emergency management

Preparing for this Year’s Hurricane Season

July 10, 2013 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: Craig Fugate, Administrator, FEMA

Editor’s Note: This blog was originally posted on the White House Blog.

Today marks the start of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Under the direction of President Obama, FEMA and DHS stand ready to support our state and local partners as the tropics start to produce their annual cyclones, storms, and hurricanes. On Wednesday, I joined Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano as well as partners from NOAA, DOE, the Army Corps of Engineers, and representatives from states and the private sector to brief the President on steps FEMA and our partners have already taken to meet the challenges of the 2012 hurricanes season. That briefing underscored the importance of the whole community, from the federal government to individual citizens, working together to get prepared before a potential storm threatens a region, state, or community.

Washington, D.C., May 30, 2012 — President Barack Obama participates in the annual hurricane preparedness briefing in the Situation Room of the White House, May 30, 2012. Seated clockwise from the President are: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; Daniel Poneman, Department of Energy Deputy Secretary; Eric Silagy, FP&L President; Bryan Koon, Florida Director of Emergency Management; Major General Emmett Titshaw, Florida Adjutant General; Chief of Staff Jack Lew; and Craig Fugate, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Long before the start of this year’s hurricane season, FEMA has worked closely with our partners at the state, local and tribal levels. This includes openly sharing information and expertise that will improve resiliency across our nation, cities, towns, neighborhoods, and families. For FEMA, building relationships before a disaster strikes is vital to working closely together during and after an emergency situation.

But government doesn’t prepare for and respond to disasters alone. Right alongside are the hundreds of businesses, voluntary agencies, and faith- and community-based organizations who provide vital services to both communities and individuals affected by disasters. Some of these organizations provide for basic needs like food, water, and shelter – while others respond to needs such as financial consulting, animal sheltering, or help processing your insurance claim.

While all the players I mentioned play a part in keeping our nation and neighborhoods safer in case disaster strikes – these efforts will fall flat unless individuals take part in their own preparedness. Fortunately, the short amount of time and effort it takes to make our families and homes safer is well worth the payoff if an emergency should happen. For example, here are three simple steps you can take today:

Familiarize yourself with the disasters or emergencies that could happen where you live, work or frequently visit,
Decide and practice how your family would communicate after an emergency, and
Build an emergency supply kit to sustain your family for at least 72 hours.

So as we move into the traditional start of the Atlantic hurricane season, I encourage you to respond to the important role you play as part of the emergency management team. You can start with one of the three steps I listed out above, or by pledging to prepare at Ready.gov/hurricanes.

The Blog @ Homeland Security

What We’re Watching: three/15/13

March 17, 2013 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs

At the end of each week, we post a “What We’re Watching” blog as we look ahead to the weekend and recap events from the week. We encourage you to share it with your friends and family, and have a safe weekend.

Flood Safety Awareness Week
Next week, we’re teaming up with NOAA to bring you National Flood Safety Awareness Week. Floods are one of the most common hazards in the U.S., and while spring brings the promise of warm weather and longer days, it also brings a variety of threatening conditions like heavy rain, flash flooding, and rapid snowmelt (for those of us who received any) that can increase your flood risk.

So be sure to follow the blog and our social media channels March 17 -23 for flood safety information and tips along with the steps individuals, families, and businesses can take to protect their families and homes from flooding. But you don’t need to wait until next week for the info – you can visit Ready.gov/floods today for the rundown on flood safety, as well as FloodSmart.gov for information on the benefits of flood insurance.

Internship Opportunities for NYC Graduate Students
I wanted to highlight an opportunity for graduate students seeking internship opportunities in the New York City area.

The John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service is the first student fellowship in New York City government devoted specifically to emergency management. The program provides graduate students in New York City-area universities a nine-month paid fellowship (approximately 20 hours per week) in an agency of New York City government, including NYC Office of Emergency Management. If you or someone you know are interested, be sure to apply online.

The application period closes on April 1, so be sure to apply today. For more information, visit the NYC Office of Emergency Management website.

Share your thoughts on these topics
In case you missed it, there’s still time to share your thoughts and ideas on our new topics on our collaboration site:

Creating Model Emergency Management Plans – We’re looking for your input on what schools, institutions of higher education, and houses of worship should consider when developing and implementing a comprehensive emergency management plan and how students and staff can best be trained to follow them. Whether you’ve played an active role in developing your community’s local emergency management plans or simply have ideas on how best to do this, your ideas will help others learn from your success.
Seeking input from Indian tribal governments – We’re seeking your thoughts on the procedures for Indian tribal governments to request emergency and major disaster declarations. As part of an amendment to the Stafford Act, federally recognized Indian tribal governments now have the option to make a request directly to the President for a Federal emergency or major disaster declaration, or to seek assistance, as they do presently, under a declaration for a State. We’re looking for your feedback on how these requirements and factors may or may not be appropriate as applied to requests from Indian tribal governments during the pilot program. Your thoughts will be influential in the development of the pilot program to process declaration requests from Indian tribal governments.

Visit our online collaboration site to share your thoughts and comments on these two topics or any of our other open topics.

