According to the agency’s press release:

…Through July 19, Georgians who visit ready.ga.gov and sign up to use Ready Georgia’s interactive planning tool not only get a customized checklist of emergency supplies and a tailored emergency communications plan, but they are also entered to win one of 200 state-of the-art, digital alert Midland radios – a critical life-saving tool – from WSB-TV.

In addition to being able to win a radio from WSB-TV, Kroger stores statewide are also giving Georgians the opportunity to purchase NOAA Weather Radios at a discount. Throughout hurricane season, Kroger will offer weather radios for just $29.99 (regularly $49.99). A list of Georgia locations can be found at Kroger.com.

GEMA/Homeland Security director Charley English says that NOAA Weather Radios are as crucial to family safety as smoke detectors or alarm systems. In Georgia, 29 transmitters broadcast throughout the state, and approximately 98 percent of Georgia’s population lives within range of a NOAA Weather Radio transmitter.

I like this government-business linkage, because the public is being offered significant incentives — a free or 40%-off a weather radio — to prepare (though of course I would like to see a more extensive partnership.)

200 NOAA weather radios like this are being given away by Ready Georgia.

“H1N1 RAP BY DR. CLARKE” (ABOVE), THE WINNING VIDEO IN THE HHS FLU PREVENTION PSA VIDEO CONTEST

The “H1N1 Rap” was chosen from more than 200 entries. Out of these initial entries, a panel determined the top 10 entries which were posted on the HHS YouTube Channel and put to a public vote. Dr. Clarke will receive $2500 in cash and his PSA will be featured on national television.

The announcement was made at a flu prevention ‘town hall’ for college students at George Mason University (a video of the event, including Dr.Clarke’s ‘acceptance speech’ can be found here). In his remarks, Clarke, who is the medical director of the Long Island Railroad, thanked “the voters, blogs and Twitter” as well as his wife who suggested he do the video. I believe Clarke — who Sebelius called the “hip-hop doctor” — could be the breakout star of the Fall.

I think it was a terrific idea for HHS to solicit, unleash and highlight the creativity from Americans of a variety of ages, backgrounds, and points of view for this contest. It was fun, citizen-driven/focused, and most importantly I believe will be effective in raising flu preparedness among the public.

Among those I surveyed, the most popular entry was “H1N1 Rap By Dr. Clarke” (which was also my favorite) with “Hazmat” second and several other finalists also receiving support (their PSAs are below). You can watch all the nominees and vote here through tonight.

PICKS

Sharon Sanders, FluTrackers.com – “They are all great! ‘H1N1 Rap by Dr. Clarke’ is my favorite. Apparently he wrote and performed the lyrics himself! If that Doctor gig does not work out, he has a real career in the music industry waiting for him!”

David Stephenson, Stephenson Strategies — “‘Dr. Clarke’s’ got my vote!”

Wendy Harman, American Red Cross, Social Media — “‘Dr. Clarke and the H1N1 rap’. They’re all great efforts, but that’s my pick.”

Greg Dworkin, FluWiki – “‘Dr. Clarke’”

Andre Blackman, Pulse + Signal Blog — “Dr. Clarke. It’s pretty awesome.”

Robin Parker, Red Cross/Oregon Trail Chapter – “I think ‘Hazmat’ is both clever and conveys a strong, clear message. That’s my pick!”

Amanda Ripley, The Unthinkable — “Hazmat all the way!”

Jolie Kaye Breeden, University of Colorado’s Natural Hazards Observer — “I love the ‘Hazmat’ guy the best, although ‘Toothbrush Prank’ is also good at driving the message home-and might serve the dual purpose of getting my daughter to stop leaving her toothbrush on the bathroom counter.”

Nedra Kline Weidrich, Weidrich Communications — “‘Toothbrush Prank’. I thought it made the point really powerfully.”

Rich Cooper, SecurityDebrief — “It’s a coin toss between the ‘Chainsaw’ and the ‘Flu Droplets’. I actually think the ‘Flu Droplets’ is better given it shows what happens when you don’t cover your mouth and that’s the message that needs to get out there….”

Michael Coston, Avian Flu Diary — “‘Chainsaw’. Very droll.”

David Konig, EMS Blog Rounds – “My favorite is ‘Bagman’, but I’m also a fan of ‘Hazmat’. Similar themes that I think convey the point clearly.”

You can watch all 10 of the finalists and vote here through 11:59 p.m. EDT tonight. The winner will receive a $2500 prize and have their PSA featured on national television.

The competition is open to everyone with an interest in homeland defense and security. The essay should be no more than five pages, single spaced. The deadline for submission is January, 31 2010. Finalists will be announced no later than May 31, 2010.

The winner will receive a $1500.00 cash award and an invitation to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security located at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California where he/she will be recognized at the CHDS Forum. Additionally, the winning and four top finalist essays will be considered for publication by Homeland Security Affairs, the online journal published by the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for the Homeland Defense and Security.

For more information on entering the contest, go to http://www.chds.us/?essay/overview. Thanks to Jonathan Abolins for bringing this to my attention.

