First there was the “ShakeOut,” the most comprehensive earthquake scenario and the largest earthquake drill ever. Now the USGS is back with “ARkStorm,” a scenario to address massive West Coast storms giving decision-makers a reality check on what is possible.

Attendees of the CESA2010 ARkStorm  session will gain critical insights on how they can prepare their organization for participating in the Golden Guardian 2011: ARkStorm Statewide Exercise.  Increase your organization’s preparedness and response for a variety of human-made and natural disasters.

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The NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) is a DMI partner.

Situated in the world’s beating heart of technological innovation—and an extremely earthquake and wildfire prone state—the Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley campus is quietly emerging as hub for a technological revolution in disaster management. In March 2010, the university launched the Disaster Management Initiative (DMI). This far-reaching effort combines local talent and resources in the public and private sectors with the university’s expertise in software engineering, mobility, robotics, cyber-security, networking, data mining and wireless sensors. All-in-all, it’s pretty cool stuff.

Attend DMI’s session “Journey to the Far Point: The Silicon Valley’s Development of the Disaster Management Initiative” at CESA2010 to learn about ongoing projects and partnerships. Check out DMI’s visions for fully integrated technological solutions to disaster management challenges. And, DMI robots will be conducting a “meet and greet” and signing autographs at the end of the session. Just kidding.

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The next generation of emergency managers faces unprecedented opportunities and challenges. The 2010 CESA Conference is designed to help participants fully embrace these opportunities and succeed in the face of our challenges. This dynamic gathering includes representatives from government agencies, utilities, academic institutions, and businesses of all types, nonprofits and faith agencies, as well as media, funders and elected officials.

Together, we are the leaders and practitioners in Preparedness, Response, Recovery, Mitigation, and Protection in California; we’re seasoned professionals, total novices and world class experts; and we are part-time, full-time, paid staff and volunteer — yet we share common goals. Please join us!

The 2010 CESA Conference and Training will help you:

• Cultivate effective relationships, liaisons and partnerships

• Find innovative solutions to today’s emergency management challenges

• Get top-rated professional training on emerging technologies and best practices

• Learn how Social Media can help you to do so much more, with so much less

• Find true balance, avoid the burnout, and discover your brilliance!

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In this tight job market, you need every advantage to get ahead. Have you thought of becoming a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM)? More than ever, employers are requiring that applicants are certified. When an employer sees “CEM” on your resume, they know you’ve got the skills, knowledge and experience to handle challenging roles in their emergency management program.

CESA2010 will offer a CEM exam preparatory workshop (a basic exam overview, with practice questions, to help relieve pre-test anxiety) in Monterey on Monday, September 13, 2010 and the exam itself on the morning of September 14, 2010 (leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the conference!)

Register directly with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) for these opportunities.

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This year’s CESA2010 Conference has been developed to help participants embrace new opportunities in the field of emergency management and succeed in the face of our challenges. Consistent with the theme for this year’s conference, “The Next Generation of Emergency Management,” CESA is asking for your participation in a Living History Project.  If you’ve worked in the Emergency Management field for many years, please consider participating by responding to a few questions that can be downloaded here. Depending on your responses, you may be asked to videotape your answers to be shown at the CESA Conference.  It is not necessary to answer all questions— just those you find interesting.  If you have any questions about the Living History Project, please contact Marsha Hovey at 408-722-1210 or email her at marshahovey@mac.com.

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Not a member of Facebook?  Register your organization! You’ll have a new way to connect with the public or volunteers and be able to update it from anywhere in the world!  The only requirements to register are a First Name & Last Name (such as “Cupertino OES” for first name and “Cupertino” for last name);  an email address (this is also a great time to create an organization gmail account as a backup); and a birthdate (how about the day your organization was founded?).  Now you can connect to CESA2010 and still keep personal information intact! Head over to www.facebook.com to get started.

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CESA is always striving to make our conferences better. This year we’re proud to announce all-new breakout sessions called “Birds of a Feather.” Because we know that our colleagues are our greatest resource, we’ve created these additional sessions to be held during lunch and after the official breakouts each day. Birds of a Feather sessions can be organized by participants and are designed to let small groups with similar questions/interests get together and discuss. By allowing a variety of discussion/brainstorming topics to occur informally, CESA organizers hope that conference attendees will be able to further customize and thereby maximize their experience. Is there a topic you’re just itching to mull over informally with colleagues? Propose a Birds of a Feather session by notifying the CESA Registration desk at the conference.

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Why should you attend CESA2010? For starters, to learn about the state-of-the-art programs and technologies shaping emergency management today and in years to come. But, if you’re on the fence about attending, the deal cincher might be this: the home for CESA2010 is the Portola Hotel and Spa at Monterey Bay—a world class facility designed to bring people together, and spur creative thinking and problem solving.  While you’re here, the CESA2010 Cyber-Cafe and Portola’s wi-fi means staying connected throughout the conference.  Plus, you can always come early to the conference or stay the weekend, giving you time to check out all that Monterey has to offer.

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CESA2010 is thrilled to welcome Amanda Ripley to the conference! An author and former senior writer for Time magazine, she believes that “the best way to get the brain to perform under extreme stress is to repeatedly run it through rehearsals beforehand.” In her book, “The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disasters Strikes—And Why,” Ripley takes readers (quite literally with cutting edge MRI scans) into the brains of professionals in high stress fields and trauma survivors to understand why some thrive under duress—and others struggle with fear.

As the Keynote Speaker at CESA2010, Ms. Ripley will delve not just into brain science, but also evolutionary psychology and the role it’s played in shaping the way both individuals and groups respond to threats and disaster. Fortunately, there’s good news to report! “We have the ability to do better, and in some places, we clearly have,” she writes in “The Unthinkable.” Ripley will tell CESA2010 why she believes that equipped with the right training and information, many in the public can weather disaster to the point of not just surviving, but even thriving.

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On April 4, 2010, a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked an area in Baja along the U.S.-Mexico border. A parking structure collapsed and there was significant damage across the quake zone. The Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN) mutual aid program and the Joint Water Task Force operational plan were activated by local utilities; both efforts took response to a new level. Demand on local emergency managers was reduced, response was streamlined, and the efficacy of response was greatly improved. Attendees of the “The H20 Continuum: Water Agency Response to the 2010 Baja Earthquake” session  will learn about WARN and the Joint Water Task Force, how to access them, and how to improve emergency planning and response efforts, given the challenges of mutual aid.

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