NASTTPO

NASTTPO

National Weather Service

What We’re Watching: 8/2/13

by Leave a Comment

Posted by: Dan Watson, Press Secretary, 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.

Photos of the Week
Here are a few of our favorite photos from the past week. Check out our Photo Library for more.

Moore, Okla., July 29, 2013 -- The American flag stands as a sign of strength in the foreground of the devastation left in the wake of the May 20th EF-5 tornado.

Old Bridge, N.J., July 27, 2013 -- FEMA Mitigation specialist Jenai Jordan and External Affairs representative Susan Langhoff provide information on mitigating disasters like Hurricane Sandy at the Home Depot Hurricane Workshop in Old Bridge, New Jersey.

White River, Mich., July 30, 2013 -- Muskegon County Road Maintenance Superintendent Laurie Peterson, views this very dangerous road washout. FEMA Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grants become available following application and inspection and cover a significant portion of the cost of repair.

Weather Outlook
According to the National Weather Service, it doesn’t appear there will be any severe weather threats this weekend.  While there aren’t any significant weather threats at this time, weather conditions can change rapidly. We encourage everyone to monitor their local weather conditions online at www.weather.gov or on their mobile device at http://mobile.weather.gov.

While you’re out and about this weekend, take a few moments to make sure your family’s emergency kit is fully stocked as we head into the peak of hurricane season.  Last week we saw two Tropical Storms — Dorian in the Caribbean and Flossie in the Pacific. These storms are great reminders that the time to prepare for tropical weather is now. Visit Ready.gov for a list of items that should be in your emergency kit and for safety tips on what to do before, during and after a hurricane.

Public-Private Partnership Conference
This week the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, in association with the United States Northern Command and the American Red Cross, hosted the “Building Resilience through Public-Private Partnerships” conference.

The conference highlighted successful public-private partnerships, identified coordination gaps between public-private organizations, and engaged both sectors to determine how to further promote teamwork to make our communities and nation more resilient.

Here are a few tweets from the @FEMALive account, which covered live the conference live on Twitter:

Thanks to everyone who was able to participate and follow the discussion online!

For more information on how FEMA engages with the Private Sector, visit www.fema.gov/private-sector.

Have a safe weekend!
FEMA Blog

What We’re Watching: six/14/13

by 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.

Severe weather threat continues

Millions around the country dealt with a series of severe storms this week – and forecasts from the National Weather Service are calling for a potential for storms over the Great Plains, stretching from North Dakota to Kansas today.  As this week’s storms remind us, keeping up with your local forecast and having a plan are two key steps to stay safe.  What are the best ways to do that?  Well, you can follow the weather in your area through local TV/radio, but you can also do so on your phone through the National Weather Service mobile site at mobile.weather.gov.  And if you don’t have a NOAA Weather Radio, it’s definitely worth the investment.  It can alert you of severe weather conditions in your area 24/7, while providing specific actions for staying safe.  You can pick them up at most big box stores, and hardware stores are a good place to look, too.

As for making a plan for severe weather, Ready.gov has you covered.  You can visit the site on your computer or mobile device for a full list tips on staying safe before, during, or after severe weather.

Come Join our Team

Here at FEMA, we’re always looking to expand our team and recruit highly motivated people interested in a rewarding career in emergency management. Here are a few open positions within different departments of the agency:

  • Supervisory Hazard Mitigation Specialist – Boston, MA
  • Training Specialist – Hyattsville, MD
  • Reports Analyst – Denton, TX
  • Senior Mitigation Planning Specialist – Philadelphia, PA

Visit our Careers page to learn more about FEMA and browse through other opportunities that are available.

Upcoming Events

Here are a few events happening next week:

  • Small Business Week – It’s important for everyone to be prepared for an emergency, even businesses. As part of Small Business Week, we’re encouraging all business owners and employees to take the time to make sure your business is prepared for an emergency and employees/coworkers know what to do in the event of an emergency. Visit the Small Business Administration’s website and Ready.gov for tips and resources on preparing your business for an emergency.
  • Operation Hope – If you’re in the Atlanta, Georgia area, on Tuesday June 18 at 12:30 p.m. EDT Administrator Craig Fugate will be participating on the Operation Hope Forum titled Financial and Economic Disaster Recovery: People, Preparedness and the Price.  To learn more about the event or to register, visit the Operation Hope website, follow @OpHOPE_ATL and follow the conversation using #HOPEforum.

