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The Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Companies

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Posted by: Mary Mullusky, Chief, Hydrologic Providers Branch, NOAA’s Nationwide Climate Service

This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and FEMA are once again partnering for Nationwide Flood Security Awareness Week. &nbspEach day of Nationwide Flood Security Awareness week, we will give key info connected to flood hazards, and techniques to shield yourself and your residence.

The influences of weather, water and climate on our day-to-day lives and financial properly becoming are manifold, and at occasions profound. A fact highlighted by the devastating and heartrending occasions of the previous couple of many years.

NOAA’s Nationwide Climate Service (NWS) gives weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings to shield lifestyle and home and increase the nationwide financial system. &nbspTo fulfill this important mission, skilled NWS meteorologists and hydrologists use state-of-the-art science and technology to keep track of and predict climate, water and climate impacts for our nation and its citizens 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Floods are our nation’s most costly natural disaster and, on average, is the top lead to of serious climate-related deaths. &nbspFloods have claimed an common of 94 lives a year and $ 10.two billion in economic damages in the decade 2001-2010 alone. View The Water’s Fury (Quicktime file) to see the energy of water.

Whilst floods are not preventable, the reduction of daily life and property can be reduced substantially with more timely and precise forecasts and warnings. &nbspAn critical signifies by which the NWS generates and distributes flood and water resource forecasts and data is via the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, acknowledged as AHPS (pronounced A-Haps).

AHPS is an ongoing energy by the NWS to carry on modernizing its hydrologic companies and offers new details and products by means of the infusion of new science and technology. &nbspIt is a net-based mostly suite of precise and info-rich forecast products in graphical type that permits government companies, private institutions, and men and women to make far more informed, threat-based mostly decisions to mitigate the dangers posed by floods and droughts.

Some examples of the products and details from AHPS consist of: hydrographs combining current water level observations from the U.S. Geological Survey with NWS river forecasts extended array (i.e., 90-day) probabilistic forecasts conveying the chance a river will exceed minor, moderate, or major flood amounts inundation maps for water ranges from flood stage via the flood of record, depicting in which and how deep the flood waters will be in a neighborhood or neighborhood thereby enabling emergency managers and other decision makers to preposition folks and sources to most successfully mitigate the impacts of a flood historical floods impacts, and a lot far more.

The broad reach of AHPS extends the range of forecasts from brief-term (up to six hours) to extended-term (out to weeks and months) and gives the public with far more detailed and accurate answers to the following concerns:

  • How higher will the river rise?
  • When will the river reach its peak?
  • Where will the flooding occur?
  • How lengthy will the flood last?
  • How prolonged will the drought carry on? and
  • How certain is the forecast?

AHPS forecast goods and info support selections with regards to the operation and management of flood-control structures. &nbspEmergency management officials at the Federal, state, territorial, tribal and regional and state ranges use these forecasts to fight floods, evacuate residents, and to take other measures to mitigate the impact of flooding. &nbspAlso, these goods are utilized by a broad variety of men and women, this kind of as barge and dam operators, power organizations and municipal water provide officials, recreational consumers, farmers, households, corporations, and environmentalists. Anybody and everyone who makes water-based decisions advantages from AHPS.

Get prepared, be ready and be FloodSmart ahead of the flood begins.

Stay latest with flood threat in your place with the most recent official watches and warnings at climate.gov. For thorough hydrologic circumstances and forecasts, click the “water” tab.

FEMA Blog site

What We’re Viewing: three/9/twelve

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Posted by: Alexandra Kirin, Public Affairs

At the finish of every single week, we post a “What We’re Watching” weblog as we seem ahead to the weekend and recap events from the week. We inspire you to share it with your pals and household, and have a risk-free weekend.

Climate Outlook

A new storm in the Pacific Northwest will generate valley rain and mountain snow across western Washington. Snow melt resulting from a sturdy warming trend could bring flooding this weekend to considerably of the Northern Rockies and Intermountain West. Winds from 15-30 mph are expected across a lot of Montana, with gusts above 40 mph in the Chinook regions. These robust winds, mixed with reduced relative humidity, will outcome in essential fire climate situations right now across significantly of north-central Montana.

