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

Community Preparedness Webinar: Introduction to the National Disaster Recovery Framework

Join us Tuesday, November 8th to learn how the recently released National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) provides a more inclusive, collaborative, and comprehensive approach to addressing disaster recovery issues and challenges. The NDRF defines how we will work together as a nation to best meet the disaster recovery needs of individuals, families, communities, and states.

The NDRF is based on the principle that all emergency management partners, including the private sector, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, individual citizens, as well as local, state, tribal and federal government agencies have a role to play in the recovery process. And in catastrophic scenarios, leveraging resources the resources of the Whole Community to meet the needs of communities affected by disaster is essential. If you have a role in disaster recovery operations, you won't want to miss this!

To join this free webinar on Tuesday November 8th at 1:50 p.m. EDT, click here. We ask that you register fifteen minutes prior to the start time.

FEMA's App Now Available in iTunes Store

The FEMA app for preparing and recovering from hurricanes and other disasters is now available for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch….check it out in the iTunes store today! A few of the available services through the app include the ability to:

• Receive text messages from FEMA
• View a map of shelters and disaster recovery centers across the U.S.
• Utilize an interactive emergency kit checklist
• Plan emergency meeting locations
• Plan for how to stay safe during and after a disaster

ShakeOut, Don't FreakOut – An Earthshaking Success!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Great California ShakeOut! The October 20th statewide earthquake drill, designed to emphasize the importance of community interaction and safety in the event of such a disaster, proved to be a timely exercise this year as just hours later two small, actual earthquakes hit the San Francisco area. About 8.6 million participants took part in the two-minute trembler drill designed to help people get prepared for the next big earthquake.

In Santa Clara County, more than 260,000 people took cover at 10:20 am, holding onto tables and covering their heads, simulating what they would need to do in the event of a major earthquake. From work locations to healthcare facilities and shopping malls, the exercise was orchestrated in mid-morning to point out that people could be anywhere when an earthquake hits – and need to know how to handle themselves accordingly. At Marin General Hospital, hospital staff and volunteers had the opportunity to simulate what an 8.0 earthquake would feel like inside of what's known as Quake Cottage.

The California ShakeOut is an annual event for everyone and one that can be replicated in every community. There are a number of ways for individuals, businesses, schools, faith-based organizations, community groups, scouts and others to participate in the ShakeOut. Click here for more customized ideas for what you or your organization can do.

Halloween Fire Safety

For many, Halloween is a fun time to dress up in costume, go trick-or-treating and eat sweet treats. It is also an opportunity to focus on safety. To ensure all those trick-or-treaters out there stay safe, here are a few tips for a fire-safe and spook-tacular Halloween:

• Make sure the label on the costume states that it is Flame Resistant. Flame Resistant costumes will be hard to catch on fire, and should it happen, the fire will dissipate quickly. Materials such as polyester and nylon are a good choice.
• Don't let the material in your costume hang too far off your body – this way, you won't accidentally drag it across open flames.
• Tell kids to avoid candles and jack-o'-lanterns during their trick-or-treat adventures.
• Always use flashlights, a flameless candle, or a light stick to navigate your way through the dark instead of open flame candles.
• If decorating your home with lights, make sure they have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory. Inspect lights for damaged sockets or wires and loose connections, and make sure not to overload extension cords.
• Check the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website for the latest on Halloween-related consumer product recalls.
• If you have a Halloween party, check for cigarettes under furniture cushions and in areas where people were smoking before you go to bed.
• Remove any materials around your home or property, such as garbage or excess vegetation, which an arsonist could use to start a fire.

Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates

Zombie Preparedness Month

Region V Trains Federal Community Emergency Response Team

FEMA recently trained sixteen federal employees to create the first Federal Executive Board Community Response Team in Chicago. Volunteers attended twenty hours of CERT classroom training, with instructors from Customs and Border Protection as well as the City of Chicago. The topics covered included disaster preparedness, fire suppression, light search and rescue operations, and basic on-scene disaster medical training and triage.

That knowledge was put into action during a half-day field exercise hosted alongside the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management at the Chicago Fire Department Training Academy, which provided a hands-on opportunity to practice their newly learned skills in a simulated disaster scenario. Congratulations to the Chicago class of FEB CERT for completing the course on September 27!

For more information about starting a CERT Program or getting involved in CERT, visit the CERT website.

Region VII Walks the Walk and Gets StormReady

One of the efforts undertaken by Region VII during National Preparedness Month resulted in their becoming the first FEMA office across the country to be certified by the National Weather Service as StormReady. Congratulations to all those involved!

StormReady is a preparedness initiative directed by the NWS encouraging communities to proactively prepare for hazardous weather operations through development of communication plans, training, and planning. Region VII employees received SKYWARN® Storm Spotter Training, hosted an NWS site visit, and reviewed its operations plans for severe weather sheltering and communication channels and procedures in order to earn the certification.

Currently, Region VII and the NWS are working together on the preparedness initiative to integrate National Incident Management System and Incident Command System principles and terminology into the guidelines of the StormReady program.

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

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards