In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

President Obama released his “National Security Strategy” last week, which, according to the White House website “lays out a strategic approach for advancing American interests, including the security of the American people, a growing U.S. economy, support for our values, and an international order that can address 21st century challenges.”
From a citizen engagement/preparedness perspective, the [...]

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The American Red Cross has developed a new “Adventures in Being Prepared” activity book for families. It was created in partnership with the actress Raven-Symoné (who my daughters are fans of) and Clorox. To access the free publication, which has preparedness tips and activities for families, go to www.SimpleandSurprising.com.

If you Tweet (hashtag #smpl&surprising) the link [...]

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An article in the News-Press of Fort Myers, Florida, “Poll Finds Most U.S. Coastal Residents Not Prepared For Hurricanes,” reported on a new Mason-Dixon/National Hurricane Survival Initiative survey that nearly three out of four residents of coastal states take no steps to brace their homes for hurricanes. According to the piece:
One in three have no [...]

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In an article, “As Hurricane Season Begins, Survey Finds FloridiansUnder-Prepared, Under-Motivated,” Eliot Kleinberg of the Palm Beach Post writes about a poll just released by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. According to the piece:
In 2004 and 2005, Florida went through one of the most hellacious two-year stretches on record. Four hurricanes slammed the state [...]

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READYColorado and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security are accepting applications for a unique disaster preparedness skills training program designed for middle and high school students this summer. According to the state’s Department of Local Affairs Division of Emergency Management website:
Disaster READY Training provides students with an opportunity to learn and practice emergency readiness skills. The [...]

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Geoff Livingston in Mashable has assembled a list of “4 Social Media Efforts To Aid The Gulf Coast.” He writes:
The far-reaching Gulf oil spill tragedy has left many people feeling powerless to help out. But beyond the official Deep Horizon response, pockets of non-profits and people are starting to use social media tools to organize [...]

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I wanted to highlight two exciting disaster preparedness/response events in Washington, D.C. this weekend, which are open to any interested member of the public – CrisisCampDC and RHoK (Random Hacks of Kindness) 1.0.
CrisisCampDC is a project of CrisisCommons, which according to its website, “is a volunteer technology community dedicated to bringing together technology, innovation and volunteers [...]

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Via the National Terror Alert Twitter feed, I just watched an interesting video produced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “What’s in Store: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Events,” aimed at helping retail employees spot suspicious activity. According to the video’s transcript:
“We all share the responsibility to fight terror and criminal misconduct. But as someone [...]

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has just issued its annual “Summer Travel Tips” for flyers. According to Blogger Bob from The TSA Blog (a trailblazer, by the way, in government blogging):
Summertime isn’t officially here yet, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s summer as soon as the pools are open. So, in preparation for this holiday weekend [...]

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The word ‘fear’ has gotten a bit of bad rap this decade. And, I would argue that’s hurt the country’s public preparedness. Let me explain.
I think the fear of being accused of fearmongering has put a significant crimp in the ability of our leaders to communicate with and prepare Americans for terrorism. That’s a problem [...]

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