Linda F. Fain
Disaster Mental Health Consultant
Auburn, California


Mark Wolford
Director of Emergency Services and Homeland Security
Charleston, West Virginia


Mr. Jerry Rhodes
Deputy Director of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Threat Preparedness Division


Mr. David Hoge
American Red Cross
Charleston, West Virginia


Mr. David Erwin
Charleston Fire Department
Public Education/information Officer and I.T. Director
Charleston, West Virginia

Linda F. Fain
Disaster Mental Health Consultant
Auburn, California

Linda F. Fain provided service to the State of California in managing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funded crisis counseling projects from 1987 through 2000. She demonstrated success of the crisis counseling programs in 19 Presidential declared disasters.

When subjected to a disaster, a person’s life may be dramatically affected both temporarily and permanently. Disasters take many shapes and may negatively affect one person or thousands. Earthquakes, floods, fires, hurricanes, industrial accidents, airline crashes and terrorism are a few examples of what may elicit traumatic behavioral and emotional response. For such events, the need for crisis counseling is just as important as the need to clean up debris and reconstruct property.

Crisis counseling intervention involves classic counseling goals of assisting people in understanding their current situation and reactions, assisting in review of options, provision of emotional support, and encouraging linkage with other individuals and agencies that may assist the individual.

To assist persons to recover from the emotional aftermath and return to their pre-disaster status we need to understand how the disaster impacts the community and individual. What happened? How did it happen? Where did it happen? When did it happen? Who did it happen to? By pulling together disaster data, crisis counseling providers are able to assess key indicators of disaster stress and determine geographic, social, cultural, ethnic and vulnerable populations for whom crisis counseling services should be targeted. The needs assessment will drive the program plan which will drive the budget.

Mark Wolford
Director of Emergency Services and Homeland Security
Charleston, West Virginia

Mr. Wolford retired from the Charleston Fire Department as the Deputy Fire Chief after 28 years of service. Since that time he has served as the Director of Public Safety and Emergency Services for Kanawha County, West Virginia and as the Senior Environmental Protection Agency Region III, in the chemical emergency preparedness and planning section. In his current position as the Director of Emergency Services and Homeland Security, Mark is responsible for coordination of all city departments during emergencies. He is also responsible for the Homeland Security Agency for the city and serves as the chief of staff to the Mayor during emergencies. Mark has over 35 years of Emergency Services experience. He will be discussing how to prepare “Before” a disaster occurs.

The nature of a disaster and the unique emotional needs of its victims does not allow for the necessary rapid mobilization without pre-disaster planning. Without planning, services tend to be provided in traditional ways; collaboration is done on a catch as catch can basis; duplication of efforts increases as does “falling through the cracks” situations. Regardless of what phase of disaster relief you’re in, Preparedness, Response, Recovery, or Mitigation, coordination/collaboration with first responders (fire, police, etc.), disaster relief organizations (local, state, federal emergency management agencies, American Red Cross, etc.), gatekeepers (teachers, healthcare workers) and other support systems are vital to your success. If you wait until an incident to start partnership building, it’s going to be messy.

Jerry Rhodes
Deputy Director of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Threat Preparedness Division

Mr. Rhodes has worked in Public Health for seven years following a career as a firefighter/paramedic. The Division of Threat Preparedness is charged with assisting health systems, including hospitals, local health departments and other medical providers, with planning, training, and equipment related to preparation for emergency incidents involving large numbers of casualties, including natural disasters and acts of terrorism.

This presentation will address the Governor’s Directive to West Virginia DHHR to activate operation “Safe Haven”. This operation is a mission to provide shelter and supplies to those Americans displaced from Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Rhodes will discuss the “nuts and bolts” of planning, deployment, on site assistance to the victims and the various phases of the mission.

David Hoge
American Red Cross
Charleston, West Virginia

Mr. Hoge has worked for the American Red Cross in West Virginia since 1993. Since 1997, he has been the Emergency Services Director at the Central West Virginia Chapter which provides services in sixteen counties and the City of Bluefield, VA. He oversees the Disaster Services, Armed Forces Emergency Services and International Services programs working with over 400 regular chapter volunteers. He has managed numerous relief operations for the Red Cross in West Virginia as well as other states. He has served as Chairman of the West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WV VOAD) and the Kanawha-Putnam Emergency Planning Committee. David has recently been appointed to the West Virginia Recovery and Reconstruction Committee by Governor Manchin.

As society continues to change, so do the systems we are using to involve and manage volunteers before, during and after disasters. Learn about new strategies we are using to screen, train, and engage volunteers in all types of disaster preparedness, response and relief activities. No longer confined to serving food and giving hugs – volunteers can help every organizations build their capacity. We will review some unique roles that volunteers played in the Hurricane Katrina response – and how those lessons can help us prepare for future disasters.

David Erwin
Public Education/information Officer and I.T. Director
Charleston, West Virginia

Mr. Erwin is a firefighter and paramedic with the Charleston Fire Department. He has worked with the City for nineteen (19) years. Prior to his tenure with the Charleston Fire Department he worked for the Putnam County Office of Emergency Services as a Paramedic. He is certified in fire service and disaster preparedness through WV University, RESA, US fire Administration and FEMA. In 1985 he was to help with the flood recovery in Marlinton, West Virginia, Most recently David was part of a Charleston/Kanawha county delegation sent to Louisiana to assist with the Katrina disaster.

David will be speaking on how differently New Orleans and Gretna authorities handled preparedness, before, during and after Katrina. Because of the lessons learned, David will explain how much more prepared Texas and Louisiana were for Hurricane Rita.