With storm season beginning in earnest and the first named Atlantic hurricane heading towards the Texas coast, I thought I would mention that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has altered the way it will report the five-category Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale eliminating estimates on storm surge and inland flooding from rainfall.
According to an Associated Press story [...]
Entries from June 2010
For Upcoming Hurricane Season, Saffir-Simpson Scale Changed To Give Public More Accurate Picture On Storm Surge, Flooding
June 30th, 2010 · No Comments
Tags: Hurricane Preparedness
Senators Ask President Obama For “National Call For Service” To Recruit Citizens To Help On Gulf Oil Spill Response
June 30th, 2010 · No Comments
Three U.S. Senators have asked President Obama to launch a “National Call to Service” aimed at engaging volunteers to assist in Gulf Coast oil spill recovery efforts.
U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Robert Casey (D-PA), wrote the President yesterday requesting that he fully utilize the Corporation for National and Community Service [...]
Tags: Volunteer Opportunities · Volunteering
NYC CERT Team Leader Writes Journal About Experiences Training Earthquake Survivors In Haiti On Disaster Preparedness & Response
June 29th, 2010 · No Comments
Earlier this month, I wrote about a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) group from New York City that went to Haiti to train earthquake survivors in emergency preparedness and response.
CERT team members along with their Haitian students
Herman Schaffer, the NYC team leader, kept an interesting journal of the experience and posted it on the City’s Office [...]
Tags: CERT · Earthquake Preparedness · International
California To Launch New Citizen Disaster Corps; Gov. Schwarzenegger Tweets Colorful 7P’s Preparedness Philosophy
June 28th, 2010 · 6 Comments
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just announced that the state is creating the “first-in-the-nation Disaster Corps to professionalize, standardize and coordinate highly trained disaster volunteers statewide.”
Schwarzenegger colorfully tweeted out the news on Friday: “Check out our Disaster Corps…Because we believe in the 7 P’s. Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance.”
Gov. Schwarznegger’s tweet announcement (photo credit: [...]
Tags: Preparedness Ideas · State Preparedness · Volunteer Opportunities · Volunteering
New Report — “Community Resilience: A Function Of Resources And Adaptability”
June 27th, 2010 · 2 Comments
The Recovery Diva brought my attention to a new report, “Community Resilience: A Function Of Resources And Adaptability” recently published by the Project on Resilience & Security at Syracuse University’s Institute for National Security & Counter Terrorism. The executive summary:
This white paper is intended for people who must help communities prepare for surprises. It assumes [...]
Tags: Preparedness Reports
“Study Paints Grim New Madrid Quake Scenario”
June 26th, 2010 · No Comments
A University of Illinois study commissioned by FEMA and just released publicly says the New Madrid seismic zone is capable of producing a massive earthquake that could devastate parts of the central United States — and notes the lack of preparedness for such an event.
According to a Chicago Tribune article on the study:
“I think everybody [...]
Tags: Earthquake Preparedness · Federal Emergency Management Administration · Preparedness Reports
“New Technologies In Emergencies And Conflicts”
June 26th, 2010 · 1 Comment
I wanted to post a report that came out while this blog was on hiatus last year. New Technologies In Emergencies And Conflicts, written by Diane Coyle and Patrick Meier. It was published by the United Nations Foundation and the Vodafone Foundation.
The study looks at the opportunities and challenges that communications advances present for humanitarian [...]
Tags: Preparedness 2.0 · Preparedness Reports
If Authorities Don’t Want Media/Public To Laugh Off Failed Terrorism Attempts, They Need To Offer More Information On Seriousness Of Threat
June 25th, 2010 · 2 Comments
In last weekend’s Wall Street Journal, Judith Miller had an interview about terror prevention with New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. It offers some useful insight on the NYPD’s efforts anti-terrorism efforts. But I wanted to highlight one particular point right at the beginning of the piece:
What rankles Raymond W. Kelly? Two things, he tells [...]
Tags: Media · See Something/Terrorism Tips
A First Step In Any Citizen Preparedness Planning: Figuring Out What You’re Preparing For
June 24th, 2010 · No Comments
One of the initial things citizens need to do in developing their emergency preparedness plans is to determine what they should be preparing for. As I have argued previously, I think officials at all levels should be more aggressive and frank in explaining all the risks facing the public, but there are resources available that citizens can begin researching [...]
Tags: Federal Emergency Management Administration · Preparedness Tips
Attention Fellow CERT Members: Please Send In Your Thoughts On The Program — How Is It Going? What’s Working? What Isn’t? How Could It Be Improved? Any Messages For FEMA?
June 23rd, 2010 · 4 Comments
(I am reposting below a request I made earlier this month to fellow CERT members. I have already received a number of thoughtful responses but figured I would ask again before publishing them.)
Last month, I wrote a post, “As 25th Birthday Approaches, Is It Time To Reevaluate CERT’s Role, Management, Training, Resources, Etc.?â€, discussing the Community Emergency [...]
Tags: CERT