Witt Associates will participate in the largest conference in the Northwest, Partners In Emergency Preparedness Conference In Tacoma, Washington on April 26 and 27, 2011.

April 26:  9:45 - 11:00 am   A6: Transportation Recovery Planning & People with Special Needs     

William Lokey, Program Director, Witt Associates

Brent Meldrum, CEO, Coastal Transport of Washington

Lokey, as the Witt Associates lead in the development of the Transportation Recovery Annex as part of the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Project, worked with providers of transportation to vulnerable populations. Witt Associates worked with the Community Transit Association of the Northwest (CTA-NW) to integrate with the emergency management network in the state. Lokey's presentation will:  1. Provide an overview of our Transportation Recovery Planning in the Puget Sound Area and what this planning means to the rest of the state; 2. Provide an overview of the issues, lessons learned and best practices concerning emergency transportation for vulnerable populations and persons with special needs; 3. Introduce CTA-NW, its mission, resources, contacts and capabilities; 4. Discuss planning considerations for special needs populations in evacuation and transportation recovery; 5. Provide the opportunity to build partnerships among PIEP Conference attendees and the CTA-NW. 

April 27:  9:30 - 10:45 am           D3: Are You Ready for the Maximum of Maximums?

William Lokey, Program Director, Witt Associates

Diane Newman, Regional Planner, Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program

Lise Northey, Acting Program Manager, Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program

This session will center on an interactive workshop to stimulate participants' thinking about how they can prepare for a catastrophic incident. Most public and private sector emergency management plans in our state address "routine" emergencies, not what FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate calls the "Maximum of Maximums" that require new ways of doing business. The exercise will also introduce participants to the Puget Sound Catastrophic Disaster Coordination Plan and its Annexes. We will challenge participants to identify and commit to a series of "next steps" they can take to become better prepared for a catastrophic incident.

 Conference website: http://conferences.wsu.edu/emergencyprep