“On Twitter [@RedCrossPDX], tell us just one thing that you’re doing to get prepared this September (aka National Preparedness Month). To get you started, here are some quick ideas:

–Buying enough water for my family
–Setting aside extra pet food
–Picking up a crank radio
–Taking the free online Be Red Cross Ready training
–Practicing the “sleeve sneeze”
–Putting games for the kids in my kit
–Picking a disaster meet-up place

You get the point. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive or hard. And if you tweet us with just one thing, we’ll enter you to win — not one, but three — prizes that will get you started on being prepared for anything:

*A Safety Starter preparedness kit
*A vintage first aid kit
*A “Be Prepared For Anything” t-shirt

You have until September 30 to send us your tweet (please use the hashtag #just1thing for tracking purposes) to be entered. If you win, we’ll send you your prizes via snail mail.”

Though there are many actions that citizens can do to prepare for emergencies, the idea of asking people to do just 1 thing is smart — making it seem far more manageable. And, though they won’t say it explicitly, the sneaky Cross Bloggers know that often when someone does one thing to prepare they ended doing many more. I look forward to seeing and posting their long list of ‘things done’ by the end of the month. So, do #Just1Thing and give them a tweet.

A VINTAGE FIRST AID KIT, ONE OF THE CONTEST PRIZES

*First Submission/Winner — Lesley Fan, New York, NY — “The worst-case scenario that I’ve been in happened when I was in another country with my then-boyfriend (now-husband). He got seriously ill with food poisoning and needed to see a doctor immediately, but neither of us spoke the language at all–and our baggage, with our phrase books, had been delayed. My hand gestures (and more than a little persistence) saved the day; it’s amazing how creative you can get in a pinch!

Clearly I’ve lead a pretty charmed life, free of rampaging bears and the like, but I really did feel more panicked than I’ve ever felt in that situation, and everything came out already, thankfully.”

Two more books left.

More information on the entire series can be found on Chronicle’s Worst-Case Scenario 10th Anniversary Blog here.

The Winners:

Scott Kidder/Oakland, California

I recommend keeping backup copies of your personal records in electronic form both at home and off-site. This can prove very useful in the event that your home is severely damaged or destroyed in a disaster. I purchased several rewritable DVDs with a capacity of 4.7 GB. Rewritable CDs may work, too, depending on how much information you want to store. To keep the information secure, I created an encrypted disk image (256-bit AES encryption) that contains all of my sensitive and valuable information. I consider it important to encrypt the data on the DVD so that the information is inaccessible should the disc become lost or stolen.

Jei-Nhy Quirantes/Kekaha, Hawaii

Information I store on the backup disc includes personal finance records (Quicken, Money, etc), tax returns, insurance policies, a home inventory (photos, videos, receipts), and irreplaceable photos and videos. I update the contents of the DVDs at roughly 6 month intervals. The update process takes only about 1-2 hours. You might keep a copies of the discs at work, in your briefcase/work bag, and in your go-bag/emergency kit at home. Having the information distributed lessens the likelihood of a total loss.

I’ve gathered important documents i.e. birth certificates, medical cards, insurance papers, will, placed them in a ziplock bag, and put them in my emergency kit. I’ve also scanned digital copies of each of them and uploaded them to a jump drive and emailed them to myself.

Rich Madden/Aurora, Illinois

The thing that most people overlook with emergency preparedness is that anything that you can do to mitigate the uncomfortableness of an emergency goes along way to keep them safe and sane. If you need to use restroom facilities and there are none, what are you going to do; I have heard to many stories of people using unknown leaves to clean themselves and using something like poison ivy, “Ouch”. Having a roll of toilet tissue and a garbage bag to contain the waste will go a long way to keeping you comfortable and safe. Also having a toothbrush and toothpaste helps with that morning after mouth that tastes so foul. Also having an extra pair of glasses just in case you loose your current pair so you can at least see clearly or not. The comfort of an event will go along ways to help ease the rehab of getting over the event.

One other thing if you have to evacuate your residence due to flood, fire, or earthquake, you will have to prove yourself to re-enter your community a copy of your homeowners insurance your, marriage license, your driver’s license or passport, will go a long way to secure your right to be in the community. These copies in certified form or in microfilm are acceptable.

Jon Abolins/Trenton, New Jersey

Mentally prepare for resilience in daily activities. One way is to develop the habit of “having an exit plan” mapped out as you go along. In the train carriage, note where the exits — including the pop-out window emergency exits — are. Count how many seats you are from the nearest exist. Similar practice applies to plane travel. When going into an office, school, etc. pay attention to the emergency exits, fire alarms, extinguishers, and such.

Mike Everett-Lane/Brooklyn, New York

Here are a couple I’ve gleaned from various sources:

1) Get several hundred dollars out of the bank, in small bills (ones and fives). If there’s a power outage, the ATMs and credit card machines will be down. Stores will run out of small bills quickly. Put the money in an envelope, and store it some place where you won’t spend it.

2) Make sure at least one of your phones can be powered with just the phone line, again in case of power outage you’ll still be able to make calls.

3) Keep a pair of old slip-on shoes under your bed, and a flashlight at hand. I use a Pak Light ( http://www.9voltlight.com/ ), attached with velcro to the underside of the bed frame.