Photo & Video of the week
Belmar and Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, the New Jersey Towns of Belmar and Lake Como got together to hold their 40th St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

CAPTION: Far Rockaway, N.Y., March 11, 2013 — The FEMA for Seniors program visited the Young Israel Wavecrest & Bayswater Senior Center. Community Relations Specialist Lloyd Weston gave a presentation on disaster preparedness and discussed the importance of preparing a document folder and disaster supply kit. K.C.Wilsey/FEMA

Happy St. Patrick’s Day… And may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Have a safe weekend!
FEMA Blog

Supporting our partners for 2013 Inauguration

January 23, 2013 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: John McGowan, Response Division Director, FEMA Region 3

As you might guess, it takes a high level of coordination and skill to pull off an event where hundreds of thousands of people converge on a small area to watch many of the nation’s political leaders. Yesterday during President Obama’s public Inauguration ceremony, I jotted down some thoughts about FEMA’s role supporting our emergency management partners:

The President’s Inauguration is on the televisions at the front and along the sides of the room as 25 government employees watch attentively and monitor the situation. We’re here in the FEMA Region III Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) in Philadelphia, PA supporting the Inauguration and the surrounding events. The RRCC is where we monitor situations, work with our partners, and coordinate our response efforts.

Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 21, 2013 -- FEMA staff monitor the Presidential Inauguration in the Regional Response Coordination Center.

There were employees here from several government agencies to support the Inauguration.

Staff members have been communicating with their federal and state partners and other FEMA employees throughout the day so they know what’s happening in DC and if there are any unmet needs. They’re talking to coworkers who are in the Washington, DC Emergency Operations Center, with the Secret Service, and with the FBI. They’ve spent months planning for this, for any scenario that could pop up, whether it includes consequence management, food, water, transportation, security or a myriad of other factors and scenarios. Team members include logisticians, planners, response, finance, media monitors and more. Because we train and plan together, serving together is easier.

Now that the preparations have all been made, everyone is able to pay attention to the televisions and listen in as the President is inaugurated and begins his address. One thing that seems to really hit home for everyone here is the President’s quote, “Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.”

It’s a statement that resonates throughout this room because that, too, is why we’re all here; to care for the vulnerable and protect the population from life’s worst hazards. A lot of people here have only recently returned home, many were deployed to help respond to Hurricane Sandy. These are staff members that have just returned from assisting the people of the affected states.

Upon hearing the President’s statement, we’re reminded that the sacrifices we make, the long hours we work, and the time away from home is worth it; we are here for the disaster survivors, not for ourselves, and we do it together. We have so many of our partners working with us today: federal agencies, state and local emergency management agencies, and all of our citizens. We truly are working to protect our citizens together.

FEMA Blog

FEMA: Operating Closely With State and Nearby Partners

July 4, 2012 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: Michael Moore, Federal Coordinating Officer, Ohio Severe Storms

FEMA continues to work closely with our federal and state partners to meet the needs of all those that have been impacted by the severe storms that moved through much of the Midwest and mid-Atlantic. In Ohio, the President signed an emergency disaster declaration that has authorized FEMA to provide much needed resources to support state and local response and recovery, including generators to support critical infrastructure such as shelters, as well as positioning water in staging areas near the impacted areas. While those resources are critical, the state of Ohio and others of the emergency management team are taking the welfare of citizens very seriously. Here is one example:

Ohio’s “Knock and Talk” Outreach

On July 1, Ohio Governor John Kasich deployed more than 200 Soldiers and Airmen of the Ohio National Guard (ONG) to Franklin and Montgomery counties on a “Knock and Talk” mission. From single-story homes to 20-story high rises, team members are braving the heat and knocking on doors to chat with residents. They provide valuable information on available resources, such as cooling centers, that our local and state partners have made available. Ohioans are also coming together to check on their own, ensuring that everyone has water and knows how to stay cool during the power outages and heat wave.

Sgt. Jessica Cooper (left) and Pvt. Jason Geier, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 216th Engineer Battalion, talk with John Weese, 60, of Columbus, Ohio, on July 2, 2012. (Ohio National Guard photo by Senior Airman Jordyn Sadowski)

On July 2, the men and women of the ONG teamed up with student volunteers from The Ohio State University and continued the “Knock and Talk” mission to ensure that senior citizens, young children and those with sensitive conditions and medical needs are being served.

As we say at FEMA, it takes each member of the emergency management team coming together to ensure the safety of the American public. The ONG and the students of OSU exemplify the responsibility that each of us has to take care of our friends, neighbors, family and loved ones.

While we continue to assist Ohio, West Virginia and all the states that have been impacted by the recent storms, we want to urge you to exercise caution if extreme heat conditions are expected in your area in the coming days. Forecasts from the National Weather Service are calling for dangerous heat in parts of the U.S. for the remainder of the week, including the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit Ready.gov/heat to learn how you can keep yourself and your animals safe, or follow the example of Ohio Emergency Management and the Ohio National Guard.

Have your own “Knock and Talk” missions and check on a neighbor during this continued heat wave – make a call, send a text or better yet, walk next door to see that those around you have water, are staying cool and are able to stay in contact with loved ones.

Pvt. Jason Geier (left) and Sgt. Jessica Cooper, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 216th Engineer Battalion, talk with Gary Rowe, of Columbus, Ohio, on July 2, 2012. (Ohio National Guard photo by Senior Airman Jordyn Sadowski)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our state and local partners for providing life-saving information and demonstrating care and compassion for their neighbors and fellow Ohioans. For the latest updates, please visit the Ohio Emergency Management website at http://ema.ohio.gov/.

Student volunteers from The Ohio State University assist the Ohio state Emergency Management Agency and the Ohio National Guard on July 3, 2012

FEMA Blog