This Citizen Corps News Digest is provided by FEMA's Individual & Community Preparedness Division to highlight community preparedness and resilience resources and activities recently announced by federal agencies and Citizen Corps partners.

DHS and FEMA Updates

Get Involved in the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign: Stop. Think. Connect.
The National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign, titled Stop. Think. Connect. seeks to educate and raise awareness among the American public about the necessity of adopting safe cyber practices online. Cybersecurity is increasingly becoming one of the most critical issues affecting both short-term and long-term US national and economic security. The Campaign includes the following programs:

• “ Friends of the Campaign ” actions Friends can do include distributing Campaign materials, leading or hosting a cyber awareness activity, discuss the importance of cybersecurity with your friends and family

• PSA Challenge If you want to help the Department in our efforts to make the Internet safer for the public, consider entering the PSA Challenge – We are seeking videos that inspire Americans to Stop. Think. Connect.

• Cyber Citizen Forums the Campaign is engaging in Cyber Citizen Forums hosted across the country, at community centers, town halls, colleges and universities, to prompt dialogue and inspire action to support the goals of Stop. Think. Connect.

Your involvement in the Campaign will be beneficial for both our organizations and most importantly our country. For more information about the Campaign, please visit www.dhs.gov/stopthinkconnect .

Annual U.S. Spring Outlook: Flooding Expected to Worsen
The National Weather Service (NWS) released their a nnual spring outlook to help citizens take the necessary steps to prepare . This year's outlook predicts spring flooding will worsen beginning as early as this week, affecting almost half the country from the North Central U.S. through the Midwest and the Northeast, causing an above average risk of flooding across portions of the Northeast, including Southern New England and parts of eastern NY State. For specifics and for more resources please see the posting on the FEMA Blog .

FEMA Administrator Fugate Incourages Citizen Corps Councils and CERT Programs to Register
FEMA Administrator Fugate in a new video asked all new and existing local Citizen Corps Councils and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Programs to register on the National Citizen Corps and CERT websites. The deadline for registering is March 31. FEMA has two improved online registries that will demonstrate community readiness efforts of local Citizen Corps Councils and CERT Programs. This effort will recognize the tremendous work accomplished to date and serve as a baseline for future individual and community preparedness and resiliency projects. Every Citizen Corps Council and CERT Program is required to register if they wish to have a listing in the Citizen Corps and CERT directory on the National Citizen Corps and CERT Program websites. Please note that only Citizen Corps Councils and CERT Programs may register. The registry is not for individual CERT Teams that are organized within a CERT Program. More information and guidance documents for registration are available on the Councils and CERT Program registration support pages located at http://www.citizencorps.gov/councils/registry.shtm and http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/registry.shtm . The websites provide a registration fact-sheet, registration questions and contact information for technical assistance and support.

Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Update

Talking to Children about the Disaster in Japan
Talking to children about the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan can be difficult. Sadness, grief and helplessness are just a few of the emotions people around the world are feeling. "Children may be struggling with their thoughts and feelings about the stories and images, they may turn to trusted adults for help and guidance." The National Center for School Crises and Bereavement has provided a number of suggestions to help. Please see these suggestions on the U.S. Department of Education website .

Kick Off Events for National 9-1-1 Education Month
April is National 9-1-1 Education Month and the kick-off event will take place on Capitol Hill from 10:30 to noon on March 31, 2011. This event will involve public safety officials and their organizations, educational and industry leaders, local school children, and Members of Congress. In addition to the National 9-1-1 Education Celebration, the eight members of the National 9-1-1 Education Coalition will host the annual 9-1-1 Honors Gala which will be held at the Ronald Reagan Center in Washington, DC on March 29. Read more about these events and other important information at http://www.e911institute.org/ .

National Commission on Children and Disasters Hails Obama Administration Initiatives
The Obama Administration announced at a public meeting held by the National Commission on Children and Disasters that it is moving forward on initiatives to implement recommendations contained in the Commission's 2010 Report to the President and Congress. Dabney Kern, Senior Director, Response Policy, National Security, told the Commission that the White House has formed an interagency working group to regularly brief the National Security Staff and Domestic Policy Council on progress to improve care for children before, during and after disasters. The group also will focus on strengthening policies to meet housing assistance needs, speed the reunification of unaccompanied children, evacuate and transport children with disabilities and medical needs, address mental health needs, and improve school preparedness. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate indicated his support for incorporating children into the front-end of disaster planning and developing indicators that help states and communities measure how well they are meeting the needs of children. Read the full press release here .

