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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
National Lightning Safety Awareness Week June 19-25, 2011
Observed the last full week of June, National Lightning Safety Awareness Week not only helps get safety messages out in time for the Fourth of July, but also signals summer as lightning season. Outside is the most dangerous place to be during a lightning or thunderstorm, and more people are outside during the summer. Lightning strikes and high winds associated with thunderstorms also increase the risk of wildfires.
Lightning accounts for more average deaths per year than tornados. "The safest place to be during lightning activity is a large enclosed building, not a picnic shelter or shed," said Murphy. "The second safest location is an enclosed metal vehicle, car, van, etc., but not a convertible, bike or other topless or soft top vehicle. If caught outdoors and no shelter is nearby, stay away from tall trees. If there is no shelter, crouch in the open, keeping twice as far away from a tree as it is tall."
Lightning safety tips for inside the home include:
· Avoid contact with corded phones.
· Avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords. If you plan to unplug any electronic equipment, do so well before the storm arrives.
· Avoid contact with plumbing. Do not wash your hands; do not take a shower; do not wash dishes; and do not do laundry.
· Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
· Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls. |
For more information on lightning safety, visit: www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov. For wildfire preparedness tips, sample preparedness plans and emergency checklists, visit http://firewise.org/ or www.fema.gov
White House Summit on Improving Public Safety Communications
Secretary Napolitano yesterday joined Vice President Joe Biden and other top administration officials at a White House Summit focused on improving public safety communications systems for the nation's first responders.
The President's Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative will enable public safety agencies to transition away from the traditional, fragmented world of public safety communications to a next generation system.
Recent developments in broadband technology present an opportunity to improve the communications systems for emergency first responders. The DHS Office of Emergency Communications is updating the National Emergency Communications Plan to support the operational and technological integration and transition needed to enable the use of broadband technology for voice and data communications. DHS is also working with its partners at all levels of government to plan for and deploy broadband technology for those working in public safety. Read more about the President's Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative here.
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Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates
North Dakota Citizen Corps Uses Social Media to Keep Citizens Informed
The North Dakota Citizen Corps, winner of the 2010 Outstanding State Citizen Corps Initiatives Award, has taken to Twitter and Face Book to keep the citizens of North Dakota up to date on the latest information on evacuations, volunteer opportunities such as packing sand bags and flood clean-up. You can click here to follow the North Dakota Citizen Corps on Twitter or here to follow them on Face Book.
The National Office of Citizen Corps is also on Twitter at twitter.com/Citizen_Corps
FCC Public Notice Regarding Obligation to Make Emergency Information Accessible to Persons with Hearing or Vision Disabilities Released
On June 17, 2011, the Commission issued a Public Notice reminding video programming distributors (VPDs) of their obligation to make emergency information accessible. The FCC has rules in place to ensure that the critical details of emergency information shown on television are accessible to viewers with hearing or vision disabilities. There are no exemptions to these rules. VPDs - including broadcasters, cable operators, satellite television services - are responsible for following these rules. Emergency information that is heard must be made accessible using closed captioning or other methods of visual presentation, including open captioning, "crawls," or "scrolls" that appear on the screen. Emergency information that is seen must also be made accessible: For regularly scheduled newscasts the newscaster must make sure they speak whatever emergency information is being provided visually. If emergency information interrupts programming (for example, if there is a crawl or scroll going across the screen that contains emergency information), there must be an aural tone to alert persons with vision disabilities of emergency information so they can tune to another source, such as a radio, for more information. To view the entire public notice, please click here.
NSC Starts 'On the Road, Off the Phone' Week
The National Safety Council is observing "On the Road, Off the Phone" week June 26-30 as part of the annual National Safety Month and providing posters and tip sheets to help Americans understand why using any cell phone, whether hand-held or hands-free, is dangerous while driving. The council estimates 23 percent of all motor vehicle crashes, 1.3 million per year, involve a driver talking or texting on a cell phone. It urges all drivers to:
· Turn off or silence their phones before driving.
· Record a voicemail greeting telling callers it is not safe to make or receive calls while driving & that you'll return the calls when able to do so safely.
· Leave the road and park in a safe area if a call is urgent.
· Encourage family members and friends to stop using their phones while driving. |
For more information about distracted driving, visit distracteddriving.nsc.org . NSC members also can participate in a free "Dangers of Distracted Driving" webinar on June 28.
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 National Newsletter Click here to view the later Newsletter on the CERT National website
In this issue of the CERT National Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 4, you will read about the various ways CERT members serve their communities when they aren't activated for emergency situations. Also featured in this issue is an article on the Pasadena Community College CERT's full-scale ShakeOut exercise, and the Denver CERT program's success in building community partnerships. Last but not least, find out more about Georgetown University's collaboration with other Washington , D.C. universities and colleges to provide CERT training
Sincerely,
CERT National Program Office
Federal Emergency Management Agency |
