Andrew Adelman

Session 2A: Legislative Process for Enacting Seismic Safety Regulations

Andrew Adelman is the General Manager of the Department of Building and Safety in the City of Los Angeles.  Mr. Adelman manages a staff of over 1000 and has overseen issuance of 1.5 million permits for over $50 billion dollars of construction projects in his career, all of which are Industry records.  He has also co-authored the book “Building Department Administration”, which was published in 2007. Mr. Adelman has lectured at various universities, including Stanford and UC Berkeley, on the subjects of development, construction, codes, management, customer service, and earthquake safety.

Mr. Adelman graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with Bachelor of Science Degrees in Civil and Nuclear Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Structural Engineering.  He also obtained a Management Certificate from Harvard University. Mr. Adelman is a licensed Professional Engineer in several states including California and Arizona.

Mr. Adelman is currently a Commissioner of the State of California Seismic Safety Commission and serves as the Vice-chair of the State’s Building, Fire and Other Codes Committee. In these and other capacities, Mr. Adelman has served in the administrations of Governors Wilson, Davis and Schwarzenegger, and Mayors Riordon, Hahn, and Villaraigosa.  He has also served as an elected Councilmember and Mayor in the Crescenta Valley Town Council.

Semih Adil
Session 1C: Disaster Risk Reduction through Land Use Planning

Lufti Altun
Session 1C: Disaster Risk Reduction through Land Use Planning

Mariana Amatullo

Session 1B: Methods of Preparedness
The Los Angeles Earthquake Get Ready Project: New Communication Paradigms through Design

Plenary3

Mariana Amatullo, co-founder and director of the College-wide initiative Designmatters, is the Vice President of the International Initiatives Department of Art Center College of Design, based in Pasadena, California.  In this capacity, she develops strategic partnerships that enhance Art Center’s commitment to be at the forefront of international design education and contribute solutions to humanitarian issues of critical urgency. Through her leadership, Art Center is the first design institution to be formally affiliated with the United Nations as an non-governmental organization (NGO) and has become recognized with numerous public and private agencies as an exemplary effort uniting humanitarian, social and educational objectives.  Mariana acted as the Director of The Los Angeles Earthquake: Get Ready Project.  Mariana holds an M.A. in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Southern California and a Licence en Lettres Degree from the Sorbonne University, Paris. 

Richard Andrews, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor, Homeland Security

Session 3B:Community Recovery
Lessons Learned from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake

Richard Andrews is a Senior Advisor for the Homeland Security at the National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination (NC4™), a California-based corporation focused on advancing public-private sector collaboration. In June 2002, President Bush appointed Andrews to the Homeland Security Advisory Council which provides policy guidance to the Department of Homeland Security.  He chairs the Council’s Senior Advisory Committee on Emergency Services, Law Enforcement, Public Health and Hospitals. He served as Director of the California Office of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Advisor to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004-2005. From 1991 to 1998, Andrews was Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) for California where he managed the emergency response and recovery efforts for 19 presidential and 24 gubernatorial disasters. He is a member of the World Bank’s Disaster Management Operations Group, a past president of the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), former Executive Director of the California Seismic Safety Commission, and a member of various National Research Council committees. He holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

Adrienne Atwell

Session 3D: Risk Financing and Disaster Recovery
New options for Disaster Risk Financing

Adrienne Atwell is Senior Vice President and leads the Americas Public Sector Unit for Swiss Re. Responsible for Public/Private Partnerships, Adrienne liaises with a variety of government entities and NGO’s, developing insurance and financial solutions to manage risk. She participated in the Swiss Re sponsored “Climate Change Futures” project, speaks at numerous events concerning emerging issues in risk management, and has been active in the development and promotion of alternative financial solutions to disaster risk management. Prior to joining Swiss Re in 1997, Adrienne developed a strong foundation in tailoring solutions to clients’ needs while at J&H Marsh and McLennan and AIG.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Bardet

Session 2B: Megacity Infrastructure and Engineering the Future

Dr. Jean-Pierre Bardet is Professor and Chair of the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Viterbi School of Engineering of the University of Southern California (USC). Originally educated in France, J.P. received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology in 1984, and joined USC shortly after. J.P. has published over 100 technical publications in geo-mechanics, geo-information, geotechnical engineering, and earthquake engineering. His post-earthquake reconnaissance reports of devastating earthquakes in California, Japan, Turkey, Taiwan, and India have been recognized by the Frontiers of Engineering program and awarded the Gilbreth lecture of the National Academy of Engineering. J.P. contributed to constructing the System Integration of the George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation, one of the largest projects ever sponsored by the National Science Foundation in the field of earthquake engineering. He is actively involved in reforming engineering education with the California Engineering Education Council, and at the national level with the American Society of Civil Engineers. J.P. is presently leading a major multidisciplinary research initiative on Megacities at the USC.

Mahmut Bas

Session 2B: Megacity Infrastructure and Engineering the Future

Mahmut Baş was born in 1966, Rize-Güneysu. He graduated from Istanbul University- Faculty of Geophysics, Department of Geophysics Engineering between 1985-1989. He received an MS degree between 1990-1992, at the Institute of Science of IU. After working in the private sector for a short period, he started working in the public corporations in 1993. He has been serving as the Establishing Director at the Directorate of Earthquake and Ground Analysis since 1998. Mahmut Baş is married with three children.

Dr. Fouad Bendimerad

Session 2D: How to Assess Seismic Risk and Policies
Plenary 1

Dr. Bendimerad is a consulting engineer in California and the current Chairman of the Board of EMI (the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative).  He developed the concept of Disaster Risk Management Master Plan (DRMMP) for the management of risk in megacities; he is also the initiator of EMI’s 3cd Program, a global inter-disciplinary research program for megacities risk management.  He has served as advisor to several international organizations, governments and corporations.  He served as Principal Scientist to RMS a California Corporation for 11 years. Prior to that, he served for 13 years in the faculty of Stanford University and as a Visiting Professor in Karlsruhe University in Germany and Kobe University in Japan.  He holds Master and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Stanford University. 

