District 4 Councilwoman Joins Latino Policymakers For NALEO Educational Fund's Policy Institute On Emergency Preparedness

San Antonio TX

23 April, 2022

6:51 PM

Description

Press release from the City of San Antonio: Friday, April 22, 2022 CONTACT: Rosana Galaviz Office: (210) 207-5785 [email protected] SAN ANTONIO (April 22, 2022) – Councilwoman Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia joined the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund and a cohort of more than 50 Latino policymakers in Chicago, Illinois, for an institute on 21st century hazards focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme climate-related disasters. The NALEO Policy Institute on Emergency Preparedness for 21st Century Hazards took place April 21–22, 2022, at the Swissôtel Chicago. The Institute provided Latino policymakers with the understanding of critical elements around emergency preparedness and management in an effort to aid communities and position government to better prepare for, mitigate, and recover from various types of disasters and emergencies. "After this week's sessions, I've already started working on some ideas as to how to better prepare our community for emergencies, with a focus on the most vulnerable populations," stated Councilwoman Rocha Garcia, "It was evident from the conversations happening amongst my peers that we are not the only community struggling with how to communicate with residents most effectively in a time of crisis. Another topic of significance is cybersecurity threats, which although not always detectable, are constantly happening, and are certainly the warfare of the future so we need to protect our City from potential threats." During the Institute, District 4 Councilwoman networked with other Latino leaders and heard from leading experts on how to deal with these catastrophic events and other hazards affecting our communities, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Topics addressed during the Institute included: Building Resiliency, Climate-Related Emergencies, The Impact of Extreme Weather on America's Infrastructure, Hazard Mitigation: Community Education and Outreach, and Cybersecurity For Critical Infrastructure. Select speakers at this year's Institute included NALEO's President, the Hon. Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner; Mr. Michael Smith, National Executive Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships at the American Red Cross; and Ms. Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for America and Former Acting Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy with the U.S. Department of Transportation. As part of the curriculum, participants will also be invited to join a follow-up virtual session that will take place in September 2022. This year marked the 10th anniversary of NALEO Educational Fund's institute programming dedicated to supporting Latino policymakers' emergency preparedness and response work, aiming to provide Latino public servants with the enhanced capacity and governance skills to become effective advocates for their communities. Since 2012, more than 400 Latino elected officials have participated in this professional development institute dedicated to enhancing leaders' understanding of infrastructure funding and strategies to increase resiliency against weather and climate-related disasters. This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author's own.