- Assessing the Probability of a Disaster
- Its All About Getting GOOD Information
- Applying Sophisticated Disaster Modeling to the Fortune 1000 Space
- Other PDC Activities
- Summary
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
It’s All About Getting GOOD Information
We’ll discuss the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) in particular because, by virtue of some personal contact, we know quite a bit about this organization. We spent some time at the PDC recently, finding a repository of knowledge that in many respects is unmatched anywhere.
First, a little background on the PDC. Although it has Pacific in its name, the Pacific Disaster Center operates in areas far beyond the Pacific Rim, such as Africa and Europe. The PDC was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1995, after the 1992 Hurricane Iniki destroyed much of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The PDC watches, learns, analyzes, and then models various disaster scenarios, bringing awareness into diverse communities. The PDC’s hardcore scientific approach allows contingency planners to strengthen their case for presentation to policymakers, thereby enabling those who set policy to manage proactively—sometimes even preventing catastrophic disasters. Here’s how the PDC’s "2004–2005 Major Accomplishments" brochure describes the work of the organization:
"The ability of the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) to quickly respond to emergency management requests for strategic maps, mitigation tools, online data, and information is a prime example of how our effective knowledge-sharing, applied information research, and analysis capabilities help support today’s diverse global community."
Other than justifying a trip to Maui, which is pretty cool in and of itself, we found a lot of reasons to take an interest in the PDC. It’s rare to find a "virgin" market in disaster recovery, but this might be one. In fact, we were impressed enough that our company, b4Ci, actually partnered with the PDC, because the type of information offered has enormous value in the Fortune 1000 disaster recovery market. For example, if you ever wanted to see what the effect would be of an earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, or other event on the assets of your organization, these guys can give you the best possible picture, both literal and informational.
The Pacific Disaster Center operates in concert with other federal and state agencies, Hawaii State Civil Defense, and the University of Hawaii. The PDC has earned the respect of the many other nations it has already aided through its risk assessments, detailed data reports, and field exercises. The modeling team of the PDC re-creates disaster scenarios so that you can "see" the disaster as it unfolds, demonstrating the full magnitude of the ultimate damage. This is compelling information for any organization.