I am extremely delighted to state that our recent July 2010 International Conference on Rebuilding Sustainable Communities with the Elderly and Disabled People after Disasters was very successful. It was well attended and all the presentations provided broad and substantial insight into how various countries and communities around the world were identifying and meeting the needs of their vulnerable populations.

I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Center for Public Health Preparedness at Harvard University as well as the University of Massachusetts Boston's University College and the

Gerontology Undergraduate Program (BA and Manning Certificate) for co-sponsoring the event.  Similarly, I am thankful to the United States Department of Homeland Security's

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for providing technical assistance, keynote speakers and panelists for the conference.  In particular, I express thanks to Richard Serino (FEMA's Deputy Administrator), Marcie Roth (the Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination at FEMA), Paul Ford (Acting Regional Administrator, FEMA Region I), W. Russell "Russ" Webster (the Federal Preparedness Coordinator, FEMA Region I) and D. Napoleon (the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in the Government of India) for actively participating in the conference.

 

I thank you.