[SPN-Discussion] Preparing for Extreme Weather Events: Nov. 14 program in NYC

[Leo Wiegman]

Michael: Hello. Great sounding conference. 
From my (Croton's) perspective, we have moved way beyond Emergency Management.  Next week, Croton will launch Local Resilience Planning (LRP) in Croton. The question there is what stuff do I need within 2 miles of my home/ within 5 miles/ within10 miles etc. 
I have pasted my reply to the County Executive's office earlier today. 
Leo Wiegman
leo at etothefourth.com
914-980-9437
---
----- Original Message -----
	
From:		Leo Wiegman	November 7, 2012 7:32:44 PM
Subject:	Re(2): FOR THOSE OF YOU IN CON ED SERVICE AREA WE NEED SOME INFO
To:		"Oros, George" <GOros at westchestergov.com>
Cc:		"Dwyer, Patti" <pdwyer at pleasantville-ny.gov>	"bsmith at irvingtonny.gov" <bsmith at irvingtonny.gov>	"erniedavis at live.com" <erniedavis at live.com>
"jmaybury at mtpleasantny.com" <jmaybury at mtpleasantny.com>	"mayor at hastingsgov.org" <mayor at hastingsgov.org>
"mayor at villageoflarchmont.org" <mayor at villageoflarchmont.org>	"mayorelmsford at aol.com" <mayorelmsford at aol.com>
"mayorporcino at ardsleyvillage.com" <mayorporcino at ardsleyvillage.com>	"MKmayor at att.net" <MKmayor at att.net>	"nbramson at optonline.net" <nbramson at optonline.net>
"nrosenblum at vomny.org" <nrosenblum at vomny.org>	"pfeiner at greenburghny.com" <pfeiner at greenburghny.com>
"scarpenter at town.new-castle.ny.us" <scarpenter at town.new-castle.ny.us>	"supervisor at northcastleny.com" <supervisor at northcastleny.com>
"supervisor at townofmamaroneck.org" <supervisor at townofmamaroneck.org>	Dennis Pilla <dpilla at portchesterny.com>	Doug French <dfrench at ryeny.gov>
Drew Fixell <dfixell at tarrytowngov.com>	"James O'Connor" <deputyclerk at pelhammanor.org>	Joan Feinstein <jfeinstein at ryebrook.org>
Joe Carvin <super at townofryeny.com>	Kenneth Wray <kwray at villageofsleepyhollow.org>	"lindap at townofcortlandt.com" <lindap at townofcortlandt.com>
Mary Beth Murphy <Supervisor at somersny.com>	Mayor Belmont <mayor at harrison-ny.gov>	"Connett, Hartley" <mayorconnett at dobbsferry.com>
Mayor Mary Marvin <mayor at vobny.com>	Mayor of Ossining William Hanauer <wrhanauer at optonline.net>	Mayor Sean Murray <smurray at villageofbuchanan.com>
Mayor William Vesico <wvescio at briarcliffmanor.org>	Michael Grace <michael at yorktownny.org>	Michael Spano <mike.spano at yonkersny.gov>
Miriam Flisser <mayor at drslisser.com>	Ossining Supervisor Susan Donnelly <sdonnelly at townofossining.com>	Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster <Maryfoster7990 at msn.com>
Pelham Supervisor Peter DiPola <pmd920 at optonline.net>	"Scherer, Peter" <pscherer at pleasantville-ny.gov>	Steve Ecklond <secklond at tuckahoe-ny.com>
Supervisor Anthony Colatvita <supervisor at eastchester.org>	Thomas Roach <troach at whiteplains.ny.gov>
Village of Pleham Mayor Edward Hotchkiss <edward.hotchkiss at pelhamgov.com>	Peter Scherer <pscherer at hplusinc.com>	Drew Fixell <drew.fixell at gmail.com>

George: Thanks for asking. How many of my fellow mayors and supervisors have an actual large, detailed map of the utilty grid for their city/town/village on the table in their Emergency Operation Center? The answer to that question needs to be 100% ASAP. 

I really don't know where to start. (Actually I do, but that is much too a list for this format.) I recommend that in the debriefing process, ALL parties be represented for the ENTIRE debrief.  By ALL I mean state/county/local govs, school districts, hospitals, all the utiliies (not just ConED or NYSEG, but Verizon, Cablevision etc).  Most of the problems at this point are caused by two major and correctable situations: (1) information sharing has been too limited from everyone above the lowest local level; (2) communications process has been hamstrung from the outset by municipal liaisons that appear to have no direct authority to exercise local command and control. Both the lack of information sharing and gaps in communication process have produced innumerable boundary issues that have repeatedly interfered or delayed real action on the ground. For example, ConEd say a line is in NYSEG territory, but NYSEG says it is in ConEd territory ( Ask Supervisor Grace in Yorktown for the details on that( ; or ConEd says that pole is not ours, but a telephone pole (Verizon), but Verizon appears not to alert Cablevison when the pole finally is replaced, so the road remains impassable, because some one forgot to tell the other company to come back. 