Mark L. Benthien
Executive Director, Earthquake Country Alliance

Session 1B: Methods of Preparedness
Plenary 3

Mark Benthien is Director for Communication, Education and Outreach (CEO) for the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), headquartered at the University of Southern California (USC).

Mr. Benthien communicates earthquake knowledge to end-users and the general public in order to increase earthquake awareness, reduce economic losses, and save lives. To do this he 1) coordinates productive interactions among SCEC scientists and with partners in science, engineering, risk management, government, business, and education; 2) manages activities that increase earthquake knowledge and science literacy at all educational levels; 3) leads efforts to improve earthquake hazard and risk assessments; and 4) promotes earthquake preparedness, mitigation, and planning for response and recovery. Many of these efforts are coordinated through the Earthquake Country Alliance, involving partner organizations that provide earthquake information and services. Mr. Benthien received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geophysics from the University of California Los Angeles in 1995, and a Master of Public Policy degree from USC in 2003.

Hal Bernson
Los Angeles City Councilman (ret.)

Session 2C: Retrofitting: How to Deal with What You Have

Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson (ret.) is well known throughout the State, and world, as an expert on earthquake and disaster preparedness. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1979 to 2003 representing the Northwest San Fernando Valley in the City's 12th district. During his tenure, Councilman Bernson authored nearly all City legislation dealing with seismic codes and standards and was selected to head the City's recovery effort following the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Councilman Bernson was also well known as the City Council's planning and zoning expert and he has been very instrumental in establishing a policy that considers jobs, housing and transportation balance components for large development projects.

Mr. Bernson was the host of the last Los Angeles International Earthquake Conference in 1988. Currently, he is consulting on land use, transportation, environmental and government affairs.

Linda B. Bourque, Ph.D.

Plenary 6: Communicating a Message of Preparedness

Linda B. Bourque, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences and an associate director of both the Center for Public Health and Disasters and the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she teaches courses in research design and survey methodology.  She is the author or co-author of three books and more than 80 articles.  Data presented today is from a survey she is conducting for the State of California’s Office of Emergency Services, the California Seismic Safety Commission, the Institute for Building and Home Safety, and Southern California Area Governments.

Monica Buchanan
Claim Section Manager
State Farm Insurance Companies

Plenary3

Monica is a 21 year employee of the State Farm Insurance Companies and currently works as a Fire Claim Section Manager. Since 2003, Monica has led the Fire Claims Integrated Resources section in the California Zone where she has focused her efforts on quality management and continuous improvement.  Monica holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations. This year, Monica serves as a loaned executive on the Steering Committee for The Great Southern California ShakeOut.

Omar D. Cardona

Session 2D: How to Assess Seismic Risk and Policies
Innovative Disaster Risk Management Based on Probabilistic Risk Assessment: Applications for Risk Understanding, Communication, Reduction and Financing

Civil Engineer of the National University of Colombia, Manizales, Doctor of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics of the Technical University of Catalonia. At present, he is professor of the Institute of Environmental Studies of National University of Colombia and the University of Los Andes. He is the former President of the Colombian Association for Earthquake Engineering and the General Director of the National Directorate of Disaster Prevention and Attention of Colombia. He has been a consultant of the IDB, the World Bank, UNDP, and other agencies of UN. He is founder member of Latin American Network of Social Studies on Disaster Prevention (LA RED). In 2004 he was the winner of the UN Sasakawa Prize for Disaster Reduction.

Christopher Chiesa

Session 1D:  Technologies for Disaster Management
Applications of Geospatial Information Technology Supporting Disaster Early Warning and Notification

Mr. Chiesa is the Chief Information Officer of Pacific Disaster Center and a member of its Executive Management Team. He continues to lead PDC's geospatial data acquisition, management, analysis, dissemination and value-added information development activities as he did when he served as Director of the Data and Information Resources Division of PDC from March 2002 until his appointment as Chief Information Officer in December 2006. He has more than 20 years of experience developing and managing product and service applications of geospatial information technologies. He has supported projects around the world including in Egypt, Ukraine, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the Philippines. Mr. Chiesa has also been an instructor for graduate-level GIS analysis and applications development courses and has provided training to researchers, analysts, and scientists in government agencies within the U.S. and abroad. He was honored with a Special Achievements in GIS award in 2005 and the Hawaii Geographic Information Coordinating Council’s President’s Award in 2008.

Michael R. Christensen, P.E.

Session 2B: Megacity Infrastructure and Engineering the Future

Michael Christensen is the Deputy Executive Director for Development and the number 2-ranked executive at the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest container port in the United States.  His current responsibilities involve leading the Port’s Development Bureau which includes the Environmental Management, Engineering, Construction, and Goods Movement Divisions, having oversight for the environmental review, permitting, design, and construction of all Port infrastructure.  Mike has over 32 years of experience in the development and delivery of a wide variety of port, rail, and highway programs throughout the western United States.  He holds a degree in civil engineering from Arizona State University and is a registered professional engineer in ten states.

Craig D. Comartin, EERI’s Concrete Coalition

Session 2C: Retrofitting: How to Deal with What You Have
Finding and fixing dangerous buildings

Craig Comartin is a structural engineer who has focused on the development and application of performance based earthquake engineering (PBEE).  He is particularly expert in the evaluation and retrofit of existing structures and in the management of seismic risks associated with groups of individual facilities.  He has implemented large-scale retrofit programs for Stanford University and the University of California Berkeley.  Mr. Comartin has been key participant in the development of published procedures and guidelines for PBEE.  He was the lead investigator for the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s work on the Guam (1993) and Kobe (1995) earthquakes.  He has advised the World Bank and the Turkish government on repair and retrofit measures.  Mr. Comartin is Past President of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), a 2500 member group of international experts.  He is also an Honorary Member of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California.

Louise K. Comfort

Session 3A: Economics/Business Recovery

Assessing the Costs/Benefits of Disaster Reduction Policies: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike and their Impact on the Gulf Coast

Louise K. Comfort is a Professor of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.  She teaches in the field of public policy analysis, information policy, organizational theory, and sociotechnical systems.  She holds degrees in political science from Macalester College (B.A.); University of California, Berkeley (M.A.), and Yale University (Ph.D.). She is Principal Investigator, Interactive, Intelligent, Spatial Information System (IISIS) Project, 1994-present: http://iisis.gspia.pitt.edu. She has conducted field research on information processes in disaster operations following sixteen earthquakes in thirteen countries, 1985-2008, including Sumatran Earthquake and Tsunami, 2004; Wenchuan, China Earthquake, 2008, as well the 9/11/2001 Terrorist Attacks in New York and Washington, DC, and Hurricane Katrina, 2005. She is currently developing a testbed for information technologies in disaster environments in the Pittsburgh Metro Region.

Mustafa Erdik

Plenary 5: EQ Technology: Early Warning & Prediction
Istanbul Earthquake Early Warning and Rapid Response System

Mustafa Erdik is a Professor of Earthquake Engineering at Bogazici University in Istanbul.  He has worked with UNESCO, UNIDO, UNDP and several international foundations around the world on earthquake engineering problems. He is a member of the editorial board of several professional journals and serves in the executive board of several professional societies. He has authored more than 200 scientific papers and 5 books. In 1999 he was elected as the laureate of United Nations Sasakawa Disaster Prevention Award and in 2004 he has received the NATO Science for Peace – Summit Prize. His current research interest is on earthquake hazard and risk assessment.  Born in Ankara, Turkey, Dr. Erdik received a B.S. degree (1970) from Middle East Technical University, Turkey, and the degrees of M.S. (1972) and Ph.D. (1975) from Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Guillermo Escobar

Session: 1B – Methods of Preparedness
DPAE and Community

He is currently the head of the Directorate for Prevention and Response of emergencies of the Mayor of Bogota and the Fund for Prevention and Response of emergencies, has been worked for over 10 years in the Government Sector and 5 to DPAE as Coordinator of Emergencies and today as Director. His profession is a civil engineer specializing in Risk Assessment and Prevention of Disasters at the University of the Andes and has developed its management capacity on issues of prevention and education for risk management, crisis management in areas of impact, information systems geographical mapping, urban and rural ecological zoning, management of risks and design and implementation of emergency plans in massive events.

James G. Featherstone

Plenary 1

James G. Featherstone was appointed as the General Manager of the City of Los Angeles’ Emergency Management Department in October of 2007.  He is a native of Washington D.C. and a veteran of the United States Navy.  Prior to his current position Featherstone served 22 years with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Featherstone is a veteran of the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Disturbance, 1993 California Firestorm, the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, and the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

In addition to his current duties, Featherstone is an Adjunct Instructor at the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center at Texas A&M University, in their Enhanced Incident Management and Unified Command course.

Joya C. De Foor, CTP

Session 3D: Risk Financing and Disaster Recovery

Ms. Joya C. De Foor has been the City of Los Angeles Treasurer since 2001. Previously, she served in various capacities with the City of Long Beach, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Deloitte & Touche, Coldwell Banker, EGS Metro Corporation and Panhandle Energy (now Duke Energy).

She earned a BBA in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of Southern California.  Ms. De Foor also holds Certified Treasury Professional and Certified Government Financial Manager credentials.

Ms. De Foor’s professional affiliations include the Government Finance Officers Association, the California Debt & Investment Advisory Commission’s Technical Advisory Committee, and the California Municipal Finance Authority.

P. Michael Freeman

Wednesday Lunch

Since 1989, P. Michael Freeman has proudly served as Fire Chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, one of the largest fire protection and life safety agencies in America.  His expert team of 5,000 emergency responders and administrators serves over four million residents living in 58 cities and all unincorporated areas within the County.  His tireless leadership has helped redefine the mission of the fire service to include many specialized emergency services and disaster resources now utilized around the globe, including Urban Search and Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, and Homeland Security.  He has steadfastly led his Department’s response to many large-scale emergencies, including the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the 2007 California wildfires, the recent Metrolink train crash, and many others.  He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and personnel management.  He was born in Santa Monica, California.

Kay Fruhwirth, MSN, RN

Session 3C: Medical Recovery
Medical Resources for Disaster Response and Recovery

Kay Fruhwirth, MSN, RN, MICN has over 25 years of leadership experience in healthcare and emergency management.  She is currently the Assistant Director of the Emergency Medical Services Agency and serves as the Coordinator for the Hospital Preparedness Program for Los Angeles County.  In this role she and her staff work with public and private agencies and organizations addressing preparedness and planning activities for the healthcare community.

Thomas Heaton

Plenary 5: EQ Technology: Early Warning & Prediction
Prospects for California Earthquake Warning Systems

Thomas Heaton is a Professor of Engineering Seismology at the California Institute of Technology with a joint position in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science and the Division of Geological and Planetary Science. He is also the Director of Caltech’s Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory.  He was a Research Geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in their Pasadena Office from 1979 until July 1995, and he was the Scientist in Charge of the USGS Pasadena office from 1985 until October of 1992. He has received a Meritorious Service award from the U.S. Department of the Interior, he is a past President of the Seismological Society of America, and he is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. He received a B.S. in Physics from Indiana University in 1972, and a Ph.D. in Geophysics from the California Institute of Technology in 1979.

Dr. Chunfeng Hu

Plenary 2
Wenchuan Earthquake and Earthquake Disaster Mitigation in China

Hu chunfeng (1963--), Deputy Director, Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration. Graduated from University of Science and Technology of China with Master degree in 1988, worked in China Earthquake Administration, for the management of earthquake disaster reduction, mainly on international co-operation, policy making, science and technology research management, etc.

Kenneth W. Hudnut, Ph.D.
Geophysicist, United States Geological Survey

Session 1A: Lifeline Readiness & Fault Crossings
ShakeOut Earthquake Surface Rupture of the San Andreas Fault - Impacts on Critical Lifeline Infrastructure

Kenneth W. Hudnut studies earthquakes as a geophysicist for the U. S. Geological Survey in Pasadena, California. He serves as Geodetic Coordinator on the U.S. Earthquake Program Council and leads the Southern San Andreas Fault Evaluation (SoSAFE) Project for the Southern California Earthquake Center. For the USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project, he led the earthquake source design and computer simulations of the ShakeOut scenario, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault. Since receiving his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1989, and his A.B. (high honors) from Dartmouth in 1983, he has published over 80 scientific papers. He is a Visiting Associate in Geophysics on the faculty of the California Institute of Technology.

Dr. Lucile M. Jones, PhD

Plenary 3
Plenary 4

Dr. Jones has been a seismologist with the US Geological Survey and a Visiting Research Associate at the Seismological Laboratory of Caltech since 1983. She is currently serving as the Chief Scientist for the Multi Hazards Initiative in Southern California, developing a new program to integrate hazards science in urban areas with economic analysis and emergency response to increase community resiliency to natural disasters. She is also a Commissioner of the California Seismic Safety Commission, which advises the governor and legislature on seismic safety. She serves on the California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council and has authored over 80 papers on research seismology with primary interest in the physics of earthquakes, foreshocks and earthquake hazard assessment, especially in Southern California.

Dr. Thomas Jordan

Plenary 5: EQ Technology: Early Warning & Prediction

Dr. Thomas Jordan is the Director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, University Professor and the W. M. Keck Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California, where SCEC is headquartered.

Dr. Jordan is responsible for all aspects of SCEC’s program, which currently involves over 600 scientists at more than 60 universities and research institutions. He is a member of the California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council and the Council of the National Academy of Sciences, and he has served on the USGS Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory Committee. He is the author or co-author of approximately 180 scientific publications.

He received his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1972 and taught at Princeton University and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography before joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the Robert R. Shrock Professor in 1984. In 2000, he moved from MIT to USC. He has been awarded the Macelwane and Lehmann Medals of the American Geophysical Union and the Woollard Award of the Geological Society of America and
has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

Bijan Khazai

Session 2D: How to Assess Seismic Risk and Policies
Megacity Indicator Systems for Disaster Risk Management in Istanbu

Dr. Khazai is a Senior Researcher at the Center of Disaster Management and Reduction (CEDIM) at Karlsruhe University in Germany, where he is developing applications to evaluate the risk of Megacities to multiple hazards. Dr. Khazai’s research and consulting experience has involved pre and post disaster, risk and hazard assessment. For his doctoral work at the University of California – Berkeley, he has worked on developing GIS-based earthquake risk assessment models in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a post doctoral research fellow at Columbia University, he was involved in assessments of reconstruction methods following disasters in Iran, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Orleans. Dr. Khazai is currently Project Manager for EMI’s megacity’s indicator system project in Istanbul and the Partnership for Urban Risk Reduction (PURR) project with UCLG, Metropolis, CityNet and ICLEI. He is also involved as a team member in EMI’s DRM projects in Metro Manila and Amman.

Osman Kilic

Session 2D: How to Assess Seismic Risk and Policies

Osman KILIC was born in 1972,Elazig city of Turkey. He graudated from Firat Universty-Geology Engineering in 1995. He started to work in Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality as a Geology Engineer in 1997. Since this date, He is working on Disaster Risk Management Applications Projects in Directorate of Earthquake and Ground Research of IMM. He participated to Disaster Management Training in JICA-Japan as a trainee in 2003. Nowadays, He is currently working on establishing “Disaster Prevention Education Center in Istanbul” and he is coordinater of IMM side in a collaborative project of IMM, EMI, Karlsruhe University and Bogazici University-Istanbul; “Megacity Indicator System Project for Disaster Risk Management in İstanbul”.

Richard Koshalek

Session 1B: Methods of Preparedness

Richard Koshalek became the fourth president of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1999.  Prior to this role, he was director of The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in LA where he provided leadership for close to 20 years.  He has spoken at the World Economic Forum and served on the jury of a number of art and design related competitions including the Chrysler Design Awards; the Nominating Committee of the Praemium Imperiale Award led by David Rockefeller; chaired the Architectural Subcommittee to select the architect of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and was on the Committee of Assessors that picked the architect of the Tate Gallery of Modern Art in London.  He was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French Government in 1999.  He attended the Universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota, receiving a B.A. in Architecture and an M.A. in Architecture and Art History. 

Yasuko Kuwata

Session 1A: Lifeline Readiness & Fault Crossings
Seismic performance of pipeline under the fault crossing and its countermeasures

Dr. Yasuko Kuwata has conducted extensive research about the seismic performance of underground pipeline due to fault offsetting as well as about social impact due to malfunction of lifeline service. She has much experience in field surveys of earthquake damage in Japan, Taiwan, Turkey, and Iran. Most recently, surface fault offsetting in the Wenchan, China, earthquake was reported most recently by her and her colleagues’ survey. Dr. Kuwata is a Professor of Engineering at Kobe University in Japan, and she is a a member of JSCE and JEEA.

