ALLIANCE FOR RESPONSE NEWS BRIEF

June

This bi-monthly newsletter is shared with local Alliance for Response Steering Committees to provide information and inspiration. Please share it with your listservs. You can find more details about the activities of all Alliance for Response networks here.

Denver Alliance for Response National Leadership Institute
The second and final Alliance for Response National Leadership Institute will be held on July 20th, 2011, at the Denver Public Library in Denver, CO. Following the success of last November’s Leadership Institute in Philadelphia, PA, this second Institute offers another opportunity for fellow Alliance for Response Steering Committee members, emergency management professionals, and cultural heritage leaders to connect and share valuable lessons learned.

Program highlights include panels focused on integrating cultural heritage into local emergency management systems and fundraising efforts, as well as case studies from Coordinated Statewide Emergency Preparedness: Massachusetts (COSTEP: MA) and Savannah Heritage Emergency Response (SHER), two model cooperative disaster networks. You can learn more about Alliance for Response and the Leadership Institutes by visiting Heritage Preservation’s National Leadership Institute Web pages.

Galveston-Houston Area Kick-Off Forum
The Galveston-Houston Area Alliance for Response Kick-Off Forum will be held July 29, 2011, at the Brown Auditorium in the Law Building of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

The Galveston-Houston region of Texas is rich in cultural and historic resources. The destruction caused by Hurricane Ike highlights the need for institutions responsible for the care of local art, artifacts, historic sites, and records to be more prepared for natural disasters and other emergencies. Forum attendees will learn about specific risks to the area’s cultural heritage, local, federal and state emergency response procedures, and opportunities for cultural and emergency collaboration.

More information about the Forum can be found on the Galveston-Houston Area Alliance for Response Web pages.

COSTEP:MA in Action!
Following the devastating tornados that swept through Springfield, MA, in early June, historic properties in the region were endangered when demolition crews began to tear down damaged buildings before assessing their historic significance. Preservation Massachusetts called in the assistance of Coordinated Statewide Preparedness: MA (COSTEP: MA) which took the responsibility of arranging conference calls to make sure that state and federal emergency response partners were aware of the regulations in place to protect the historic properties. Because of their efforts, many buildings were able to be properly assessed during the storm recovery phase. You can read a conference call summary here. COSTEP:MA also received some great press following the incident in a local Massachusetts newspaper.

New York City Partners in Preparedness
New York City Alliance for Response member organizations have been invited by the NYC Office of Emergency Management to join OEM’s Partners in Preparedness program. This program presents an excellent opportunity to highlight your organization's commitment to the safety and well-being of your employees and their families. Click here for more information.

Lori Foley
Vice President of Emergency Programs
Heritage Preservation

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The Heritage Emergency National Task Force is a partnership of 40 government agencies and national service organizations formed in 1995. An initiative of Heritage Preservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Task Force has helped to protect cultural heritage from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies. Find valuable disaster resources at the Task Force Web site, www.heritageemergency.org

Heritage Preservation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historic preservation and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage.