In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

I just received some terrific news from Pat Salins, the leader of the CERT team in Manhattan’s Community Board 6. She told me that a neighborhood resident heard me discussing about my CERT experiences on the WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show last month and decided to join up.
 
This would be the second person I know who has joined CERT as a result of the WNYC series, which [...]

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Last night, I attended a CERT Training for Manhattan team members at Lehman College which featured presentations from officials from the New York City Office of Emergency Management, Fire Department and Police Department officials. 
NYFD Captain Joe Brosi, a CERT Liaison and team trainer, (pictured above) reviewed the Incident Command structure under which we work during an emergency. Because CERT [...]

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As part of our CERT responsibilities, we are occasionally asked to participate in City emergency drills. On Saturday, I had the opportunity along with 30 other CERT members to play the role of ‘civilians’ in a major New York Fire Department (FDNY) exercise, “Operation Civil Support”. 
 (Firemen arrive to rescue us ‘civilians’ after mock chemical attack on mock subway at the Fire Academy)
 (Outside [...]

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I recently viewed a new emergency preparedness video produced by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) for the public called “A New Era of Preparedness”. I think it is one of the better productions on this topic for citizens that I have seen. It can be viewed on the CDC website at emergency.cdc.gov/video/newera.asp.

I liked it [...]

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I received a very helpful post about my response to a WNYC listener asking about whether to store potassium iodide (KI) which can protect the human thyroid from radiation in the event of a terror attack or nuclear accident. In my initial post, I had written:
Most experts I’ve spoken to do not think individuals should [...]

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I received an excellent amendment to my recommendation that citizens purchase an extra cell phone battery. The suggestion came from fellow blogger, Jimmy Jazz:
My wife and I both carry around those Energizer Energi-To-Go cell phone chargers.
Example link: http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Energi-Instant-Charger-Motorola/dp/B000JD39X8
Powered by 2 AA batteries, they’re great for in a pinch. We also keep a DC charger in [...]

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This tip comes via Mitchell Moss. Moss, a highly respected urban policy expert oversees New York University’s Improving Robustness and Resiliency in Catastrophic Response Networks project which is part of the School’s Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response.
During his presentation at a homeland security seminar I recently attended, Moss recommended that everyone in the room – and all citizens — should have an extra mobile [...]

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As a major objective of this site is to help citizens prepare for disasters, I will be adding preparedness tips from time to time that I believe will be helpful — and usually easy to do. The first one — adding ‘in case of emergency’ info to your mobile phone — relates, appropriately, to the name of this blog. 
Struck by [...]

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