What is your general philosophy about food and food preparation?
It’s pretty obvious - it’s all about the food. We spend a tremendous amount of time researching local food, spending time with the people who grow and catch it. … Supporting them is our [main focus].

How is that affected or how is it different operating and opening restaurants in storm-affected areas in Florida and the Cayman Islands?
You have to go about business as usual. If you planned around every storm and around all the storm damage, you wouldn’t be doing very much. You have to have that in mind, keep in mind during storm season, ‘How would this affect us?’. You keep it under consideration, but it shouldn’t rule our lives.
[The Cayman Islands] are pretty prone to storms. But we haven’t opened yet, so it remains to be seen. It’s the same outlook. As you rebuild [from storms], buildings are built better, safer. … You’re learning from past experiences - but it’s susceptible to the same things as in South Florida.

Have you been personally affected by any storms in Florida or elsewhere? How does that affect your approach to your restaurants?
I’ve lived in south Florida for 16 years. I’ve been lucky; we’ve had some close storms, and some pretty hefty ones. I had a restaurant on South Beach, in an area where the power would go out with 15 mile-per-hour winds. But you make sure to store food.
I do remember the race to get open first; whoever opens first had the most business. You stay open as long as you can and re-open the first after [the storm]. People defy those things … we’d be there until we thought it wasn’t safe.
Certain seasons in the past have been more tiresome than others. Now with technology, they can track storms six, seven days out, and it plays head games with you. The news keeps people informed but there are also, I think, some scare tactics. … By November, you need a vacation from hurricane preparedness messages.

How do you think the local population’s approach toward cooking and food is affected by the probability of major storms?
It’s probably subliminal, that you’d want comfort food. I’m sure it influences people’s decisions about what they buy. But comfort food is heavier, and it’s 90 degrees outside.

Are there any special preparations that go into opening and operating restaurants in storm zones? Do you have to change your approach or philosophy during annual storm seasons?
During storm season, there’s a certain amount of hand-holding, mostly with staff, as a storm approaches. You have to be sensitive to people’s needs - if they need to go be with their family. We have to make sure if somebody comes to work, it’s comfortable and if they want to prepare with their family. You keep an open dialogue.

To go with our recipe suggestions, which include using items found at home for emergency situations, are there any suggestions you have for people to keep around? Are there items you make sure to have on hand at your businesses?
We have a generator, so people have the comfort that they need. We don’t really have [power outage] concerns. The restaurant is like a bunker - concrete building, all-impact glass. We’re three years old and haven’t used it as a storm shelter, but we could if we needed to.
As the season approaches, unless you live in a cave, at some point you’ll go buy canned food, batteries, first aid kits. My outlook has changed, because I have the restaurant - there will always be food.

What is your view of the programs at Wholesome Wave, which has a goal of nourishing neighborhoods by supporting increased production and access to healthy, fresh and affordable locally grown food for the well-being of all? Why the focus on providing local, sustainable ingredients?
I met Michel [Nischan of Wholesome Wave] a year ago. He’s a chef, and we had a fun dinner [at the restaurant]. I learned about the Double Value Food Stamps program … and as we got to connect a little bit, we agreed it was needed here. I think it’s needed in most major cities.
We set up a market in Overtown, an under-served community. We worked with Roots in the City and the market supplies fresh foods. The market sells to everybody, but food stamps are worth double. …We love that program.
It’s hugely important to me - before this program, I was the guy trying to bridge the gap between growers and [sellers or consumers]. … This is just a way to bridge that gap. It should be affordable to everybody and accessible to everybody. … It keeps people in low-income communities from eating [junk]. You get more bang for your buck from processed foods and things like potato chips, but that’s not sustainable.

Fresh food without power

Mediterranean chicken pita sandwich with hummus and roasted bell peppers

Serves 4

1 can (1 cup) of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup of tahini

Juice of 2 lemons

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly-cracked pepper

4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts, defrosted

Kosher salt and freshly-cracked pepper (for seasoning the chicken)

4 frozen pita breads, defrosted

1 jar (1 cup) of roasted red peppers, liquid drained

1 can (1 cup) of marinated, baby artichokes, sliced in half length-wise

1/2 can (1/2 cup) of black olives, seeded and sliced lengthwise

Handful of torn herbs, such as parsley or basil

Extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling to finish)

In a medium bowl, smash the garbanzo beans with the back of a fork until a grainy paste forms

Add the tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil, beating with the fork until fully combined

The hummus won’t be completely smooth but will have some texture to it

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside

Place a large nonstick sauté pan over a butane burner on high heat

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides

When the pan begins to smoke, add each breast

Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the meat turns opaque half way up the side of each breast

Turn each breast over with tongs

The meat should be have a nice sear, and be brown and crisp on top

Cook the breasts for another 5 minutes, until firm but slightly resilient to the touch, or a thermometer inserted into the center reads 165 °F

Remove the chicken from the pan onto a plate to cool

Slice each breast into 1 inch strips.

