Standard Chartered Bank and 9/11 preview

My next day was spent with Standard Chartered Bank, in Bryant Park. 
Rob and Tony are the two Business Continuity Managers there, and I received a very warm welcome on my arrival.. and was once again greeted by an amazing view! (below)
Rob and Tony told me all about their 9/11 experiences.
Rob worked in one of the Towers at the time of the attacks, but was thankfully late that morning, and Tony was in WTC 7, and luckily survived the collapse.  It was very moving to hear their stories.
After their personal accounts they went on to talk me through the BC processes of their respective companies at the time.  It was intersting to compare and contrast the Diaster Recovery approaches from NY and the UK..
I was not far from Ground Zero so I visited the Preview Center, which is a temporary arrangement until the museum opens.  Again, moving and emotional.
Tomorrow I visit the Office of Emergency Management in Brooklyn, and then leave for Boston.
Boston will se me spending a day at the airport with the staff who assisted the families from plane victims, 2 days wwith Boston Police Department, talking through their emergency plans and a day with the Red Cross. 
I am not sure if I will have wifi in my apartment, but if I do you will hear more soon!!

Rob and Tony and their view!

Hicksville and James Bond

The day after my conference I travelled by train to Long Island, to a town called Hicksville.  I was meant to spend some time in NYC with Terry Winters from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, however due to the huge impact of Hurricane Irene, Terry has been deployed to Nassau County Emergency Planning in Hicksville where he is assisting those whose properties were damaged by Irene.
Terry met me from the train station and we drove to the Center.  It was exteremely intersting to see Terry in action (below), and it was time well spent.  The Center also houses some scientific research companies.  I was lucky to be invited to see a mapping system in action, it was truly amazing, very James Bond, so I can't write much more about that!

JP Morgan

I visited the amazing Chase Manhatten Plaza to attend a conference ran by an organisation called Contingency Planning Exchange (CPE).  JP Morgan were hosting the event, and on arrival I was asked to attend the 60th floor!! On arrival the view was the first thing I noticed (Picture below).  It was simply stunning. 
After networking over coffee and cookies, the Conference began.  Some very interesting speakers followed.  Lieutenant Kevin Fowler from the New Jersey State Police spoke about the Trans Hudson Emergency NJ/NY plan.  He has written a plan to get people home to New Jersey from New York in the event of an emergency such as a 'blackout'. 

A colleague called Steve Gutkin (who I have already spent a day with) spoke next about his team, called The Regional Catastrophic Planning Team (picture above).  Steve introduced me to the audience, which was quite an experience!

9/11 Memorial and Westfield Shopping Center!

Yesterday was a very interesting day indeed.   Last week I met a fellow Fellow called Ian Nuttal, who is researching 'Practical Lessons Learnt from Major Disasters' in the States.  He is a Search and Rescue Firefighter in the UK.  He came to NYC and we met up! He asked if he could come along to my meeting with the '9/11 Memorial and Museum' Team.  I asked the team, who said they were more than happy for us both to attend.  We arrived at their office, on the 20th floor overlooking Ground Zero, and were treated to a presentation around the planning for the Memorial and Museum.  We also met with the Head of Education (Picture below), an Oral Historian and a Curator.  The Museum does not open until next year, however I would urge anyone visiting NYC next year to visit, as from the preview images I was shown, it looks to be an amazing facility.
After our meeting we were taken down to the site and escorted to the front of the queue.  After very thorough security checks (of which Ian did not have to take part in, as he is a responder), we entered the site.  It is very moving, but what becomes clear almost instantly, is that it is not Ground Zero anymore... It is a place for reflection and peace.  The site is still surrounded by construction work, yet has a sense of calm and quiet.  The names of the victims are grouped together as per where they died (picture below).  So each plane, each company, each emergency service, has it's own place.
Something that interested me greatly was The Survivor Tree (picture below).  The only tree that survived the attacks.  The Tree is the only Callary Pear Tree at the site.  The new trees that have been planted are Swamp White Oak Trees (225 planted so far, 416 eventually).  The Survivor Tree, is a gathering place for those that survived the attacks, a symbol of growth and recovery... as you can clearly see where the Tree began to grow following it's ordeal.
It was a moving afternoon, but at the same time it is amazing to see the recovery of the community taking place before your eyes, ten long years on.

Today I was invited to Paramus Shopping Mall, the second largest in The States! I met with the Secuirty Manager and we talked about the risk management he has put in place since the attacks, the extra security, and their emergency plans.  I also met with the Emergency Manager for the municipality of Paramus, and we swapped stories and shared information.
The Mall is owned by Westfield, so it was of particular interest to discuss security, because of the Stratford Westfield being so closely located to the Olympic Park!

