Avagene Moore: Welcome to the EIIP Virtual Forum! Amy Sebring, my partner/associate, and I are pleased you are with us today! Avagene Moore: Today's topic is the Natural Hazards Center Quick Response Report #178, "Evacuation Behavior in Response to the Graniteville, South Carolina, Chlorine Spill." If you have not read the background materials, including our speaker's bio, please do so after today's session. Avagene Moore: For the benefit of any first-timers, we will begin today's session with a formal presentation followed by an opportunity for your questions. Avagene Moore: Please note that our speaker will use one slide in his presentation. When you see a blue Web address (URL), you can click on it and the referenced Web page should appear in a browser window. Avagene Moore: After viewing / reading the slide, the browser window may not automatically come to the top, so you may need to bring it forward by clicking on a button at the status bar at the bottom of your screen. Avagene Moore: We will give you time to read / view the slide before going on with formal remarks. Please come back to the chat screen so you can keep up with our speaker. Avagene Moore: We will provide further instructions on the protocol for asking questions or commenting just before we begin the Q&A part of our session. However, it is wise to jot down your questions or comments as we go along. Avagene Moore: 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 Amy Sebring. Avagene Moore: The transcript of today's session will be available late this afternoon or early this evening -- just check back on our home page. Avagene Moore: It is a pleasure to welcome Dr. Jerry T. Mitchell to the EIIP Virtual Forum. Dr. Mitchell currently serves as the Director of the Center of Excellence for Geographic Education at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Avagene Moore: Dr. Mitchell co-authored this study and has previously authored more than twenty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in the field of hazards. His work has appeared in the journals Natural Hazards Review, Environmental Hazards, Social Science Quarterly, and the Annals of the Association of American Geographers. Avagene Moore: Jerry, we are pleased to have you with us today. I now turn the floor to you. Jerry Mitchell: Hi everyone, to Columbia. Jerry Mitchell: I am glad to be here and look forward to hearing your comments and questions today. The research I am going to discuss today, Evacuation Behavior in Response to the Graniteville, South Carolina Chlorine Spill, was supported by the Natural Hazards Information and Applications Center, Quick Response Grant Program. Jerry Mitchell: A copy of this report is located at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr178/qr178.html . Jerry Mitchell: Situation reports for the incident may be found here: Norfolk Southern Graniteville Derailment, US EPA, http://www.epaosc.org/doc_list.asp?site_id=A4GY . Jerry Mitchell: First I will give you background on the incident. At 2:39 am on the morning of January 6, 2005, a Norfolk Southern freight train traveling from Macon, Georgia towards Columbia, South Carolina missed a switch and crashed into a parked locomotive in the town of Graniteville, South Carolina. Graniteville is located in western Aiken County approximately 10 miles from the Georgia/South Carolina border. Jerry Mitchell: The collision ruptured one of the train's tank cars, carrying 90 tons of chlorine, sending a plume of chlorine gas across the northern portion of town. Four other tankers carrying chlorine, liquid sodium hydroxide, and liquid cresol derailed but did not rupture. Nine people died as a result of injuries suffered from chlorine inhalation; more than 550 people sought medical assistance. Jerry Mitchell: A mandatory evacuation order was given at 2:30 pm to residents within a one-mile radius of the crash site. County officials estimated 5,400 evacuated that day and returned home between 1-2 weeks later. The physical, psychological, and financial toll endured will remain with Graniteville area residents for some time to come. Jerry Mitchell: The following slide shows the timeline of events in this incident. Please click on the link and it will come up in your browser. I will give you time to read / view the slide before going on with my formal remarks. Please come back to the chat screen after viewing the slide. http://www.emforum.org/vforum/timeline.htm Jerry Mitchell: The Graniteville experience provides an opportunity to assess preparedness for and responses to hazardous materials spills. