Courtney Long was named the Extension Disaster Education Network leader in July. Photo by Christopher Gannon.
Whether it is a major flood or a devastating drought, Iowans are dealing with a range of extreme and devastating events more often. ISU Extension and Outreach can help citizens in all 99 counties when disaster strikes by sharing innovative advancements from campus and being prepared to help local, regional and federal partners when called upon.
"Over the last five years, weather related disasters have cost the state of Iowa, on average, more than $3 billion per year," said Extension vice president Jason Henderson. "To be responsive to our communities we need that single contact because Iowa State is such a large university with many touch points. One of the biggest challenges we face is for people to know how to engage with us."
Henderson named Courtney Long the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) leader in July. EDEN's mission is to reduce the impact of disasters through research-based education. Long will be a facilitator with federal agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency and regional groups like the Heartland Extension Disaster Education Network. She will connect them with extension experts who help on a range of issues during and after disasters.
"The network helps extension respond to disasters and shares research, resources and tools like scenario, table-top exercises to prepare communities before events happen," Long said. "Extension is an amazing space for this work because we have county and region extension staff, state specialists and campus staff who all fill different needs for communities throughout a disaster response cycle."
Extension's role
The position is not new, but Long is a point person in times of need like the severe flooding in western Iowa and a destructive tornado that leveled a portion of the town of Greenfield this summer. Henderson appointed a disaster response task force to work with Long over the next few months to determine priorities and parameters around extension disaster response.
"Disaster planning, response, mitigation and recovery is a priority for extension," said Long, who earned her master's degree and Ph.D. in sustainable agriculture from Iowa State. "When a disaster takes place, maybe we aren't the first to respond, but when the time is appropriate, extension can support in a variety of ways for communities recovering from different types of disaster. We want to improve the flow of communication in these times, and help individuals and communities know who can respond and provide expertise in the recovery."
Having representatives in 99 counties helps extension better understand needs and opportunities for the future. Extension is beginning a three- to five-year priority program initiative for adaptive and sustainable natural and built environments, which will include components of disaster response as well as long-term resilience.
The group will determine extension's role across the disaster recovery, ranging from planning and preparedness -- like scenario trainings -- recovery and mitigation efforts, and specific topic expertise in response to different impacts, including water quality and access, animal disease interventions, housing assessments, food systems development, and individual and community mental health.
"For extension, it's how we can help communities plan and be proactive," Henderson said. "The technology is changing and we can be there to help communities recognize impacts -- environmental and economic -- through research from our faculty that is emerging every day."
Serving others
Long, who manages extension's food systems unit and directs the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, will spend the next several months identifying experts throughout extension to be resources for various disasters. She also will work with partners in Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri who make up the Heartland EDEN. Members share best practices for dealing with disasters, and those impacted often lean on others to help during recovery.
"Partners outside the crisis zone are important to have during and after a disaster because they're not feeling the impact. They can support that connection to potential resources," Long said. "I will help direct efforts with those partners and hope to continue to build relationships across our EDEN network to learn and respond effectively."
Long said assistance extends outside the Midwest. For example, ISU researchers were deployed to the Virgin Islands in recent years to aid recovery and conduct a wide range of research related to impacts to farmers from hurricanes.