David Chesler/Leesburg, Virginia

I work for the Loudoun County Chapter of the American Red Cross. As part of our Community Disaster Education (CDE) program I provide to any group or organization a free one-hour Disaster & Emergency Preparedness presentation. I promote Be Red Cross Ready… Build a Kit, Make a Plan and Get Informed. I start out with a ‘Shelter in Place’ scenario to get the group thinking. I enjoy this part of my job. I let them know when it comes to Disaster & Emergency Preparedness… I talk the talk, but more importantly I walk the walk.

CaliforniaVolunteers’ WEPrepare Disaster Kit

Patty Brooks/San Jose, California

Turn off your power and water for a weekend and survive it. You don’t really know how it will go until you try it. Trying this before you lose it in a real situation will give you an idea of what you will need when it really happens. Take notes and make a list of items most important to your survival. This is the best time of year for this drill. (its a great way to conserve energy and lower your bill).

I started a neighborhood association to get my neighbors together, then I held an Emergency Preparedness Awareness Fair and Blood Drive. We had a total of 327 attendees as follows: 275 guests, 12 staff , 12 agencies / 37 agency representatives, 3 City representatives &. 6 sponsors,

Our blood drive goal, 25 pints and we managed to collect 34 pints. The agencies included Ca, Highway Patrol (1) San Jose Crime Prevention Unit (3) Moreland School District (1) R.A.C.E.S (5) www.Iprepare.com (1) San Jose Prepared/CERT (4) Pelican Products (1) San Jose Fire Dept. & Paramedics (6) Ca Firesafe Council & Smokey Bear (2) San Jose Mounted Police (2 officers & 2 horses) Stanford Blood Center Mobile (6) S P N A (4) + 3 photographers + 10 staff volunteers. City Reps: Kim Shunk Director of the Office of emergency Services (1) District 1 Councilman Pete Constant & 1 photographer (2) Mayor Chuck Reed & 1 aide, 1 photographer (3)

Joseph Colon/Freehold, New Jersey (via Twitter)

Preparedness tip: cotton balls soaked with petroleum jelly stored in a medicine bottle make great firestarters — even in the rain!

Richard Holland/Houston, Texas

I have been through three hurricanes. It is certain that I will lose electrical power. I have started a spreadsheet listing the battery powered items that I have and the number and type of batteries it requires. I also have added an inventory of the batteries I have. This way I know how many to buy when a hurricane is noted in the Gulf. I have a 12 volt marine battery for my television and a solar charger to keep it charged. My current problem is my digital to analog converter. It is 9 volts. I will have to get a 12 to 9 volt adapter or a inverter to get 110 volts for the converter.

Rion Motley/Hampton, Virginia

I have a bit of property, and I grow fruit and vegetables (mostly blackberries and apples/pears/persimmons). So far I have randomly dropped by and talked to three relatively new folks in the neighborhood, and asked if they liked whatever fruit was coming into season at that point. Worked out pretty well. I’ve now got a retired (Armed) security guard, an experienced fisherman about my age, and a retired dominion power lineman on my list of neighborhood acquaintances. If you don’t have fruit trees (and why not?! it’s shade you can eat!) then bake some cookies or throw a barbecue or two and invite someone you drive past on your way to or from work. I was surprised at how readily people chatted with someone they didn’t know lived a few houses away. ;-)

Dadsfun5 (via Twitter)

Have a 3 party outside of ur area code ready for your family to call to pass infor on when us are a part in a disaster

The following entrants did not win the kit but offered good tips which I wanted to share:

Lloyd Colston/Altus, Oklahoma

For communications during a disaster, nothing beats amateur radio. The American Radio Relay League (http://www.arrl.org) is a group that helps obtain licenses. Local clubs abound nationwide to help local folks benefit from their new privilege.

Dennis Hanlon/Greenwich, Connecticut

Suggest people go home and turn off all their power (or at least pretend it’s off.) No tv (especially after June 12), no computer. Do they have flashlights at the ready? Do they have a battery powered radio? Do they have sufficient prescription drugs for 3 days? Do they have a first aid kit? Do they have a telephone that does not rely on electricity? Once folks see where there weaknesses are, they will be more open to other preparedness measures.

Jonathan Haber/Bethesda, Maryland

Here’s my preparedness tip: Help educate your neighbors by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper reminding them and urging them to take preparedness into their own hands. Just today, I sent the following letter to the editor of my local “gazette” newspaper: “Thanks to the free “Alert Montgomery” notification system, I received a text alert today about the potential for flooding during this week’s rain storm. Alerts from the system have also warned me about road closures and more. An interesting statistic was published at the bottom of the alert. It said that the alert was sent to 544 users. If true, doesn’t that sound like a very low number in a county of almost one million residents? Come on neighbors, it shouldn’t be news to you that taking a few simple steps can make a big difference in ensuring your safety and well-being during an emergency. Go online now and check out the free resources that federal, state and local governments provide to help you stay informed and prepare for an emergency. At the very least, you should visit Ready.gov and pandemicflu.gov. If you live or work in Montgomery County, visit the county home page (just Google it) and follow the link to sign up for the free “Alert Montgomery” system to stay informed of emergencies (weather, traffic, etc.) in your community. Don’t be caught off-guard. Take the time now to prepare you, your family and your business to weather the storm.”

p.s. As a follow-up to my suggestion above, the local newspaper (Gazette) did publish my letter to the editor under the heading “Free services prepare us for emergencies”: http://www.gazette.net/stories/06032009/montlet173009_32523.shtml.

