In March, we had the pleasure of welcoming seven visitors from Pakistan. The group made a brief stop in Escambia County to study natural disaster management and communications prior to heading to New Orleans.
Their program began with an area orientation followed by a meeting with Natalie Seaber, the Director of Emergency Services at West Florida Hospital. Ms. Seaber spoke to the group about hospital crisis management during a disaster and then gave the visitors a tour of the hospital’s emergency room, followed by time spent at the facility’s emergency decontamination tent. Afterward, Barbara Henry of the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council presented the group with honorary citizenship certificates from the City of Pensacola.
After lunch, the Pakistanis met with Rita Icenogle, Director of First Call for Help, and Greg Strader, Director of BRACE (Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies), to discuss communication needs before, during, and after disasters. At the First Call for Help emergency call center, a web-based center that assists individuals calling for basic needs such as food, shelter, and housing, the group learned about the newly-implemented Community Database System which helps families stay in touch during disasters.
The group concluded their appointments with a visit to the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center, a center recognized regionally and statewide for its excellence in emergency preparedness. There, Mr. John Dosh gave the group a tour of the Emergency Operation Center and answered questions about the facility and its operation.
Thank you to everyone who met with this group and assisted in the implementation of this project.