Wipe the pan clean

Lower the heat to medium and the warm the pitas for 2 minutes on each side, until pliable

Remove the pitas from the pan and slice each in half

To serve, everyone gets two half pita pockets

Open each gently with tongs; spread with hummus and layer with equal portions of sliced chicken breast, roasted red peppers, baby artichokes, olives, and herbs

Drizzle the contents with extra virgin olive oil to finish

What is your philosophy about food and food preparation? How might those who share that philosophy be affected by living in storm-affected areas like Florida?
I believe that when food - the growing, the preparing, the accessibility - can be kept as close to home as possible, it creates true food security, which comes when there’s commercial farms, there’s urban farms; there’s food nearby, close to the land. My belief is that when food comes from multiple sources, no matter what happens; if a system fails in one place, it will work in another.
I don’t really have a philosophy of food, but it should come from within 150 miles of where’s someone is, in-season. That way, you get the freshest food and keep dollars within the local community. It’s not in a distribution system taking 80 cents out of every dollar. Culturally speaking, when it happens closer to home, food is richer, fresher. It creates a kind of community that’s rare.
It’s not just because I’m a chef; I come from a farming background, and that’s how the communities were - they backed each other up. It was based around the food. … I believe food is an important part of vibrant neighborhoods and communities. Storms are so random. … One of the first things to happen is infrastructure can be so damaged, you can’t get trucks [with supplies] in fast enough. Florida is set up as an export agricultural state; we helped open the first local produce-only markets in Miami. Most produce leaves - if people are growing a greater percentage of locally-sold crops -when disaster strikes on that basis, you have food before it’s clear and trucks can come through.
I’m a huge proponent of box gardens, personal gardening. Someone’s food is going to survive. In hurricane regions, food production contingencies … are very important.

Can you tell me about bringing the Double Value Coupon Program to a Miami farmers’ market - what drew Wholesome Wave to partner with that community?
Michael [Schwartz] did, actually. We’re now this year in 18 states, with more than 60 organizations, operating at 150-175 farmers’ markets in a variety of communities. The local people are the reason we’ve been able to grow - if we were going into Miami our own to set something up, we don’t know what community’s in the most need.
Human Services Coalition has dealt with issues in this community. When Michael introduced me to the community, I started visiting. Jackie Sayet helped identify it because of Overtown’s community. They now have four urban garden plots - it’s like a little Garden of Eden in one of Miami’s most underserved communities.

Are there unique barriers for residents in economically poor communities that lie in storm zones?
Florida is unique - it’s the only state in the country that we’ve worked in where the majority of farmers’ markets are selling from for-profit organizations. They’re reselling imported produce, some from California or Mexico. They offer a wide variety of things, including the food, but very little of the fruits and vegetables are from Florida. Most Californians have agreements with locally-owned farms. That was a head-scratcher for us because California works intra-state as well. From my perspective - and it’s theoretic because I don’t pretend to know how the state is set up for emergencies - it’s been very different to do things. It seems like common sense that if there was more local food, even if four hurricanes struck, it wouldn’t wipe out all the agriculture.
When you look at the immediate need of food relief, what you want to do is make food more available to the local community. Outside of the cities, there’s a decent amount of land that could be planned to serve people in need. I’m not sure anyone in the area is looking at the need in that way.

How can people incorporate green ingredients in cooking during emergencies?
They should absolutely try to grow their own garden. Things grow really fast there, and a hurricane will absolutely destroy any planted land. In the outskirts, if they’ve lost power and lost water, trees are down - if they have a garden, they have food.
When you look at the price of organic fruit - in-season, it’s cheaper than buying non-organic out of season. So buy it in season - four or five flats - and freeze it. Strawberries can become jams. If the food is planted locally, you can absolutely subsist - radishes, lettuce, beans.

