VPC met with the Talbot County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on October 24th, 2017 to present findings on the Sea Level Change (SLC) and flooding projections for the County’s four Water Oriented Villages: Neavitt, Newcomb, Royal Oak, and Tilghman Island. The goal of the project is to determine which historic properties in the villages are most at-risk from flooding and sea level rise hazards, and to develop site-specific mitigation actions to help protect these buildings from these hazards, without compromising the properties’ eligibility for the State or National Register.

The SLC projections show a major shift in the shape and size of these historic villages. Long-term planning is necessary to prepare for the changing landscape on the Chesapeake Bay. VPC has developed mitigation actions for property owners to attempt to keep their properties “usable” for as long as possible.

Talbot County Historic Preservation Commissioner, Cynthia Schmidt, who acted as local expert and guide for the fieldwork component, had this to say about her experience, “The amazing visuals provided were a great addition to the final presentation, which was well received and applauded by all. You did a great job answering everyone’s questions in the field and when presenting the conclusions. The county and property owners will surely find this report as a useful tool moving forward.”

VPC’s President, Deepa Srinivasan stated, “This is a great opportunity for the County’s cultural resources and historic properties to get the importance they deserve, for mitigation as well as preservation.”

To learn more about Hazard Mitigation Planning, click here to go to our website.

Vision Planning and Consulting is proud to announce the contract award to assist Howard County, Maryland, with their Hazard Mitigation Plan and Flood Mitigation Plan updates. Work officially began the beginning of October and the first Steering Committee is scheduled for mid-November.

The Steering Committee is composed of representatives from Planning and Zoning, Emergency Management, Economic Development, Department of Public Works, community and business representatives, and homeowners among others. The goal is to have input from various agencies, residents, and businesses across the county.

The first Steering Committee meeting will begin with the evaluation of the Flood and Hazard Mitigation Plan actions, goals, and objectives from the 2012 Plan. This includes identifying which of those original actions have been completed, are in process, or have been deferred. Public meetings are planned as well, to garner additional input from residents and businesses from around the county on multiple hazards, in addition to flooding.

Vision Planning and Consulting (VPC) recently completed the Hazard Mitigation Plan and Risk Assessment for the University of Delaware Sussex and Lewes Campuses. The 2016 Plan update included goals and mitigation actions to help protect the campus buildings and resources from hazards including flooding, winter storms, and coastal wind.

The Plan’s recommended actions included dry-floodproofing (building/creating a watertight seal to keep all water out of the building) the Marine Ops Building on the Lewes Campus. The building currently sits 1.5 feet below base flood elevation and extremely vulnerable to coastal and stormwater flooding.

In late 2016, the University submitted a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Grant Application to FEMA to seek funding to build a flood barrier wall with manual floodgates around the Marine Ops Building. The Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) determined the project to be both technically feasible and cost effective and FEMA recommended approval for the project.

Congratulations to the University of Delaware in taking yet another big step toward disaster resiliency.

When a disaster hits a community, there is not a more vulnerable population than patients in healthcare facilities who, without choice, rely entirely on their healthcare providers for their personal and medical needs. While the facility may offer premier care to its patients, its healthcare workers may or may not know how to properly care for their patients during an emergency situation such as a natural or man-made disaster. Shouldn’t the individuals responsible for patients’ care, also be responsible for their safety during an emergency?

Until now, the majority of healthcare emergency preparedness programs have been instituted by healthcare facilities that provide emergency medical care (i.e. hospitals). Other smaller types of providers such as long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, and community mental health centers have not been required to develop an emergency management plan.

As of September 2016, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has mandated that all healthcare providers receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds, have a robust disaster plan in place to ensure that the needs of patients, residents, and clients are met, during and after an emergency situation.

“This final rule establishes national emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare- and Medicaid-participating providers and suppliers to plan adequately for both natural and man-made disasters, and coordinate with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local emergency preparedness systems. It will also assist providers and suppliers to adequately prepare to meet the needs of patients, residents, clients, and participants during disasters and emergency situations. Despite some variations, our regulations will provide consistent emergency preparedness requirements, enhance patient safety during emergencies for persons served by Medicare- and Medicaid-participating facilities, and establish a more coordinated and defined response to natural and man-made disasters," (Federal Register, Vol. 81, No. 180, Friday, September 16, 2016 -Rules and Regulations).

With the new rule, CMS will not only require healthcare providers to meet certain planning and exercise requirements, but they also “encourage providers and suppliers to coordinate their preparedness efforts within their own communities and states as well as across state lines, as necessary, to achieve their goals," (Federal Register, Vol. 81, No. 180, Friday, September 16, 2016 -Rules and Regulations).

