US delegates visit for disaster management talks

September 14, 2011

US delegates visit for disaster management talks

Evaluating disaster education programmes in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes is one of several issues being addressed in public talks tomorrow by members of the Joint Centre for Disaster Research.

The lectures, at Massey’s Wellington campus, see the centre’s disaster management specialists join with a delegation from the United States that is visiting as part of a week-long familiarisation tour of the University.

Members of the US organisation ARIES, Applied Research In Environmental Sciences, are here in the same week of September 11 commemorations, to exchange risk management methods, including ways to reduce the economic impact on indigenous people affected by disaster.

Delegates from the foundation are part of a Working for a Safer Tomorrow project set up in the US to prepare for, and reduce the economic impact caused by disasters, by bringing together tribal, local, and state governments, business and organisations to identify shared risks and resources.

Steve Glassey from the Joint Centre has coordinated the visit. Mr Glassey says the free public lectures are a means to encourage community members and emergency management professionals to talk about contemporary disaster management practices. Such lectures also supplement the distance education based Graduate Diploma in Emergency Management offered by the University.

His colleagues from the centre will also be holding presentations on subjects ranging from community planning and emergency management, GeoNet and social media and communicating uncertainty in disasters.

The Joint Centre for Disaster Research is a joint venture between Massey University and GNS Science.

The presentations are being held from 9am to 12 noon on Thursday September 15 at the Executive Seminar Suite, Entrance A, Wallace St, Wellington campus.

ENDS