Blair Buchmeyer/St. Louis, Missouri

I think that one of the best things you can do to help with community preparedness is to help everyone learn to grown their own food either on their own lots or in community gardens.

John Armstrong/Ottawa, Ontario

Led worklight can be used hands-free (it has magnets and a hook for hanging) produces enough light to light a large room and runs for 5 hours.

Sarah Ward/Orem, Utah

I recently invested in a solar oven as an outlet for cooking in an emergency. Since it’s difficult to acquire new skills under duress in an actual emergency, I have begun cooking with my solar oven now to familiarize myself with it. It is absolutely amazing. No water. No messy clean up. No worries of scorching or burning. No constant monitoring. And no fuel of any kind is required. The solar oven is now officially my new cooking nirvana. So far I have used my solar oven to cook delicious chicken, roast, baked bread, sausage, ham and even pasteurize water. In fact, this is a pic of my yummy chicken – look at all the natural juices that come from cooking it in the solar oven! http://twitpic.com/60rgi. For people who don’t want to shell out more money, it is possible to make your own. Details at http://solarcooking.org/plans/funnel.htm.

Bryan Salamon/Queens, New York

Simple trick I learned to get waterproof matches. Dip a match head into hot wax, and let it cool. Once the wax is hardened, you have yourself a waterproof match.

Andrea Truelson

I think the best tip I have is, not to overwhelm people! I have taught a couple of classes for my church on preparedness. I always tell people it isn’t about getting everything today, it is about getting one thing at a time, or learning something new. For example, have a flashlight under each bathroom sink, tape the power company phone number to it, and make sure it is always in the same spot! Also, learn how to open a garage door manually, or grow a basil plant in a sunny window for practice. Build on these new skills, and soon you will be a regular pioneer!

Francine Geike/Morton, Illinois –

“My husband and I have stockpiled food, planted a heirloom seed garden-canning later, packed emergency kits for the vehicles, packed BOBs including items for our 22 mth and 3 yr old, planned escape routes if we need to leave our home, copied our financial papers, personal info, etc and gave it to relatives to hold in their safe, bought a water filter…continue to go over lists…”

Dominic Bonacci/Rocky River, Ohio —

“I had the texting feature disabled on my phone (since I was getting charged for “wrong number” texts — texts sent to me accidentally) but learning how text messaging may be the only form of communication that works in a disaster (because of it’s low bandwidth use) I had it turned on again.”

Blair Buchmeyer/St. Louis, Missouri –

“I have started to collect items for a 72 hour kit and a car emergency kit. Continued to practice on the gardening skills!”

Carlene Patterson/Irving, Texas —

“We do have a stock pile of food and a safe place for everyone to meet.”

Connie Hippen/Hulett, Wyoming —

“Because our home location is where extended family and good friends will travel to in a bug out situation, I know that I will need more preps than for just my family. I can’t do it all, so I have been educating my peeps via the internet info on preparedness and food storage. If they come, they can’t show up empty handed and I have made private lockers in my basement should they want to cache supplies. Also I have been burning up the ink on my printer to create a notebook on all kinds of info from canning, butchering, trapping, dental/first aid, you name it. Point is, should the lights go out, it wouldn’t do me much good to have all the wonderful survival info stored in my computer.”

Thank you for participating. Anyone who would like to purchase a copy of Amanda Ripley’s The Unthinkable can do so here.

Thanks to CaliforniaVolunteers, I have 10 disaster kits to give away. I originally posted this contest last month, but I am going to extend it. To win a kit, send me one of the following: an emergency preparedness tip, something you have done to prepare for a disaster, or a suggestion to improve preparedness in your community to the Comment section below or in an email to jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com. I’ll choose the 10 winners by random.

As you can see in the photo below (taken by my daughter), the kit contains drinking water packets, a block of survival food, a glow stick, flashlight, whistle and some first aid supplies.

I got the idea for this contest from a blog called Wendolonia which did something similar with CaliforniaVolunteers earlier this year. It was part of an initiative by the state agency to reach out to “Mommy Bloggers” like Wendolonia to promote the WE Prepare family readiness program . (I wrote about that effort last month and then spoke with CaliforniaVolunteers about doing the same kind of contest.) CaliforniaVolunteers is the office that oversees that State’s volunteering initiatives.

Again, to win one of the 10 kits above, please send in either a preparedness tip, something your have done to prepare for a disaster, or a suggestion to improve preparedness in your community to the Comment section below or in an email to me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com.

So, for this contest I thought I would make the entry: “What have you done in the last year to prepare yourself, your family, your workplace, your kids school or your community over last year?” Either write your answer in the Comment section below or send it to me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com. I’ll pick three winners by random and print their answers.

I recommend those who cannot wait or who do not win the contest should buy the book here.

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 improve preparedness in your community to the Comment section below or in an email to me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by June 7th. I’ll choose 10 winners by random. 