“The fact is, for every $1 a hospital spends in preparedness – they save an estimated $4 in response,” (IAEM Bulletin, July 2017). While it may appear to be daunting to take the first step towards emergency preparedness planning, our subject matter experts at VPC can provide assistance to small and medium-sized healthcare facilities to be better prepared to face, and recover from, natural and man-made disasters.

VPC offers expertise in all phases of emergency management, including preparedness, mitigation, and recovery. Additionally, we provide planning, public outreach, stakeholder engagement, and custom technology solutions to assist communities and healthcare organizations to reduce their risk, protect people, secure physical assets and improve their economic well-being. Our related services include but are not limited to: Critical infrastructure assessments, vulnerability and risk assessments, emergency operations planning, and continuity of operations planning. Contact us today to discuss how VPC can help your healthcare organization can be better prepared during an emergency.

VPC was selected by the Historic Preservation Commission of Talbot County, Maryland, to develop a hazard mitigation strategy that comprehensively assesses the flood vulnerability of historic resources in four of Talbot County’s villages: Tilghman, Neavitt, Newcomb, and Royal Oak. VPC is working closely with the County and the Maryland Historical Trust on this Plan, to ensure any actions taken to protect these cultural resources from flood waters do not endanger the buildings eligibility for listing on the State or National Historic Registries.

VPC identified 25 representative historic properties for the villages that are at high risk to flooding based on the 100 and 500-year storm flooding occurrences, and how they will be affected by projected sea level changes. These Historic properties include homes or residences of various building types (Cape Cod, Bungalow, etc.), commercial buildings such as a local market, a historic town hall, and a small rural church.

For each type of property, VPC developed mitigation actions that not only address current flooding risks, but also protect the buildings from future sea level rise in the years 2050 and 2100. The mitigation strategy contains actions as simple as planting trees and vegetation, to more complex actions such as floodproofing crawlspaces, or relocating a building.

Historically, cultural resources have not been given the consideration in hazard mitigation plans that they both need and deserve. VPC is proud to lead this project, which highlights the value these historic resources contribute to the County, as well as the importance of maintaining their cultural integrity while protecting them from natural hazards.

VPC understands the importance of preserving such historical places and remains dedicated to helping cities, counties, states and agencies protect their valued historic and cultural resources.

Vision Planning and Consulting (VPC) was awarded the contract by the Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission (PHMC) to develop a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment, with special attention to flooding related hazards, for historical properties and resources. This project was PHMC’s Phase 2: Historic Property Vulnerability Assessment, Hazard Mitigation Strategy Development, and Plan Integration for four counties in the Commonwealth: Bedford County, Cameron County, Monroe County, and Philadelphia.

Flooding is Pennsylvania’s most common and highest ranked natural hazard, thereby making the protection of historic properties and cultural resources in the floodplain, a high priority for the PHMC. In the past, historic properties have not been given the prominence they both need and deserve. Additionally, these properties have not been taken into consideration while developing vulnerability assessments in local hazard mitigation plans. Consequently, hazard mitigation plans typically do not contain specific mitigation actions to help reduce risk to these historic or cultural resources.

Phase II primarily focuses on reducing risk to these historic places from flood hazards, including riverine flooding, as well as tidal-related inundation resulting from tropical storm surge and sea level rise, which primarily affects Philadelphia. While the focus is on flooding, VPC will also identify mitigation actions for other hazards that threaten the built environment in these four counties. Mitigation actions related to winter storms, hurricane/tropical storms and nor’easters will be developed, to augment flood mitigation actions.

Phase II actions will be based on the Phase 1 inventory, which identified historic properties (including those that are listed in the National or Pennsylvania Registers) located in the 100-year floodplains, as well as any archaeological sites. These structures will be evaluated to identify character-defining features, as well as any rare, unique, or nationally significant properties, that may warrant special protection or consideration.

VPC’s goal is to garner and incorporate as much public participation and input as possible during the project lifecycle. VPC recognizes the importance of resident, public, and stakeholder participation in the hazard mitigation process and has developed a robust Public Engagement Strategy that will encourage an ongoing two-way dialogue between PHMC and the communities. After all, no one knows these communities better than the locals, so their involvement is vital to the success of the project.

For more information on VPC’s hazard mitigation process, or how we can help you and your organization, contact us. To learn more about PHMC’s projects, click here.

