Photo By Patrick Moes | Disaster response experts from the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina discuss...... read more read more
SARAJEVO, BiH – A U.S. team of disaster response experts held a 3-day workshop in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jan. 30 – Feb. 2, to promote the importance of preparation for a large-scale disaster.
The team, comprised of five members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, two members of the Maryland Department of Emergency Management and a member of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, provided a holistic overview of disaster response activities within the United States to members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina army and various other civilian ministry officials.
The workshop is a part of an ongoing program managed by the Institute for Security Governance and implemented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Response and Resiliency Program to support countries developing stronger capabilities in disaster response. This program provides workshops catered to hands-on learning through a variety of presentations and collaborative activities that help people work together to solve challenges associated with disasters.
“The Bosnia and Herzegovina workshop was a great success on many fronts,” said Diane Acurio, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers EM&R program manager. “Not only did the participants work together during the workshop, but you could also see them developing personal connection, too, which is so important during a disaster.”
This was the first of four workshops scheduled in 2024 within Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal, said Acurio, is to help disaster response officials at all government agencies strengthen their skillsets and understand the importance of communicating and collaborating during a crisis. This workshop focused on early warning systems within the United States and their benefits to the community and emergency management professionals as well as a variety of lessons on the importance of geographic information systems and their importance for leaders to help understand the risk associated with an event; and communicating public information during a disaster.
In addition to the workshop, a few members of the U.S. team visited the Federal Meteorological Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina to gain a better understanding of how the agency develops forecasts and shares that information with the public.
Acurio said she was thrilled by the level of participation of the nearly 50 people that attended the workshop. She said future events will continue to build upon the lessons learned with a focus on understanding the importance of managing a disaster using the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s community lifelines concept.
Bill Irwin, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers emergency management expert and former USACE liaison to FEMA, said community lifelines are about identifying issues within a certain area and being able to prioritize efforts during a response.
“Community lifelines provide that critical understanding of the needs of a community during a disaster,” said Irwin. “Understanding how everything is connected and being able to identify concerns helps responders better prepare, respond and recover from a disaster. At the end of the day, it’s all about taking care of people and getting them back on their feet following a disaster.”
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| Date Taken: | 02.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.09.2024 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 463579 |
| Location: | SARAJEVO, BA |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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