BCPS) District shows how a natural disaster (Hurricane Wilma) inspired a green revolution. This article presents the five steps that the Broward County School District followed in implementing an Environmental…

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States, forced the fall semester closure of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the aftermath of this unprecedented storm, the Tulane leadership set forth a plan for renewal to secure the survival, recovery, and sustainability of the institution,…

Hurricane Katrina's impact on the operations of the largest residential, addiction treatment organization in New Orleans is described. Pre- and post-Katrina experiences are discussed and augmented with organizational performance data. Suggestions for future research are provided. (Contains 4 figures.)

It is essential that the traditional emergency management structure be used as a framework for higher education emergency planning. The four phases of emergency management should be reflected in the architecture of all planning efforts. These include "preparedness," "response," "mitigation," and "recovery."…

Although emergency preparedness is a high priority for administrators, training staff can be challenging. A scenarios approach involves all staff members. Changing scenarios every year relieves boredom. Customizing scenarios to specific building and program characteristics makes training more realistic for participants. Sample scenarios are…

The responses of several college student activities programs to crises on campus (violence, civil unrest, and earthquake) are described. In each case, professionals responsible highlighted the importance of having a proactive emergency plan in place and rehearsed. Flexibility and clear thinking are also crucial ingredients. (MSE)

Preparation for college campus crises (natural disasters, violence or unrest) is discussed. Specific suggestions are made for three distinct areas of readiness: (1) response to the situation; (2) response to the students; and (3) personal response. (MSE)