University of Delaware, DEMA partner to support COVID-19 recovery in Delaware
DELAWARE – The University of Delaware and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency have announced their partnership on several new projects to help the State of Delaware’s long-term recovery efforts from COVID-19.
We’re told that DEMA has provided support to the Institute of Public Administration at the Biden School, Delaware Sea Grant, and the Disaster Research Center to work on three initiatives related to community recovery. These projects reflect DEMA and the University of Delaware’s ongoing efforts to develop timely resources for the state’s communities to recover from the various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a move to expand on the University’s and DEMA’s capacity for direct coordination.
The Institute of Public Administration has received funding from DEMA to support the University’s Recover Delaware program, which has focused on identifying community recovery needs and on developing timely resources and ongoing educational opportunities. IPA launched a new Recover Delaware Roundtable series in June, hosted by IPA Associate Director Troy Mix, providing updates on Delaware’s economic recovery as well as discuss local priorities and opportunities for shaping and accelerating economic recovery across Delaware and its communities. More on Recover Delaware can be found here.
Delaware Sea Grant has also received support for its recovery and resilience planning initiatives. Through this partnership, Delaware Sea Grant and DEMA, with the support of IPA, are working on community planning guidance and outreach strategies that are tailored specifically to the state’s needs. As adults age 65 and older make up one of the fastest-growing demographics in Sussex County, this group is a large focus for the county and state’s ongoing resilience planning efforts. More on the state’s recovery and resilience planning initiatives can be found here.
DEMA is also partnering with the Disaster Research Center to work on the latest round of an educational initiative that works to make academic research more accessible to emergency management practitioners. We’re told through this partnership, DRC researchers will work to consolidate peer-reviewed studies and literature regarding risk communication as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials say the information will be broken down into four products: topic summary, theme summary, animated video, and bibliography. These four products will be used by DEMA and other agencies to educate stakeholders about risk communication during the pandemic and inform future programs and policies. More can be found here.
