As the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa spreads, organizations across the world have a grim reminder that pandemic preparedness and response should be a priority in their emergency planning.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called it a "modern-day plague," and is urging health providers to step up their efforts to control and combat the outbreak, particularly in Liberia, which could see thousands more cases. As of this writing, the current death toll stands at 2,288. You can learn more about WHO's response roadmap here, which explains its plans to stop Ebola transmission in affected countries within six to nine months, and prevent international spread.

"The West African Ebola outbreak is cause for global concern," says DRI Executive Director Chloe Demrovsky. "It is a good time to make sure that your business continuity plans include comprehensive pandemic preparedness so that your organization and personnel are prepared for this and other threats."

DRI offers an online educational program on developing a business continuity plan in the face of a pandemic. Log into your MyDRI account and learn more about it at: www.drii.org/education/trainings.php

There's still time to register for the DRIKL2014 conference, coming to the Grand Millenium Hotel in the heart of Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 4-5. 

Nominations for DRI Malaysia's Awards of Excellence will close Sept. 28, so don't delay, get them in now!

Want to learn more about the conference? We'll be spotlighting featured presenters on Thrive! Asia, one of our regional online blogs, every Wednesday up to the start of the event. Click here to read more! 

For more information, email DRI Malaysia at: info@dri-malaysia.org.

Register now for DRI2015, coming to San Antonio, TX, on March
1-4, and you can save $300 off the regular rate!

Early bird registration is currently underway, and we want to make sure you take advantage of these special discounts. Click here to reserve your spot for this one-of-a-kind event.

And be sure to check your inbox for San Antonio Spotlight, DRI's e-newsletter devoted to conference updates, featured speakers, must-see San Antonio sights (such as the lovely River Walk, pictured above), and much, much more! 

Quick, what does your plan say about objects falling from the sky? 

If that part of the plan is blank, you might get some ideas from the Disaster Playground!

Developed by SETI Institute Designer of Experiences Nelly Ben Heyoun, the website and upcoming documentary features scientists from NASA's Near Earth Objects Project and other asteroid experts to showcase the mitigation plans in place, some of which sound like they'd be pretty exciting, such as:

• Moving asteroids with lasers
• Using a spacecraft's gravitational field to deflect the asteroid, and
• Harnessing the energy of the sun!

There's also a feature on Disaster City, USA, a gigantic outdoor emergency response training center used to help prepare and train for large-scale disasters.

It's an interesting project, which you can learn more about by watching this teaser trailer for the upcoming documentary (one choice quote, about who gets the call in the event of an asteroid emergency: "At least we know who to call now. I don't know if they'll know what to DO, but at least we know who to call!").

Disaster Playground Research & Development Phase Teaser

DRI International was a proud sponsor of this year's International Disaster and Risk Conference in Davos, Switzerland, held Aug. 24-28.

"The IDRC is a critical event for the global movement for disaster risk reduction," said DRI Executive Director Chloe Demrovsky, who also presented at the event. "The outcomes of the event will be a terrific addition to the discourse leading up to the launch of the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction (HFA2) in Sendai next year."
 

One outcome announced at the conference: a crisis and communications wiki and online discussion forum, free platforms provided by the Public Empowerment Policies for Crisis Management (PEP). It's an open space for professionals to share information on effective crisis communications, and make it widely available for public use. 
 

Mark your calendars for Nov. 7, and register for the Contingency Planning Exchange's second full-day conference, at Goldman Sachs in New York City!

The program includes sessions with dynamic speakers, discussing the way threats impact businesses, including:

• Keynote by George Little, former press secretary for the Pentagon
• Understanding the Global Threat Stream, with Steve Crimando of Behavioral Science Applications, and
• How Zero Trust Network Security Can Enable Recovery from Cyber Threats, with Eric Beck of Risk Matters.

Registration is free for CPE members. For others, the cost is $275, which includes membership through Dec. 31, 2015!

Nominating yourself and your team for one of the 2015 DRI Awards of Excellence is a great way to spotlight the work you do -- including how you respond in the face of a crisis. 

The Response and Recovery of the Year Award goes to the individual or organization that achieved an effective business recovery in the face of adversity. Have you successfully dealt with a software failure, a product recall, a natural disaster, or some other emergency scenario? Tell us how you responded, and what lessons you learned along the way, and you could be up for this year's award!

Last year's award went to Insurance Auto Auctions for the work done by its Catastrophic Services team, which used its manpower and technical expertise in areas hit by disasters and effectively worked alongside insurers to manage the response. 

"We are honored to receive this distinguished recognition by one of the leading global organizations for disaster recovery and to be included in an incredible roster of companies, professionals and
organizations," said John Kett, CEO and president, Insurance Auto Auctions, in a press release.

For a full list of last year's winners, click here. And get started with your nominations by logging into your MyDRI account and clicking here!