As part of her volunteer efforts with Leadership Howard County, Deepa Srinivasan spent a fun afternoon with Leadership U students at the Bain Senior Center. The Leadership U class of 2017 comprises 50 students from Howard County’s public, private, and home schools. The students toured the Bain Senior Center, learned about the programs and amenities offered, and listened to a presentation on mental illness by NAMI, which resulted in an engaging discussion.

Leadership U is a program that empowers rising high school juniors to learn by doing. Students work in teams to discuss, reflect upon, and develop solutions for problems that affect them and their peers in the community. They also develop mentoring relationships with adult community leaders, learn about Howard County’s government, businesses and services, and hone their presentation skills.” A truly enriching experience that brings awareness to our youth as it prepares them for the lives ahead of them” says Deepa Srinivasan.

Deepa Srinivasan, President of VPC, had the honor of serving as a judge in the 2017 National History Day, Howard County District Competition.

“National History Day® (NHD) offers opportunities for teachers and students to engage in historical research. NHD’s mission to improve the teaching and learning of history in middle and high school, particularly through the NHD Contest. Each year the NHD Organization selects a different theme to inspire the students and their projects. The theme for this year is Taking a Stand in History. The theme recognizes individuals or groups who “have taken risks and taken a stand, whether in a political, social, religious, military, economic, intellectual, or artistic sphere.”

The contest is open to a wide variety of projects that provide opportunities for students to excel at different areas such as: a documentary, exhibit, website, research paper, or even an artistic/theatrical performance.

Ms. Srinivasan was selected to judge five different entries under the Documentary category. She had this to say about the students and their presentations, “The caliber of the presentations was top notch. Not only was I enlightened by unsung heroes and historical facts and figures but was truly impressed with the quality of the documentaries. These young men and women are movie-makers in the making!”

To learn more about the National History Day® (NHD) Organization or Competitions go to https://www.nhd.org.

VPC President, Deepa Srinivasan, served as a judge in the 2017 Maryland DECA Career Development Conference on March 2-3, 2017. DECA’s Mission is to prepare “emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.”

Students have been preparing all year for the March event. The conference is entirely planned and coordinated by the students themselves. The two-day event includes such activities as workshops, team competitive events, and individual competitive tests and events in addition to voting for the next scholastic years DECA Officers.

Ms. Srinivasan was selected to judge the Human Resources Management Individual Role-Play Event. Students were given a “real world” business scenario on a Human Resources related issue and allowed 10 minutes to formulate their solution. When asked about the students and the competition Ms. Srinivasan stated “These DECA competitors are highly motivated, gifted, and innovative. They are quick to think on their feet and offer realistic solutions and show every sign of being future business leaders/entrepreneurs. I think our future is in good hands!”

For more information on Maryland DECA, or to become involved visit http://www.marylanddeca.org.

Vision Planning & Consulting Appoints Pat Pathade as Chief Technology Officer

Technology strategist will oversee the development of technology solutions for the growing disaster planning, risk management, and business continuity fields.

Vision Planning and Consulting, LLC, a leading small business in disaster management, community planning, and public outreach, announced that Pat Pathade, a specialist with 30 years’ experience in software solutions implementation and enterprise systems architecture, has joined the company as Chief Technology Officer. Pathade will supervise the technology aspect of the-planning and emergency management functions for the company’s clients, which include Federal, state agencies, municipalities, and universities.

“Technology has transformed nearly every business in every industry. Our goal now is to reposition VPC with a technology arm that can fortify the disaster planning, risk management, and business continuity disciplines. We have begun designing a full suite of tools, technologies, and best practices, and putting together a team led by Pat that we believe will change the way we communicate, educate, collaborate, and deliver emergency management related programs,” says Deepa Srinivasan, President of Vision Planning & Consulting.

Pathade brings a formidable resume to Vision Planning, including expertise in a wide range of technologies. He will continue to also serve as President of technology management firm Fantail Consulting & Technologies based in Columbia, Maryland, where his list of clients includes the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), National Restaurant Association (NRA), National Retail Federation, Maryland Judiciary, and Solar Energy Trade Shows.

“I am pleased to be working with the Vision Planning team to push the limits of what is possible in an industry that will greatly benefit from innovation through technology and automation. We plan to apply the most sophisticated technologies such as machine learning and business intelligence to mainstream offerings like systems integration and web applications to enhance the planning process, and streamline access to information for customers.” explains Pathade.

Pathade received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Sellinger School of Business at Loyola University in Maryland and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai, India). He is also certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), Salesforce Consultant, and a Drupal Architect.