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the evacuation behavior of residents. Jerry Mitchell: The lessons learned from the experiences of the affected residents will help improve preparedness efforts in the future. Additionally, this research will assist in our understanding of how people respond to extreme events and those factors that influence evacuation decision-making. Jerry Mitchell: Research Questions: There were three primary research questions that provided the focus for this Quick Response project. Jerry Mitchell: 1) Were there disparities in the timing and execution of the evacuation order based on location (within the one-mile evacuation zone), the demographic characteristics of residents, or the risk? Jerry Mitchell: 2) Was there an evacuation shadow produced beyond the mandated one-mile evacuation area? Jerry Mitchell: 3) How did the media coverage of the event amplify the perception of risk and/or evacuation behavior and how do local, regional, and national news media frame the event (normal accident v. catastrophe)? Jerry Mitchell: In the information that follows, I will primarily discuss the results of questions 1 and 2, and hope that an interesting discussion might be had about the evacuation shadow in particular. Some very interesting results (especially for a geographer) regarding communication were uncovered. Jerry Mitchell: Method: To better understand how Graniteville area residents responded to the spill, two mail survey instruments were created. The two surveys measured the behavioral differences between two distinct groups: 1) those faced with a mandatory evacuation and, 2) those who evacuated without an expressed directive to do so. Jerry Mitchell: The first survey was sent to all households within the one-mile evacuation zone. A second survey was sent to residents within the 1-2 mile curfew zone, the "shadow evacuation zone." A shadow evacuation refers to the group of people evacuating that were not required to do so. Copies of these surveys can be viewed through the QR report website mentioned earlier. Jerry Mitchell: Survey recipients were identified from 1) a GIS-based boundary file that articulated the geographic extent of all the parcels in the county; 2) an electronic Tax Assessor table that provided owner information, including both property and mailing addresses; and 3) an electronic Emergency 911 table that supplied address data of the residents. Jerry Mitchell: In short, over 2,700 surveys were mailed to Graniteville area residents (a loose definition since the town is not incorporated with definitive boundaries). A total of 574 usable surveys were returned. Jerry Mitchell: In general the survey questions asked about the timing of received messages, the decision to leave or stay, the source of the warning message, and respondent demographics. Jerry Mitchell: General Findings: The majority of respondents were in the area and at home when the derailment occurred. According to our timeline, the reverse 911 system was used to notify 3,600 homes with a shelter in place message around 6:30 am on Thursday January 6, 2005. Jerry Mitchell: This was the first use of the system since its installation a year earlier. More than three-fourths of the respondents (76.8%) received a message to stay in their home or work area until the danger passed (all sources combined). Jerry Mitchell: At noon on Thursday, January 6, 2005, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford declared a state of emergency for Aiken County. At 2:30 pm an evacuation order was given for a 1-mile buffer surrounding the crash site asking all residents within the affected zone to evacuate by 6 pm. Within a 2-mile radius of the site, a curfew (lasting from 6 pm to 7 am) was put into effect. Jerry Mitchell: Eighty-three percent of the respondents in the one-mile zone reported receiving a message to evacuate. While the official evacuation order was targeted to residents in the one-mile zone, respondents within the 1-2 mile zone also thought the mandatory evacuation order was directed to them as well with 54% saying they received a message to evacuate. Jerry Mitchell: Seventy-six percent of our total respondents evacuated in response to the accident. As expected, this percentage was much higher in the mandatory one-mile buffer (98.4%), than in the 1-2 mile zone (59.0% report evacuating). For the majority of our respondents, the chlorine spill was their first experience with a mandatory evacuation order. Thirty percent evacuated with a pet. Jerry Mitchell: Sheltering Options: Most of our respondents sought shelter with relatives (52%). There are few differences between those in the mandatory evacuation zone and those outside it. The one exception is the use of public shelters--those in the mandated zone were more likely to use them than those who did not reside there. Only 6% of our respondents used the public shelters. Jerry Mitchell: To assess their reluctance to use such mass care facilities, the respondents were asked their reasons why they did not go to a public shelter. The majority replied that other family members offered to take them in (32%). The other answers were dislike for shelters (25.5%), not told about shelters (12.0%), pets not allowed (10.3%), didn't know the location or couldn't find it (6.4%). Jerry Mitchell: Accident Impacts: One report stated that 529 people had been treated in local hospitals. Approximately 18.6% of our respondents sought medical attention, but there is a wide discrepancy between those within the mandated zone and those outside it. Jerry Mitchell: Respondents within the one-mile mandatory evacuation zone reported that 28.7% of them sought medical attention