Photo By Maj. Mary Ricks | Third Army/ARCENT and the Jordanian Armed Forces hosted a five-day Disaster...... read more read more
AMMAN, Jordan - Third Army/ARCENT and the Jordanian Armed Forces hosted a five-day Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Response Symposium here March 11-15.
Participants from 12 partner nations converged in the capital to collaborate on methods of preparing for and managing natural and man-made disasters.
“The conference is multinational and includes partners and friends who bring a wide range of varied experiences to share,” said Col. Christopher Stockel, Third Army/ARCENT, civil military operations center, chief, and N.J. native.
This multinational symposium, which commenced on the first anniversary of the Japanese tsunami, brought experts from non-governmental, civil, military, and international governmental agencies which focused on sharing experiences and lessons learned to mitigate risks and prepare for disasters, as well as build stronger relationships.
The symposium commenced with opening remarks from Brig. Gen. Mohammed Salem Jaradat, Jordanian Armed Forces, directorate of joint doctrine and training, director, as he welcomed more than 100 participants and provided his warm thanks to the U.S. and Third Army for starting this initiative.
The senior U.S. leader in attendance also extended his warm welcome to the participants.
Brig. Gen. Edward Burley, 352nd Civil Affairs Command, commander, Fort Meade, Md. welcomed the delegations.
“I wish to thank his Royal Majesty, King Abdullah II and Brig. Gen. Jaradat, for their hospitality of the Kingdom of Jordan,” said Burley.
Burley also touched on the previous year’s conference and his expectations of this year’s event.
“This symposium, like last year’s meeting, gives us an opportunity to share experiences, compare response plans, and think about our plans to deal with disasters in our nations,” added Burley.
Over the course of the conference, guest speakers from various organizations provided insight for managing risks, reducing the impact of natural disasters and highlighted services available for assistance during a crisis.
Leaders from two U.S. states spoke about how their states are organized to manage crisis and disaster situations.
Col. Lee Smithson, Mississippi Army National Guard, director of military support, provided a case study on the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and lessons learned. Smithson spoke of the unexpected storm surge that rocked Mississippi and the surrounding states.
“Our response to hurricane Katrina was not a failure of initiative by any means, in fact, there was tens of thousands of responders assisting with this disaster so there was a great deal of initiative,” Smithson added. “What we had was a failure in imagination. We always worked the worse case scenarios, but we failed to imagine the storm surge could reach a height of 32 feet in such a short time.”
The case study provided a real-world scenario that revealed the importance of planning for the unexpected or worse case scenarios.
Col. Eric Vander Linden, Air Force Emergency Preparedness liaison officer, 1st Air Force National Security Emergency Preparedness directorate, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and native of Kansas City, Mo., provided an overview of how the Air Force facilitates and coordinates defense support to civil authorities for natural and man-made disasters.
“We coordinate across the levels of federal government,” said Vander Linden. “First responders come from the local area first, state second and federal third.”
Disaster preparedness and response was the overarching theme of the symposium, but it was also a time for partner nations to meet. Building enduring friendships and enhancing existing ones provides a foundation for support in times of crisis.
Stockel added, “It is through professional exchanges like this conference that allows nations of the region to learn from each other and be more prepared to assist each other in the event of a disaster or crisis.”
Members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, a community-based organization with a presence in 187 countries, were also in attendance and provided valuable information on services offered.
During the closing ceremony, Burley provided his final remarks to the participants.
“Here at this symposium we learned lessons from all the nations about preparedness for natural disasters,” said Burley. “I would ask you to go forward from this symposium and do four things: review and revise your national plans, make contact with the local emergency response elements to ensure you have a solid plan to work together, establish a regular plan to meet with NGOs and IGOs, and maintain the relationships you have made here at this conference.”
Burley also added that every country wants to do their best to help their country and save lives during times of crisis which makes it even more important to maintain relationships with partner nations.
Hosting multi-lateral symposiums such as the Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Response Symposium is another way Third Army, in coordination with joint and multi-national partners, is committed to sharing and promoting disaster preparedness.
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2012 04:39 |
| Story ID: | 85930 |
| Location: | JO |
| Web Views: | 333 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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