By Tony Jones

From Crisis to Recovery: Fostering Resiliency in the 21^st Century was the theme of the Red Cross National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region’s fourth annual Disaster Preparedness Summit, held virtually on March 24^th. More than 300 business and community leaders attended the event to hear from speakers and panelists about the challenges disasters can bring and strategies to better recover.

When factoring in the impacts of climate change, public health, threats to cyber-security, wildfires and hurricanes, the frequency of large-scale disasters continues to rise.

“In the 1980s on average the U.S. experienced about three of those [large-scale] disasters every year,” said Brad Kieserman, Red Cross Vice President Operations and Logistics – speaking to summit attendees. “In 2021 we had 20. The average right now is approaching 18 per year.”

The summit focused on the urgent need for community members and large corporations to take a proactive approach in preparing for disasters – both large and small.

Billy Bob Brown with the Emergency Communications, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency opened with a keynote on what’s being done to secure the nation’s cyber infrastructure from increasing threats. He encouraged attendees to take extra steps to ensure the security of their computer networks.

WUSA9 Meteorologist Kaitlyn McGrath moderated panels with business leaders in the cyber, trucking, and mass distribution sectors. They discussed ways they are preparing for potential disasters and how they continue to monitor new areas of concern. Another panel looked at the role businesses play in aiding in recovery.

Jay Bonafede, Central Atlantic Division Communications Director for the Red Cross, led discussions with experts from transportation, energy, and water on how community members can better prepare for disasters and what they should do when outages occur. Representatives from state level emergency management, health and human services, and Volunteer Organizations Activated in a Disaster (VOAD) talked about how they plan ahead and coordinate efforts to aid in a more efficient recovery operation.

Rodney Oddoye, Senior Vice President of Governmental, Regulatory and External Affairs for Pepco Holdings, gave the closing keynote where he discussed climate change and its impact on his company and customers.

In the aftermath of recent storms in Louisiana and Kentucky, Red Cross shelters served as a safety net for vulnerable households facing food insecurity after local grocery stores were destroyed. Summit attendees learned future Red Cross investments are being made to bolster mental health resources in impacted areas. Red Cross Vice President of Disaster Programs, Jennifer Pipa addressed this topic.

“We know that by investing in local mental health providers, we can help families create tools and use tools to help them navigate their recovery process,” Jennifer Pipa said.  “These are the things that are driving us to really look at how, as an organization, we respond.”

A key takeaway for attendees was the importance of being prepared for emergencies and disasters. Everyone can be Red Cross Ready by:

·       Building an emergency kit

·       Making a plan on what to do should you become separated from your family

·       Downloading the Red Cross Emergency App to stay informed about disasters likely to occur in your area

Additional info on the fourth annual summit, including a list of panelists and sponsors who helped to make this event a success, can be found, here.