Rosario Marin
Secretary, State and Consumer Services Agency

Plenary 5: EQ Technology: Early Warning & Prediction

Secretary Marin serves in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cabinet as Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency where she oversees the state’s civil rights enforcement, consumer protection, and the licensing of 2.4 million Californians in more than 255 different professions. Ms. Marin served as the 41st Treasurer of the United States where she had oversight of the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. As Chairwoman of the California Integrated Waste Management Board from 2004 to 2006, Ms. Marin presided over the successful attainment of California’s 50 percent recycling mandate. She also served as a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Border 2012 Program, and was appointed to the Good Neighbor Environmental Board by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. In 1995, for her tireless work on behalf of persons with developmental disabilities, Ms. Marin was awarded the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Prize at the United Nations. She was only the second person to receive the honor. Ms. Marin received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from California State University, Los Angeles, and completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. For her contributions, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from her alma mater in 2002.

Steven L. McCabe Ph.D., P.E.

Session 2B: Megacity Infrastructure and Engineering the Future

  As CEO of the NEES Consortium, McCabe is responsible for all aspects of management and operation of this $22 million program. He works with the research community as well as the NEES equipment sites to improve utilization of the Network. McCabe also is engaging the greater Community in the US and abroad to share in the development and usage of the NEES system in extreme event research. McCabe is professor emeritus of Structural at the University of Kansas where for 22 years he taught a variety of courses including advanced analysis topics and structural design. McCabe managed the Structural Systems and Hazard Mitigation Program for NSF in Arlington, VA from 2002 through 2005. He managed the funding of research into structural performance under extreme loading, both natural and manmade. He was active in the NEES program at NSF during the construction and initial operation phases and managed the first two NEESR research competitions. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana with an emphasis in Earthquake Engineering and structural dynamics.

Richard J. McCarthy

Session 2A: Legislative Process for Enacting Seismic Safety Regulations

Richard McCarthy has served as the Executive Director for the California Seismic Safety Commission since 1995.  The California Seismic Safety Commission was established by legislation in January 1975 to set goals and priorities for earthquake safety and advises the Governor and the State Legislature on earthquake risk reduction issues.  In addition, the Commission is responsible for developing and maintaining the California Earthquake Loss Reduction Plan.  This document is a comprehensive strategic plan that sets forth statewide policy and direction in pursuit of the vision for a safer California.  Mr. McCarthy has also published numerous articles and reports and has served on many scientific committees and federal/state task forces.

Dennis S, Mileti, Ph.D.

Plenary 6: Communicating a Message of Preparedness
The State of the Art for Effective Public Education for Household Preparedness and Mitigation and a Report on the Exact State of Public Readiness in California and southern California

Dr. Dennis S. Mileti is Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado at Boulder where he served as Chair of the Department of Sociology and as Director of the Natural Hazards Center, the United State’s clearinghouse for social and behavioral science research on hazards and disasters. Dennis is author of over 100 publications. Most are on the societal aspects of hazards and disasters. His book, Disasters by Design, summarized the U.S.’s effort to assess knowledge and national policy for hazards and disasters. He has served on a variety of advisory boards including as Chair of the Committee on Natural Disasters in the National Research Council, Chair of the Board of Visitors to FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute, and the Board of Directors of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. Dennis is currently a member of the California Seismic Safety Commission and the Board of Directors for the Southern California Earthquake Center.

H. David Nahai

Session 1A: Lifeline Readiness & Fault Crossings
ShakeOut Scenario: Potential Impacts to City of Los Angeles Water and Electric Services from a M7.8 San Andreas Fault Earthquake

H. Davi Nahai was confirmed as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) on December 5, 2007.  Mr. Nahai oversees the largest municipal utility in the United States, managing over 8,500 employees and an annual budget of more than four billion dollars.  Since his appointment, Mr. Nahai has overseen the beginning of an overall transformation of the LADWP, including successfully securing funding to make essential Water and Power infrastructure improvements, implementing the City’s ambitious and far-reaching Water Supply Plan, aggressively moving away from coal to renewable energy, and introducing multiple energy and water conservation projects, among a host of other accomplishments.  Mr. Nahai’s vision is the emergence of the LADWP as a beacon of reliable, affordable, environmentally responsible water and power service to utilities and innovators all over the world.

Jorge Olarte Navarro

Session 2D: How to Assess Seismic Risk and Policies
Advances in Seismic Risk Assessment in Peru

Jorge Olarte Navarro, Doctor in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamic for the Polytechnic University of Catalunya, Spain. Civil Engineer graduated in National University of Engineering with specialization in Mitigation Strategy for Mega - Urban Earthquake Disaster on Kobe University, Japan. He was director on Japan Peru Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and Disaster Mitigation - CISMID of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the National University of Engineering. At present, he is professor for the Structural Department at the National University of Engineering and General Management of the IGR Ingenieros Consultores SAC, consulting in Engineering and Seismic Risk Assessment. He has participated in projects of structural vulnerability and seismic risk assessment for the Insured Company to estimate the probable maximum loss (PML) in Peru. He had published different articles in national and international journals.

Thomas D. O'Rourke

Session 2B: Megacity Infrastructure and Engineering the Future
Critical Urban Infrastructure

Professor Thomas D. O'Rourke is the Thomas R. Briggs Professor of Engineering at Cornell University. His teaching and professional practice cover many aspects of geotechnical engineering including foundations, earth retaining structures, slope stability, soil/structure interaction, underground construction, laboratory testing, and elements of earthquake engineering. He has authored or co-authored over 280 publications on geotechnical, underground, and earthquake engineering. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1993. He was awarded the C.A. Hogentogler Award from ASTM in 1976; the Collingwood and Huber Research Prize from ASCE in 1983 and 1988; the C. Martin Duke Award and the Stephen D. Bechtel Pipeline Engineering Award from ASCE in 1997; and the 1996 EERI Outstanding Paper Award. In 1998, he was elected to the EERI Board of Directors and served as Vice President. In 2002, he was elected President of EERI and served in that capacity until 2004.

