Southern Miss Gulf Coast to Host Oil Spill Disaster Recovery Summit June 30
Tue, 06/22/2010 - 12:00am | By: Charmaine Williams Schmermund
The Center for Policy and Resilience at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, in collaboration with the South Mississippi Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (SMVOAD), will host the Mississippi Gulf Coast Oil Spill Disaster Recovery Summit Wednesday, June 30 from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the Fleming Education Center auditorium on the university's Gulf Park campus in Long Beach.
The summit will address the potential long-term impacts on the environment, the economy and the well-being of all Mississippi Gulf Coast citizens. SMVOAD has partnered with the Center for Policy and Resilience to identify the range of possible impacts and begin development of community-wide strategies to respond to and recover from this disaster.
Representatives of diverse organizations, such as business, human service, faith-based, government and nongovernmental associations, are invited to collaborate in developing these strategies. Any representatives within fishing, tourism or other industries affected by this disaster are also welcome to attend the summit.
The keynote speaker for the summit will be Dr. Steven Picou of the University of South Alabama, who will present “Impacts on Alaskan Community Post Exxon Valdez Spill.” Picou's presentation will begin at noon.
SMVOAD represents local disaster recovery organizations, non-profit organizations and faith-based organizations which collaborate, communicate and coordinate to use resources most effectively in response to and recovery from disasters. The Southern Miss Center for Policy and Resilience facilitates research and interdisciplinary exchanges related to policy and resilience studies.
The summit is free and open to the public; however, registration is required by Monday, June 28. Registration includes free lunch. The registration form and additional information can be found on the summit Web site at http://smvoad.com/Gulf-Coast-Oil-Spill-Recovery-Summit.html.
For questions and other information about this event, contact John Hosey with South Mississippi Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters at
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