Amy Sebring: On behalf of Avagene Moore and myself, welcome to the EIIP Virtual Forum for our last program of 2004! It has been an exciting year. And we look forward to the next! Amy Sebring: Today's topic is the development of a pro-active national strategy for catastrophic response that is occurring under the framework of the National Response Plan. Amy Sebring: First, for the benefit of any first-timers, we will go over the order of business. We will begin with a presentation and then we will proceed to your questions and comments. Amy Sebring: We will provide further instructions just before we begin the Q&A section, but you may wish to jot down your questions or comments as we go along. Amy Sebring: Please do not send private messages to our speaker or the moderator, as we will be busy with the presentation. If you need assistance, you may send a private message to Avagene. Amy Sebring: An edited transcript of today's session will be available by later this afternoon -- just check back on our home page or the background page (refresh the pages as needed). Amy Sebring: Now, it is my pleasure to introduce today's speaker, David E. Garratt, recently named Acting Director, FEMA Preparedness Division, Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Garratt serves as Chair of the interagency Catastrophic Incident Planning Group. Amy Sebring: Previous FEMA assignments included Chief of Capability Assurance within the Preparedness Division; Director of Assessments and Exercises in the Office of National Preparedness; and Executive Operations Officer to the Assistant Director for Readiness, Response and Recovery. Amy Sebring: Mr. Garratt has served in key positions in over 30 Presidentially declared disasters or emergency operations, including as the Director of the national interagency Emergency Support Team following the World Trade Center/Pentagon Terrorist Attacks of 2001. He also served as Director of the Homeland Security Coordination Center. Amy Sebring: Welcome to the Forum David, and thank you for being with us today. I now turn the floor over to you. David Garratt: Thanks, Amy, and greetings. The interagency Catastrophic Incident Planning Group is responsible for developing an accelerated federal response strategy for catastrophic incidents. That strategy will be embodied in the Catastrophic Incident Supplement to the National Response Plan, or NRP-CIS. David Garratt: The NRP-CIS, mandated by the NRP and currently in the coordination process, is designed to support the NRP's Catastrophic Incident Annex (NRP-CIA) by outlining a detailed, coordinated strategy ... David Garratt: for accelerating the delivery and application of Federal resources and capabilities to federal mobilization centers or staging areas in support of a jurisdictional response to a catastrophic mass casualty/mass evacuation incident. David Garratt: As part of the Federal response strategy, the NRP-CIS outlines key planning assumptions, includes a concept of operations, establishes an execution schedule, and outlines specific responsibilities of departments and agencies. David Garratt: Due to the detailed aggregation of operational information, the NRP-CIS is designated For Official Use Only, and will be maintained under separate cover from the NRP. David Garratt: A catastrophic incident is a natural, technological, or terrorist WMD event resulting (either immediately or over time) in tens of thousands of casualties (dead, dying, injured), and producing tens of thousands of evacuees and/or affected-in-place. David Garratt: Under such conditions, it is expected that the response capabilities and resources of the local jurisdiction (to include mutual aid from surrounding jurisdictions and response support from the State) will be profoundly insufficient and ... David Garratt: quickly, if not immediately, overwhelmed, necessitating immediate life-saving support and augmentation from the federal government. A catastrophic incident is expected to overwhelm venue capabilities in one or more of the following critical areas: David Garratt: Mass care Medical equipment and supplies Search and rescue Victim and fatality management and transportation Decontamination Public health and medical support Public information David Garratt: Recognizing that Federal resources will be required to support state and local response efforts, the Federal government has pre-identified resources that are expected to be critically and quickly needed/required at or in support of a catastrophic incident venue. David Garratt: These resources will (when directed by the Secretary of Homeland Security) be automatically activated and/or deployed to a federal mobilization center or federal reception point near the incident area in accordance with the Catastrophic Incident Response Execution Schedule in the NRP-CIS. David Garratt: Resources will not be deployed to an incident site unless or until requested by the incident commander or delegate. The NRP-CIS recognizes that state and local authorities may or may not ultimately require all of the resources that are initially "pushed " ... David Garratt: or made available to an incident venue in support of catastrophic incident response operations and in anticipation of projected needs. Nevertheless, absent credible verification that certain types of resources are not or will not be needed, ... David Garratt: these resources will be deployed as rapidly as possible to ensure their timely availability, if and when needed and requested. Additional resources will be deployed, if available, as precise requirements are subsequently identified through post-incident needs assessments. David Garratt: While the NRP-CIS will help assure the swift and coordinated delivery of urgently needed assistance to profoundly overwhelmed jurisdictions, the effective utilization of those federal resources into the jurisdictionally led incident response will be greatly enhanced by -- and further facilitated through -- ... David Garratt: the integration of those pre-designated resources into jurisdiction-level catastrophic response plans. Specifically, the following jurisdictional planning activities will accelerate the utilization of federal resources deploying under the NRP-CIS: David Garratt: * Retooling existing state and jurisdiction response plans to reflect a coordinated advance strategy for receiving, deploying and/or utilizing the pre-identified resources contained in the Catastrophic Incident Response Execution Schedule (or venue-tailored variation thereof). David Garratt: * Identifying mobilization centers, staging areas, receiving and distribution sites, casualty collection points, temporary housing sites, and other key operational support facilities. David Garratt: * Identifying projected, priority support requirements that will not be met either by the Catastrophic Incident Response Execution Schedule or through existing local, mutual aid, and state resources and capabilities. David Garratt: Several ongoing initiatives will help jurisdictions with effective and comprehensive catastrophic incident planning. David Garratt: * The Department of Homeland Security is working with the City of Charlotte, North Carolina to prototype a process for integrating NRP-CIS resources into local planning and, based on lessons learned, develop a generic catastrophic planning template. This prototyping effort may be expanded to include an additional jurisdiction. David Garratt: * In addition, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency recently completed a detailed joint catastrophic planning initiative with the State of Louisiana and the southeastern Louisiana Parishes and New Orleans. David Garratt: A hurricane disaster scenario simulating massive damage was used to focus the planning efforts, especially relative to assessing emergency operating capabilities, defining existing response resources and capabilities, ... David Garratt: completing gaps analyses, identifying resources to fill the gaps, developing methodologies to deliver resources, and examining housing and community relocation issues associated with a devastating disaster. David Garratt: Results from planning efforts and the functional exercise will form the basis of a New Orleans, Louisiana Catastrophic Disaster Response Plan as well as a generic catastrophic disaster planning template/planning guide for use in other high-risk areas. David Garratt: The Louisiana model will be used in reviewing other high-risk areas across the country in FY 05-06. The southeastern Louisiana/New Orleans planning effort will be completed in FY 05 and planning for the New Madrid Seismic Zone (MO, KY, TN, MS, AR, IN, IL) will be started. David Garratt: That's an overview, and I will be happy to respond to your questions, so I will now turn the floor back over to our Moderator. Amy Sebring: Thank you very much David. Our protocol for audience questions is to enter a question mark ? to indicate you wish to ask a question or make a comment. Amy Sebring: Then go ahead and compose your question or comment to have it ready, but do NOT hit your Enter key or click on the Send button until you are recognized by name. Please WAIT your turn. We will take questions in the order the question marks are sent to the screen. Stephen Melvin: ? Amy Sebring: ONE QUESTION AT A TIME please and please keep your questions or comments reasonably concise. We are ready to begin now. Amy Sebring: Stephen, when you are ready please. Stephen Melvin: Mr. Garratt, you mentioned that the focus will be on natural disasters first. Any plans to target critical infrastructures for WMDs in the near future? Dale Sizemore: ? Amy Sebring: I am not seeing David listed at the moment, and I think we may have lost him... Evelyn Muniz: ? Amy Sebring: Please stand by a moment.... Isabel McCurdy: I heard the magical sounds of him leaving! Amy Sebring: well let's give him a moment or 2 to get back... will check my email Amy Sebring: we are trying to contact him by telephone Amy Sebring: everything was going so smoothly! Isabel McCurdy: That it was! Amy Sebring: I hope we did not have any catastrophes! Amy Sebring: Here he is now. Amy Sebring: David did you get to see the first