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| 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. |
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DHS and FEMA Updates
A Message from FEMA's Private Sector Office
Friends,
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, businesses and communities in Joplin, Missouri, Minneapolis, Minnesota and in the other areas affected by the severe tornadoes that swept through the area Sunday evening. Since the storms struck, we have been in close contact and coordination with state and local officials in Missouri, Minnesota, and Kansas, where severe tornadoes struck the town of Reading on Saturday night. In fact, in Joplin we have seen the devastation and reports of buildings flattened. Just some of the restaurants and businesses damaged we have heard reported include Walgreens, Wal-mart, Backyard Burger, Home Depot, Long John Silvers, Academy, Macadoodles, Sonic, Burger King, Wireless Connections, AT&T, and IHop. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them as well.
While there has not yet been a request for federal assistance, FEMA will continue to stay in close contact with state and local officials as the recovery from this storm gets underway. We stand ready to assist Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas and other impacted states if support is needed. At all times, FEMA maintains commodities, including millions of liters of water, millions of meals and hundreds of thousands of blankets, strategically located at eight distribution centers throughout the United States.
It's important to follow the instructions of state and local officials, and listen to local radio or TV stations for updated emergency information. We urge all individuals to listen to NOAA Weather Radio and their local news to monitor for updates and directions provided by their local officials. If you haven't already, now is the time to get prepared for tornadoes and other disasters. Visit http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/tornadoes to learn more.
Thank you, and be safe.
Dan Stoneking
Director, Private Sector
Office of External Affairs
Federal Emergency Management Agency
DHS Announces Grant Guidance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Preparedness Grants
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced the release of FY 2011 grant guidance and application kits for 12 DHS grant programs totaling $2.1 billion to assist states, urban areas, tribal and territorial governments, non-profit agencies, and the private sector in strengthening our nation's ability to prevent, protect, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies. In FY 2011, DHS grants were reduced by $780 million from the FY 2010 enacted level, nearly a quarter of FY 2010 DHS grant funding. Read the full announcement here.
FY 11 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) guidance for State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) promotes the priority of Advancing “Whole Community” Security and Emergency Management. The Citizen Corps Program (CCP), one of five HSGP programs, mission remains to bring whole community and government leaders together to coordinate the involvement of community members and organizations in emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response and recovery. Citizen Corps Councils around the country will receive nearly $10 million in FY 11 to support this mission. Go to www.citizencorps.gov to learn more about Citizen Corps.
This is Hurricane Preparedness Week!
President Obama declared May 22-28 “National Hurricane Preparedness Week." FEMA, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is helping to raise awareness of steps that can be taken to help protect citizens, and their communities and property. Please refer to the FEMA Blog for daily updates on what the Agency and our partners are doing to prepare for the 2011 Hurricane Season. NOAA released its initial seasonal outlook for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season on May 19, 2011 in Suitland, Maryland. NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco discussed the outlook with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate highlighting the critical need for storm preparedness. Public Service Advertisements were created to raise awareness during Hurricane Preparedness Week and are available on NOAA's Official YouTube Channel. In addition you can always access hurricane preparedness information through the Ready Campaign, FEMA, and NOAA's National Hurricane Center.
Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates
NOAA Hurricane Outlook Indicates an Above-normal Atlantic Season
The Atlantic basin is expected to see an above-normal hurricane season this year, according to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center – a division of the National Weather Service. Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is predicting that activity will exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Please see the NOAA press release to read all details.