A clipper-like technique in the Midwest is expected to bring snow from the upper peninsula of Michigan off into a lot of the northeastern U.S. A Red Flag Warning is in effect these days for western and north-central Nebraska as a outcome of strong winds and very low relative humidity.

Update on Tornado Response

FEMA continues to help efforts of state, tribal and neighborhood officials in states impacted by severe storms and tornadoes Feb. 28 – March three. President Obama declared a main disaster declaration, on Tuesday, for the Commonwealth of Kentucky making federal disaster aid available assist to supplement commonwealth and regional recovery efforts in the location affected by the recent storms. Residents and company owners in the designated Kentucky counties who sustained losses can apply for support by registering on the internet at www.disasterassistance.gov, by web enabled mobile gadget at m.fema.gov or by calling one-800-621-FEMA(3362) or one-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.

Joint Preliminary Harm Assessments are ongoing in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

National Flood Security Week

We’re teaming up with NOAA once more to bring you Nationwide Flood Security Awareness Week 2012. Starting up following week, March twelve -16 we’ll share information on flood risks, how people, households, and organizations can take precautions to shield their households and households in the occasion of flooding and safety guidelines on what to do ahead of, for the duration of, and after flooding.

Floods are one of the most typical hazards in the United States, but there are basic steps citizens can take today to lessen their danger to all types of floods. Head over to www.prepared.gov/floods for details on floods and make certain to test back following week for the commence of Flood Security Awareness Week.

Clocks Spring Forward on Sunday

Don’t forget, on Sunday we spring forward an hour for Daylight Financial savings – it’s also a fantastic reminder to make sure you have a operating smoke alarm in your home. Smoke alarms considerably increase your chances of surviving a deadly property fire, so we motivate everyone to take these easy methods to be prepared:

  • Test and clean your smoke alarms nowadays and on the 1st of each month
  • Substitute the batteries at least as soon as a year
  • Spot smoke alarms on each level of your residence and in every bedroom
  • Examine the manufacture/expiration date on the smoke alarm (yes, smoke alarms have expiration dates)
  • Practice your family’s fire escape strategy

For a lot more data about property smoke alarms and fire sprinklers, check out www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms.

Watches &amp Warnings – What’s the Variation?

As we head into spring, and extreme weather and storms turn into a lot more active, we wished to make sure that absolutely everyone understood the variation in between a serious climate watch and warning. Watch this video from our close friends at NOAA explaining the difference between serious climate watches and warnings.

FEMA Website

Photo Accessible: Coast Guard responds to sunken vessel in Chenega Boat Harbor

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After the Cape Kasilof&rsquos owner indicated his inability to respond to the sinking

VALDEZ, Alaska &mdash Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez personnel responded to the sinking of the fishing vessel Cape Kasilof in the Chenega Modest Boat Harbor Tuesday and continue to monitor pollution response efforts.

The Coast Guard received a report Tuesday afternoon the 33-foot Cape Kasilof sunk in its berth in the Chenega Little Boat Harbor due to extreme snow load. Two 55-gallon fuel drums on the vessel&rsquos deck had been utilised in location of the vessel&rsquos fuel tanks and a mild sheen was reported all around the vessel.

The Coast Guard federalized the situation and hired Alaska Marine Response to remove all pollutants on board and include discharged oil following the Cape Kasilof&rsquos owner indicated his inability to respond to the sinking.

AMR arrived on scene Thursday and deployed containment boom around the vessel. Sorbent pads were positioned inside the boom to recover fuel. Divers inspected the vessel, plugged fuel vents and removed a single drum of fuel which was punctured and leaking. Sheening appeared to quit when the drum was removed from the water.

Complete quantity of fuel discharged is estimated to be approximately ten gallons of diesel and bilge slops. All fuel on the vessel was recovered with the exception of about 7 gallons of hydraulic oil in the engine space which could not be safely accessed by the divers. Containment boom is at the moment anchored in location. MSU Valdez and AMR personnel continue to monitor the scenario.