question? David Garratt: Sorry, folks. Froze up. David Garratt: No, I did not. Amy Sebring: Stephen can you repeat please? Amy Sebring: It was generally about focusing planning on WMD in the future? Stephen Melvin: Mr. Garratt, your initial plan seems to be focusing on natural disasters. I was wondering if you had any plans to focus on terrorist events in the near future? David Garratt: Actually, the NRP-CIS does concentrate on WMD events. Not exclusively ... David Garratt: but it certainly is the primary focus. Amy Sebring: Dale next please. Dale Sizemore: Will the planning direction and templates follow that of programs like the Strategic National Stockpile Program, which is very complete and well received by District level Emergency Coordinators? David Garratt: Hard to say, Dale. Need to wait and evaluate the results of our prototype efforts ... David Garratt: But I agree that any templates should try to bulid on previous and similar activities. Amy Sebring: Evelyn next please. (Folks, please enter your question mark at any time) Evelyn Muniz: Are you open to all methodologies or are there specific ones that you have already selected for evaluation? Are any "templates" publicly available for review? Amy Sebring: ? David Garratt: We are open to any methodologies ... David Garratt: And the templates will be available once complete. Amy Sebring: David, is Military Support to Civilian Authorities well integrated into this planning effort, that is, are they represented on the planning council? Evelyn Muniz: ? David Garratt: Yes. Amy Sebring: Good to know. Evelyn please. Evelyn Muniz: You said "templates will be available once complete". By whom? Base on what? When? David Garratt: We are working with the City of Charlotte to examine how to integrate the NRP-CIS resources into their response plans ... Burt Wallrich: ? Evelyn Muniz: ? David Garratt: We will pull the lessons learned from that effort and begin developing a planning template that can be made available nationally. Amy Sebring: Burt next please. Burt Wallrich: David, has NVOAD been involved in the planning effort? If so, what is its role?D David Garratt: American Red Cross has a seat on the Catastrophic Incident Planning Group. They have been very involved from a mass care perspective. Amy Sebring: Evelyn next please. Evelyn Muniz: Then by templates, you mean "response" plans not templates for "designing" methodologies or plans? Amy Sebring: (Other folks, we would like you to participate. Please do not be shy, and put in your question mark) Robert Weinert: David, from my perspective coming from the New England area, with fewer resources than many other states, it might be interesting to see how this new initiative might assist our region. Avagene Moore: ? Isabel McCurdy: ? Amy Sebring: Oh, heck. It looks like we lost him again. Dale Sizemore: Tough crowd... Amy Sebring: Good one Dale ... Burt Wallrich: Amy, you're being very restrained under the circumstances. Amy Sebring: Well, it's a good thing we do not have audio Burt! Amy Sebring: Here he is again. David ... David Garratt: Again, sorry about that. Amy Sebring: Evelyn was asking what the templates are more precisely .... Amy Sebring: that is, will they be model local plans? David Garratt: They will provide guidance for jurisdictions to integrate these federal resources into their advance response planning, and help guide gap analyses efforts. Amy Sebring: Ok, Ava next please. Avagene Moore: Dave, when will the retooling of State and Local plans across the country be started re: catastrophic planning. What type of timeframe is predicted for completion? David Garratt: They will not be "model" plans. Evelyn Muniz: Thanks. David Garratt: It will begin this year, on several fronts ... Lloyd Bokman: ? David Garratt: We are hoping to see the upcoming Homeland Security Grant guidance include language allowing and encouraging the use of funding for catastrophic planning ... David Garratt: That will be a self-initiated activity at the S/L level ... David Garratt: We will also be initiating several discrete planning activities, as mentioned in my opening statement. Amy Sebring: Isabel next please. Isabel McCurdy: David, wondering if Canada has been invited in the catastrophic planning ? Evelyn Muniz: ? Amy Sebring: ? David Garratt: Not directly as a part of the NRP-CIS development effort, but once we get the document fielded, our plan is to expand the scope into the international support arena. Amy Sebring: Lloyd next please. Lloyd Bokman: Does NEMA sit on the Planning Group? What is the vision for coordinating Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) resources with the federal resources that you are discussing? Are there priorities or protocols being discussed? David Garratt: The Planning Group involves federal representatives only, including the DHS Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness ... David Garratt: OSLGCP has run the NRP-CIS by a group of S/L representatives ... Avagene Moore: ? David Garratt: And the document, once it enters into the formal coordination process, will be