compared to 7% of the respondents who lived in the 1-2 mile buffer. Three quarters of our respondents within the mandatory evacuation zone (75.5%) reported having their home inspected, compared on only 15.2% of those respondents living within the 1-2 mile zone, upon their return. Jerry Mitchell: Detailed Findings: The two locations -- the one-mile evacuation zone and the 1-2 zone -- were compared for differences regarding the timing of first learning of the event, notification to stay or leave, evacuation timing and the return date of the respondent if they evacuated. Jerry Mitchell: Respondents in the one-mile zone learned of the accident earlier than respondents in the 1-2 mile zone. Respondents in the one-mile zone evacuated earlier than respondents in the 1-2 mile zone and returned home later. Jerry Mitchell: These findings indicate generally (and not surprisingly) that those living closest to the crash site learned of the accident sooner (witnessed it or were told of it), received messages to shelter in place earlier, and in fact, evacuated earlier as well. These same respondents also returned to their homes later as those neighborhoods closest to the crash site were 're-opened' last. Jerry Mitchell: A variety of demographic characteristics were available for investigation. Regarding the time of evacuation, it should be noted that the mean evacuation times do not differ significantly by family size, the presence of special needs residents, level of education, or gender. Jerry Mitchell: Furthermore, of these demographic factors, only the level of education appears to have influenced the return date: more educated respondents returned home earlier on average. Jerry Mitchell: Race and ethnicity was also explored. Collectively, white respondents reported receiving the shelter in place message slightly earlier than black respondents, but this appears to be related to faulty recall. There were, however, significant differences between the groups on the timing of their return. Jerry Mitchell: White respondents indicated that they returned home earlier than African-American respondents. Several of the census blocks closest to the crash site contain higher numbers of African-American residents. As such, these neighborhoods would have 're-opened' later, thus explaining the later return of these respondents as compared to white respondents. Jerry Mitchell: Evacuation Shadow: An over-reaction to an evacuation order generates the so-called "evacuation shadow." There is ample evidence to suggest that this occurred in Graniteville. Evacuation shadows have been identified in events ranging from the Three Mile nuclear incident in Pennsylvania (1979) to Hurricane Andrew (1992). Jerry Mitchell: An optimistic view of the evacuation shadow would observe that with more evacuees fewer casualties would result. While possibly true, the evacuation shadow presents a number of harmful consequences. For example, higher than expected traffic volume will slow evacuation times. Jerry Mitchell: Ninety-three percent (93%) of the respondents living within the 1-2 mile zone from the crash site indicated that they were in the Graniteville area at the time of the accident. A very large percentage of these -- 59% -- indicated that they evacuated the immediate area. Jerry Mitchell: While a dusk to dawn curfew was in effect for the first three days, no evacuation order was in place for the 1-2 mile radius buffer. Why then did these people leave the area? The top answers were: mandatory order (20%), threat to family was high (20%), situation was getting worse (14%), and advice of family/friend (11%). Jerry Mitchell: Given that there was no mandatory order for their area, why is that cited as a frequent motivator to leave? It is highly probable that residents did not know where they were in relation to the accident site and its accompanying mandatory evacuation order. Jerry Mitchell: Without a map or extensive local knowledge, residents could not determine where the crash site was located and how far their home was from that site. A sample response from the 1-2 mile zone indicates that this indeed was the case: Jerry Mitchell: "When the evacuation automated call came we were not sure if we were in the one mile. It took way too long to find out where we were to the radius of the 1 mile. Basically we were waiting (packed) for someone to knock on the door & say go! We measured a map and figured we were just outside the edge by a few hundred feet." Jerry Mitchell: Based on this research, we have concluded that: 1. Evacuation disparities did exist based upon location. Residents within the one-mile zone evacuated earlier and returned home later. This result was expected. Jerry Mitchell: 2. Notification disparities were also seen. These systems errors must be investigated. Additionally the problem of reaching residents without telephone land lines remains, especially given the ubiquitous nature of cell phones. Jerry Mitchell: 3. Considerable confusion existed regarding one's location within the 1-mile evacuation zone. Residents did not know if the evacuation message was applicable to them personally. Future