DISABILITY STATEMENT

The College of Agriculture and Human Sciences does not discriminate against anyone regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity. Persons who require communication in a language other than English or with a disability who require alternative means of communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should call 936-261-3585 in advance.

Sincerely,

Gerard E. D’Souza, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Agriculture and Human Sciences Director of Land Grant Programs

As Chair of the 3rd Annual Preparedness for, Response to, Innovation on, Mitigation of, and Recovery (PRIMR) Conference, I am pleased to welcome you to Disaster PRIMR 2023 @ Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), the “Hill.” The theme this year is “Promoting Cultures of Preparedness.” In addition to natural and manmade disasters, for the past three years the COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed the world. The pandemic and other events have accentuated the acute impacts of disasters as related to race and ethnicity at the household and community levels.

1890 Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) and their partners have consistently led in the coordination and execution of disaster programs that strengthen family and community resilience among under-served audiences. Accordingly, with support from Prairie View A&M University, the 1890-EDEN Advisory Group, Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), Texas A&M University (TAMU) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), this landmark conference will spotlight unique roles of 1890 LGUs and indigenous institutions in responding to the needs of the most vulnerable people and places, and preparing a diverse workforce for the future in emergency management education and related fields.

As in previous years, the conference has assembled a diverse group of researchers, students, professionals, and practitioners from different disciplines with extensive knowledge and experience in disaster education and emergency management. The conference committees have worked meticulously to invite distinguished speakers who are accomplished in their fields, and session presenters to address topics that align with the six conference PRIMR values. Topics include indigenous knowledge, developing cultural competency practices in emergency management, animal and farm disaster management, empowering youth to create a climate of preparedness, mental health care in times of disaster, and extension programs and LGUs as hub organizations during disasters.

Finally, this is an opportune time to strengthen existing partnerships, and forge new ones as we work collaboratively to set the stage for a framework with programmatic emphasis on whole community preparedness as a shared responsibility that invokes involvement of everyone in preparedness efforts.

I warmly welcome you again to Disaster PRIMR 2023 on the “Hill.”

Sincerely,

Noel M. Estwick, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Agribusiness Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Human Ecology