With the hurricane season officially beginning on Monday, we will soon be hearing some names over and over. The National Hurricane Center website shows the list of names for Atlantic storms in 2009: Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor & Wanda. Some background information [...]
Entries from May 2009
The Hur(and Him)ricane Names For 2009 Season
May 29th, 2009 · No Comments
Tags: Hurricane Preparedness
Take The “Quake Quiz” From San Francisco’s Office Of Emergency Management
May 29th, 2009 · 3 Comments
Roberto De Vido (who keeps me apprised of Japanese public preparedness efforts from his home on the outskirts of Tokyo) just brought something to my attention here in the U.S. —  the Quake Quiz (www.quakequizsf.org) created by the San Francisco’s Office of Emergency Management and found on its public preparedness site, www.72hours.org.
Quake Quiz is an engaging and informative [...]
Tags: Earthquake Preparedness · Preparedness Ideas
NotifyNYC, New York’s Emergency Text/EMail/Phone Alert Service, Goes Citywide
May 28th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Starting today, NotifyNYC, New York City’s emergency alert system, will cover the entire Big Apple. Notify NYC was first launched on a limited basis in December 2007, offering participants in four pilot areas of the City the ability to register for alerts and notifications about significant events in their communities. Notify NYC services are available by email, text [...]
Tags: City Preparedness · Preparedness 2.0
Workshop/Report Underscore Gaps In Emergency Preparedness For Disabled & Special Needs Citizens
May 28th, 2009 · No Comments
Rich Cooper, a good friend of this blog, just posted an interesting and impassioned analysis/dispatch regarding the state of emergency preparedness for the disabled and special needs populations on Security Debrief. Rich highlights the release of a new report, “Emergency Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs,” from the American National Standards Institute’s Homeland Security Standards Panel. The report [...]
Tags: Disabled Preparedness
President Obama Issues “National Hurricane Preparedness Week” Proclamation
May 27th, 2009 · 2 Comments
President Obama today issued a proclamation declaring May 24th-May 30th “National Hurricane Preparedness Week”. The proclamation reads:
Each year, hurricanes threaten the safety of American families in coastal and inland communities. These powerful storms can cause heavy rainfall, high winds, tornadoes, and storm surges, which can in turn bring severe flooding, power outages, damage to homes and [...]
Tags: Hurricane Preparedness
In New Book, David Kaczynski Writes About Turning In Brother Ted, Relationship With One Of His Victims
May 27th, 2009 · No Comments
In a compelling essay which is part of terrific new collection, Brothers: 26 Stories of Love And Rivalry (Jossey-Bass), David Kaczynski writes about his relationship with his brother, Ted, the so-called “Unabomber.” In his piece, “Missing Parts”, Kaczynski discusses the “terrible dilemma” he faced when he realized his brother might be a terrorist: “do nothing [...]
Tags: Media
New Contest: Send In A Preparedness Tip, Something You Have Done To Prepare, Or A Suggestion To Improve Community Preparedness. Prizes: 10 Disaster Kits Furnished By CaliforniaVolunteers Office
May 25th, 2009 · 11 Comments
Thanks to CaliforniaVolunteers, I have 10 disaster kits to give away for a new contest. CaliforniaVolunteers is the office that oversees that State’s volunteering initiatives including its family preparedness program, WE Prepare.
To win a kit, send in one of the following: an emergency preparedness tip, something your have done to prepare for a disaster, or a suggestion to [...]
Tags: Contests · Preparedness Ideas
PBS’ “Carrier” & Its Lessons For Engaging And Preparing The Public About Our Own Homeland Security
May 24th, 2009 · No Comments
On Memorial Day and with thousands of U.S. Navy personnel here in New York City for Fleet Week, I wanted to highlight again one of the best television shows I’ve seen in a long time,  “Carrier,” PBS’ 10-part documentary, which follows a six-month deployment of the USS Nimitz to the Persian Gulf. (At present, the Nimitz is [...]
Tags: Media · Preparedness Lessons
Virginia, Louisiana Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays To Take Place This Coming Week
May 22nd, 2009 · 1 Comment
The State of Virginia’s “Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday” week will run from May 25th-May 31th. Louisiana’s preparedness tax holiday weekend will take place on the 30th and 31st.Â
During those periods, sales tax will be lifted on purchases of preparedness-related supplies and equipment including batteries and flashlights; bottled water and coolers; tarps, plastic sheeting and duct tape; smoke detectors [...]
Tags: Preparedness Incentives · State Preparedness
In New H1N1 PSA, Sesame Street’s Elmo & Gordon Urge Children, Families To Take Steps To Protect Themselves From Flu Virus
May 22nd, 2009 · 1 Comment
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the Department of Health & Human Services is joining the Ad Council and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, to launch a national public service advertising campaign designed to encourage American families and children to take steps to protect themselves from [...]