Can you share any personal experiences you’ve had with major storms? How has the aftermath of the storm affected your or others’ access to green foods?
I grew up in the Midwest, and my mom would always have these things ready. She was always over-prepared. We’re lucky we didn’t have to deal with [tornadoes and other storms], but if we did, I’m sure people would be coming from all over the neighborhood to our house. If you are generally freezing food and want to be able to cook it, you have to have those means.
My family we would have been really good for four days to a week.

Bernstein is also involved in Common Threads, an organization dedicated to educating children about the iportance of nutrition and physical well-being, which helps them gain an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking. She spoke about operating restaurants in storm zones and the considerations that must be made when disasters are a regular concern.

What is your general philosophy about food and food preparation?
I always try to start with a protein and produce, grown in south Florida. … I always participate and keep up with what is sustainable and what best practices. What is more green - whether it is grass-fed beef or something else. I try to always buy food that’s good for our future children as well. Using foods that are not over-fished, which is hard around here. Through efforts of lots of local chefs, we back up our farmers. Many can’t get their food from farm to restaurant … we’re trying to help them get it to us.

How is that affected or how is it different operating and opening restaurants in storm-affected areas in Florida?
If we can’t get [local food] here, we go close by to get it. If we can’t get it from Homestead, we go [near there]. Then we’d go to the Carolinas. If we all get hit, I’m afraid it’s a lot of dried pasta.

Are there any special preparations that go into opening and operating restaurants in storm zones? Do you have to change your approach or philosophy during annual storm seasons?
We try to talk about [storms] and keep people aware. Those of us from here try to remain optimistic; always be prepared. … I try to board up the windows as quickly as possible - [and think], do employees need to stay with us because their place isn’t as safe.
I don’t like to think about that too much, because if you worry about it I feel like it’s more likely to happen. … You can’t make yourself crazy because if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.

How do you think the local population’s approach toward cooking and food is affected by the probability of major storms?
Florida residents - I think [their approach to food is affected by the weather]. ‘Locavore’ is a big word here in the last year. It’s a big chef initiative. Farmers’ markets are popping up within the last year, literally. The want and need for it - it had to happen. … Transplants, especially from California and elsewhere, they want it, they need it. Sometimes we’re slower here in Miami to embrace things. But if we do it slower, we hopefully do it better.

Have you been personally affected by any storms in Florida or elsewhere? How does that affect your approach to your restaurants?
When [Hurricane] Andrew hit, I was very young. My dad was sick and my mom was with him in the hospital, so it was just my sister and me at home; we had no power for, like, a month. We had gas burners, liquids and canned foods. … [Times like that], we eat more black beans than you can shake a stick at.
Things change a lot [during storms], especially when you’re desperate. You do what you’ve got to do - you get creative. It’s a more primitive way of thinking and cooking. … There was an event a few years for a big organization - the power went out, not because of storms but because a truck ran into a pole. We were cooking for families with children with disabilities. We just pulled out the trusty flashlights and candles … and cooked with gas and just went for it. … People remember not to freak out and do what they have to do - it keeps you sane.
I’ve [had to operate without power] four times at the restaurant. You have to have light - flashlights and candles. You go with your nose and mouth, trusting those senses. It’s not going to be the prettiest thing, but if it tastes good in your mouth, it feels good, then it’s fine.

For emergency situations, are there any suggestions you have for food for people to keep around? Are there items you make sure to have on hand at your businesses?
When it’s storm season, everybody thinks barbecue - things that can be done outdoors. … Lots of non-perishable foods. …Keep the bathtubs full of fresh, clean water - those are things a lot of people don’t think about. Also, mosquito repellent - that’s huge. Have lots of ice on hand; there’s no real way of washing things off. Use lots of [Wipees]. You have to keep things as clean as possible, as hygienic as possible for people.

Fresh food without power

Roast Chicken by the fire

This is one of my favorite things to do! I actually was raised in a house with a fireplace, so when hurricane Andrew hit, we had to get creative. Years later, in Provence, I learned the proper technique to this type of cooking and I truly believe it’s one of the most delicious ways to cook.

Roast Chicken by the fire:

1 (2-3 lb.) Free Range All Natural fed Chicken

Marinade:

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme

Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Place a long piece of Kitchen string in water.

Mix all ingredients for the Marinade. Coat the chicken in the marinade for about 2 hours. Reserve the marinade for later.

Start you fire in the fireplace, You need to allow the fire to burn until the embers are glowing; Keep adding fresh wood to the fire, as it really needs to burn hot!