Ines Pearce

Session 3A: Economics/Business Recovery

Inés Pearce launched Pearce Global Partners (PGP) to address the needs of government, business, non-profits and communities to reduce the potential for devastating loss of life and property from natural and human-caused disasters. An expert in public-private partnerships, in 2007 Ms. Pearce represented the World Economic Forum at the United Nation’s Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland. During the 2007 California wildfires, Ms. Pearce was selected by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center to be a liaison during disasters and facilitate long-term recovery, such as 2008’s flooding in Iowa, storms in Florida, Hurricanes in Texas and Louisiana. Prior to PGP, Inés was appointed as Seattle Project Impact Director for the City of Seattle Emergency Management in 1998, managing four mitigation programs that provided resources for safer schools, homes, businesses, and better hazard maps. She’s President of the Contingency Planning & Recovery Management (CPARM) group, the Disaster Resistant Business (DRB) Toolkit Workgroup, and on the Board of CREW.

Chris D. Poland

Session 2C: Retrofitting: How to Deal with What You Have
Buildings that should be retrofit to make a City Resilient

Chris Poland’s structural engineering career spans 30 years and includes a wide variety of new building designs and rehabilitation projects. A passionate seismic safety advocate, he actively participates in the academic, ethical and social advancement of his field. He currently presides as Chair of the congressionally mandated Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and is Chairman of the Strong Motion Advisory Committee for the California Seismic Safety Commission.  He served as President of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) from 2001 to 2002, and is a member of Boards of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. He is the 2006 recipient of the Alfred E. Alquist award from the California Earthquake Safety Foundation and is the 2008 SSA/EERI Joyner lecturer.

Glenn Pomeroy

Session 3D: Risk Financing and Disaster Recovery

Glenn Pomeroy is the Chief Executive Officer of the California Earthquake Authority, which provides earthquake insurance to more than 750,000 California households.  He brings to the job deep experience in both the public and private sectors.

Glenn earned his law degree in his home state of North Dakota and began his career in public service when he was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives at age 22. Following six years of legislative service, Glenn continued serving the public in a variety of positions:  county prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General, North Dakota Securities Commissioner, and North Dakota Insurance Commissioner.  In 1998, Glenn was selected by his peers to serve as President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. 

Glenn began work in the private sector in 2001, when he became head of Government and Regulatory Affairs for GE Insurance Solutions.  After Swiss Re acquired the business from GE in 2006, he performed a similar role for Swiss Re.  On April 1, 2008, Glenn began his new role as CEO of the California Earthquake Authority.

Jack Popejoy
KFWB News Anchor

Session 1B: Methods of Preparedness

Jack has been the morning radio news anchor for Los Angeles commuters since 2000, and has been reporting on earthquake-related topics since 1987. He is the local reporter relied upon during seismic events in Southern California, and is knowledgeable about earthquake hazards worldwide. He has also been a crisis management and communication consultant for more than 20 years, for various local, state, and federal government agencies, and many private companies. He has been involved in the Southern California Earthquake Center since its inception in 1991, and is a founding member of the Earthquake Country Alliance. He has been awarded 28 Golden Mikes by the Radio & Television News Assoc. Jack was a participant and speaker at the International Conference on Earthquake Countermeasures in Beijing in 1988.

Keith A. Porter

Session 1D:  Technologies for Disaster Management

Dr Porter is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and President of the consulting company SPA Risk LLC. He specializes in natural-disaster risk management. Recent projects include: leading the assessment of physical damages for the USGS's Shakeout Scenario; developing FEMA’s free, smartphone-based ROVER system to screen buildings for potential seismic risk; leading a study for the US Congress that estimated a 4:1 benefit-cost ratio for natural hazards mitigation; developing free, open-source risk-modeling software called OpenRisk; developing global vulnerability models for the USGS's Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) project; and other efforts for insurers, water and power utilities, FEMA, and the World Bank. Dr Porter holds BS, MEng, and PhD degrees from UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University, and is a licensed Professional Engineer. See http://spot.colorado.edu/~porterka and http://www.sparisk.com for more information, or call (626) 233-9758.

Dr. Sergio Puente

Session 1C: Disaster Risk Reduction through Land Use Planning
Risk Management, Social Participation and Urban Planning in Mexico City

Professor Sergio Puente is a fulltime professor of the Centre of Demographic and Urban Development Studies of El Colegio de México. He serves as Chairman of Social Sciences Scientific Committee of the National System of Civil Protection of Mexico, SINAPROC. He is a member of the Scientific Board of the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative (EMI), as well as the Academic Representative for Mexico City. Professor Punete as serves as the Academic Representative of México before the International Geographical Union, IGU, Study Group on Early Industrial Regions.  He is an Associate Professor of the Development Planning Unit, DPU, of the University College London, as well as Sorbonne University, Paris, and National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED) in France. Professor Puente is a member of the National Research System of Mexico (SNI).

Michael Reichle

Session 1A: Lifeline Readiness & Fault Crossings

Michael Reichle has a BA in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Sciences and a PhD in Earth Science from UCSD.  He has held research scientist positions at the Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y Educacion Superior de Ensenada, UCSB Marine Science Institute and UCSD Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.  In 1982, Michael joined the California Division of Mines and Geology, working on a project related to earthquake hazards and planning in the California-Mexico border region.  He has since work on projects related to earthquake early warning, earthquake insurance rates and the California probabilistic ground motion maps.  In 2003, he was appointed Assistant Director of the California Department of Conservation and Acting State Geologist.

Michael has been a member of the California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council for a number of years and is currently chair of the council.

Eduardo Reinoso

Session 1D: Technologies for Disaster Management
Earthquake scenarios and real time damage by building level

Civil Engineer from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Ph. D. degree from Wessex Institute of Technology, Southampton, England.
Full time researcher at the Institute of Engineering UNAM and CEO of ERN (Evaluación de Riesgos Naturales SC) a leading private company devoted to offer engineer and risk management solutions to the insurance sector and governments.
His main field of research has been the evaluation of seismic and hurricane risk of buildings. He has published more than 120 technical papers in national and international conferences, books and journals. One of these papers won the “Outstanding Paper Award of 1999” given by the Earthquake and Engineering Research Institute (EERI).

