To: Pat Noonan, John Turner, Larry Selzer, Norm Christensen, Raiza McCutchan
Cc: Danyelle O’Hara, Mikki Sager, Dick Ludington, John Rogers
From: Heather Fisher
Date: June 4, 2001
Re: ECU Flood Recovery Conference
I attended the ECU conference: Of People, Places, and Progress: Extended Recovery on the Coastal Plain in Greenville, NC on May 23 and 24. The workshops on socio-economics and natural resources presented the state of knowledge of Hurricane Floyd and the progress of disaster recovery in North Carolina. I gained a perspective on the information available and current research ideas. Through interactions between FEMA officials Gavin Smith and Todd Davidson with city officials from Greenville and Rocky Mount, the panel discussions illustrated how local and federal interests conflict during disaster recovery. The most rewarding experiences were my one-on-one interactions with people within FEMA, universities, city governments, and non-profit organizations (including the NC Rural Center); through these contacts, I will gain support on GIS data, research, and community involvement. Overall, I left the conference with a solid perspective on the processes and challenges of flood recovery and a much stronger appreciation for the devastation that communities suffered.