Truss the chicken with the kitchen string, wrapping it a few times over, push the string through the bird so it comes out the bottom side, leaving at least 12 inches for it to hang off a hook or a screw in front of the fire. Hang the bird securing the string tightly on the hook or screw. Place an aluminum or metal pan under the chicken to catch the drippings.

As often as you can, spin the chicken so that it rotates around and gets heat on all sides. Meanwhile, baste the bird with leftover marinade. Cook the chicken for about 1 to 1.5 hours or until cooked. I love to make a vinaigrette using the drippings and serve the chicken with a salad tossed in the drippings or warm vegetables heated in the drippings.

Fonkoze, a Haitian micro-financial institution (MFI) and anti-poverty organization that is one of the most respected in the world, shares information about Haiti’s needs this storm season

Q: What is the most pressing issue for Haitians this hurricane season?
A: In Port-au-Prince, where thousands are living in tent cities, you don’t need help to see what the biggest problem is. It’s housing. The same is true for my region, Marigot. In my region, most people are living in homes — but they’re in bad shape. Most homes survived the earthquake but they now have cracked walls and foundations. We don’t know how well these structures will hold up in heavy wind and rains.

Q: How has Fonkoze specifically been able to recover and rebuild? What do you see in terms of individuals’ progress in recovery?
A: We’ve been able to respond strongly. Fonkoze was up and running well before other financial institutions, which has been good for us. We don’t look as impressive as the commercial banks, for example. Our buildings are not flashy. But our expertise and operational strengths are intense. And the relative [simplicity] of our operations became an asset. Commercial banks, with more sophisticated infrastructures, had a much harder time restarting their operations.

Q: What is the current greatest need among your clients and the communities you serve?
A: Finding a source of income to meet basic daily needs. Despite the help we offer, we are encountering many women for whom it will be difficult to move into our larger loan programs. Thus, one program that needs a lot of investment now is our Ti Kredi program. Ti Kredi (Little Credit) gives $25 USD loans instead of the larger $125 USD loans given to borrowers in our standard solidarity group credit program. In addition, Ti Kredi borrowers get six months of intense financial literacy training and small business support to help them create and build a stable income stream. There is an enormous need now to grow that program, which will allow women to then have access to larger credit pools.

Q: Are homeless and displaced people able to benefit from these programs?
A: Yes and no. Ti Kredi is a way to have an income generating activity, and what you do with that income depends on your need. On the other hand, we have women that do not have safe, permanent housing and are antsy about starting a new business and investing in merchandise because their homes still have large open cracks in the walls. They don’t have the security they normally would, to be able to lock away their goods. We help by extending credit to all [people] regardless of their housing situation, but it would be very helpful to help these women access safe housing as a starting point.

Q: In February, Dr. Paul Farmer shared blunt recommendations with the U.S. Senate regarding the United States’ role in Haiti’s recovery. He mentioned the role non-profits play, specifically foreign non-profits. What is the best way foreign non-profits like PLAN!T NOW can have a positive role in rebuilding and preparing Haiti for this storm season and those to come?
A: I see two problems in the way many foreign entities - not just non-profits, are working here today.

1. It is really important for the long-term development of Haiti, just like any other nation, that the elected government exercises the authority its people have given it. As far as I can see, a lot of international intervention is occurring in Haiti without any reference to Haitian government leaders. This weakens the government’s ability to play even a coordinating role in the recovery. That has to be bad for the people. These foreign groups say the government lacks the capacity to do this work, but they must have the patience to work with them because otherwise Haitian sovereignty itself is at risk.

2. A lot of groups coming here do not know the country. They don’t know the people or how to make accurate evaluations of what is needed and who the best people and groups are to address those needs. For this they must have experienced Haitian partners. Fonkoze, for instance, is 100 percent Haitian. It was founded by Haitians, and most of its staff and leadership are Haitian. I’m a Fonkoze Branch Manager, and there are over 40 branches nationwide. All but the branch I work in is run by Haitians. Fonkoze, is in every part of the country, so we have a genuine national presence and intimate understanding of the culture, politics and history here. Meanwhile, we see foreign organizations with the best of intentions, landing here - and spending money with the first person they see who seems qualified to help them achieve their goals. They have no way of evaluating whether the people or groups they’ve partnered with are who they say they are. Thus, we have seen many examples of the wrong people getting the wrong kind of help. Again, to resolve this, we urge foreign groups to research and find trusted Haitian groups to partner with for recovery work.

