In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

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 [...]

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In the weeks since Deepwater Horizon explosion, the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) has found itself in the middle of an evolving and unprecedented crisis. And, the agency has been relying on its new Twitter feed @GOHSEP, which has become a vital communications platform and resource.
Though the @GOHSEP feed has been [...]

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Thanks to Sara Estes Cohen’s Twitter feed I found out about a new group in New Orleans, Evacuteer.org, that is recruiting volunteers to help in the event of an emergency evacuation of the city (an eventuality whose chances increased today with the announcement by Mayor Mitch Landrieu that he might order a full evacuation before [...]

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With the 2010 Hurricane Season starting today and the oil spill in the Gulf, the Louisiana Department of Social Services is encouraging residents to pre-apply online for Disaster Food Stamps. The Louisiana effort underscores the importance of citizen advance planning for disasters when it comes to their daily needs (whether it be government assistance or [...]

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Louisiana’s Hurricane Preparedness Tax Holiday begins tomorrow. During the weekend, state residents can purchase preparedness-related products without paying sales tax. Virginia’s preparedness tax free week also wraps up on Sunday.
As these holidays are viewed as successful by Louisiana and Virginia, I do not understand why other states do not adopt the idea (and that the [...]

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With Virginia’s third-annual tax-free preparedness supplies holiday week starting today, the Governor’s top preparedness adviser told me in an interview that the idea has been a win-win-win’ success increasing focus on disaster readiness among the public, business and the media. ”The holiday gets people’s attention, says Terrie Suit, assistant to Governor Bob McDonnell for Commonwealth Preparedness, “before [...]

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Like most Americans, I have been closely following Hurricane Gustav on television, radion and web media news outlets. In addition, I wanted to bring your attention a number of online resources that I have been monitoring as well:
The American Red Cross offers two web-based information sources that I find very helpful:
Red Cross’ Online Newsroom which can [...]

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With New York and other states now debating the creation of a tax-free period for emergency preparedness supplies to spur public disaster readiness, I decided to check to see how the idea went in two states — Virginia and Louisiana — that tried it for the first time this May.
Though they have no sales figures [...]

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With hurricane season beginning today, I thought I would highlight a new public awareness campaign from the State of Louisiana called Get A Game Plan (www.getagameplan.org).
In many ways, the Louisiana citizen preparedness campaign is like those of other states and localities — encouragement along with information. However, there is one aspect of it I wanted to mention. When you [...]

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