Christchurch Earthquake Expert to Address Cascadia Region At Free Business Preparedness Summits

News provided by

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

Jun 09, 2015, 03:57 ET

SEATTLE, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)® and Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) will present QuakeSmart™ Earthquake Business Preparedness Summits in the Seattle and Portland areas on June 17 and June 18. The summits will feature Incident Commander Jon Mitchell, Massey University, New Zealand, response leader for the 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake. Mr. Mitchell will share his experience and unique perspective on challenges businesses face post-disaster and the value of business continuity and preparedness planning. Other experts will discuss seismic risk in the Seattle and Portland areas, the response implications of a large-scale disaster, as well as specific, actionable steps businesses can take to improve preparedness and avoid business interruption.

The summits will continue a series of free earthquake damage prevention summits offered nationally that feature the FEMA QuakeSmart Community Resilience Program. QuakeSmart provides comprehensive earthquake assessments, and engineering and retrofit information designed to keep businesses open after a seismic event. Summit attendees will complete initial QuakeSmart assessments, and learn how to budget for business retrofit projects. The information is relevant for all personnel, especially business owners and managers, facility managers, maintenance staff, risk managers, and anyone with disaster preparedness responsibilities. The summits are free, however registration is required.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Kent QuakeSmart Business Preparedness Summit
Simpson Strong-Tie Co.
22083 64th Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032

Thursday, June 18, 2015, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Portland Area QuakeSmart Business Preparedness Summit
Providence Willamette Falls Community Center
519 15th Street
Oregon City, OR 97045

Visit earthquakesummit.com to register.

Summit co-presenters include the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW), Disaster Resistant Business Toolkit, ETC Building & Design, FEMA, FLASH, Massey University, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM), Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN), Providence Healthcare, Safe-T-Proof Earthquake Fasteners, Simpson Strong-Tie Co., Washington Military Department Emergency Management Division and the Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC).

About FLASH
Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters. FLASH collaborates with more than 120 innovative and diverse partners that share its vision of making America a more disasterresilient nation including: BASF, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Florida Division of Emergency Management, The Home Depot®, International Code Council, Kohler® Generators, National Weather Service, Portland Cement Association, Simpson Strong-Tie®, State Farm™, and USAA®. In 2008, FLASH® and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes® in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Learn more about FLASH and gain access to its free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org or calling (877) 221- SAFE (7233). Also, get timely safety tips to ensure that you and your family are protected from natural and manmade disasters by subscribing to the FLASH blog – Protect Your Home in a FLASH, and following the FLASH Twitter and Facebook accounts.

About CREW
The Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) is a coalition of private and public representatives working together to improve the ability of communities throughout the Cascadia Region to reduce the effects of earthquakes and related hazards, such as tsunami.

CREW goals are to:

Promote efforts to reduce the loss of life and property damage from earthquakes;
Educate and motivate decision makers, managers, and the general public to reduce risks associated with earthquakes; and
Foster productive linkages between scientists, critical infrastructure providers, businesses and governmental agencies in order to improve the resilience of communities after an earthquake.

The need for CREW arose from the increased awareness of the regional nature of earthquake hazards in the Pacific Northwest and the interdependency of public agencies and private companies in planning for earthquakes that could transcend political boundaries. Learn more about CREW by visiting www.crew.org.

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)