Experts Aim for Culture of Preparedness Through Spread of Knowledge

Experts agree that the key to minimizing the damage and loss of life caused by disasters is spreading knowledge about appropriate hurricane preparedness. Throughout affected regions, there are numerous programs that spread knowledge on this subject both to the public at large and the organizations that serve the public. These recurring events help create a culture of preparedness that can make long-term planning an aspect of daily life.

One such event, the Houston/Galveston National Weather Service Workshop, is a 15-year-old, annual event, the largest of its kind in the nation. The event, held in June each year, uses an interactive, family-friendly format to educate the public about hurricane preparedness. Radio Disney even joined the cause in 2008 in an effort to get children more interested in their family’s hurricane preparedness plans. Attendance soared to 3,500 attendees in 2010. The Houston/Galveston National Weather Service and event sponsors strive yearly to reach even more residents with preparedness messaging. Their success can be seen in its growing attendance and participation of dozens of Texas emergency management, insurance and energy companies, among others.

When asked how a culture of preparedness could be achieved, Patrick Blood, a meteorologist for the Houston/Galveston National Weather Service said, “One word: education. The way you educate is putting out correct information to the masses. Create a culture of education.”

Blood has found the biggest barrier to preparing the masses for disaster to be miscommunication. He said his organization tries to overcome this obstacle by “getting a consistent message out to the public.” Annual events like this Hurricane Workshop work to inform the public about how to prepare themselves and be proactive about their fate in the face of disaster.

Along the Eastern seaboard in Palm Beach County, Fla., the groups Nonprofits First and the Legal Aid Society have been providing a similar educational event - Nonprofit Hurricane Preparedness Day - since 2004. This event brings 100-120 local nonprofits together each May to learn about the best ways serve their clients in the face of disaster while making the connections that will enable them to rely on each other in those times of need.

“Non-profits serve so much of the public that it is critical that they are able to serve in times of disaster,” said Sharon Passas of Nonprofits First.

While Nonprofits First offers education classes year-round, Nonprofit Hurricane Preparedness Day focuses solely on strategies to better insure continued service in the face of the massive damage that can easily result from a hurricane.

Whether the knowledge is given to the general public or those who selflessly serve the public, hurricane preparedness is a critical message that has been taken up by many in the affected areas. The efforts of these people and organizations striving to spread this knowledge are rewarded with the growing attendance and interest in events such as these. Knowledge leads to action and the knowledge that these programs are striving to disseminate will lead to a culture of preparedness that will save lives the next time a hurricane hits the area.

Q: In coastal communities along the Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Seaboard, how do wetlands help mitigate the effects of major storms?

A: Marshes may play their most critical role in protecting shorelines day in and day out. Most shoreline erosion in the U.S. is the result of daily erosion. A three-foot high wave, for example, can easily knock down a sturdy brick wall, and even waves in the 1- to 3-foot range will clobber a bare shoreline. Thick marsh grasses bend with those waves, dissipating the energy, so that the waves have no energy left by the time they get to the hard shoreline. When you lose those marshes, on the other hand, you not only lose that dampening effect, you also effectively increase the water depth near the shoreline. And the greater the water depth, the bigger the waves can get. So big waves get closer to the shoreline, multiplying the damage. Loss of marsh grasses and oyster reefs may be a primary culprit in day-to-day shoreline losses approaching 15 feet a year (!) in places in Mobile Bay. Similar or greater rates are noted at multiple points in the Gulf and on the Atlantic Coast.

Marshes have another important effect: They collect sediment very efficiently from each wave that passes through them. So they in effect build up land, often as fast as or faster than the rate of rising sea level. That’s probably a major reason why areas that have healthy marshes have seen relatively little impact from sea level rise of about a foot over the past century.

So how do they benefit people during storms? Some of the greatest storm damage isn’t simply the result of rising water, but rather the impact of waves on top of the rising water. During Katrina, it wasn’t just the rising water that caused problems: Hundreds of houses and structures along the Mississippi Coast were bulldozed by crashing waves, and carted wholesale out into the open Gulf.

Marshes may not have a significant impact on the height of the surge, but they play a big role in determining how big those hurricane-driven waves are, and how close they come to structures.

In areas with healthy marsh, the shoreline is still stable, and the offshore area is shallow, so houses don’t sit right next to the deep water where waves can develop the most energy. And during the most common hurricanes and tropical storms, the marsh grasses themselves increase the friction in the water column, further reducing the height of waves.