Adam Rose

Session 3A: Economics/Business Recovery
Business Resilience to Earthquakes:  Lessons from the ShakeOut

Adam Rose (Ph.D in Economics, Cornell) is Research Professor in the University of Southern California’s School of Policy, Planning and Development (SPPD), and Coordinator for Economics at USC's DHS Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE).  He recently served on a National Research Council panel on the benefits of advanced seismic monitoring and as a lead researcher for a report to the U.S. Congress on the benefits of FEMA hazard mitigation grants. He is a co-PI on an NSF grant to estimate the economic impacts of risk amplification following terrorist attack. He is also coordinating a project for DHS to provide definitive estimates of the economic impacts of 9/11. A major focus of his research is on resilience to terrorism and natural disasters at the levels of the individual business, market, and regional economy.

Erdal Safak

Session 2B: Megacity Infrastructure and Engineering the Future

Carlos Sainz Luna

Session: 2D: How to Assess Seismic Risk and Policies
Sistema de Alertamiento Sísmico en la Ciudad de México

Carlos Sainz Luna serves as the Undersecretary of Coordination of Prevention Planning and Programs, in the Civil Protection Secretary, Mexico City. Previously, he served as Integral Security Director, Corporacion Interamericana de Entretenimiento (2000-2007), Operations Director, Operadora de Centros de Espectáculos (1999-2000); and Integral Security Assistant Director, Corporacion Interamericana de Entretenimiento (1998-1999). From 1994 to 1998, he served as the General Director of Mexico City’s
Civil Protection department.  He serves on numerous Civil Protection Committees including the Civil Protection National Council, State of Mexico Civil Protection Council, and the American Civil Defense Association (TACDA), to name just a few. Carlos has served as president of different commissions for drafting of local and federal Laws and rules regarding to Civil Protection in Mexico, and he has had more than 90 papers about civil protection published.

Violeta Somera Seva

Session 2A: Legislative Process for Enacting Seismic Safety Regulations

Atty. Violeta Somera Seva is the General Secretary of the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative (EMI) and Senior Adviser to the Office of the Mayor of the City Government of Makati, Metropolitan Manila, Philippines

Skip Skivington

Session 3C: Medical Recovery
Earthquake Response - Built on Overall System Readiness

Skip is the Interim Vice President of Supply Chain, Procurement & Supply, Kaiser Permanente, based at the national headquarters in Oakland, California, and is responsible for the executive oversight of Kaiser Permanente’s Supplier Diversity, Nutritional Services, Materials Management, and Healthcare Continuity Management programs.  The Healthcare Continuity program includes both a business continuity program and a threat assessment program.  Skip is a member of State and National advisory boards and committees, and is a frequent speaker on the issue of medical preparedness in the event of a terrorist attack.  Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Skip led two Kaiser Permanente medical response teams to the Gulf Region at the request of the US Surgeon General, and the State of California.

Greig Smith
Los Angeles City Councilman

Plenary 1: Opening Ceremony
Session 2C: Retrofitting: How to Deal with What You Have

Los Angeles Councilman Greig Smith was elected to the City Council in 2003 representing the Northwest Valley, the epicenter of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. He has a solid record as the City leader in environmental protection and waste policy reform with his RENEW LA plan to end the City’s use of landfills; as a fiscal watchdog on the Budget and Finance Committee; as a champion of public safety on the Public Safety Committee and as an LAPD Reserve Officer; and as a leading business advocate. He worked on the first International Earthquake Conference in 1987 and is spearheading this year’s Los Angeles International Earthquake Conference. He has authored numerous pieces of legislation to make L.A. safer for earthquakes and other disasters, including: inventories on non-ductile concrete buildings; requiring all City vehicles to carry emergency kits and fire extinguishers; mapping out all City buildings that will be opened to the public during disasters; requiring generators at all gas stations so they can pump fuel during power outages; and restoring funding for Community Emergency Response Team training.

Ellis M. Stanley, Sr., CEM

Plenary 1: Opening Ceremony
“How do MegaCities – metropolises like Los Angeles – live and deal with earthquakes?”

Ellis Stanley has over 33 years of domestic and international Emergency Management Experience, having retired as General Manager of Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department in 2007. From March 2007 thru August 2007 Mr. Stanley was Director of DNC Planning for the City & County of Denver, CO. For his efforts there the Mayor Proclaimed August 29th “Ellis Stanley Day” in Denver. Ellis is currently is with Dewberry, an Emergency Management consulting firm and serves as the Director of Western Emergency Management Services.

Steve Storbakken

Session 3C: Medical Recovery

Steve Storbakken is the Director of Safety and Emergency Preparedness for Providence San Fernando Valley Service Area, which serves two hospitals (452-bed Saint Joseph’s and 254-bed Holy Cross, which is a trauma center) and approximately 5000 employees.  He successfully applied for and manages HRSA grant funds for the purpose of addressing patient surge capacity as a result of a WMD incident in Los Angeles.  Steve represents PSJMC on the LA County National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program and chairs the Providence Health System Disaster Preparedness Taskforce, which serves 27 hospitals and 45,000 employees.  Currently, he serves on the board of the Glendale Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, and was responsible for co-writing the Catastrophic Disaster Plan for the Greater Los Angeles Chapter when he served on their board. He has an undergraduate degree in Healthcare Management, and Associate degree in Criminal Justice Administration and HEM and HSP certifications.

Kenneth C. Topping

Session 1C: Disaster Risk Reduction through Land Use Planning
Reducing Earthquake Losses Through Disaster-Resistant Community Planning and Design

Kenneth C. Topping, FAICP, is president of Topping Associates International, lecturer with the City and Regional Planning Department of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and project director for the California Hazard Mitigation Plan Revision Project undertaken for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES). He is former director of planning for the City of Los Angeles (1986-1990) where he guided significant planning efforts, including a pre-event Recovery and Reconstruction Plan used after the Northridge Earthquake. Recognized internationally for work integrating urban planning and disaster management, he has served as advisor in Australia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan, where he was visiting professor at the Kyoto University Disaster Prevention Research Institute (2002-2004). Co-author of Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction (FEMA-APA), he has advised on rebuilding New Orleans.