Croton was lucky, insofar, that we did significant Emergency Management Planning and some dry runs, including a Continuity of Government Services exercise that took our Municipal Building out of service and had us set up shop in a firehouse for a day. We learned a lot that, including what information we did ont have that would be very useful. Due to forward-thinking preparation work of key staff (paid as well as volunteer) over the past 2 years, we actually have several large maps of the ConEd primary lines (inclduing switches and transformers) in our possession. They have been invaluable since Sandy hit (and were helpful last fall as well). We have been using the maps while working with the utiilty companies, pinpointing and verfiying precise pole numbers, etc. In fact, they came in handy 3 days into the cut and clear opertaion, when the arrving crews from ConEd appeared not to brought have any map of their own lines. These simple redundancies, like sharing an infrastrucure map, helps immeasurably in making ongoing priority lists from local governments line up with those from the utlitiies. 

I agree completely that ConEd has lost the credibilty it may have had with the public for the lack of action in the hardest hit areas.  In the updates I have written (#14 just went out) and our Village has posted and circulated by phone and email and webpage, we NEVER relied on any information from ConEd's outage map or otherwise. Any information we put out about streets cleared, poles down, transformers out, power restored, etc, is information that we have verified ourselves directly.  At this point I assume anything on the ConEd outage map is not repeatable. I don't need our Villlage's credibility dragged down to the same dark gutter where the utlity companies' seems headed. 

My last point for now: Beyond Emergengy Management preparation, Croton will start a Local Resilience Planning process on next Monday. This LRP wil go beyond keeping the lights on in the police department. Local resilience planning will map out how to adapt to changing conditions due extreme events to ensure we have the ability to bounce back with critical resouces (energy, food, water, medical, transport) by relying on ourselves (what do we need within 2 mile radius of any home, within 5 mile radius, within 10 miles radius, etc). New York City has done this on a large scale and budget; See Plan NYC.  
 
If the Big Apple can do this, then our Dam Village can do this to, in our own way.   I am happy to share this Local Resilience Planning process with any and all neighboring communities. Every home buying a gas generator is NOT the answer. It is bigger and better than that. 

When I published my text book about climate change 2 years ago, I did not think I'd see the impact so damn soon. But severe weather events will be happending more often and with higher unpredictabiltity than ever before. 
Over and out. 
----
Leo A. W. Wiegman, Mayor
Croton-on-Hudson, New York
www.crotononhudson-ny.gov
lwiegman at crotononhudson-ny.gov
t: 914-980-9437
----

---



On Nov 7, 2012, at 9:37 AM, "Gerrard, Michael B." <Michael.Gerrard at APORTER.COM> wrote:

> WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE ART IN PREPARING FOR EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS? 
> 
> Wednesday, November 14, 2012 
> Program -- 10:00 am to 1:45 pm    
> Luncheon -- 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm 
> 1 East 42nd Street, New York, New York 
> 
> RSVP to Ms. Jessica Huang here. 
> 
> Sponsors: 
> Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School 
> Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York 
> Academic Council on the United Nations System 
> 
> Introductory remarks: 
> Ambassador Andrew Kao, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of New York 
> Professor Alistair Edgar, Academic Council on the United Nations System 
> Professor Michael Gerrard, Center for  Climate  Change Law 
> 
> Keynote speeches: 
>  Mr. Shaw Chen Liu, Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Republic of China (Taiwan) 
> "Changes of Extreme Precipitation at Low Latitudes in a Warming Globe"
>  
> Ms. Leah Cohen, NYC Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
> "New York City's Preparations for Extreme Weather Events" 
> 
> Panel Discussion -- "Extreme Weather Events, UNFCCC, Climate Science and Public Policy" 
> 
> Panelists: 
> Ambassador Collin Beck, Solomon Islands 
> Ambassador Janine Coye-Felson, Belize 
> Professor Michael Gerrard, Center for Climate Change Law 
> Professor Klaus Jacob, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University 
> Mr. Justin Harris. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
> 
> Additional information is available here. 
> 
> ------------------------------
> Michael B. Gerrard
> Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice
> Director, Center for  Climate Change Law
> Columbia Law School
> 435 West 116th Street
> New York, New York 10027
> Tel: 212-854-3287
> Fax: 212-854-7946
> michael.gerrard at law.columbia.edu
> www.ColumbiaClimateLaw.com
> 
> 
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