In Jim’s recent Letter from the Director, he mentioned that 4Culture and other agencies are planning an event to help the cultural organizations create emergency plans. Here are the confirmed details:
Are You Prepared?
• In 2001, the Nisqually earthquake caused over $51.2 million in damage to area businesses. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration)
• This last winter, a snow storm caused widespread power outages, transportation issues, lost revenue, and business closures, including performance cancellations at local arts and cultural organizations.
• This coming winter, if the Green River floods as a result of problems with the Howard Hanson Dam, thousands of residents and businesses could face as much as $2 billion to $3 billion in property damage. (Source: Seattle Times)
• Over the summer, the World Health Organization declared the H1N1 virus to be a pandemic based on its broad geographic reach and it’s expected to return this fall. (Source: pnwlocalnews.com)
Nonprofit cultural organizations in King County attract 13 million visitors annually to theaters, museums, science centers, and events. Last winter’s relatively mild snowstorms clearly demonstrated that most groups, already suffering from strained resources, are not well-equipped to manage a significant emergency event.
In response, you are invited to participate in an upcoming two-hour seminar on emergency preparedness. This seminar is hosted by Seattle University, in partnership with ArtsFund, 4Culture, the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and Public Health-Seattle & King County.
You will learn about personal and business applications of basic emergency preparedness as well as how to better prepare for potential crisis scenarios, including snowstorms, earthquakes, floods, and public health emergencies.
As the manager of one of the area’s largest groups said, “The economic downturn has burned through a lot of our financial and human resources. We’re fragile. A blow like H1N1 could be devastating.”
Are you prepared?
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Time: 2 – 4pm
Location: Pigott Auditorium – Seattle University Campus, 901 12th Avenue
Registration: Please RSVP
Contact Info: Kevin Maifeld, maif...@seattleu.edu
2 comments
Scott Ketron says:
Oct 21, 2009
We are not able to attend tomorrow’s session but one staff member and I would like to attend the meeting at PNB on October 30 if possible.
Sara Edwards says:
Oct 21, 2009
Hey Scott,
Thanks for writing. I think you’re referring to the upcoming Washington State Arts Alliance meeting where, this month, the agenda includes a presentation on the resource “Arts Ready” http://www.artsready.org/. Arts Ready helps arts organizations better prepare for and recover from emergency situations.
WSAA meetings are the last Friday of each month, 8:30 a.m. at Pacific NW Ballet. They are always open to the public so if you missed today’s meeting, this would be another opportunity to learn emergency prep strategies.
You can see the WSAA yearly meeting schedule here:
http://wsaa.qwestoffice.net/convenings.htm
Hope this helps!
Sara