In Case of Emergency, Read This Blog

In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

A Citizen’s Eye View of Public Preparedness

Entries from March 2009

Informing Public On Potential Threats Is “Urgent” Priority, WMD Commission Chair Bob Graham Says In Interview

March 9th, 2009 · 9 Comments

Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham (D-Fl), Chair of the Commission On The Prevention Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction On Proliferation And Terrorism says that educating Americans on the threat of WMD’s should be an “urgent” priority of the Obama Administration because without an informed citizenry the nation cannot maximize its security.
Graham’s WMD commission released a report, “World [...]

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Tags: Preparedness Interviews · Preparedness Resources

You Have One Less Hour Today, But Do One More Thing

March 8th, 2009 · No Comments

It’s Daylight Savings today. So, when you change the time on your clocks, VCR’s, etc., (and check the batteries on your smoke alarms) why don’t you also take a moment to review the supplies in your emergency kit and go-bag (or put some aside if you have not already done so). I know we have one less [...]

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Tags: Preparedness Ideas

Stephen Kempf (FEMA Regional Administrator) — “What Should We Tell The Public”

March 7th, 2009 · 1 Comment

Between sessions of a conference on special needs citizens and disasters, I filmed a “What Should We Tell The Public?” video with Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Regional Administrator Stephen Kempf. In the segment, Kempf tells viewers to determine the emergency risks in their own area and then be able to take care of themselves for 72 hours. [...]

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Tags: "What Should We Tell The Public?"

Book Contest Rules Change — “The Survivors Club”

March 6th, 2009 · 2 Comments

I may have been a bit too ambitious and asked a little too much for “The Survivors Club” book contest last month. It turns out that I have not received any entries thus far. I had requested that readers send in “your brief story or tip on how you ’survived’ or coped with an emergency [...]

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Tags: Contests

FEMA-Designate Fugate’s Twitter Feed Leads Me To Good Article On Government Use Of Twitter

March 6th, 2009 · No Comments

I was reading FEMA nominee Craig Fugate’s Twitter feed yesterday and found an interesting Government Technology article he tweeted about in January that I had missed when it initially came out. According to the piece, “Governments Use Twitter For Emergency Alerts, Traffic Notices And More”:
When Twitter’s founders launched the service in 2006, they advertised it as a way to [...]

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Tags: Preparedness 2.0

New FEMA Administrator-Designate Craig Fugate Terrific Choice For Nation, Citizen Preparedness

March 5th, 2009 · 2 Comments

President Obama has announced his intention to nominate Craig Fugate as the next Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). It is excellent pick. Fugate has distinguished himself as Director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.
Fugate understands the importance of the public in disaster preparedness and response and has made citizen outreach a focus [...]

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Tags: Department of Homeland Security

Give Valuable Blood, Win Valuable Prizes And Maybe A Date

March 4th, 2009 · 1 Comment

As someone now benefiting from periodic transfusions, I’ve been promoting the importance of blood and platelet donations. I am also always on the lookout for innovative consumer marketing approaches in the preparedness area. So, I wanted to highlight two ideas I heard about recently.
First, I learned that the New York Blood Center has a ‘frequent [...]

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Tags: Cause Marketing · Red Cross · Volunteer Opportunities

“Blogger Bob” Briefs DHS Secretary Napolitano On TSA’s Efforts To Reach Out To Flying Public

March 3rd, 2009 · 2 Comments

It may seem a little surprising that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano received one of her early transition briefings from someone named “Blogger Bob.” But considering the growing importance of social media in homeland security it makes a lot of sense.
“Blogger Bob” a.k.a. Bob Burns heads the Blog Team at the U.S. Transportation Security Administration [...]

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Tags: Department of Homeland Security

“The Office” Shows Good Intentions, Not So Good Implementation In Workplace Emergency Drill

March 2nd, 2009 · 1 Comment

In a recent episode of the NBC comedy “The Office”, the crew from Dunder Mifflin Paper Company displays how not to do an emergency drill. When Dunder Mifflin’s Dwight Schrute feels his PowerPoint presentation on fire safety doesn’t get through to his colleagues, he tries another method. ”Experience is the best teacher,” says Dwight. He’s not wrong, [...]

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Tags: Entertainment

A Reminder About Emergency E-Mail/Text Alerts As Snow Storm Hits Eastern Seaboard

March 1st, 2009 · 4 Comments

With a snow storm heading up the East Coast, my Blackberry has been buzzing with public email and text alerts about the weather situation, like this one from the State of New York’s Emergency Management Agency: 
“WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EST MONDAY FOR MULTIPLE COUNTIES…A WINTER STORM WARNING [...]

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Tags: Preparedness 2.0