RIEMA ANNUAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE
The annual Hurricane Conference is scheduled for June 18 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. RIEMA is pleased to offer a full-day conference focusing on Recovery. Keynoting the conference will be FEMA’S Marty Bahamonde. He was the first and only FEMA official on the scene when Katrina struck. As you may recall FEMA officials ignored his urgent requests for help for 16 critical hours. He was honored by Citizens Responsibility and Ethics for being one of thirty Americans who stood up for their country. He is also the creator of the STEP Program for elementary school children. We have speakers from Lowe’s, Phillips and Jordan, FEMA, and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) to name a few. Speakers will discuss a wide range of recovery topics from debris operations to the use of social media. We have also asked various vendors, state agencies, and non-profits to set up informational booths. USAR and the State Mobile Command Center will be set up in the parking lot for all to view. We already have over 200 people registered to attend. The speaking agenda is attached. Governor Carcieri, General Bray and Executive Director J .David Smith will give brief welcoming remarks starting at 9:00AM
0830 -0900 Registration
0900 – 0915 Welcoming Remarks – Governor Donald Carcieri, MG Robert Bray, Executive Director J. David Smith
0915 – 0940 Keynote Speaker – Marty Bahamonde, FEMA
0940 – 0955 Hurricane Forecast - Matt Belk, NWS
0955 – 1020 Recovery - Ivy Frances, Chief, Floodplain Management and Insurance Branch FEMA Region I Mitigation Division
1020 – 1035 Break and Vendor Booth Visits
1035 – 1045 RING Role in Recovery - Brigadier General Brian Goodwin
1045 – 1110 Lowe’s Response to Hurricanes in Support of Communities – Henry Verducci, Store Manager; Jeff Studley, Store Manager; Glenn McGrath, District Manager
1110 – 1135 Special Needs - Bruce McFarlane, EAD; Kate McCarthy-Barnett, DOH
1135 – 1200 Social Media - Kerri Hicks, University of Rhode Island
1200 – 1305 Lunch
1305 – 1330 Public Assistance Process Overview - Jean McDonough, Emergency Management Program Specialist, FEMA Region I
1330 - 1355 Debris Operations - Ken Graham, Project Manager, Phillips & Jordan
1355 – 1405 Marine Transportation Post Storm Recovery - Kevin Blount, Marine Transportation Recovery Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard
1405 – 1425 Recovery Partnerships with the Insurance Sector - Joe Cournoyer, RIEMA; Darren Delaney, RISP; Paula Pallozzi, RI Department of Business Regulation
1425 – 1440 Break and Vendor Booth Visits
1445 – 1455 Army Corps of Engineers Presentation – Michelle Burnett, RIEMA
1455 – 1515 RI USAR Support During Recovery Operations – Bill McKenna, RI USAR Task Force Leader; David Grandpre, RIUSAR Structural Specialist; John Cagno, RIUSAR Rescue Operations Manager
1515 – 1545 Roundtable Discussion
1545 – 1600 Closing Remarks