American Red Cross Using Technology to Help People Prepare for Hurricane Season
With new predictions for an above-average 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, the American Red Cross is adding technology to the many ways it helps people to get prepared. The Red Cross has developed a free iPhone app that gives the location of all open Red Cross shelters. The app not only maps the location of a shelter, but also shows current capacity and population. To download the app, users can visit the Apple store and search "American Red Cross shelters." For those without an iPhone, the same shelter information also appears on the Red Cross website and can be accessed by visiting www.redcross.org and clicking on "Find a Shelter." Both are refreshed with updated information every 30 minutes. In addition, the Red Cross Safe and Well website now allows users to update their Facebook and Twitter status when they register on the site. Safe and Well is a secure way to let your loved ones know where you are going during a hurricane evacuation or that you are "okay" in the aftermath of a disaster. If users choose to do so, they can easily let their entire network of friends and family know they are safe in one step. Read more in the Red Cross press release.
American Red Cross Celebrates 130 Years
Exactly 130 years ago today, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross; since its inception, through conflict and disaster, it has come to the aid of people in need. The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, is dedicated to providing relief to victims of disaster and helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Founded in 1881, the Red Cross has been the nation's premier emergency response organization and is part of a worldwide organization that aids victims of devastating domestic and international natural disasters. Please read more here.
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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FEMA Fire Management Assistance Declarations Update
Texas Ceed Fire
Wed, 25 May 2011 07:27:15 -0500
Fire Management Assistance Declaration number 2910 declared on May 24, 2011
You are subscribed to Major Disaster Declarations for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Oklahoma Severe Storms And Flooding
Fri, 27 May 2011 17:36:17 -0500
Major Disaster Declaration number 1988 declared on May 27, 2011
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Tue. 5/31 Webinar on Reuniting Families After Disaster The Community Preparedness Webinar Series presents...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 2 p.m. EDT
(1 CDT/ 12 MDT/ 11 PST)
You may join 5-10 minutes prior to the start. Webinars are FREE and no RSVP is requested. Please log in under “Guest”.
Overview
The Community Preparedness Webinar Series invites you to join us for a webinar on the topic of reuniting children with their families after disasters. This webinar will feature presentations by FEMA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and a local emergency management official from Connecticut. We hope you'll join us and learn about how to better prepare your community by including reunification into your community's emergency plans.
Click HERE to gain access to webinar and for more information.
Presenters
Shannon Rudisill , Associate Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Administration for Children and Families – Child Care Bureau
Bruce Lockwood , Deputy Emergency Manager for the Town of New Hartford, Connecticut / Public Health Emergency Response Coordinator for the Bristol-Burlington Health District in Connecticut
Melodee Hanes , Counselor to the Administrator / Acting Deputy Administrator for Policy, U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
John Bischoff III , Director, Emergency Communications, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Lauralee Koziol , Lead Coordinator, Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency
How to view our webinars
The Community Preparedness Webinar Series is conducted via DHS's HSIN Connect system. You do not need to register in advance, nor do you need a HSIN account in order to view our webinars. Audio for this webinar will be broadcast within HSIN Connect; there will not be a concurrent, phone-based teleconference. Questions and answers will be moderated via text-based chat inside the webinar. In order to ensure that your computer is capable of viewing our webinars and webcasts, we highly recommend that you read the below documents and perform the compatibility test prior to the start of the event. In addition, please ensure your computer's speakers are working prior to the webinar. If for any reason you have trouble accessing the system, please send an email to citizencorps@dhs.gov .
This webinar will offer closed captioning and will be recorded and posted on the Webinar Library web page. We welcome you to view the recordings of our previous webinars:
Sincerely,
The National Office of Citizen Corps
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FEMA Region 6 Urges You To Resolve To Be Ready During Hurricane Season (Updates During Disasters)
FEMA Region 6 Urges You To Resolve To Be Ready During Hurricane Season
Thu, 26 May 2011 14:16:27 -0500
DENTON, Texas -- Individuals and their families are urged to “resolve to be ready” this hurricane season. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Region 6 office has launched a new hurricane preparedness website to help you accomplish that goal. The website features facts about the 2011 hurricane season, as well as tools to help you execute crucial preparedness tasks such as assembling an emergency kit, formulating an individual and family plan and staying informed.
Receive FEMA Updates During Disasters
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