evacuation notices must include not only the general evacuation area but specific landmarks or street names to indicate precise boundaries. Jerry Mitchell: 4. There were a few differences in the timing and execution of the evacuation order in terms of household demographics. Most of these disparities can be related to location. Jerry Mitchell: 5. A substantial shadow evacuation did occur. This suggests an area of opportunity to sharpen risk communication strategies. Jerry Mitchell: These findings are but a few of many other lessons that might be derived from these survey responses. Hopefully the Graniteville experience can lead us toward proactive measures that mitigate the effects of hazardous material spills when they happen again. Jerry Mitchell: That summarizes the main issues, so I will be happy to take questions now. Avagene Moore: Thank you, Jerry, for your insight into this report. I am sure there are several questions for you from our audience. ... Avagene Moore: Our protocol for audience questions is to enter a question mark ? to indicate you wish to ask a question or make a comment. ... Avagene Moore: 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. ... Avagene Moore: But be ready when you are called upon. .... Avagene Moore: We will take questions in the order the question marks are sent to the screen. One question at a time please. If you have a follow up question, please get back in line with another ? - we want to be courteous and give everyone an opportunity to speak and ask a question. ... Avagene Moore: We are ready to begin now. Please input a question mark (?) at any time. Burt Wallrich: ? Avagene Moore: Burt, whenever you are ready, please. Burt Wallrich: Did you do any research about the experiences of seniors and people with disabilities, e.g. Were they more or less likely to evacuate? Did they report particular problems? Were they more or less likely to be among the casualties? Jerry Mitchell: Good question... Amy Sebring: ? Jerry Mitchell: We did research on age and did not find evacuation decisions to related to that factor... Jerry Mitchell: The casualties were evenly spread among age groups - fatalities that is... Jerry Mitchell: I would have to investigate hospital visits to know about injuries, however. We have not done that. Avagene Moore: Amy, your question now, please. Amy Sebring: From the timeline there appears to be a 4 hour delay in getting the first ring down shelter-in-place message out. Do you know why it took so long? Especially since the EAS message went out an hour earlier? Bob Armstrong: ? Jerry Mitchell: We do not know why... Jerry Mitchell: Reports had gone out over TV and radio... Jerry Mitchell: The same problem occurred later with the evacuation message... Jerry Mitchell: The decision to evacuate was around 2pm, but the phone message did not go out until 4:30pm. Avagene Moore: Bob, your turn, sir. Robert Lawrence: ? Bob Armstrong: Did the survey also include information regarding how far residents evacuated to? If they just went across town to a family or friends house, this is understandable, even if they were not in the mandatory evac zone. Most people subscribe to the "better safe than sorry" theory. Jerry Mitchell: No we did not ask distance info... Burt Wallrich: ? Jerry Mitchell: But in the free response section, people did tell us where they went... Amy Sebring: ? Jerry Mitchell: most indicated that they stayed in the general area... Jerry Mitchell: I'd say within about 10 miles generally. Avagene Moore: Robert, your question, please. Robert Lawrence: Already answered Avagene Moore: Thanks. Burt, please. Burt Wallrich: With 574 returns out of 2,700 surveys mailed out the question arises of how the results might have been skewed by a mail survey, as opposed to other methods that might have been used such as going door-to-door or telephoning a sample? Jerry Mitchell: We were surprised by the 20% turnout... Jerry Mitchell: We figured people might want to vent... Jerry Mitchell: relate their experience... Jerry Mitchell: Given the funds we had available, the mail survey was the method that we went after... Jerry Mitchell: and not without difficulty... Jerry Mitchell: Many surveys were returned due to issues with post office boxes and rural routes... Jerry Mitchell: we had to hand delivery 500 plus to a post office and put them in the P.O. boxes just to get them to people. Avagene Moore: Amy, please. Amy Sebring: Do you know whether their ring down system was integrated with GIS? That is, could they draw the radius on a map to activate the system? Rich Vandame: ? Jerry Mitchell: No the system was separate.... Jerry Mitchell: Aiken County GIS provided the buffering distances separately... Jerry Mitchell: It appears that they used zip codes for the ring down... Jerry Mitchell: which obviously has a different geography than a round buffer... Jerry Mitchell: the same problem would occur with local exchanges... Jerry Mitchell: You will hit some people out of the zone, and maybe miss others within it... Jerry Mitchell: This was their first use of the system, so trial/error issues are understandable. Avagene Moore: Rich, your question, please. Rich Vandame: Was there a particular evac notification method that was the most effective? Jerry Mitchell: People report different methods... Avagene Moore: ? Jerry Mitchell: there was door-to-door notification... Jerry Mitchell: TV and radio... JonathanHaber: ? Jerry Mitchell: people seemed disappointed with the TV coverage... Jerry Mitchell: they did not know the local geography, and could not tell people where to go... Jerry Mitchell: The phone messages were also devoid of geography... Burt Wallrich: ? Jerry Mitchell: and thus confused a lot of people... Jerry Mitchell: That topic is an interesting one, if people are interested in pursuing it. Avagene Moore: You mentioned venting. Did your research cover how the evacuees were provided with ongoing updates during the evacuation period? If so, how? Amy Sebring: ? Jerry Mitchell: There were no updates officially. People were asked to tune to TV or radio. Avagene Moore: Jonathan, please. JonathanHaber: I missed the first part, so I'm sorry if this was already covered. Did the evac message reach out to businesses, guests in the area (maybe those in hotels). If so, how did people who weren't residents understand what and how to evac? Jerry Mitchell: The phone message dialed up exchanges in the local area... Jerry Mitchell: presumably businesses were also called... Jerry Mitchell: Given the at this happened at 2:40 am, most people were at home... Jerry Mitchell: This is a rural area with no significant hotels, etc. Avagene Moore: Burt, please. Burt Wallrich: I don't want to hammer at this, but didn't you hear of anyone who found it hard or impossible to evacuate because of a physical disability, or a hearing or language problem that interfered with getting the word, or lack of transportation? Jerry Mitchell: No reports were made in the survey related to special needs, or language... Jerry Mitchell: people mainly complained about the lack of info in the messages to decide whether to stay or go Avagene Moore: Are you through with your reply, Jerry? Jerry was bumped and had a problem getting back in. Jerry Mitchell: Yes, sorry for the disconnect. Are you getting me in there? Avagene Moore: I am reading you fine. Amy, do you have another question for Jerry? Amy Sebring: Your study focused on evacuation behavior, but did you have any survey questions pertaining to the shelter-in-place message? Whether residents understood what that meant and complied? Jerry Mitchell: We asked people if they received that message, what time, etc... Avagene Moore: ? Jerry Mitchell: Again, people were concerned about the lack of info... Jerry Mitchell: I have a copy of the message, let me put it in .... Jerry Mitchell: "This is an emergency message. Press any number key to hear the message. Please remain indoors. Turn off heating and air systems. Please tune to your local television stations and radio stations for more information." Jerry Mitchell: That was the shelter in place message... Jerry Mitchell: This message could be better crafted. First, there is no indication about the nature of the threat. Sent roughly three hours after the train wreck, it is quite possible that residents were not even aware that an accident had occurred. Residents are told to turn off their heating systems, but not why. Avagene Moore: If others have questions, please input your ? at any point. Only have one more question in the queue and it is mine. .... Avagene Moore: Jerry, seems to me your study and this experience would prompt many lessons learned for this community. Are you aware of any after action changes in their planning? Amy Sebring: ? Lori Wieber: ? Jerry Mitchell: Yes, there has been discussion about prevention... Jerry Mitchell: Namely with the railroads... Jerry Mitchell: One, this section is used to fast... Jerry Mitchell: trains which now move more slowly... Jerry Mitchell: other communities are reviewing their hazmat plans... Jerry Mitchell: for example, at USC we have dorms near a rail line .... Jerry Mitchell: but had not planned for a spill for the campus.... Jerry Mitchell: More attention is being paid to the messages sent as well... Jerry Mitchell: There needs to be some geographic specificity to get people to respond... Jerry Mitchell: for example, this might be a better shelter message... Jerry Mitchell: "This is an emergency message. Press any number key to hear the message. A large chemical spill has occurred at Avondale Mills in Graniteville. Do not leave your home. Remain indoors and turn off heating and air systems to avoid injury. An update to this message will occur at 'x' am. Please tune to your local television stations and radio stations for more information." Jerry Mitchell: This slightly longer message helps the listener understand what has happened and why they need to take the requested action. The type of accident is indicated along with the name of a prominent landmark. A time element also assures the resident of further updates if other sources of information are unavailable. Avagene Moore: Amy, please. Amy Sebring: I have 2 more questions. First, am I correct in assuming that the shelter-in-place