In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

The subject of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Third Annual Essay Competition will be of interest to readers of this blog: ”How can, or should, the United States make homeland security a more layered, networked, and resilient endeavor involving all citizens?”
The competition is open to everyone with an interest in homeland [...]

[Read more →]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Kathy Cloninger today unveiled a Girl Scout preparedness patch-designed to engage Girl Scouts and their families in personal preparedness for all emergencies-and announced a new affiliation between DHS Citizen Corps and the Girl Scouts to advance community preparedness nationwide. ”As [...]

[Read more →]

In an interview just before the release of his new book, former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff urges that the terror color codes should be condensed to three levels, calls for the development of a new preparedness course (including first aid, CPR, basic mechanics, and firearms training) for schools across the U.S., acknowledges “he would [...]

[Read more →]

With a lot of people visiting New York this summer, I thought I would highlight a fun and interesting spot I recently went with my family, which involves disaster-related themes. The Sony Wonder Technology Lab is located in midtown Manhattan, and it offers kids and their parents a chance to take part in a simulated television [...]

[Read more →]

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 [...]

[Read more →]

From my own personal experience, I know that children are key motivators in influencing their parents behavior. So that is why educating kids on preparedness is crucial to attaining the goal of a more prepared nation. But a key to any new educational emergency readiness initiative in the schools is that it complement existing curricula [...]

[Read more →]

The Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado is once again holding its Annual Hazards and Disasters Student Paper Competition for undergraduate and graduate students.
Papers can present current research, literature reviews, theoretical arguments, or case studies. Eligible topics include floods and floodplain management, Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes, climate change, warning systems, hazard mitigation, emergency management, vulnerability, [...]

[Read more →]

Speaking of preparedness education in the schools, two good examples — focusing on widely different ages — were brought to my attention recently: 1) the Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP) program at the Thompson Brook School in Avon, Connecticut for fifth graders, and 2) an earthquake readiness program at the University of California, Berkeley for [...]

[Read more →]

As has been discussed often on this blog, I believe that a key to creating a real culture of preparedness throughout the nation is getting the topic taught in schools. Not only would it prepare a generation for the future, but sometimes the best way to convince parents in the present is through their kids. Yet [...]

[Read more →]

One non-profit organization which has been in the forefront of citizen preparedness is the Home Safety Council. Under the leadership of Meri-k Appy, the Council has developed a number of creative and user-friendly preparedness education programs. In this daily segment of “What Should We Tell The Public?” (for National Preparedness Month), Appy discusses the Council’s ‘Get [...]

[Read more →]