Q: Are residents often aware of the role such wetlands play in protecting their communities?

A: Some coastal residents have a vague notion of the importance of marshes for shoreline and storm protection. But in areas like Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, there’s a growing sense that marshes can help protect coastal communities from storms.

Q: Is greater attention being paid to maintenance and protection of wetlands in areas more commonly affected by major storms?

A: Certainly, there’s a lot more lip service given to the importance of marsh … but in some areas, including here in coastal Alabama, we’re putting our marsh where our mouth is. The Nature Conservancy has been leading an effort to rebuild the marshes and reef structures that once protected shorelines, created vast areas of fish habitat and improved water quality. We’re doing that by rebuilding marshes the old-fashioned way, integrating marsh and seagrass restoration programs with oyster reef restoration. The oyster reefs, we’re discovering, once played an integral role in protecting the marshes themselves. So by combining oyster reef restoration with marsh restoration, our marsh restoration success increases dramatically.

The limitation to these efforts is money - we’re still working hard to secure enough money to restore reefs and marshes a few acres at a time. We need to be ramping this up dramatically - from a mile of new reef and marsh protected shoreline to 100 miles of reef and marsh protected shoreline.

Q: How does the oil spill in the Gulf endanger those wetlands, and what other effects might the spill have on communities’ ability to deal with the current storm season?

A: The oil spill threatens not only the creatures of the marsh, but also the marsh’s very survival. As the oil washes into the marsh, it’s quickly trapped there, like gum in your hair. There’s no good way to remove it. As it sinks down into the soils, it immediately creates a thick blanket that prevents any oxygen from entering the soil. Without that oxygen, the soil creatures that support the growth of plants die. And then the roots themselves begin to die from lack of oxygen. Soon thereafter, the toxic portions of the spill begin to have an effect, and may wipe out what’s left.

Once the roots of the marsh die, the marsh itself falls apart, soil and all, as waves quickly pick apart and cart away the fragile soils.

In the areas where some marsh vegetation survives, the soils become a toxic repository that re-contaminates creatures every time they come back to the marsh to breed and grow. Some 90 percent of our commercial seafood species use the marshes for breeding or for growing each year. Many can’t exist without the marsh. So when these creatures return each year to the marsh to produce their young, the young are wiped out again and again by contact with contaminated marsh. In Alaska’s Prince William Sound, the herring fishery didn’t recover to harvestable levels until this year - 20 years after the Valdez incident. And shrimp and many other annual reproducers still haven’t recovered there, in large part because the young are re-contaminated each year when they return to their nursery grounds near shore.

Will it be that bad on the Gulf Coast? There are reasons to hope not, in part because the marsh can grow so much faster and potentially recover more quickly here, essentially burying the most toxic elements. But where the oil comes ashore, we’ll likely see losses of contaminated young for some years.

HAZUS Engineer and Project Manager Frank Lavelle explains how the hurricane model helps cities and major institutions create long-terms plans to protect themselves from the dangers of severe storms.

Q: What aspects of severe storms is the HAZUS Hurricane Model best at predicting?
A: The current Hurricane Model focuses on the wind field and wind damage produced by a hurricane. The model predicts wind damage to all types of building occupancies and construction, but it best predicts damage to residential buildings. The model includes damage due to direct wind pressures and windborne debris, and water damage due to rainfall entering the buildings through damaged areas of the roof or through damaged windows or doors.

Q: The HAZUS Hurricane Model was initially released in 2004. What have been the most significant changes to the model over time?
A: Within the past six years, we’ve added mitigation analysis. This allows users to run through “What if” scenarios like: “What if all the houses in our state or county had shutters or hurricane straps?” This helps users predict damage and loss and run cost-benefit analyses to determine the best ways to prevent both.

Q: Share examples of some of the most practical applications of HAZUS.
A: Cost-benefit analyses represent some of the most common uses of HAZUS. HAZUS wind hazard and building vulnerability data are used in the FEMA Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) tool kit (available to municipalities nationwide). It helps them apply for grants to retrofit homes, for example, to withstand severe weather.

In addition, all communities create hazard mitigation plans. Those in hurricane zones that use HAZUS are able to quantify their risks and can compare damage caused by different types of storms to determine the greatest dangers in their communities, and thus, the most relevant mitigation strategies. For instance, HAZUS can predict how many homes and other buildings will be destroyed by a Category 3 hurricane. These predictions allow government groups to plan for such devastation by building emergency shelters or taking other precautions to mitigate homelessness caused by hurricanes.

