In 1998, U.S. Congress funded the Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CDMHA), a partnership between Tulane University and the University of South Florida, to support the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). A Board of Governors, presided over by the Commander in Chief of SOUTHCOM, General Peter Pace of the US Marine Corps, sets policy.

The CDMHA sponsors joint programs, including collaborative research and training, to facilitate the application of scientific knowledge related to disaster preparedness and mitigation. The Center furthers the development of technology tools and information and communication services between disaster response and humanitarian assistance agencies, and offers curriculum development focusing on integrated education and training.

The CDMHA is unique in its role to support smooth organizational and personnel change within SOUTHCOM. It is university - based, acting as independent counsel and institutional memory in the area of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR). Moreover, it serves as a bridge to transmit military expertise and experience to the civilian community and back, forging a bridge over the cross-cultural gap that sometimes exists between the two communities.

Realizing that a successful humanitarian assistance operation often calls for unique procedures and skills beyond the scope of a traditional military operation, and that senior U.S. military personnel need to be aware of the complexity and scope of these missions, an executive program was designed to provide a strategic-level overview of disaster management in the Americas. To that end in October 2000 CDMHA sponsored the Integrated Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Natural Disaster (INTERHANDS) Executive Seminar. The two-day event was held at SOUTHCOM Headquarters in Miami and concentrated on an audience of the senior leaders from SOUTHCOM and its component commands. This Executive-level INTERHANDS brought together field-experienced speakers from the U.S. government, the United Nations, and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Presenters emphasized the specialized attention and effort needed to meet expectations in disaster relief activities that do not exist in more traditional military activities. Learning about other agencies and organizations that play major roles in assisting in natural disasters is the best way to achieve that end.

Following up in April of this year, an INTERHANDS 5-day training program was presented in Miami to an audience of operational level civilian and military personnel from SOUTHCOM and its components.

The INTERHANDS training was perfectly timed: General Pace had just outlined the need for more personnel capable of rapid deployment throughout Latin America. Operational level personnel have to be able to work with senior U.S. and host nation representatives on the various aspects of different missions. They need to possess the requisite background in HA/DR procedures. The INTERHANDS training program helped provide these basic skills and knowledge needed to be immediately effective as a member of an operational staff at all levels by teaching such subjects as the differences between different kinds of disasters, the planning process, the roles of various agencies including the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and United Nations agencies, and the role of the media.

A large component of the CDMHA's mission is to facilitate civil-military collaboration so that those coming from the military and other "cultures"- be it an NGO, a governmental agency, or a foreign military - can work together more efficiently and cohesively in the field than ever before. During INTERHANDS, one day was dedicated entirely to civil-military relationships and the use of the Civil-Military Operations Center as briefed by two members of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and an expert on NGO-military relationships. As the frequency of U.S. military participation in natural disaster and complex emergency situations rises, the understanding and knowledge gained about these sorts of relationships will prove critical.

SOUTHCOM trainers taught as well. They presented a thorough explanation of functional and deliberate plans pertaining to disaster response in Latin America such as what is crisis action planning, methods to conduct an initial assessment, and the role of the joint task force in disaster response. The final day and a half were spent in a fast-paced crisis action planning exercise focusing on an earthquake scenario in Central America, with role players and facilitators assisting the participants.

Each participant was given a CD-ROM "tool kit" that was designed for use in the field with or without the support of the Internet. Containing countless documents of country-specific data, links, maps and other computer-driven tools, the tool kit focuses on the Latin American and Caribbean regions. Months later, it is still the most widely downloaded item on the CDMHA website. It is posted for all to use on the CDMHA website at www.cdmha.org/toolkit/default.htm.

The wealth of information passed on by the very experienced speakers and trainers helped augment and increase the participants' ability to perform in the field during a disaster response. INTERHANDS successfully exposed and prepared active and reserve military personnel to function in a multi-force theater of operations in coordination with civilian relief organizations. This improved understanding and collaboration will further optimize solutions aimed at minimizing uncertainties and mishaps that commonly result after natural disasters and during other emergencies.

Check out www.cdmha.org in the near future for information on the next upcoming INTERHANDS training program scheduled for the spring of 2002.

Melinda Hofstetter is the Washington, DC Liaison for the Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.