Tomorrow I head to JP Morgan, to attend a Business Continuity Conference entitled 'Ten Years On'.

Unfortunatley I have still not met with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as they are still deployed upstate looking atter those affected by Irene.  So, after some thought, I suggested that I travel upstate to meet them and witness the work they are doing.. so that will happen on Friday, they can't come to me, so I will go to them!

Enjoy my pictures, more soon

Quick update!

A very quick update, as I am so busy!
Had some excellent meetings last week.... one in particular was with Chief Joe Pfeifer of the FDNY.  He is Chief of Counter Terrorism and Emergency Preparedness..  A fascinating man.  He was the subject of the film the French Brothers made during the Terror Attacks, simply called 9/11.  I would urge everyone to see this film, and this incredible mans esperience. 
Also I have had sucessful meetings with The New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Centre, and the Regional Catastrophic Planning Team.  I have met Commissioner Bruno, Head of the Office of Emergency Management, and so many more!
Tomorrow I have a private tour of the Memorial.  Tickets are sold out until November, so I am extremely proud to be invited personally.
More soon!!

9/11 Ten Years On

Well, that was emotional!
The day started with my arrival at the Salvation Army Headquarters, in downton Manhattan.
The Salvation Army had laid on a support centre for those affected by the attacks ten years ago.  After attending one of thir planning meetings I thought that I knew what to expect! I was wrong.  The centre was amazing.. in attendance were 8 therapy dogs, acupuncture and massage facilities and quiet areas staffed by counsellors.  There was also a 1400 seater theatre streaming the opening of the memorial live.
Food had been donated, and caterers had volunteered to serve it.
It was a Centre of two halves. The theatre was quiet and emotional, and the foyer was busy with those catching up with old friends, networking and sharing experiences.
Most of my day was spent trouble shooting, however I also did some registration and meeting and greeting guests.
At lnchtime, a fellow Churchill Fellow Ian Nuttal arrived.  Ian is a Firefighter in the UK, and is researching practical experiences learnt from major disasters in the US.  I showed Ian around the Centre, and then headed off to Penn Station to say goodbye, as he was visiting colleagues in Long Island that afternoon.  Ian was in full dress uniform, and when the NYPD saw him, we were escorted through the station, and allowed to travel for free, in respect for his UK position. 
The City was alive with uniforms, I decided to visit Ground Zero later that evening, once the crowds had dispersed.  Following a tip from a friend, I went to the W Hotel, which has a terrace overlooking Ground Zero.  It was extremely emotional.  The memorial is beautiful, and very fitting.  With peoples names grouped together dependant on the place they died. 
Walking around the City that evening was an experince I will never ever forget.  I met British Police, British Fire Officers, and many American responders who had felt the need to be there, whether involved or not.  The atmosphere was also extremely friendly, with everyone chatting to everyone, no matter what your job, where you came from or why you were there.
Today I had the privelidge to meet with Chief Pfeiffer from the FDNY.  He was the first Chief Officer on the scene on that terrible day, and my meeting with him was sucessful and yet moving.
I have a very busy week this week.  Tomorow I meet a British Police Officer, who is here researching a similar project to mine.  We can swap ideas and share experiences.  I also have a trip to New Jersey 'Fusion Centre', a place where resilience ideas are 'fused' together to plan for the future.
I will also be spending a day at the Office of Emergency Management on Thursday, which is the closest organisation to the Contingency Planning Units that Local Authorities have in the UK.
So... more soon.. I hope you find my pictures interesting.

Claire

Irene, DC, trains and NYC!

Apologies it has taken me so long to update....
Well, I arrived at Heathrow, still not really knowing if my plane would even be taking off! But it did, and the Pilot kindly updated us that there was no way he would ever fly us into a hurricane.. and that Irene was not due to hit Washington till much later that evening!
So I arrived at Dulles airport in the pouring rain (after a very scary landing!).  I took a Taxi to my apartment, which was lovely, and awaited the arrival of Irene.  However, after a 7 and a half hour flight, exhaustion set in, and I manged to sleep through the whole thing!
The next day the sun was out, and you would only have known that Irene had hit because of the broken branches everywhere. (see picture below, if you look closely you can see the broken branches)
Sucessful meetings with the Air Transportation Board and the FBI followed.. as did a very moving trip to the Pentagon Memorial, and before I knew it it was time to take the train to NYC!