Q: What are some of the latest advancements in hurricane/severe storm HAZUS
programs?
A: The main advancement we’re working on is a storm surge model that will link the hurricane and the coastal flood models together. The user will be able to plot the storm track to ask the model to predict the coastal storm surge in each tracking scenario. The new model will produce a combined wind and flood loss estimate, which means we avoid “double counting” homes that are exposed to both wind and flood damage in risk assessments. This new storm surge model is expected to be released in time for the 2011 hurricane season.

PLAN!T NOW (P!N) has launched an addition to the P!N Hurricane Relief Scholarship Program (P!N HRS) called the P!N Dreamkeepers award. With several 2010 awards targeting Florida and Miami Dade College in particular, “Twilight” star and Jacksonville native Ashley Greene is the celebrity supporter of this year’s awards.

“I’m thrilled to support the young adults in my home state who are pursuing their dreams through higher education. Congratulations to Miami Dade College and PLAN!T NOW for this innovative program,” said Greene.

P!N Dreamkeepers will award academic scholarships of $2,500 each to four community college students. Preference will be given to students studying natural hazard science topics that help predict or mitigate the impacts of natural disasters on human life.

In 2008, as a means of improving hurricane preparedness in high-risk regions in the United States, P!N created the Hurricane Relief Scholarship program for college students severely impacted by hurricanes or tropical storms. The inaugural, 2009 award honored students at four year colleges and universities who, despite suffering significant setbacks, demonstrated academic and/or service excellence, an inner drive to succeed, and a willingness to use their life experiences to encourage hurricane preparedness. The new award, P!N Dreamkeepers, is an exciting part of the program’s growth, now reaching individuals in the community college network.

“Community colleges are the most viable choice for many people seeking higher education. They are an important resource for individuals re-entering school after extended breaks. In storm zones, it is not uncommon for such breaks to be disaster-related. In fact, the 2010 P!N Dreamkeepers will make a special outreach to people in the Haitian diaspora who have experienced the devastation of five 2007 and 2008 hurricanes and the 2010 earthquake,” said P!N President, Donna Lee.

Scholarship America (SA), a national education service non-profit, will administer the program. The Dreamkeepers Program began in 2004 with a grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education. Today, SA administers the Dreamkeepers program in Miami Dade College and 17 others nationwide.

Dreamkeepers helps colleges retain students who would otherwise drop-out or postpone education because of financial hardship due to medical expenses or job losses, for instance. According to data obtained by Scholarship America, the average re-enrollment and graduation rate at community colleges is approximately 55 percent. However, from 2008-2009, Dreamkeepers awardees re-enrolled or graduated at a rate of 84 percent.

“We are proud to partner with PLAN!T NOW to provide Dreamkeepers’ students with this valuable scholarship opportunity,” says Donald Lassere, Senior Vice President of Scholarship America. “The Dreamkeepers/PLAN!T NOW scholarships will provide a very needed financial resource to students in the Gulf Region who have demonstrated a strong desire to achieve their educational goals.”

For more information on this campaign and how to support it, visit http://planitnow.givezooks.com/campaigns/plan-t-now-dreamkeepers.

Follow PLAN!T NOW news on Facebook by visiting http://bit.ly/ajDY6o.

Miami is often mentioned during the Atlantic hurricane season. The southernmost U.S. metropolis, like much of the Caribbean, is in the path of several tropical storms or hurricanes in any given year.

Thus, for students at south Florida colleges and universities, the fall semester is more than the beginning of a new academic year, it’s peak hurricane season. Thus, PLAN!T NOW’s Hurricane Relief Scholarship Program has expanded this year to reach students in the Miami-Dade storm zone through a tuition grant called the P!N Dreamkeepers award. Offered through an alliance with Scholarship America, the 2010 P!N Dreamkeepers fund will gift four $2,500 tuition grants to students at Miami Dade Community College (MDC) who hope to continue their education but have faced unexpected financial hardships.

This year, the scholarships are designated for students of Haitian descent or those studying weather sciences that will advance storm preparedness work.

“In addition to helping coastal communities’ immediate preparedness needs, P!N believes that addressing long-term, preparedness planning is crucial. Investing in students in these communities builds human capital, and is one of our favorite examples of effective, durable planning,” said P!N President, Donna Lee.

