PA Environment Digest Blog: FEMA Region 3, Silver Jackets Host Hurricane Agnes50 Virtual Seminar Series Starting May 18

The Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 3 and Silver Jackets partners are presenting a series of virtual seminars to commemorate the 50t Anniversary of Hurricane Agnes. What happened? What have we learned? Where do we go from here? Join us!

Here’s the schedule--

-- May 18: Learning From Disaster - The Environmental Impacts & Lessons Of Hurricane Agnes. Noon to 1:00 p.m. Hosted by the Chesapeake Research Consortium.

Hurricane Agnes was a formative event in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The scale of the devastation was unparalleled and caused the Bay community to take a long look at business as usual and determine how we could better prepare for extreme events.

The Chesapeake Research Consortium was born out of this desire to understand the environmental impacts and build resilience after Agnes.

We've had 50 years since the storm shifted the conversation - what have we learned about the Bay watershed and responding to the environmental impacts of intense storms?

Click Here to register.

-- June 8: Flood Mitigation Then & Now - 50 Years Of Reducing Flood Risk Since Agnes. 11:00 a.m. to Noon.

Mitigation works. Agnes was a devastating flood but projects in place at the time of the storm significantly reduced its impact.

US Army Corps Baltimore District estimates projects in its region prevented $480 million in damage. Since Agnes, federal state and local governments have invested even more to reduce the harm of future floods but the nature of mitigation is changing.

We'll discuss the history of mitigation at the time of Agnes, what we've done since the storm, and how mitigation programs are evolving to overcome increasing challenges.

Click Here to register.

-- June 21: Agnes50 - Learn From The Past, Prepare For The Future. 11:00 a.m. to Noon.

It's been half a century since Agnes but there are still many lessons from the impacts of the storm and the emergency response.

Learn from David DeCosmo, a former WYOU news broadcaster who was appointed to be the Luzerne County Civil Defense Public Information Officer during the storm, and his experience working as part of the response efforts and communicating with the public.

Mike Bilder, FEMA Hurricane Program Manager will provide insight into the immediate impacts of Agnes and how this storm compares to others we have experienced more recently.

Reflecting on Agnes now will help us be more prepared for the future.

Click Here to register.

(Photo: Agnes flooding in Wilkes-Barre, one of several fires during the flood.)

Resource Links:

-- National Weather Service - Flood Of June 1972 - Hurricane Agnes

-- Hurricane Agnes - Wikipedia

-- PaHistory.org - Inundation Of The Heartland Tropical Storm Agnes

-- WBRE-TV: Hurricane Agnes Documentary

-- Times Leader: Agnes Still On People’s Minds

-- PennLive: Tropical Storm Agnes Devastated PA In 1972

-- PennLive: Tropical Storm Agnes - Video

-- Tropical Storm Agnes - Video Of Damage