As you can see in the photo (taken by my daughter), the kit contains drinking water packets, a block of survival food, a glow stick, flashlight, whistle and some first aid supplies.

I got the idea for this contest from a blog called Wendolonia which did something similar with CaliforniaVolunteers earlier this year. It was part of an initiative by the state agency to reach out to “Mommy Bloggers” like Wendolonia to promote the WE Prepare family readiness program . (I wrote about that effort last month and then spoke with CaliforniaVolunteers about doing the same kind of contest.)

Again, to win one of the 10 kits above, please send in either a preparedness tip, something your have done to prepare for a disaster, or a suggestion to improve preparedness in your community to the Comment section below or in an email to me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by June 7th.

Giovanni Taylor-Peace/Atlanta, Georgia – “My vote is for YouTube as the most useful new communications application for citizens to use for disaster preparation/response.”

Grant Olsen/Boone, Iowa – “I think the most useful new communications application for citizens to use for disaster response is the text-message-based system Twitter. It allows citizens to send a personal status message (for example, “I’m OK”) to multiple friends and family with just one text message. It also allows people to subscribe to real-time information from government agencies and relief agencies (for example, “Shelter opened at middle school.”) that use Twitter. Compared to cell phone voice calls, text messages lessen the burden on the cell phone network infrastructure.”

Grant Gordon/Chicago, Illinois – “Working in the field – primarily in the Eastern DRC – I would have to say text messaging is really going to change how we communicate in disasters. As soon as we create an on the ground network SMS responses it will multidirectional coordination: laterally between responders, bottom-to-top from people experiencing the disaster to responders, and top-to-bottom from responders to those experiencing the disaster. The next step is incorporating SMS into logistics and figuring out how we can direct and redirect population movement to make supply-chains more effective. Now, if only we had better coverage in the DRC….”

Lloyd Colston/Altus, Oklahoma – “Twitter holds the most promise for the citizen to be involved in emergencies. The ability of Twitter to get the word to Government officials is important. Some government agencies already report hearing items from Twitter.”

James Garrow/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – “As far as what new communications application is the most useful for use in disaster preparation and response, I’m kind of going to cheat. To me, the most useful tool is the cell phone; every type of cell phone from the old Nokia brick we all had back in the day to a sleek iPhone. Each and any of these phones connects us to the grid. We are now able to be contacted anywhere, or to contact others anywhere. The problem for emergency communicators isn’t developing messages or disseminating messages–it’s ensuring that people receive the messages. If I put a life-saving message on TV, but no one is watching TV, it’s a wasted message. But if I get the appropriate message to someone who needs it when they need it, that message is the most valuable thing in the world (and it doesn’t matter if it’s a browser message, an email, a text message or a reverse 911 message).  While tools like this are developed all of the time, the thing that makes cell phones different is their acceptance, their ubiquity. How many people do you know that don’t have a cell phone? On a crowded corner downtown, how many people don’t have a cell phone? Access and availability, that’s all that’s needed for a successful emergency communication.

The book examines the new world of “first informers,” citizens who now have all the new media communications tools at their disposal. These tools offer both great opportunities for the public and the government (as well as the media), but they also present new challenges. As the Haddows write early on, “The government’s role as gatekeeper is now an anachronism.” Disaster Communications will be quite useful for all of those involved in navigating this new environment.

To enter the contest, send me [at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog] what you think is the most useful new communications application for citizens to use for disaster preparation/response. I’ll print the answers and pick two entries at random for the free book.

Disaster Communications In A Changing World can be ordered here.

Andrew A. Altizer/Atlanta, GA — “Late Night with David Letterman”

Stephen Carter/Manuka, Australia – “My one favourite thing is the New York City is so much larger than life — it has to be seen to be believed!”

Dov Horwitz/New York, NY – “My one favorite thing about NYC (and I am not a born and raised NYer) is that every few blocks anywhere in the city is like a whole new world. In any borough, each neighborhood is so diverse from the different cultures that make up the neighborhood to the actual feel of the area. I personally think that is what makes NYC what it is.”

Philip Barton/Norwich, VT – “I like walking through Central Park with a good sandwich after a morning spent at the Museum of Natural History with my wife and small kids.”

Laurie Vendetti/New York, NY – “The People. The residents and public sector professionals of this fine City are the most loving, intelligent, helpful and compassionate people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. These New Yorkers (NYPD, FBI, FDNY, CERT, InfraGard, Private Sector Security Professionals, etc) and the ‘perfect strangers’ to me, have taught me more about life in the past 5 years than I had learned in my lifetime. I am blessed to live here in New York City.”

Will Sanchez/New York, NY – “You can walk the town, indeed as the ‘great saunter’ event proves: one can walk the rim of Manhattan – 32 miles.”

Matt Rosenberg/Valley Village, CA – “My favorite thing is the FDNY”

Kwok-Ming Cheng/New York, NY – “I love Central Park”

Sherwood Martinelli/Peekskill, NY – “Being married to a Native New Yorker from the Upper West Side, have to go with my beautiful wife. (Piece of interesting New York history…on the East River side of the UN Building is a large metal sculpture that was dedicated in I believe 1961…that is my wife’s father’s sculpture.)”

