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What Is National Preparedness Month?
"National Preparedness Month (NPM) is sponsored by the 'Ready' Campaign and Citizen Corps. NPM is held each September and is designed to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities. September 2009 is the sixth annual NPM. This year will focus on changing perceptions about emergency preparedness and helping Americans understand what it truly means to be 'Ready'."
Ready Campaign (U.S.)
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Guidelines on Notifying Families of Dead or Missing Loved Ones
"This document is written for leaders, health care providers, and disaster workers who assist local and national authorities following natural disasters, terrorist actions, or other events that result in large numbers of dead, injured, and missing persons. In a natural disaster of great magnitude and scope, multiple countries are directly affected and many nations' citizens from outside the region are killed or missing. In such an event, providing information to families whose loved ones are missing is accomplished by government organizations (including embassies, state department consular staff, and military services) as well as a number of non-governmental organizations such as the Red Cross. Nations have different organizations that are likely to be involved. Procedures for notification of the next of kin when a family member or loved one is missing or has been confirmed dead are usually highly structured, formal and depend on the particular citizen's country's laws, customs, procedures, and traditions."
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
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Fostering Safety, Health, and Preparedness: A 9/11 Anniversary Message for Our Military Healthcare Community
"Military medical providers will play an important role this fall as the nation observes the 5th anniversary of 9/11, the anthrax attacks, and the War on Terror. Disaster anniversary events are often catalysts that cause many individuals to re-experience powerful feelings around trauma and loss. For many, disaster anniversaries provide permission to seek help for physical and emotional problems. It is important that military healthcare settings create a safe environment this fall for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and their families to feel comfortable about discussing health and safety concerns, which may be
more pronounced at this time. Our military community has learned a great deal about preparing and responding to disaster and terrorism these past five years and has met the challenge in supporting
deployments and protecting the nation. This Courage to Care provides highlights from previous issues related to individual, family and community preparedness that can serve as 'teachable moments' to
foster the health and safety of our troops and their families at this important moment in our nation's history."
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
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Family Planning for Disasters: How to Plan For and Protect Your Family's Health
"Major events such as Hurricane Katrina make us think about the impact of such disasters on our family and loved ones, and how prepared we would be. Whether we live in areas that are vulnerable to certain natural disasters, we all need to plan for the kinds of disasters, including terrorism, bioterrorism or pandemic threats, that could require us to evacuate our homes. This fact sheet provides information on three
aspects of family preparedness planning for disasters. The first pertains to the 'special health needs' of your family. The second involves specific 'tips around evacuation'. The third provides steps for 'creating a family communication plan'."
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
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Capability 5: Fatality Management
"Fatality management is the ability to coordinate with other organizations (e.g., law enforcement, healthcare, emergency management, and medical examiner/coroner) to ensure the proper recovery, handling, identification, transportation, tracking, storage, and disposal of human remains and personal effects; certify cause of death; and facilitate access to mental/behavioral health services to the family members, responders, and survivors of an incident."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); United States. Department of Health and Human Services
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[Mass Fatality Operations] [presentation]
This presentation offered by the National Transportation Safety Board reviews the logistics, victim identification, operating procedures, family interaction and ethical considerations involved in responding to a mass casualty loss as a result of a transportation incident.
United States. National Transportation Safety Board
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Leadership Stress Management
"The magnitude of death and destruction in this event require special measures for leaders to deal with their own stress. Leadership is paramount in maintaining organized, efficient work for continuity of efforts and recovery. Remember that jurisdictional issues between offices will always be present and will not be easily resolved due to conflicts between tasks. One of the risks with a task of this magnitude is leaders being aware of their own levels of stress and taking appropriate measures before problems begin. In order to take care of others you must first take care of yourself."
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
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All-Hazards Type III Communications Unit Leader Frequently Asked Questions
This document provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the All-Hazards Type III Communications Unit Leader.
United States. Department of Homeland Security. SAFECOM
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LLIS Lesson Learned: Emergency Operations Center: Training Personnel on the Resource Request Process
"Emergency managers should consider developing training for all emergency operations center (EOC) personnel on the resource request process. This will ensure that resources are requested properly and can be processed and distributed in a timely fashion."
Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS); United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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LLIS Lesson Learned: School Emergency Management Planning: Alternating Evacuation Site Locations
"School officials should consider alternating the use of pre-identified evacuation sites in order to maximize security during an incident. Officials should include these locations in school emergency plans."
Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS)
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FEMA Fact Sheet: Inland Flooding
"The next time you hear hurricane -- think inland flooding!
While storm surge has the highest potential to cause hurricane related deaths, more people died
from inland flooding associated with tropical systems from 1970 to 1999. Since the 1970's,
inland flooding has been responsible for more than half of all deaths associated with tropical
cyclones in the United States. Flooding from hurricanes can occur hundreds of miles from the
coast placing communities, which would not normally be affected by the strongest hurricane
winds, in great danger. Take steps now to protect your financial well-being before a hurricane strikes."
United States. Department of Homeland Security; United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Active Shooter Pocket Guide
This pocket guide from the Department of Homeland Security provides information related to response to an active shooter situation. This guide includes information on profile and characteristics, coping, and how to respond during and after the situation.
United States. Department of Homeland Security
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FEMA Mitigation Best Practices: Answering the Call: NFIP Call Center Provides Valuable Assistance
"Navigating the murky waters of flood insurance can be challenging at the best of times. For those who have actually experienced a flood, the process of filing and dealing with a flood insurance claim can be overwhelming. Many people do not understand that flood insurance is a completely separate policy from homeowner's insurance, and there are many intricacies to a flood insurance policy that can be easily overlooked, misunderstood, or confusing. For these reasons, following major flood disaster declarations, such as occurred in the wake of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activates the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) call center."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Longport Adopts an Ordinance Designed to Reduce Flood Losses
"Hurricane Sandy brought extreme levels of flooding to the New Jersey coast. The damage was widespread in neighborhoods and many homes were washed away. Residents in the Borough of Longport witnessed firsthand the success of the more strict building codes they were required to build to throughout the past few years. Many residents initially resented these restrictive requirements but the success seen after Sandy proved the value of these higher standards. The Borough of Longport has had its share of flooding and has experienced a substantial loss of real estate in the past due to erosion from storms and the effects of the Atlantic Ocean. Over the years, several blocks have washed away into the Egg Harbor inlet on the south end. Local officials, businessmen, and citizens formed a committee that developed a plan to keep flood insurance premiums a low as possible and create a more resilient community. The committee has since adopted higher regulatory standards that have saved between 200 and 250 homes from Sandy's flooding. These homes have either been elevated or have been newly constructed since the borough has adopted these new standards."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Mantoloking Home Survives Sandy
"On October 29, 2012, Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, NJ. For Ed Wright, a resident in Mantoloking, NJ, the storm brought gusts up to 80 miles per hour and created a surge that temporarily made his home its own island at the end of the Mantoloking Bridge. 'A friend of mine called me the morning after Sandy hit,' Wright said. 'He told me, 'You're the only one left.'' In Mantoloking, Sandy's surge was so powerful that it washed cars, homes, trees and other debris into Barnegat Bay as if they were toy sailboats floating along a stream. Wright built his home 30 years ago and made the choice to use pilings and elevate it. Taking all the right precautions and following up with his building officials prior to construction, Wright was able to create a design that made his home strong enough to withstand Sandy's force. He later enclosed his ground level with breakaway walls, designed to collapse during a flood impact."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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LLIS Good Story: New Jersey's Business Force
"The New Jersey Business Force (NJBF) is a private, non-profit enterprise dedicated to emergency preparedness and homeland security through the development of public-private partnerships between the State of New Jersey and leading New Jersey-based companies. Sponsored by Business Executives for National Security (BENS), NJBF complements state and local government homeland security efforts by providing assistance and resources in areas where the private sector has expertise and resources."
Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS)
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LLIS Good Story: The Galen Cole Family Foundation of Maine's Thermal Imaging Camera Program
"In 1997, the Galen Cole Family Foundation of Maine launched the Thermal Imaging Camera
Program, which provides financial assistance to Maine fire departments seeking to purchase
thermal imaging cameras (TICs). Program applicants pledge to raise a portion of their
camera's cost by fundraising within their communities."
Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS)
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LLIS Good Story: Chemical Detection and Response Enhancement for Transit Systems
"Argonne National Laboratory, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Office for Domestic Preparedness
(ODP) and with support from other national labs and private industry partners, has
developed and implemented a chemical warning and response enhancement system to
assist transit security officials and emergency responders in the event of a chemical release
in a subway system. The system is called PROTECT (Program for Response Options and
Technology Enhancements for Chemical/Biological Terrorism), and it combines detectors,
cameras, and software to alert security officials quickly of a chemical release and provide
emergency responders with tools to speed and improve their response."
Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS)
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2006 Superbowl XL
"In preparation for Superbowl XL, held Feb. 5, 2006 at Detroit's Ford Field, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) protective security advisors (PSAs) conducted a site vulnerability assessment and organized weekly intelligence meetings with General Motors Corp., the owners of Ford Field. The PSAs also arranged for Ford Field security response personnel to receive surveillance training which improved preparedness and response capabilities for the Superbowl as well increasing the effectiveness of routine security operations."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
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FEMA Mitigation Best Practices: Combating Floodwaters While Living on Fish River
"In 2014, Fish River experienced nothing short of a historic flood. Rain fell at a rate of several inches an hour throughout the night. The river swelled to record levels, surpassing flood stages set during Hurricane Danny 17 years earlier. The rising water caused many residents to flee their homes during the night. Many roads through South Baldwin County were closed and some neighborhoods were cut off leaving people stranded and calling for help. Returning home after the April 30 flood event, Daniel Godard realized all of his research and hard work had paid off. While some residents returned to homes completely inundated with floodwaters, his home was virtually unscathed. It sustained 12 to 16 inches of floodwaters at grade foundation. 'I knew the area floods. The only prudent thing to do was to build so that my home wouldn't be impacted by the flood,' said Godard, a retired Director of Risk Management for Alabama's Retirement System. 'I bought the property in 1986, but chose not to build until 2008. I researched the area's flood history and I watched floods in between to see just what I needed to do.'"
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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FEMA Mitigation Best Practices: Floodwall with Passive Floodgates Signals Commitment to Patients and Community
"Columbus Regional Hospital, the only hospital serving Bartholomew County, Indiana, is now protected from future flooding thanks to hazard mitigation and a floodwall with passive floodgates. The floodwall with passive floodgates, built with funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance 406 program (for hazard mitigation) and Columbus Regional Hospital, will protect this vital hospital from catastrophic flood damage, should the area be hit with flooding as was the case in 2008. On June 7, 2008, nearby Haw Creek, a small tributary, came out of its banks due to flash flooding in the northern part of the floodway. The unprecedented flooding quickly filled the basement and rose six inches on the first floor of the building, forcing the hospital to evacuate 157 patients and knocking out primary and emergency electrical systems, boilers, chillers, and transport system."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Building Codes Save Two Sea Bright Homes
"On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy blew across the Jersey shore and downgraded to a tropical cyclone. It weakened in strength, but still devastated many small boroughs like Sea Bright. Many of the quaint homes that made the township unique were reduced to rubble. For homeowner Bernard Bertino and builder Ray Guzman, building above the code standards saved their adjoining townhomes from the massive flooding. Both Bertino and Guzman were happy to see their homes were high and dry after their neighborhood was flooded. The structures sustained no flood damage because they installed flood vents in the garage. The vents allowed floodwaters to flow easily through the structure by minimizing the pressure from the force of water during impact. Sea Bright is bordered by water on two sides and some property owners experience frequent flooding during especially high tides. When Guzman and his architect, Paul Damiano, constructed the two townhomes a year ago, they were adamant about building flood-resistant properties and wanted to build exactly to local code."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Earthquake Prevention and Retrofitting
"On August 23, 2011, at 1:51 p.m., a magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurred in central Virginia. The epicenter was 5 miles south/southwest of the town of Mineral, Virginia, and 38 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia. This was the largest earthquake east of the Rocky Mountains since a magnitude 5.8 event in 1944 on the New York/Ontario border and the largest earthquake in Virginia since a magnitude 5.9 event in 1897 in Giles County in western Virginia."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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FEMA Mitigation Best Practices: Mitigation Programs and Bioengineering Help Communities in Southern Utah Achieve Vision for Flood Control
"A major flood in 2005 ravaged the communities, resulting in the loss of 27 homes and triggering a federally declared disaster. Rock riprap, the layering of rocks along the riverbank to counteract erosion, was the primary mitigation technique used following the 2005 flood to rapidly stabilize river banks and protect vital infrastructure and homes from additional damage. Although effective in preventing erosion, the City of St. George recognized the drawbacks to riprap such as increasing the speed of water flow along a length of river causing potential downstream impacts; impeding the natural functions of a riverbank that interface between land and rivers or streams; and, the effect on wildlife, specifically fish. Riprap reduces areas for vegetation or riverbank diversity in which fish seek refuge during high water events and often results in their being washed out of the area during flooding. Riprap also can leave riverbanks with an unappealing man‐made look."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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LLIS Good Story: Kansas City's Metropolitan Emergency Information System (MEIS)
"The Mid-America Regional Council, or MARC (http://www.marc.org/), which serves as the association of city and county governments and the metropolitan planning organization for the bi-state Kansas City metropolitan region, has developed a secure Web-based system to allow emergency responders to share information and coordinate planning and responses for large-scale events. MARC designed Kansas City's Metropolitan Emergency Information System (MEIS) to meet the diverse needs of a large region with multiple jurisdictions. MEIS connects approximately 100 government agencies and private institutions across eight counties and two states in the Kansas City region. The secure system allows agencies throughout the region to share data on emergency personnel, plans, and assets, as well as purchasing guidelines and fund management information."
Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS)
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FEMA Mitigation Best Practices: Johnson County Phone Service Alerts Residents of Possible Risks
"Paintsville, located in primarily rural Johnson County, Kentucky, having experienced difficulty in the past notifying residents of emergencies, decided to take action to save lives in the future. With a population of 5,300 and approximately 27,000 countywide, notification by way of emergency sirens, or going door to door, was extremely challenging. Gary McClure, Emergency Manager for Johnson County and the Town of Paintsville, with assistance from the Big Sandy Area Development District (ADD), Paintsville and Johnson County, filed for and received grant assistance in 2010 through the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to purchase an emergency notification system, sometimes referred to as Reverse 911. The emergency notification system is a web-based program that is controlled from a computer in the Paintsville emergency management center. When the system is activated, a series of phone calls are made to phone numbers in the database to warn citizens of impending danger. While the majority of numbers are typically landlines, county residents have the option of signing onto the system through the internet and adding up to two additional numbers for the system to contact. Notification can be made to the entire county or to a specific area through an interactive map on screen."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Best Practice: Residential Safe Room
"NEWCASTLE, OK -- One year after Ronda and Billy Johnson installed a safe room in their garage, their home was totally destroyed by a tornado. It proved a wise investment because that safe room saved their lives that day. A powerful EF-5 tornado ripped through Newcastle, Oklahoma, and nearby communities on May 20, 2013, destroying homes and taking 24 lives. Ronda and her daughters, Kylie and Raylee, plus two family dogs, took shelter from the storm in the safe room. 'We had always wanted a safe room and when my husband built an unattached garage on the property we decided that this was the perfect place and time to purchase a safe room,' said Ronda. The garage was just a few feet from the house and the safe room would be easy to access in an emergency. Rather than build underground, the Johnsons decided to purchase an above-ground safe room -- a six-by-eight foot concrete box anchored to the garage slab and accessed via a steel door with a triple latch system. The room is equipped with electricity and supplies including a flashlight in case the electricity goes out."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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FEMA Mitigation Best Practices: Preserving the Landscape: Dublin Style
"While this is a city with an excellent flood mitigation program in place, the original intent of Dublin's City management was to preserve as much of the original landscape as possible. The by-product of strong tree-preservation measures, protection of existing tree lines, wooded areas, and wide welcoming green belts is natural flood control. The Scioto River watershed functions naturally, and with few barriers to impede flow, the potential for flooding throughout the area is lessened."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Phantom Fungus
"The City of New Smyrna Beach had many floodplain management issues, including a long list of repetitive loss properties that had been repeatedly damaged from flooding. New Smyrna Beach joined the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS), a voluntary program that allows participating communities to benefit financially from enacting policies or performing activities to reduce or eliminate flood risks. As its CRS rating improves by one level, the community earns a 5% reduction in flood insurance premium costs for their citizens."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
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FEMA Mitigation Best Practices: Mitigation of Utilities in Older Home Prevents Damages
"Mr. Robert Villee's home is in a residential neighborhood of Long Branch that is prone to flooding from the nearby river and marshland.
His home was originally built at the turn of the 20th century and is mostly above grade. The foundation is red brick; the basement is about five and a half feet deep and has a cement floor with a sump pump and drains. The basement, which is about two feet below grade, houses the hot water heater and the boiler for the radiant heating system. [...] Before Hurricane Irene made landfall, he removed the equipment from the basement. While his neighborhood flooded, Mr. Villee's property did not sustain any damages as the floodwaters did not reach his home, but he was prepared for potential flooding. The hot water heater and boiler were reinstalled as soon as the storm passed."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
