During hurricane season and National Preparedness Month, state and local emergency management offices in communities around the U.S. will often work with private businesses to promote public readiness. Typical is North Carolina County Emergency Management Services hurricane project with the United Way in which:
Stores across the area are hosting a Hurricane Preparedness and Awareness event throughout the [...]
It’s Time To Get Business Far More Into Citizen Preparedness: A Win-Win-Win-Win Plan To Raise Public Readiness Using Incentives, Product Marketing Techniques
September 27th, 2010 · 10 Comments
Tags: Business Preparedness · Preparedness Advertising · Preparedness Events · Preparedness Ideas · Preparedness Incentives · Preparedness and Business · Red Cross
As Nation Marks 9/11 Anniversary, 20 Ideas To Improve Citizen Preparedness & Engagement
September 13th, 2010 · 3 Comments
As the U.S. marks the ninth anniversary of 9/11, I wanted to post some ideas that I think would help raise citizen preparedness and engagement. The recommendations come from discussions that I have had with people involved in all aspects of the issue, my own experiences as a parent and CERT member in New York [...]
Tags: Business Preparedness · CERT · City Preparedness · Congress · County Preparedness · Cyber Security · Department of Homeland Security · Federal Emergency Management Administration · Fire Safety · Government Education Programs · Media · Non-Profit Organizations · Preparedness 2.0 · Preparedness Ideas · Preparedness Incentives · Preparedness Models · Preparedness and Business · Risk Communications · See Something/Terrorism Tips · State Preparedness · Volunteer Opportunities
On 9/11 Anniv., Napolitano Looks To Field Bigger “Hometown Security” Team “Whether You Are…A Businessman, A Student, Or Stay-At-Home-Parent” To Address “Even More Dynamic” Threats, But Warns “We Can’t Seal Our Country Under A Glass Dome”; Suggests Return To Civil Defense Tradition
September 11th, 2010 · 2 Comments
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano travelled to the New York City’s Emergency Operations Center in downtown Brooklyn yesterday to make a major speech to local first responders on the eve of the ninth anniversary of 9/11. I was asked by the City’s Office of Emergency Management to represent the Community Emergency Response Team [...]
Tags: See Something/Terrorism Tips
On National Preparedness Month, Some Ways You Can Volunteer To Help Your Community Become More Prepared For Emergencies
September 6th, 2010 · 1 Comment
If National Preparedness Month has inspired you to want to volunteer in your community to assist in emergency preparedness and response, I wanted to post an article by Darryl Madden, Director of the Ready Program, “Be Part of the Preparedness Team.” In the piece, he offers some suggestions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s grassroots readiness initiative, [...]
Tags: Federal Emergency Management Administration · Volunteer Opportunities
As Power Blackouts Increase, Public Should Make Sure They Have Backup Power For Their Mobile, Smart Phones
September 5th, 2010 · 1 Comment
A recent article on CNN.com “U.S. electricity blackouts skyrocketing,” reported on the national increase in non-disaster-related power outages:
During the past two decades, such blackouts have increased 124 percent — up from 41 blackouts between 1991 and 1995, to 92 between 2001 and 2005, according to research at the University of Minnesota. In the most recently analyzed [...]
Tags: Power Failures · Preparedness Ideas
Using “Moulage” (a.k.a. Mock Disaster Makeup) To Make Preparedness Training Fun For Kids & Adults
August 9th, 2010 · No Comments
On this blog, we’re always looking for ways of making public preparedness more fun and engaging for the public, particularly young people. That’s why I wanted to highlight the work READYColorado’s Disaster Ready Training for middle and high school students. As has been written about here, Colorado has been a leader in youth preparedness initiatives.
One [...]
Tags: Education · Humor · Preparedness Events · Preparedness Ideas
To Make Family Emergency Planning More Effective (& Credible), Should It Be Done Together With Schools, Businesses, Neighbors, Responders? Maybe On A Specific Day?
November 9th, 2009 · 6 Comments
In a speech at the London School Economics last week, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano brought her theme of “shared responsibility” across the Atlantic. She told the audience — which included a number of American students — that as part of U.S. homeland security, ”individuals have responsibilities, families have responsibilities to be prepared…to have thought what they would [...]
Tags: Department of Homeland Security · Pets · Preparedness Ideas · Public Opinion
Ojai OK, You’re OK…So Community’s OK — Readiness Drill Involves Public, CERT, Responders
October 8th, 2009 · 1 Comment
In recent posts, I have highlighted a couple of major California preparedness events occurring in mid-October — “The Great California Shakeout” and “The Great Rumble”. I wanted to mention another one, the “Ojai OK Drill,” which takes place next week.
Organized by the Ojai Valley CERT, the “OK Drill” aims to improve the community’s emergency readiness. [...]
Tags: Earthquake Preparedness · Preparedness Events · Preparedness Ideas · Preparedness Models
Interview With “Ready Radio” Show From Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter’s Cross Bloggers
October 7th, 2009 · 1 Comment
I had the great pleasure to be a guest on the latest episode of the “Ready Radio” show co-hosted by Robin Parker and Lise Harwin. Parker and Harwin are the impresarios (or as they might say it, imprep-e-sarios) behind the terrific Cross Blog of the Oregon Trail Red Cross.
In the segment, we discuss how I got [...]
Tags: Media · Media Interviews · Red Cross
For Fire Response, CaliforniaVolunteers Website Offers Guidance To Public Interested In Contributing $, In-Kind, Or Time
September 2nd, 2009 · No Comments
CaliforniaVolunteers is providing a useful web page with a list of ways the public can help in the state’s response to the wildfires. The site, www.californiavolunteers.org/index.php/Disaster_Volunteering/detail2/, offers this short overview:
Due to dangerous wildfire conditions, please do not travel to the areas affected by the fires without explicit instructions from a qualified emergency response organization. In [...]
Tags: Fire Safety · State Preparedness · Volunteer Opportunities · Volunteering