Martine Fleurius, a Haitian student, was accepted into the honors college at MDC, an academic honor that pays for many of her schools costs. She said further financial aid to Haitians through programs like the Dreamkeepers scholarship will not only help students’ educational goals but can go toward improving her home country. Her journey has allowed her to take advantage of circumstance and her academic strengths to allow her to attend Cornell University’s Biology and Sociology program this fall.

“I came to Miami three years ago from Haiti,” she said. “My mother is Haitian … she was trying to provide a good education for me. My dad lived [in Miami], and through him I got to go there. I felt it was my duty to learn the language, learn English, so I went through an [English for Academic Purposes] program for one year, and applied to the honors college. I was accepted for the school and it’s been a good ride.

“I think [the Dreamkeepers scholarship] will really help. I have some other friends who want to go to school, but they aren’t able to pay for it. They don’t know what else to apply for. It will help them get an education, not only in the U.S. but to reach their other goals. … I have family and friends in Haiti who, they look up to you. You have more responsibility, not only to them but to others. After the earthquake that happened this year they are looking to you, your responsibility to help. One of my plans is to create a research center in Haiti, to use my contacts at Cornell and elsewhere. I also want to build libraries and bring more education there.”

The Dreamkeepers scholarship will award students like Martine Fleurius, and in so doing, sow seeds that will turn today’s toughest storm preparedness questions into proven answers. For more information on the scholarship, visit: http://bit.ly/aTa8bk.

P!N’s Julia Dawson asks National Hurricane Center Director, Bill Read for the path forward this storm season given the threat of the Gulf oil spill and predictions for a rough season

Q: NOAA’s website is a wealth of information regarding the Gulf oil spill. In addition to tracking the spill, you and your team have assembled impact predictions for everything from coral reefs to Mississippi River deadzones. This is a public service of the highest order. Thank you.

What do you, Bill Read the meteorologist and operations chief, see as some of the most important storm preparedness lessons coming out of this spill?

A: From a hurricane preparedness point of view, I don’t see anything different. The spill is a separate entity that simply adds to the problem the way toxic waste complicated matters after Katrina. All severe storms [crossing populated areas] risk releasing hazardous materials kept there, so we are and must always be prepared to remove hazardous substances spread by storms.

Q: From Climate-gate to the Oil spill and offshore drilling debates, it seems as if private companies are pitted against public and civic groups in questions of protecting our wetlands, slowing climate change and other with serious implications for long-term storm preparedness work. What is the best way to get out of the finger pointing and into a path forward? Where can both sides improve?

A: Having worked a lot with the media amidst weather crises, I believe that those forums are where the finger pointing begins. A lot of people believe that what they hear on 24 hour news stations is the whole truth. Thus, I feel that more restraint from all the players involved will help us move toward more solution driven dialogue and fewer blame games…In some ways our ability to advance technologically has far outstripped our ability to advance in terms of human relations. These types of disasters are not new. But today, we can spend so much more time exchanging information versus decades earlier where there was relatively controlled information access. While this broader exchange is positive in many ways, it can also complicate and detract from finding a solution if facts are blurred and the focus turned away from problem solving.

Q: Colorado State University released data in April predicting an exceptionally active Atlantic storm season, and NOAA has concurred. In January, your team was able to increase the lead time for hurricane warnings and watches by 12 hours.

What further advances are NOAA and NHC researchers working on?

A: We have a 10 year project underway for hurricane forecast improvement. The next big break we need in forecasting concerns the rapid changes in intensity. A storm in the Gulf, for instance, may change intensity rapidly the day before it strikes land. Precise measurements of intensity during those final hours are rare and crucial for our predictions and recommendations.

Q: As a storm preparedness non-profit, we strive to inform the public about the dangers of severe storms in a way that inspires them to act, and specifically, to prepare themselves.

What have your experiences at the forefront of severe storm preparedness work– from being an on-board meteorologist with the Hurricane Hunters, then a National Weather Service program director all the way to your current role as head of the NHC — taught you about inspiring people to take the initiative to get prepared?

A: For short-term storms like floods and tornadoes, convincing people that they are indeed at risk is key. Information must come from more than one source, and must include imagery such as radar that prove to people that their area is at risk.

For long-term preparedness work of the sort hurricane zones especially need, it’s about creating a culture where preparedness is a natural part of daily life, not something that occurs last minute just before start of each storm season.

Resources:
1. NOAA Hurricane Preparedness
2. “What’s New in Hurricane Research”
3. NOAA Main Page
4. National Weather Service
5. National Hurricane Center