Post Disaster Town Hall Meeting Example Agendas and Press Releases
Post Disaster Town Hall MeetingsA post-disaster town hall meeting is first and most important opportunity for localities to update their community on the status of recovery efforts underway. The agenda and content of a press release notifying the community of the meeting will vary widely depending on the locality, peril and extent of damage. Below are several examples of how some localities organized their post disaster town hall meeting agenda and notified their communities of the meeting.
Town of Albermarle, Virginia, Town Hall Meeting Agenda
The agenda from the Town of Albermarle’s town hall meeting after being hit by an earthquake in 2012 provides a detailed outline of what property owners should know when it comes to FEMA’s Individual Assistance program and Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster assistance loans.
Calaveras County, California, Butte Fire Recovery Town Hall Meeting Agenda
Calaveras County held weekly town hall meetings for residents impacted by the 2015 Butte Fire. Their agenda covers debris assessment and removal, storm water runoff treatments on land impacted by the fire, health and human services for impacted residents and home reconstruction information.
City of Central, Louisiana, Town Hall Meeting Facebook Live Stream
City of Central Councilman Shane Evans used his cell phone to live stream a video of the city’s town hall meeting on Facebook after an unprecedented flood swallowed the city in August, 2016. Use this video as an example of how to introduce a live stream and set the stage for the town hall meeting, and hear how local officials addressed their citizens and answered tough questions.
Central, Louisiana, Pre-Town Hall Meeting Interview with IBTS Program Manager David Ratcliff
IBTS Program Manager David Ratcliff answers questions about elevating homes to meet FEMA requirements, and also provides information about the upcoming post-disaster town hall meeting. He is careful not to provide specific information on questions he doesn’t have a clear answer to and encourages residents to come to the town hall meeting to have their questions answered, providing information on who will present at the meeting.
Houston, Texas Town Hall Meeting Facebook Announcement
Houston’s press release, distributed on Facebook, provided the community with details of the meeting’s location and time, and also outlined essential information on how property owners can register for flood insurance with FEMA, documentation requirements and other information on what to expect.
San Marcos, Texas Flood Recovery Town Hall Meeting Live Stream
San Marcos held a flood town hall recovery meeting to provide the public with information on HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) process to gather input from the community on flood-related unmet needs. It was the third in a series of three town hall recovery meetings, all of which were live streamed and archived on the city’s website.