message remained in force until the evacuation order was communicated? Jerry Mitchell: Yes, that is true. Amy Sebring: at least theoretically? Jerry Mitchell: Yes, theoretically. Many people did move about. Amy Sebring: Go to Lori please and I will compose second. Lori Wieber: Your responses indicated 30% of evacuees had a pet. Did any of them include remarks regarding animal issues in their comments? Avagene Moore: Lori, please. Jerry Mitchell: Yes, good question... Jerry Mitchell: Most took a dog, instead of the hard to herd cat... Jerry Mitchell: many did not look out for shelters because of the pet issue... Jerry Mitchell: The local authorities did put together a pet rescue plan ... Jerry Mitchell: and held onto a few pets until the owners returned... Jerry Mitchell: several pets did die after they were returned to their owners. Avagene Moore: All right, Amy. Your question. Amy Sebring: I know it is beyond the scope of your study but was this community, being located in the western part of the state I gather, generally inexperienced with previous disasters and emergencies? Do you think this is a factor? Jerry Mitchell: We asked if they had evacuated before... Jerry Mitchell: and for nearly all this was the first evacuation.. Avagene Moore: (Any other questions, folks? Input ? now.) Jerry Mitchell: their inland location meant that a previous hurricane evacuation, for example, would not have applied to them. Amy Sebring: ? Avagene Moore: Thanks, Amy. Please go ahead. Amy Sebring: Anything we have not covered Jerry that you would like to add? Jerry Mitchell: Yes... Donald Pinegar: ? Jerry Mitchell: And this is the geographer in me... Jerry Mitchell: The striking lack of 'space' in the messages really puzzled me... Jerry Mitchell: No mention of where the event happened... Jerry Mitchell: shelter names were mentioned but not how to get there... Jerry Mitchell: and some paths would take you to a shelter via the plume! Avagene Moore: Donald, your question, please. Donald Pinegar: Were first responders involved with the evacuation or did the conditions preclude their entry? Jerry Mitchell: First responders did help with some of the door-to-door notification on the outskirts of the spill area. Amy Sebring: ? Amy Sebring: One more please.... Avagene Moore: OK, Amy. Amy Sebring: Do you have any follow up research planned on this topic? Jerry Mitchell: I have a paper under review right now about the message content... Amy Sebring: If not this incident per se, other evacuation-related studies? Jerry Mitchell: and it would be useful to understand how to bridge the different geographies ... Jerry Mitchell: for example, there is a zone for zip code notification, exchange notification, a buffer zone (that may be round or plume-shaped), and the political jurisdictions... Amy Sebring: ? Jerry Mitchell: lots of overlapping geographies to pull together successfully. Avagene Moore: Amy, please. Amy Sebring: I also understand there has been legislation as a result of this incident, requiring ... Amy Sebring: railroads to notify communities of the hazardous materials? Jerry Mitchell: I am not sure where that is currently... Jerry Mitchell: I know that various communities have been discussing the re- routing of those trains around urban areas.. Jerry Mitchell: but that simply displaces the risk. Lori Wieber: Thank you Dr. Mitchell. Can I ask one more question before you go? Was English the only language used in this area? Jerry Mitchell: We are only aware of English, but there is a growing Hispanic migrant farm population that is growing here in SC... Jerry Mitchell: so some people speaking Spanish only may have been missed. Avagene Moore: Thank you, Jerry! We greatly appreciate your effort and time on our behalf. Please stand by a moment while we make some quick announcements .... Jerry Mitchell: You're welcome. Avagene Moore: If you are not currently on our mailing list, and would like to get program announcements and notices of transcript availability, please see the Subscribe link on our home page. Avagene Moore: If interested in receiving announcements of the EIIP Virtual Forum sessions, please note that subscribing for the EIIP Mail List is much easier now. See our homepage http://www.emforum.org and subscribe today. Avagene Moore: We have one new Partner to announce today - the Disability Preparedness Center (DPC) http://www.disabilitypreparedness.org/ . The EIIP Point of Contact is Carl T Cameron, PhD, President. We welcome the DPC to the EIIP! Avagene Moore: If you are interested in becoming an EIIP Partner, please see the "Partnership for You" link on the EIIP Virtual Forum homepage http://www.emforum.org . Avagene Moore: Again, the transcript of today's session will be posted later today and you will be able to access it from our home page. An announcement will also be sent to our Mail Lists when the transcript is available. Avagene Moore: Thanks to everyone for participating today. We appreciate you, the audience! Before you go, please help me show our appreciation to Dr. Jerry Mitchell for a fine job. The EIIP Virtual Forum is adjourned! Thank you, Jerry! Great job!