“The Coast Guard would like to remind mariners of a handful of methods to make sure vessel safety in the course of winter months,” mentioned Lt. j.g. Allie Ferko, MSU Valdez public affairs officer. “Eliminate snow and ice accumulation and keep the scuppers clear of blockage verify shaft packing for excess leakage perform regimen checks for indicators of loose or deteriorating planks on wooden hulled vessels conduct a routine inspection of automatic bilge pumps visually examine all thru-hull fittings for injury or loose connections take away all needless fuel from the boat if away for an extended period of time and organize dependable snow elimination for the vessel and finger pier.”

For much more information contact Lt. j.g. Allie Ferko at [email protected] or 907-835-7209 or cell 972-533-8185.

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Modern Updates for Coast Guard Headquarters News, Pictures, Movies and Information

Securing our Southwest Border

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Posted by Secretary Napolitano

Earlier this week, I traveled to Arizona and Texas with U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP) Acting Commissioner David Aguilar to see DHS operations at the Southwest Border.

We visited the Port of Hidalgo, Pharr Bridge, CBP’s Air and Marine Branch, and the Border Patrol Forward Operating Base near Falcon Heights where we noticed firsthand some of CBP’s abilities along the Southwest border and latest investments in personnel, technologies, and infrastructure. I had the privilege of hearing from and personally thanking some of the dedicated males and females on the front lines. They function hard each and every day, at great personalized threat, to maintain the communities along the border and our whole nation safe and sound.

Guarding communities along on our borders is crucial to our homeland safety, as nicely as to our economic prosperity. More than the previous three many years, the Obama Administration has deployed substantial resources and worked closely with partners at all levels—including other federal companies, state, neighborhood, tribal and territorial law enforcement, the private sector and the government of Mexico- to safe our border.

This perform is making a true distinction. Nationwide, illegal immigration attempts, as measured by Border Patrol apprehensions, have reduced 53 percent in the previous three many years, and are less than 20 percent of what they had been at their peak. Seizures of illegal drugs, currency, and weapons are all up, even though violent crime in some of our greatest border cities and communities has remained flat or fallen over the previous decade.

As we move forward, we’ll continue to work to guarantee our borders are secure and safe, while facilitating the genuine trade and travel that is so essential to our economy.

Published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Safety, Washington, D.C.

The Weblog @ Homeland Security

Cybersecurity Legislation Would Improve Protection of Vital Infrastructure

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Posted by Mark Weatherford, Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity

Last week, I talked about the not too long ago-introduced Cybersecurity Act of 2012 and the aspects of the legislation that would improve the protection of the federal executive branch networks and assist preserve the American public protected from theft, fraud, and loss of individual and monetary data. Nowadays I’d like to go over how the legislation would improve the safety and resiliency of the nation’s critical infrastructure — from banking and monetary methods, to power plants and electric grids, to transportation and shipping hubs.

DHS leads the nation’s vital infrastructure protection and cybersecurity efforts, but the federal government can’t do it alone. The huge vast majority of essential infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, and the landscape is continuously altering as new and more sophisticated threats emerge. DHS is focused on constructing and strengthening partnerships across all amounts of government and with the personal sector in order to improve data sharing, assistance cyber incident response, and make cyberspace basically safer and a lot more safe.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 clarifies DHS’ authority to provide support to sector and state, nearby, tribal and territorial governments and establishes a risk mitigation framework to make certain that companies supplying the Nation’s most crucial services are instituting a baseline degree of cybersecurity. This proposal would leverage the experience of the personal sector requiring the Nation’s most vital infrastructure adopt the cybersecurity practices and technologies that perform very best on their networks.

It also removes barriers to sharing cybersecurity data among industry and the federal government by offering immunity from other laws for the purpose of sharing this kind of cybersecurity info with DHS. At the exact same time, the legislation mandates robust privacy oversight, such as criminal penalties for misuse, to make sure that voluntarily shared info does not impinge on person privacy and civil liberties.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 aligns closely with the Administration’s cybersecurity legislative proposal, and will allow DHS and our partners to continue to perform with each other to safe cyberspace, defend our nation’s essential infrastructures, and advance our economic and security interests.