Video of the Week

FEMA’s Private Sector forged a relationship with the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, the state of New Jersey Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the Lakewood BlueClaws minor league baseball team to raise donations of preparedness items and increased awareness of the importance of preparedness.

Photos of the Week

And finally, here are a few of my favorite photos that came into our Photo Library this week:

Governor Mary Fallin stops at the memorial set up at Plaza Towers Elementary School to pay her respects.
Moore, Okla., June 12, 2013 — Governor Mary Fallin, stops at the memorial set up at Plaza Towers Elementary School to pay her respects during a tour with federal, state and local officials. Residents are encouraged to register with FEMA if they sustained damage during this storm. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

FEMA Corps members register a local resident at a Vietnamese Survivor Event.
Moore, Okla., June 8, 2013 — FEMA Corps members Lorna Parish, center, and Eloy Arguello, right, register a local resident at a Vietnamese Survivor Event held at the Saigon Taipei Market Residents impacted by the May 20th tornado are still encouraged to register with FEMA. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

Have a safe weekend!
FEMA Blog

What We’re Watching: five/17/13

by 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.

Severe weather forecast
For those of you in the Plains and the Midwest, the National Weather Service is forecasting potentially severe weather over the weekend and possibly into next week.  The storm system may bring large, damaging hail and strong winds, with tornadoes possible on Sunday and Monday.  Here’s a piece of the forecast from the National Weather Service: “It is important to note that due to the slow moving nature of this system, the areas affected through Monday may include locations that already had severe weather occur earlier in the period.”

If severe weather is possible in your area, remember to:

  • Closely follow your local forecast through the National Weather Service website, mobile site, or through local TV & radio reports
  • Listen to the direction of local officials.  If they advise people to find shelter because of an upcoming storm, do so immediately
  • Double check your family’s emergency kit to make sure you have supplies to sustain you and your family for at least 72 hours
  • Make sure your family knows what to do in case severe weather strikes – talk about where to take shelter at home, or how you can stay safe if you’re traveling

For more tips on staying safe before, during, and after severe weather, check out Ready.gov or FEMA’s mobile site.

Assistance to those affected by Illinois flooding & storms
Last week, President Obama declared a major disaster for 11 counties in Illinois, making federal assistance available to individuals and families impacted by the recent flooding and severe storms.  We’ve been working hard to encourage impacted residents to apply for assistance.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are in neighborhoods damaged by the storms and floods, going door-to-door letting people know how to apply for assistance and answering any questions about the application process.  We’ve also opened several disaster recovery centers in impacted areas. These centers provide a place for people to talk face-to-face with staff from FEMA and our emergency response partners about the assistance that is available.

For the latest information on FEMA’s role in Illinois, check out the disaster-specific webpage. And if you’re on Twitter, check out our Region 5 Twitter account – it’s been posting great updates like:

A challenge for “hackers”
I’m talking about hackers who hack for good!  I am very excited that FEMA is one of the 19 government partners for the National Civic Day of Hacking, coming up June 1-2. The event will bring together citizens, software developers, entrepreneurs and government agencies across the nation to solve challenges relevant to America’s neighborhoods, cities, and the country.  To give you a scale of the event, there are 87 locations across the U.S. that will participate and work on over 37 data sets and resources.  FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration submitted its own challenge for the event – use our wealth of fire incident data and build an online visualization tool that brings the data to life.

Check out the National Civic Day of Hacking website for more info and spread the word about our challenge!

Photos of the week
To round out the week, here’s one of my favorite recent photos from the FEMA photo library:

Bay Head, N.J., May 14, 2013 --A construction crew rebuilds one of several concrete walkways for beach access in Bay Head as part of the rebuilding and recovery process following Hurricane Sandy.
Bay Head, N.J., May 14, 2013 — A construction crew rebuilds one of several concrete walkways for beach access in Bay Head as part of the rebuilding and recovery process following Hurricane Sandy.

Have a safe weekend!
FEMA Blog