From the President...
I would like to begin by welcoming Judy Kioski to the AESA Executive Board. Judy replaces Karen Hauca as Public Relations Chairman. Judy is the Public Information Officer and AZ-211 Administrator for the Arizona Division of Emergency Management. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position and will be a great addition to the Executive Board. I would also like to congratulate AESA past-president Jeff Clark on his promotion to Chief of the Chandler Fire Department. Jeff is an active proponent of Emergency Management in the State of Arizona and will serve the citizens’ of Chandler well.

Mark your calendars and save the date! The 2009 AESA Mid-year Conference will be held at Embry –Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott on February 26, 2009. We have a great line-up of speakers and the Embry-Riddle campus offers us an excellent facility for the mid-year conference. Make plans to attend. Detailed information will be posted on the website in December. Thanks to Sheri Gibbons for all her hard work in getting the Embry-Riddle campus for us.

The results of the October membership survey are included in this month’s edition of the AESAlert. Thanks to all the members who answered the survey. We will continue the mid-year conference and work on integrating more training opportunities as well as your suggestions for topics into the Annual Conference. If you have any suggestions for speakers, please let the Executive Board know. We want to make the conferences as beneficial to you as we can.

The Havasupai Flood...Emergency Management Lessons Learned

Sherrie Collins, Coconino County Office of Emergency Management
During the weekend of August 15 through the 17, heavy rains brought by a series of active monsoon thunderstorms, drenched the region between Williams and the Grand Canyon. This area serves as the watershed for Havasu Creek drainage covering 3000 square miles. Although the rainfall in Havasupai Reservation was light, 4-7 inches fell throughout the watershed. As this water collected in Cataract Creek drainage and Havasu Creek, significant flooding began to occur on Saturday, August 16th. At the time of the flooding, the Havasupai reservation was experiencing their peak tourist season, with over 400 hikers camped along the creek near Havasu Falls. . .

Preparedness Highlights
On Saturday, October 11 the City of Tempe hosted a safety fair at the Arizona Mills Mall. Booths were staffed by representatives from the Phoenix Office of the National Weather Service, Interfaith Council of Arizona, Tempe Police Department, Tempe Fire Department, HURT (Holistic Urgent Response Teams), CERT & VIPs volunteers. The Tempe Fire Department also displayed vehicles and offered children with an opportunity to suit up like a firefighter and use a fire hose.