Published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C.

The Blog @ Homeland Security

CSB releases safety video on need for chemical emergency preparedness

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CSB has released a new safety video showing the need for groups to work together to prepare for chemical accidents
CSB has released a video detailing the need for chemical emergency preparedness

New video is based on findings from a decade of CSB accident investigations

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today released a new safety video showing the need for emergency response agencies, companies, and communities to work closely together to prepare for the kinds of tragic chemical accidents the CSB has investigated over the past decade.

The new video, entitled “Emergency Preparedness: Findings from CSB Accident Investigations,” uses computer animations, interviews, and news footage to depict a series of chemical accidents that illustrate the need for effective training, communications, and community planning. In some incidents, firefighters and police were overcome by toxic chemicals and forced to retreat from neighborhoods; in others, firefighters and workers were tragically killed and others injured.

The video is available online at www.CSB.gov, www.safetyvideos.gov, and YouTube. It can be ordered on a new two-DVD set of all CSB safety videos by filling out the CSB request form.

In the video, CSB Chairman John Bresland notes: “Preparations by companies, emergency responders, government authorities, and the public are critical to reducing injuries and saving lives. It’s not only important to be prepared; everyone must communicate, have an up-to-date plan in place and practice that plan regularly. We hope that our findings will help keep communities safe.”

In addition to comments by CSB investigators and board members, the video features observations by fire chiefs, a state fire marshal, and an expert on emergency preparedness and local emergency planning.

Danvers, Massachusetts, Fire Chief James P. Tutko, who led the effort to battle a massive fire and explosion at an ink plant in 2006, and oversaw the community evacuation, said he recommends “Emergency Preparedness” as well as other CSB safety videos. “I can recommend CSB safety videos for their content and accuracy. They can be used for all aspects of emergency response training,” Chief Tutko said, adding: “Don’t wait for an accident in your jurisdiction to learn about the CSB’s findings.”

The video begins with an animation of a boiling liquid expansion vapor explosion, or BLEVE, in a large propane tank that killed two firefighters and injured seven others in a 1998 accident in Albert City, Iowa. The firefighters had not received accurate training or guidance on BLEVE hazards and approached within 100 feet of the burning tank when it suddenly blew apart.

“The Herrig Brothers farm explosion animation provides a tragic but important starting point for the video,” said Board Member William Wark. “Every day firefighters face challenges like these and sadly, sometimes lose their lives. We hope the video will make the case that training and communication are critical so that responders can do their jobs without death or injury.”

Another propane explosion seen in the video – which destroyed a convenience store and killed two propane service technicians, a volunteer fire captain, and an EMT in Ghent, West Virginia – shows the need for training to rapidly evacuate such danger zones. West Virginia State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis states in the video, “We take a vow to protect life and property. Life comes first.” Commenting on the video’s central them, Fire Marshal Lewis said, “We must train until it becomes second nature. We must educate ourselves and the public to the point we can help each other.”

Apex, North Carolina, Fire Chief Mark Haraway, whose department is depicted in the video as battling a “worst case scenario” due to a lack of information from a hazardous waste facility that caught fire in 2006, said, “I recommend this and other CSB safety videos for the training opportunities they provide.”

Other accidents highlighted in “Emergency Preparedness” include an allyl alcohol toxic chemical release in Dalton, Georgia; chlorine releases in Festus, Missouri, and Glendale, Arizona; a reactive chemical explosion in Jacksonville, Florida; and a recent reactive chemical explosion and community evacuation in Institute, West Virginia.

Timothy Gablehouse, a preparedness expert who appears in the video as president of the National Association of SARA Title III Program Officials (NASTTPO) and a member of the Colorado Emergency Planning Commission, said, “The CSB has done us all a great favor by compiling many of their investigation findings into a crisp and clear lessons learned message – a great reminder for us all.”