New Preparedness Job Opportunities
This week there are two new job opportunities in disaster preparedness. The first is for a Program Specialist IV in the Los Angeles County, California government. The Program Specialist IV plans, oversees, coordinates, evaluates and monitors the emergency preparedness, mitigation, and recovery efforts for people with access and functional needs in the County of Los Angeles. Please see the job description and more information here . The second position is an External Affairs Specialist with FEMA's Ready Campaign assisting the director in administering the campaign including its extensions, Ready Business, Ready Kids and Listo, to include executing the campaign's long term and short term strategy as well as its day to day activities. Please see the job description and more information here .

Children & Disasters

We are providing the following links to third party sites for your reference. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, or applications.

Children & Disasters: Breaking the Cycle of Neglect
In the March 2011 issue of Natural Hazards Observer , Executive Director of the National Commission on Children and Disasters Christopher Revere comments on how children are dealt with during and after disasters. "Children are not simply 'little adults.' Although their physical, emotional, and psychological needs in disasters differ substantially from the rest of the population, these unique requirements are often misunderstood—or, worse, not even considered—when it come to disaster planning and management." Please see the full article here and learn more about the work that needs to be done to bring children fully into disaster management.

We Need Your Ideas!

These news stories and other Individual & Community Preparedness news can be found on our website at www.citizencorps.gov .

Sincerely,

The National Office of Citizen Corps
FEMA Individual & Community Preparedness Division

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CERT Training Webinar on Tuesday, 29th

Dear CERT Community,

You're invited to join us for a webinar on Tuesday, March 29 th , 2011 at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT. To login prior to the start of the webinar, visit the Community Preparedness Webinar Series web page.

As you may already be aware, FEMA recently released updated CERT materials and this webinar will provide an opportunity for you to learn about the following:

• Updates to the CERT Basic Training course materials
  

• New CERT Train-the-Trainer course
  

• New CERT Program Manager course
  

• New CERT supplemental training modules

The updated CERT Basic Training materials cover the same topics, ranging from first aid to search and rescue; however, edits were made throughout to assure that protocols are up-to-date and that the content is as clear as possible for those taking the training. The National CERT Program Office worked with multiple stakeholders, including local CERT trainers and technical experts to update the Basic Training materials.

The Community Preparedness Webinar Series provides up-to-date information on emergency preparedness topics and resources available to community organizations, local government, schools, families, and the general public.

This webinar is open to the public so feel free to share with your friends and colleagues who are interested in CERT.

Sincerely,

CERT National Program Office
Individual & Community Preparedness Division
Federal Emergency Management Agency

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CERT Training Webinar on Tuesday, March 29th

This Citizen Corps notice is provided by FEMA's Individual & Community Preparedness Division to highlight community preparedness and resilience resources and activities recently announced by federal agencies and Citizen Corps partners.

You're invited to join us for a webinar on Tuesday, March 29 th , 2011 at 2 p.m. EDT! . To login prior to the start of the webinar, visit the Community Preparedness Webinar Series web page.

• Updates to the CERT Basic Training course materials
  
  
• New CERT Train-the-Trainer course
  
  
• New CERT Program Manager course
  
  
• New CERT supplemental training modules

The updated CERT Basic Training materials cover the same topics, ranging from first aid to search and rescue; however, edits were made throughout to assure that protocols are up-to-date and that the content is as clear as possible for those taking the training. The National CERT Program Office worked with multiple stakeholders, including local CERT trainers and technical experts to update the Basic Training materials.

The Community Preparedness Webinar Series provides up-to-date information on emergency preparedness topics and resources available to community organizations, local government, schools, families, and the general public.

This webinar is open to the public so feel free to share with your friends and colleagues who are interested in CERT.

*Please note that you may have received this notice twice if you are also a subscriber to the National CERT Program Updates. We apologize if this is an inconvenience but we want to be sure you are aware of this webinar.

Thank you for your interest and support!

Sincerely,

FEMA Major Disaster Declarations Update

Missouri Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm
Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:58:58 -0500
Major Disaster Declaration number 1961 declared on Mar 23, 2011

FEMA Fire Management Assistance Declarations Update

Oklahoma Osage County Fire Complex
Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:25:24 -0500
Fire Management Assistance Declaration number 2874 declared on Mar 24, 2011

FEMA Major Disaster Declarations Update

New Mexico Severe Winter Storm
Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:08:45 -0500
Major Disaster Declaration number 1962 declared on Mar 24, 2011

FEMA Fire Management Assistance Declarations Update

Georgia Mosley Road Fire
Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:48:34 -0500
Fire Management Assistance Declaration number 2876 declared on Mar 25, 2011

Georgia Elan Church Road Fire
Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:47:47 -0500
Fire Management Assistance Declaration number 2875 declared on Mar 25, 2011

FEMA Major Disaster Declarations Update

Oregon Tsunami Wave Surge
Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:18:38 -0500
Major Disaster Declaration number 1964 declared on Mar 25, 2011

Washington Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides
Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:50:35 -0500
Major Disaster Declaration number 1963 declared on Mar 25, 2011