Michele Espinoza/New York, NY – “You’re kidding me, right? You want to limit us to Just ONE Favorite thing about NYC???? That’s like asking us to choose what we like most about our children. We have 5 boroughs, teeming with a populace that makes each neighborhood unique; How on EARTH can I pick just one. I love this city so much I have 2 blogs that focuses solely on NYC. Sigh! Okay, Okay, if I were to pick just one thing… ONE THING… it would be the vibe or energy of this incredible city. Unfortunately it was only after 9-11 that the entire world had an opportunity to see who we really are – a city of optimists in the face of challenges, of independent thinkers and creators that contribute not only their life blood to this city as they contribute to their own families and communities, but of individuals who embrace the global melting pot that they live in with patience and tolerance. Its a unique social experiment that keeps evolving despite the risks and challenges security poses to those charged with guarding it and us! That’s what I love most about my city!”

Contest Rules:

Securing The City provides a behind-the-scenes look at the anti-terrorism efforts of the New York Police Department which is considered the most effective urban anti-terror operation in the nation.

So, in order to make it very easy, you can enter the contest by sending me [to jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com] your one favorite thing about New York City. I’ll draw five entries randomly and will send each of the winners a free copy of the book.

Contest Rules: “Securing The City” provides a great behind-the-scenes look at the anti-terrorism efforts of the New York Police Department which is considered the most effective urban anti-terror operation in the nation. So, to make it easy, enter by sending me [at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by March 25th] your one favorite thing about New York City. I’ll draw five entries randomly and will send each of the winners a free book.

As far as the book itself, the NYPD is generally tight-lipped about its anti-terror activities so it was quite a coup for Dickey to get such access. And the veteran Newsweek correspondent takes great advantage providing an interesting and fast-paced account about how the Department, led by Commissioner Ray Kelly, has worked to prevent another terror attack on New York. Dickey’s years of experience reporting in the Middle East and Europe make him an excellent person to tell this story.

Much of what Dickey describes about NYPD’s anti-terror efforts is new information which is a credit to his reporting. But I would argue that it also underscores the need for the NYPD to communicate more of what it is doing. I say that for three reasons: First, because it will be important in the event a major terrorist attack (particularly one involving a weapon of mass destruction) occurs that the public knows what to do. In the book, police officials express concern about how people will react in a WMD incident, such as the use of a biological weapon, which would be a huge physical and psychological blow. However, one way to partially mitigate the impact would be to inform citizens about the various threats in advance, and what they will need to do if something happens.

The second reason I would argue for more information is that the police themselves say that they rely on citizens, particularly those immigrant communities, to learn about potential threats. I think the public would be more effective in that job if they knew more. And third, I would argue for more information, because Commissioner Kelly expresses concern about apathy setting in among New Yorkers (and Americans) as we approach eight years since 9/11. His worry is that citizens will not support the type of anti-terror commitment he feels necessary in light of the continuing terrorist threat. I would argue that if the public receives very little information about that threat it is only natural for them, particularly in difficult economic times, to believe that all those terrorism prevention resources are not necessary. As Kelly tells Dickey, “Every day we go without an attack the public becomes more complacent.” To address the complacency problem, I think that Commissioner Kelly and NYPD should find ways to provide the public with more information about the threats without, of course, comprising sources and methods.

I say this both as a citizen of New York and as someone who is involved with preparedness and response as a member of the City’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) who regularly interacts with citizens on the topic. There will always be a tension and balance between informing and frightening the public or giving too much information and not enough. Commissioner Kelly and NYPD have done a great job here in New York. They are a model for the nation. But I do hope they move a little more in the direction of briefing and engaging New Yorkers on their anti-terror efforts in the future.

 

A free copy of “The Survivors Club” will be sent to each of them. If you would like to purchase the book, click here. We’ll have another book contest on Monday.

So, I am going to change the rules midstream to make it less difficult to get a book – THE FIRST FIVE PEOPLE who send me an email to jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com will receive a free copy of “The Survivors Club”. All you have to do is put “The Survivors Club” in the Subject box. If you are one of the first five, Grand Central Publishing will send you a book. 

UPDATE / 5:55PM(EST) — ONLY ONE BOOK LEFT!

UPDATE / 6:53PM(EST) — NO MORE BOOKS. CONTEST OVER. ANOTHER ONE IN NEXT COUPLE WEEKS

I contacted the author, Ben Sherwood, and the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, who have agreed to send a free copy of the book to five blog readers. So, we will be holding another book contest. Here are the rules:

Send in your brief story or tip on how you ’survived’ or coped with an emergency or other serious situation that you think might helpful to others (to me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com). I’ll print them on the blog, and then I will randomly draw five winners who will receive a copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing. The entry deadline is March 7th. Only residents of the United States & Canada are eligible.

Hopefully, we’ll share some helpful information for the blog and distribute a helpful book to five lucky readers.

 

I think that citizen disaster preparedness is such an undercovered subject, and I would suggest some aspiring video journalist produce a contest entry on it. I would be very happy to help you in whatever way I can. (Maybe it could complement the “What Should We Tell The Public?” preparedness videos this blog has been posting on YouTube.) 

