Lamar University’s Center for Advances in Port Management will host a workshop on April 24 on “Emergency Response Planning  (ERP) - A Focus on 2018 Hurricane Plan Review.”

“With the hurricane season rapidly approaching, this timely workshop will provide an opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned from previous storm events,” said Erik Stromberg, executive director of the LU Center for Advances in Port Management. “Given that the next storm will likely be different from the last one, the workshop will cover fundamental planning elements to be addressed in ERP, as well as in 2018 hurricane plans.” 

The workshop will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship (CICE), room 113, on the Lamar University campus. The CICE is at 5091 Rolfe Christopher Dr. at the corner of Rolfe Christopher and Jim Gilligan Way. CEU credits will be given. 

Check-in and a continental breakfast will be available beginning at 7:30 a.m. A $25 registration fee covers breakfast, coffee breaks and lunch. Space is limited, so registration is required at https://events.attend.com/f/1383783830#/reg/0/.

The workshop will be facilitated by Stromberg, and Bryan Markland, emergency response & security manager, transportation EH&S manager, Lucite International, Nederland. Roger Erickson, senior weather forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, will lead off the workshop with a preview of the 2018 hurricane season. Among the other topics to be addressed are: planning timelines, personnel/resource contingency plans, risk registers, community/supply chain coordination, real-time assessments, and recovery and business continuity strategies.

A featured component of the workshop will be a tabletop exercise for 2018 hurricane plans. This open format will depend on active engagement of each participant, who will be asked to bring his or her organization’s current hurricane/heavy weather plan. Best practices and lessons learned from the table-top exercise will help prepare individual organizations and the region to be better prepared for the next storm event.  

“This unique workshop will address the planning needs of all port and maritime industry stakeholders along the Sabine-Neches Waterway,” Markland said. “By sharing best practices, we can all be better positioned for future natural disruptions to operations.”

“Lamar University's new Center for Port Management is a valuable port partner and they continue to offer programs and workshops that enhance the region’s competitiveness in a constantly evolving economic landscape,” said Chris Fisher, port director and CEO of the Port of Beaumont. “This past year the Center has put together a series of workshops, including the upcoming Emergency Response Planning workshop, that are essential to preparing our industry leaders and general workforce for emergency situations and will provide them with the tools needed to be resilient following a catastrophic event.”

“Knowing how to properly respond to an emergency, from a collaborative regional perspective, has the potential to save the Southeast Texas countless dollars in resources following major events like hurricanes and floods,” Fisher said.

“The Center’s sponsored workshops, including the 2018 Hurricane Plan Review, align directly with the Center’s mission to better prepare the port and maritime industry for future challenges and opportunities,” Stromberg said.