In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

Earlier this year, James Karl Buck, a graduate student arrested in Egypt while documenting local riots, sent out a one word Twitter message — “Arrested” — just before he was taken in custody by Egyptian police. As a result of the message, members of Buck’s Twitter network were able to get the word out, mobilize and then create enough outside […]

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The headline might strike some readers as tongue in cheek — as if you can really do anything if a nuclear bomb explodes nearby. And, clearly if you are too close, there is little you will be able to do. However, it is less well know that there are things that to you can do if you are in the vicinity […]

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I want to highlight two recent items from the blog of The Unthinkable author Amanda Ripley.
First, Amanda posted an excerpt from her book and Time cover story with recommendations on how to refine your own “disaster personality”. She lists five areas — Attitude, Knowledge, Anxiety Level, Body Weight & Training — where you can actually […]

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Today, I am kicking off a new video experiment on the blog. It is the premiere of a feature I’m going to call “What Should We Tell The Public?” I will be asking leading people in the homeland security/emergency management/public health preparedness community for their tips, recommendations, and ideas on what they think it is important that citizens should […]

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For my birthday on last Saturday, my kids got me a 33oz. “I AM NOT PLASTIC” water bottle. I bring this up not because I love my kids (which I do) or because I want to contribute to slowing global warming (which I do). But instead because the gift offers me another good lesson about emergency preparedness.
I […]

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With summer approaching and the memory of the Iowa tornado disaster still resonating, the Linda Wagar of Fox-4 TV in Kansas City had a good story reminding parents to make sure the camp their kids has an emergency plan:
“The Boy Scout camp tragedy in Iowa is raising awareness of just how vulnerable kids can be when they’re away at […]

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With many parts of the country suffering from extreme weather emergencies, David Stephenson, the guru of Preparedness 2.0, among other things, has reposted his ’21st Century Disaster Tips You Won’t Get From Officials’ and a video version via You Tube on his blog, stephensonstrategies.com. They are well worth reading and watching. The tips focus on the:
“…smart use of personal communication devices, especially in […]

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As you may know — or are directly experiencing for yourself — parts of the northeast are having their first heat wave of the year. Here in New York, the City’s Office of Emergency Management has been reminding citizens to be careful of the heat. As I signed up for OEM’s public warning mailing list, I received this notification email:

For the next four days the […]

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Soon after the tragic crane collapse on the Upper East Side, my CERT team was deployed by the City’s Office of Emergency Management to help in the response.

A photo I took yesterday of local residents looking at the aftermath of a crane collapse that had killed two people earlier in the day.
We helped the Red Cross set up and staff […]

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I received an excellent amendment to my recommendation that citizens purchase an extra cell phone battery. The suggestion came from fellow blogger, Jimmy Jazz:
My wife and I both carry around those Energizer Energi-To-Go cell phone chargers.
Example link: http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Energi-Instant-Charger-Motorola/dp/B000JD39X8
Powered by 2 AA batteries, they’re great for in a pinch. We also keep a DC charger in […]

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