The winner will receive a $10,000 grant for travel abroad and the opportunity to work with the Pulitzer Center. Finalists will also receive high-end video and editing equipment from Sony and be featured on the YouTube homepage. The submission deadline is October 5th. ”From videos of natural disasters to investigative reports on political candidates, YouTube has become a go-to site for rare and dynamic news stories from around the world,” says Steve Grove, head of news and politics for YouTube, adding, “Project: Report will support and cultivate this type of content, encouraging aspiring journalists to continue informing the world through YouTube.”

If you are interested in entering a video entry about citizen preparedness, send me an email at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com. 

Dana Simpson – Austin, Texas

I do not have extended family in the city I live. I have often wondered how long it would take the city to find and notify my relatives that something happened to me and my immediate family. So I got together with one friend who lives in another section of the city and a neighbor across the street from me. Together we decided on a plan of action that includes always letting each other know if we are leaving town (complete with travel arrangements/agenda); contact information for relatives, etc.

Scott Miglin – Mount Vernon, Ohio

A twist on an old preparedness tip: Everyone needs a emergency kit at home. I plan on buying family members pre-made 72-hour emergency kits for Christmas from on of the several websites offering them. Sure, they may think I’m a lame-o, but their feelings will change after tasting the wholesome goodness of a 3600 calorie food bar …and I know they will something to build upon for an emergency plan.

Valerie Berg – Boulder, Colorado

The tip that I’ve adopted and convinced my family to adopt it: ”Half Full” is the new “Empty”.

After getting into the car with the gas tank at True Empty too many times, I told the family that they couldn’t use the car unless they filled it up at the halfway point. Being late for an appointment impressed on me the possibility of getting into the car during an emergency and finding an empty tank. No More!

Roger Ma – Brooklyn, New York

Here’s my tip – ziplock bags for your go-bag items. While having a
go-bag is essential, packing it properly is also important. Itemize
your gobag items by type/use, and store all of them in a quart,
gallon, or two gallon size ziplock bag. I have the ziplocks in my
gobag sorted by several different ‘types’, including food (energy
bars), fire/light (matches, batteries, flashlight, tinder), clothes
(shirt, pants, socks), etc. Not only does this make your gobag
packing much easier and efficient (just pull out the right ziplock),
but also waterproofs most of the critical items in case your bag gets
soaked in water.

One more related quick tip – don’t just buy something for your gobag
and throw it inside, packaging and all. Make sure the item is fully
useable when it goes into your bag so it’s immediately ready for use.I do not have extended family in the city where I live. I have often wondered how long it would take the city to find and notify my relatives that something happened to me or my immediate family. So I got together with one friend who lives in another section of the city and a neighbor across the street from me. Together we decided on a plan of action that includes always letting each other know if we are leaving town (complete with travel arrangements/agenda); contact information for relatives, etc.

Jonathan Haber — Bethesda, Maryland

Here’s a useful tip for people on the go: What would you do if your drivers license or passport became lost or was stolen? What would you do if it happened while you were out of the country? There’s an easy step you can take now that will make it easier to obtain help later. Scan these important identification documents into your computer, and them email the image files to yourself. That way, if you ever need to present backup copies of the documents, you would simply log in to email from anywhere in the world, and print the documents wherever you are whenever you need them.

Martha Garvey – Hoboken, New Jersey

When creating go bags for your family, don’t forget your dog. (We park our dog go bag, a small knapsack, right on top of our little box of poop bags.) Remember to pack a foldable nylon bowl, leash, pictures of your dog, a copy of the dog’s license and rabies certificates, poop bags, and, if your dog is prone to panic, a muzzle. Depending on how much weight you and your family can carry, I’d recommend a weeks’ worth of extra cans of food (either openable, or with can opener), bottles of water, and yes, treats or toys.

Grant Olsen – Boone, Iowa

The number one factor in stress reduction during a disaster is,
arguably, having information during the minutes and hours following a
disaster. Many preparedness lists recommend having a portable radio or

television to get information. Unless you’ve purchased a portable HDTV
in the last few years, your portable analog TV won’t be able to get
signals after February 17, 2009. Your local radio station might not
have a backup generator, leaving it vulnerable to a widespread
blackout. What device can offer multiple listening options? A portable radioscanner, a.k.a. police scanner. With a radio scanner, you can hear:

*FM radio broadcasts
*public safety two-way, including some law enforcement
*NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards
*FRS/GMRS (family walkie-talkies)
*Amateur Radio Emergency Service operators (a civilian corps of
emergency communicators)

Bruce Curley – Mount Airy, Maryland

When our house burned down 5 years ago due to a defective circuit board in a Black&Decker electric mower (there is a Consumer Product Safety Recall on the product because it starts fires) in the garage, I awoke to hear my wife screaming like a banshee. I jumped out of bed and ran to my wife in the kitchen holding her face and screaming wildly. What I did not know is that she had tried to open the door to get our son and was burned. I could barely see because the toxic fireball in the garage was making my eyes water. She screamed, “GET EAMON!!! GET EAMON!!! (our 6-year old at the time) and pointed through the door to the fireball in the garage. “Eamon is upstairs!” I yelled, but she kept pointing to the garage fireball.