disseminated, through FOUO channels, to S/Ls on a broader basis to review and comment upon. Amy Sebring: Evelyn next please. Evelyn Muniz: Typically plans are discussed, information gathered, written for hardcopy, then distributed on paper or electronically via flat file. Is there any initiative to interactively capture information on line, and distribute softcopy, interactive plans? David Garratt: That is outside the scope of what we are looking at. This effort is focused on a system for rapidly delivering needed resources to a catastrophically impacted venue. Amy Sebring: David, do you anticipate the catastrophic planning to be integrated with the National Preparedness goals/activities under HSPD #8? David Garratt: Yes. Certainly. Amy Sebring: Ava next please. Avagene Moore: Dave, how do the pre-identified federal resources tie into the Pre-positioned Equipment Program (PEP)? Amy Sebring: (Other questions, comments? Please input your question mark.) Stephen Melvin: ? David Garratt: Closely. Part of the effort is to identify all resources available to a jurisdiction, to include PEP resources, and integrate them into the response strategy. Amy Sebring: Stephen next please. Amy Sebring: ? Helen Norris: ? Stephen Melvin: David, Stephen Melvin: How will this plan tie in with DHS Urban Area Security Initiative? David Garratt: Good question, Stephen. We are hoping that the FY05 UASI guidance will reflect catastrophic planning activities as an important goal, and authorize funding for that purpose ... Isabel McCurdy: ? David Garratt: To include authorizing funding for specific planning activities that support the goals of the NRP-CIS, which are to improve S/L response capabilities. David Garratt: Am I still on? Stephen Melvin: Got it, thanks! Helen Norris: Have you heard and/or addressed concerns regarding the requirements of this effort interfering with local control of response efforts? How can small jurisdictions meet requirements that are designed to cover everything written for, say New York? Avagene Moore: (Amy is coming back in.) David Garratt: Helen: This effort is designed to operate on a non-interference basis ... David Garratt: Resources will automatically be deployed to federal mobilization centers, but will not be deployed to an incident site unless requested by the incident management authorities at the S/L level. Amy Sebring: David, I was going to ask whether ... Amy Sebring: information services to support catastrophic response ... Amy Sebring: is within the scope of your activity? David Garratt: What we are looking at are key response areas and capabilities that we believe are likely ... David Garratt: to be be overwhelmed in a truly catastrophic incident. Among those areas is incident communications; i.e., getting timely credible information to the public... David Garratt: So, within that framework, yes. Helen Norris: I did not mean to be disrespectful, but I have heard these concerns locally and what has been released to us thus far is very sketchy. This does make me feel better. Thank you, sir. Amy Sebring: I see. Any other questions for David ...? Amy Sebring: or comments? Isabel McCurdy: ? Amy Sebring: going once ... Amy Sebring: Isabel please. Isabel McCurdy: David, would your recent flu vaccine shortage been considered criteria for your catastrophic plan? David Garratt: Helen: It was a good question. Thnaks for asking it. David Garratt: The catastrophic strategy is based on a loose threshhold ... David Garratt: tens to hundreds of thousands of casualties and evacuees ... David Garratt: And is deigned as a stopgap measure to ensure that resources are rapidly deployed to be available to an incident venue .. David Garratt: Perhaps even before the jurisdiction has determined the full extent of the support they need. So, no, I don't think the flu vaccine shortage would qualify. Evelyn Muniz: ? Amy Sebring: Evelyn, last question please. Evelyn Muniz: Then using the tens of thousands measurement, the recent Anthrax scare would not qualify? Amy Sebring: Oops we lost him again ... Let's wrap it up for today. Thank you very much David for taking the time to share this information with us, and we will continue to watch for further developments. Amy Sebring: Please stand by a moment while we make some quick announcements .... Amy Sebring: We have two new partners to announce, Mountaintop Technologies, Inc., URL: http://www.mntntp.com , POC:Mark Drummey, Director of Medical Services, and ... Amy Sebring: Phoenix Disaster Services, LLC, URL: http://www.pdstx.com , POC: Brian Dopp, President. We are pleased to welcome you both! Amy Sebring: Again, the transcript will be posted late this afternoon and you will be able to access it from our home page or the background page. Amy Sebring: Thanks to everyone for participating today. We wish you all safe and happy holidays, and renewed energies for the challenges of the coming New Year! Amy Sebring: And thank you for bearing with our tech difficulties! Amy Sebring: We stand adjourned but before you go, please help me show our appreciation to David for a fine job. See you next year!