David Wald

Session 1D:  Technologies for Disaster Management
Decision-Making Tools for Pre-earthquake Mitigation and Post-earthquake Response

Dr. David Wald is a Seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado. He is also on the faculty in the Geophysics Department at the Colorado School of Mines. Wald earned his Ph.D. in Seismology from Caltech. At the USGS, Wald is involved in management, operations, and developments at the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden and the new Advanced National Seismic System being built by the USGS. As a Supervisory Research Geophysicist, Wald manages the Real-time Research & Development Project. Wald developed and manages “ShakeMap”, “ShakeCast”, “Did You Feel it?” and “PAGER” and is responsible for the research and development, management, and operations of a number of other systems for pre-earthquake mitigation and post-earthquake response and information.

Rory Wirtjes

Session 3B: Community Recovery

Rory Wirtjes is the Manager for Field Safety Operations for Waste Management in the Western Group. Mr. Wirtjes serves as liaison between Waste Management Safety Services L.L.C. and the 22 Market Area Safety Managers located throughout the West.

His responsibilities include overseeing disaster planning and
preparedness, as well as managing corporate safety policies, procedures
and initiatives. He is the co-sponsor of the Waste Management Disaster
Planning Training and Program Development Committee for the Western
United Sates.

With over 20 years of occupational safety and health experience, Mr.
Wirtjes brings perspective from his safety work with a variety of
industries, professional organizations and government agencies.

Brent Woodworth

Session 1B: Methods of Preparedness

Brent Woodworth is the founder and manager of “The Crisis Response Team”, an international disaster preparedness and response team that has responded to over 70 major crisis events in 49 countries.  Brent is well known for his humanitarian relief work and industry leadership. In 1998, Brent was appointed by James Lee Witt (Director of FEMA) to a U.S. Congressional designated taskforce where he co-authored the national plan for pre-disaster mitigation for the US government. In 1999 Brent was appointed to the board of the US Multi-hazard Mitigation Council and named Chairman in 2002. Brent was elected to the DRI International board of directors in 2003 becoming their Chairman in 2007 and re-elected in 2008.  In September 2005 Brent was honored to be named and confirmed to the board of the U.S. National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). Brent is a recipient of the Contingency Planning & Management magazine “Hall of Fame” award along with the PPBI (Public Private Businesses Incorporated) national achievement award and Computerworld Magazine “Laureate”. 

Mustafa Ozhan Yagci

Session 2D: How to Assess Seismic Risk and Policies
Disaster Prevention Mitigation Studies for a Safer Urban Life“Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Measures for Preventing Disaster &  Microzonation Projects in Istanbul

M.Ozhan Yagci; CE, MBA, born 1972, has specialized in vulnerability assessments of urban structures including lifelines & superstructures. He graduated from Bogazici University Civil Engineering Faculty & received MBA degree from a business collage in NY. He was counterpart specialist of the Study on Disaster Mitigation Prevention Basic Plan in Istanbul (by IMM-JICA). His papers published on international conferences e.g. 13th WCEE (World Conference on Earthquake Engineering-2004). He participated many other national & international projects related to urban risk mitigation and preparedness supported by JICA, JIBIC, JETRO & WB. He served as a Planning Engineer in IGDAS and conducted technical and financial feasibility studies on city gas distribution systems for many cities of Turkey (1998-2000). He has worked as Project Coordinator of Microzonation Project (European Side-South) of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. He is continuing hazard mitigation related projects as coordinator/adviser for different public and private entities. He is co-founder of Cemre Construction Co. conducting mass-houses projects and infrastructure, lifeline constructions and rehabilitation and a media company MonoFilm Co. producing movies, documentaries, publications, ect. in order to increase public awareness.

Luis E. Yamin

Session 1D:  Technologies for Disaster Management
Generating Earthquake Damage Scenarios for Emergency Planning and Response

Civil Engineer and Master of Science from Universidad de Los Andes Bogotá, Colombia, in 1982 and 1983, Master of Science from Stanford University in 1985. Full-time Associate professor and researcher at the Department of Civil Engineering at Universidad de los Andes in the area of structural and earthquake engineering. CEO and partner Ingeniería Técnica y Científica Ltd. – ITEC Ltda, Bogotá, Colombia (Engineering consulting company) since 1995 acting as Structural Engineer and Project Leader in earthquake engineering, dynamics of structures, natural hazards and infrastructure risk evaluations and  specialized software development for earthquake engineering and risk analysis.  International consultant for natural hazard and risk modelling with ERN-Colombia and ERN-Latin America for the World Bank,  IDB - Inter American Development Bank and CEPAL, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean – ECLAC.

Hugo Yepes

Plenary 5: EQ Technology: Early Warning & Prediction
Lessons to be learned from the Volcanic Early Warning System for Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador

I am a geologist from Escuela Politecnica Nacional in Quito with an advanced degree in seismology from Saint Louis University (Missouri). I have 25 years of experience in geological hazard evaluation and risk mitigation.  My principal area of expertise is the development of early warning systems, specifically the implementation of seismic and volcanic monitoring networks and the elaboration of earthquake and eruption damage scenarios. I am the scientific spokesman for earthquake and eruption crises in Ecuador and the chief scientific advisor for civil defense authorities in those fields. I am co-founder of the Geophysical Institute at the Escuela Politecnica Nacional in 1983 and was appointed Director of the Institute in 1997. I also have been a professor at the Geology Department of the same University since 1985. The Geophysical Institute is in charge of the National Seismological and Volcanological Service in Ecuador.