Because I saw Eamon when I ran down, I knew where he was but I did not argue with her. I tried to move her but she stood like a rock because she had been burned trying to go into the garage to get Eamon because she thought he started the fire and was in it. I ran upstairs, got Eamon and woke his older brother Josh by dragging him out of bed, and brought Eamon down to my wife. I pointed her head down past the smoke so she could see his feet. Once she saw his feet and realized he was not in the fire in the garage, her adrenalin rush broke and I was able to push them all out the front door, the last exit that was available.

My wife was only trying to get her son out of a fire and acting on the information she had. As she had not seen him in his room and because he used to sleep walk, she figured he had started the fire. I had different information and had to act on it. I could have kept arguing with her and trying to get her leave the kitchen, but she was convinced he was in the fire and she wasn’t going anywhere until she got him. I was able to get them both out because I did not waste time arguing. My preparedness tip is that in most emergency situations, it is a waste of precious time to argue. It’s better to act and, if need be, to argue after the emergency has passed.

Ralph Dutcher– Rochester, New York 

Get to know your neighbors, join a community preparedness group like
C.E.R.T. or Medical Reserve Corps. Volunteer for the Red Cross
disaster team. If there is none of these groups in your neighborhood start one. Remember that all disasters and all mitigation of disasters start locally!

I am happy to report that the good folks at Crown Publishing have just given me three copies of Michael Sheehan’s interesting new book, Crush The Cell: How To Defeat Terrorism Without Terrorizing Ourselves, to add to the prize chest. So, the first five entries randomly chosen will receive an audio book of Amanda Ripley’s The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes And Why and the next three will receive Crush The Cell. Thank you Amanda and Mike.

So if you have a citizen preparedness tip you want to share and possibly win a book, please send it to jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by August 8th. The submission should be something you think is important that other citizens should know and do in order to increase their own, their community’s and their nation’s readiness. After l pick the eight winners, I will post their tips.

THE RULES: Please send a citizen preparedness tip to jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by August 7th. The submission should be along the lines of the “What Should We Tell The Public?” video series – a tip, recommendation, or an idea on what you think is important that other citizens should know and do in order to increase their own, their community’s and their nation’s readiness. I will collect and post every tip I receive. Then, I will do a random drawing of all the submissions to pick five winners. 

THE PRIZE: Amanda Ripley has kindly given me five new copies of the Random House Audio of her book The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes And Why.

 THE UNTHINKABLE AUDIO BOOK

This unabridged edition, read by Kirsten Potter, has 8 compact discs covering nine-and-a-half-hours. I will send a copy to each of the five randomly selected winners. Thank you Amanda.    

It is my belief that we need to make emergency preparedness more engaging and even fun (as well as add some incentives) if we are to get Americans to take notice and start the preparedness process. So, I will be running some contests and other non-traditional preparedness activities on this blog. Of course, most of the readers of this blog do not need preparedness made more engaging or incentive-driven to get them involved. Nevertheless, I hope these contests will not only be enjoyable and an opportunity to win some preparedness-related prizes, but also hopefully a learning experience that gives us an opportunity to share and pick up some new ideas.

‘PREPAREDNESS TIPS’ CONTEST

THE RULES: Please send me a citizen preparedness tip to jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by August 7th. The submission should be along the lines of the “What Should We Tell The Public?” video series – a tip, recommendation, or an idea on what you think is important that other citizens should know and do in order to increase their own, their community’s and their nation’s readiness. I will collect and post every tip I receive. Then, I will do a random drawing of all the submissions to pick five winners. 

THE PRIZE: Amanda Ripley has kindly given me five new copies of the Random House Audio of her book The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes And Why.

 THE UNTHINKABLE AUDIO BOOK

This unabridged edition, read by Kirsten Potter, has 8 compact discs covering nine-and-a-half-hours. I will send a copy to each of the five randomly selected winners. Thank you Amanda.    

UPDATE:

Reader Scott Miglin from Mount Vernon, Ohio submits this idea:

A twist on an old preparedness tip:  Everyone needs a emergency kit at home. I plan on buying family members pre-made 72-hour emergency kits for Christmas from on of the several websites offering them.  Sure, they may think I’m a lame-o, but their feelings will change after tasting the wholesome goodness of a 3600 calorie food bar …and I know they will something to build upon for an emergency plan.

Roger Ma from Brooklyn, New York suggests these:

Here’s my tip – ziplock bags for your go-bag items.  While having a
go-bag is essential, packing it properly is also important.  Itemize
your gobag items by type/use, and store all of them in a quart,
gallon, or two gallon size ziplock bag.  I have the ziplocks in my
gobag sorted by several different ‘types’, including food (energy
bars), fire/light (matches, batteries, flashlight, tinder), clothes
(shirt, pants, socks), etc.  Not only does this make your gobag
packing much easier and efficient (just pull out the right ziplock),
but also waterproofs most of the critical items in case your bag gets
soaked in water.

One more related quick tip – don’t just buy something for your gobag
and throw it inside, packaging and all.  Make sure the item is fully
useable (packaging removed, batteries inserted, etc.) when it goes
into your bag so it’s immediately ready for use.