April Newsletter

This month we have an update on on relief efforts from the STAR-TIDES community in support of Japan, info on the National Level Exercise 2011 event, and an overview of some new research from TIDES.

Also, two big events are coming up soon for TIDES: AFCEA Joint Warfighting Conference in Virginia Beach in May, and the Aid and International Development Forum (AIDF 11) in June. See below for details.

STAR-TIDES Network Providing Relief to Japan

Shelterbox tents in Japan

Rotary's Shelterbox has been hard at work in Japan supplying their Shelterbox relief equipment to those stricken by the disaster last month. So far Shelterbox has deployed over 2,000 units to Iwate prefecture. One of the biggest hurdles has been getting access to fuel and setting up forward operating procedures, as the disruptoins have made contacting the correct officials difficult.

The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) has also been providing daily updates on the logistics movements of the Government of Japan and those involved in the relief effort. These updates are very valuable for those trying to get an operational understanding of what is happening day-by-day. See their blog here.

Architechture for Humanity and its teams in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are partnering with other organizations to mobilize around the long term reconstruction effort. The group is raising money to put up units in an effort to create "ripple effects of social cohesion." You can follow 24-hour updates on twitter at hashtag #honyaquake . More info here.

Sharing Sustainable Solutions

April 22nd marked the 41st annual Earth Day, which shares a common theme of sustainability with the TIDES community. Members of the STAR-TIDES network are inventors, innovators, network builders, and synergists who are all striving to bring new technology to bear on some of the world's most challenging problems. Whether they be a group bringing connectivity to an isolated area, or a group deploying distributed renewable energy to an area without power, or even someone who finds better ways to get aid to where it needs to be faster, members of the STAR-TIDES network are integrating sustainability into the lives of others. Google has provided a very useful site that displays examples of how people are innovating with GIS tools and Google Earth to explore environmental concerns, view climate change scenarios, and more. It also includes webinars on leveraging Google Earth for agencies, a state and local government.

Recap of the X24 Europe Event

Last month TIDES participated in Exercise 24 Europe (X24 EUR) a virtual disaster relief exercise in Southern Europe. The scenario focused on a seismic event that generated a tsunami in the Adriatic and damaged critical infrastructure in the Balkans. The event included participants from 92 countries and the website received over 49,000 visits during the three day event. Lin Wells, of TIDES participated during X24EUR's Academic Day. You can watch the video here. The X-24 series draws from the exceptional success of the GOLDEN PHOENIX collaborative events held in the San Diego area through 2008. During the last GOLDEN PHOENIX over 140 separate organizations participated--public-private, whole-of-government, trans-national. X-24 "Southern California" in 2010 involved over 12,500 participants from 79 countries and 90 USG, non-USG, public and private entities. These events are not just academic exercises but they help bring together a wide range of participants and encourage interagency collaboration. See TIDES blog in Armed with Science.

National Level Exercise 2011

This year's National Level Exercise (NLE) will take place in May and focus on the simulation of a catastrophic earthquake in the central United States region of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The purpose of the excercise is to prepare and coordinate a multiple-jurisdictional integrated response to a national catastrophic event. This year marks the bicentennial since the 1811 New Madrid earthquake. This is also the first NLE to simulate a natural hazard. Through a comprehensive evaluation process the exercise assesses response and recovery capabilities both nationally and regionally. The exercise is designed to validate the following capabilities:

Communications
Critical resource logistics and distribution
Mass care (sheltering, feeding and related services)
Medical surge
Citizen evacuation and shelter-in-place
Emergency public information and warning
Emergency operations center (EOC) management
Long term recovery

NLE is conducted by FEMA and is a White House directed, Congressionally-mandated exercise.

Aid and International Development Forum 2011

TIDES is looking for exhibitors to join us at The Aid and International Development Forum (AIDF) in Washington, DC from June 8-9, 2011. See AIDF's website here. Once again, TIDES will be helping with the experiential zone- an interactive exhibit area where participants give physical demonstrations of how their product or service can be deployed into a stressed environment. If you are interested in joining the TIDES booth or would like to participate in the experiential zone please contact LouElin Dwyer at LouElin.Dwyer@ndu.edu.

Join the STAR-TIDES Network

STAR-TIDES is a research and networking project that is only as good as its members. Learn more and consider joining us in bringing research support and relief to stressed populations. Continue to share and support TIDES by clicking the "Update Profile/Email Address" link below.

Sincerely,

The TIDES Project