WEEKEND TORNADOES

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Oklahoma TornadoSeveral tornadoes touched down in the Midwest over the weekend causing major damage, and now at least too confirmed deaths. A sever storm system spun off twisters in Kansas, Iowa and Oklahoma. One of the tornadoes touched down about 50 miles north of Oklahoma City. It was estimated to be at least a mile wide. The town of Shawnee took the most vicious hit. The twister reduced an entire neighborhood to rubble. The Sheriff in that town said the twister killed a 79-year-old man at a mobile home park. Just outside of Oklahoma City two 18-wheelers where pushed over like toys. One left dangling along an overpass.

tornadoAnother massive twister in Edmond Oklahoma tore roofs off homes and knocked down trees and power lines. This past weekend’s twisters are just the latest in an outbreak of storms that are plaguing the Midwest. The tops of these giant tornadoes go as high as 70,000 feet, commercial airliners only travel at 30,000 feet.

If you have to leave your home quickly and only have a few minutes to grab something, please take your GO|SATY|KIT. It contains all your medical, personal info in one place.

 

VENDORS A PLENTY @ VOAD

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voad conf.The last day of the Portland annual VOAD conf. started out with breakfast speaker Dr. Ali Khan from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Then it was on to the workshops with “Responding to Remote Locations” and then a Super Storm Sandy recovery meeting. Partnering with the National Guard turned out to be a very enlightening class. Capping off the day was Building a Resilient Community Disaster Response through Volunteerism and Community Coaching.

But who could forget all the incredible vendors. Many were selling their wares, or giving out information…to get people excited about their products. Many products were very innovative and cutting edge…while others were more traditional – relying on tried and true methods of disaster preparedness. Either way there was something for everybody at this years annual VOAD conf.

God Bless all these people who give so much of themselves to help others in times of emergency. They are the true unsung heroes.

GREAT WORKSHOPS AT VOAD

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VOAD 2013They had so many great classes and workshops today, it’s difficult to know where to begin. What VOAD is doing to address the nationwide drought was one workshop, we all learned so much. Private philanthropy’s role in supporting disaster response. Volunteer housing, the challenges and opportunities in recent disasters. There was a long term recovery best practices panel, and a workshop on applied social media techniques and mutual support systems. This was very interesting because in any natural or manmade disaster social media, especially Twitter will come in handy to get the info out to those who need it. Of course a GO|STAY|KIT is a must have item too. (hint)

The afternoon was filled with workshops like – international issues that impact the VOAD community. Other classes included future trends in long term recovery, and the Rhode Island response, coordination center model. Inter-organization collaboration in Superstorm Sandy, and Mississippi and Georgia was also a popular class.

So many great workshops, so little time. Can’t wait until tomorrow.

VOAD CONF. PORTLAND

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Voad ConfWOW, we just got back from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster or (VOAD)  conference in Portland, Ore. What a day, the guest speakers, the vendors, and the volunteers. Its held at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower, and is a great mix of everyone concerned with offering assistance during a natural or manmade disaster. This type of eclectic mix of first responders and others makes this years annual conference well worth attending.

FYI: The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that serves as the forum where organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle—preparation, response, recovery and mitigation—to help communities prepare for and recover from disasters.

The National VOAD coalition includes over 50 of the country’s most reputable national organizations (faith-based, community-based and other non-governmental organizations) and 55 State/Territory VOADs, which represent Local/Regional VOADs and hundreds of other member organizations throughout the country.