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The Corporate Citizen, January 2008BCLC NewsSan Diego Disaster Response Praised at BCLC Forum, Sustainability Next on Agenda In reaction to the wildfires that ripped through southern California between October 20 and November 9 of last year, San Diego authorities implemented one of the better disaster response efforts of the last 10 years. While almost twice as much land burned in 2007 compared to the Cedar Fire of 2003 (over 500,000 acres compared to 280,000 acres), the region suffered half the number of casualties and critically burned housing stock. The wildfires also marked the first time that BCLC, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Chamber Federation of local chambers implemented the new strategy for embedding recovery in the disaster response process. Several recent initiatives departed from past practices, including the economic impact study by BCLC and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), BCLC's business help desk, and the mutual assistance provided by the nation's chambers to the southern California chamber community. On Jan. 17 BCLC hosted a forum in San Diego to discuss the lessons learned in San Diego and next steps for national disaster response. Led by BCLC's Stephen Jordan, UPS Foundation's Lisa Hamilton, Office Depot's Tom Serio, and San Diego Regional Chamber's Ruben Barrales, national recovery experts joined local business, government, and nonprofit officials who were active in the wildfires response. Daniel Alesch from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay noted that the real disaster for most communities starts during the recovery period because they equate rebuilding with recovery. But the two are not the same. Some communities try to revert to "business as usual" and do not take into consideration the new reality, such as changed neighborhoods and consumer patterns. It was clear, Alesch noted, that southern California's authorities had learned from the experiences of 2003. BCLC consultant Inès Pearce and IEDC President Jeff Finkle discussed the findings of the economic impact assessment and explained why it helped define recovery priorities for future disasters. They spoke about the role of local chambers as conduits of information among local businesses and providers of business retention programs after disasters. Microsoft's Claire Bonilla discussed balancing the three areas of disaster response: relief, recovery, and preparedness. The private sector, she said, is eager to help after major disasters, but information about what is most needed is critical. She described local chambers as the linchpin of collaboration between business and local communities. (For more from Claire, read her ChamerPost blog entry.) Sempra's Steve Davis relayed his company's coordination with the city and county on emergency operations, and emphasized the importance of this effort when a disaster happens. The Malibu Chamber's Rebecca Evans told of the establishment of a help and safety committee comprising business and city officials, which has helped the Malibu community become more prepared for disasters. Kelly Cunningham, an economist at the San Diego Institute for Policy Research, reported that coordination with the media and the availability of accurate and timely information were vital to the success of the San Diego response. San Diego's Next Steps: Preparing for Recovery Participants concluded that as a next step, a national information-sharing effort between local chambers is needed, so that the wheel is not constantly reinvented after every disaster. They also noted that establishing community partnerships before disasters hit is key to success. For this next stage of the San Diego recovery process, we are looking at how well "sustainability" is embedded. Experts agree that San Diego should not just rebuild what it had, but rather rebuild in a way that future disasters cause even less impact than the 2007 wildfires. |
Learn more here about BCLC's Disaster Assistance and Recovery program |
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