Crisis Response Network Town Hall

PKG for 2002-02-08 - RUNS 2:01

Intro

New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service is using technology to connect crisis response experts with community leaders across the wide, open spaces of the state. Anna Pérez-Wright has more.

Video	Audio
	More than 400 community leaders representing some 40 federal, state and county agencies had an opportunity to have their emergency preparedness questions answered in a high-tech town hall meeting with state and regional experts. New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service hosted the meeting using an Internet-based Crisis Response Communications Network. Associate Dean and Director Billy Dictson says Extension brought the panel together to help New Mexico residents better cope with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.
Insert title at :37-:46 Billy Dictson Associate Dean and Director NMSU Cooperative Extension	"I think that we probably made history at this town hall meeting because I'm sure that this is the first time that there's been a statewide town hall meeting held in New Mexico where all 33 counties were in a town hall meeting simultaneously via this medium."
	Las Cruces police sergeant Joel Cano attended the meeting at the Doña Ana County Extension office. He says the ability to use the crisis response network to communicate with other state agencies is advantageous.
Insert title at 1:06-1:13 Sgt. Joel Cano Las Cruces Police Department	"In this city right now through the office of emergency management and our local emergency planning committee there's a tremendous amount of networking going on. But already in this room today, I noticed there were some new faces that I had not seen at our meetings. So now you get to see more people, you meet more people. And, of course, because you're networking with all of the counties throughout New Mexico and then, of course, the state office of emergency management, that, in and of itself, is very valuable."
	Dictson says Extension's goal for the network is to start a statewide dialogue with the right people during these stressful times.
Insert title at 1:32-1:40 Billy Dictson Associate Dean and Director NMSU Cooperative Extension Service	"I think we had an opportunity here to do something that hasn't been done before and it was extremely successful... worked out really, really well."
	Dictson says Extension is making this Internet platform available to other agencies across New Mexico to help keep people informed and train key personnel in emergency preparedness.
	For N-M-S-U's College of Agriculture and Home Economics, I'm Anna María Pérez-Wright.