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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 -FEMA Updates
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Hurricane Sandy One Week Later
More than $210 Million Approved in Individual Assistance
One week ago today, millions of Americans from North Carolina to Maine braced for Hurricane Sandy. For more than 12 hours, hurricane and tropical storm force winds, storm surge, and flooding impacted 12 states; and more than eight million people lost power. Transportation systems in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, DC came to a halt, and more than 12,000 commercial flights were grounded. And for the first time since 1888, the New York Stock Exchange was closed for two consecutive days because of a natural disaster. But we are a resilient nation:
As of 3 p.m. Monday, November 5, more than 234,000 individuals in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey have registered for assistance , and more than $210 million has been approved in FEMA Assistance . Individuals and businesses should visit www.disasterassistance.gov for more information on how to register with FEMA.
- Disaster Recovery Centers continue to open in the hardest hit areas. Twelve Disaster Recover y Centers are open in New York, two in New Jersey and three in Connecticut and more continue to open.
- Specialists from the state, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors.
- FEMA has activated, at the request of the states, its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program for New Jersey and New York. This program allows eligible survivors who cannot return to their homes due to damages caused by Hurricane Sandy to stay in participating hotels or motels until more suitable housing accommodations are available.
Looking ahead to the winter storm forecasted to hit the East Coast Wednesday evening, FEMA is urging residents to be safe as cold weather temperatures threaten areas impacted by the Hurricane Sandy. The risk of fires increases with the use of supplemental heating, such as space heaters and any fuel-burning appliances in the home, including furnaces and fireplaces, are a potential carbon monoxide source. Ensure both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working and if using a generator keep it as far away from your home as possible away from doors, windows or vents that could allow deadly carbon monoxide into the home.
For further information regarding these safety tips or other post hurricane safety recommendations, visit www.fema.gov or www.ready.gov .
We want to hear your suggestions on how we can improve our communications to you, be sure to email us at citizencorps@dhs.gov .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A brief Message from the Individual and Community Preparedness Division
While we support ongoing Sandy recovery efforts and recognize the amazing efforts of emergency management, volunteers and citizens, we want to continue to provide helpful tools and resources on Sandy and other emergency events. As always, please share your thoughts and stories with us and let us know what topics interest you. You can email comments or suggestions to us at citizencorps@dhs.gov .
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***Webinar Reminder***
Engaging Families in Community Service and Preparedness
Wednesday, November 7
3:00 PM EST
Plan ahead and be prepared for National Family Volunteer Day on Saturday , November 17 by joining the FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Division and Ready.gov for a FREE planning Webinar TODAY Wednesday, November 7. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy this is a great time to find out how you and your family can give back to your community and help others in need.
National Family Volunteer Day is the start of National Family Week, a week dedicated to engaging relatives, children and community members in service projects, including those projects designed to prepare communities for any disaster or emergency.
Join and listen as our guest speakers discuss ways you can:
- Capitalize on this Family Volunteer Day event;
- Engage families in your community; and
- Encourage those who haven't made a family service-day commitment to do so.
Additionally, speakers from the Hands On Network and Serve Alabama will share their own service initiatives and efforts to engage the public in volunteer opportunities and service projects.
Sign in here if this is your first time joining the Community Preparedness Webinar Series.
Log in if you have already signed up for this webinar, have registered for a previous webinar or if you're a HSIN.gov user.
If you have questions regarding this event, please contact citizencorps@dhs.gov.
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Social Media in Emergency Management
From the Federal Emergency Management Agency to state and local entities, emergency management officials are using social media more and more to disseminate vital information and even to coordinate response and recovery efforts.
Below are just a few ideas for incorporating social media into your emergency management efforts:
- Utilize Twitter as one method for issuing public warnings and alerts
- Monitor tweets and Facebook messages to keep track of disaster or emergency situations as they happen
- Use Twitter, wikis, blogs and even discussion forums to share best practices or disaster information with whole community partners or across emergency management disciplines
To learn more about social media in emergency management, view FEMA's independent study training course : Social Media in Emergency Management.
To stay informed using FEMA's social media tools, utilize the following:
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Flood Insurance and Why It's Important
Floods can happen anywhere at any time, but certain areas across the U.S. are particularly prone to flooding. To help communities understand their risk, flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps, FIRMs) have been created to show the locations of high-risk, moderate-to-low risk and undetermined-risk areas .
To prepare for a flood, it is important to for individuals and community partners to know they should:
- Avoid building in a floodplain unless you elevate and reinforce your home.
- Create a personal flood file containing information about all your possessions and keep it in a secure place. For more information about safeguarding your possessions, visit www.knowyourstuff.org .
- Develop a family emergency plan.
For more information about flooding and flood insurance, visit FloodSmart.gov.
Check your Smoke Alarms, now that you have changed the Clocks!
Now that we've moved back to Standard Time, U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) recommends everyone to test your home smoke alarms and replace the batteries if more than one year old.
A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family of a home fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you're awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert scanning the air for fire and smoke. For more information on smoke alarms, fire escape planning, and fire prevention, visit the USFA website .
Dates for Your Calendar!
- November is National American Heritage Month
- November is Social Media in Emergency Management Month
- November is Cooking and Fire Safety
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Nor'easter Impacting Areas Still Recovering from Hurricane Sandy Ensure You Are Prepared
Community Preparedness e-Brief
Follow us on Twitter for preparedness tips and announcements!
Nor'easter Impacting Areas Still Recovering from Hurricane Sandy Ensure You Are Prepared
A Nor'easter is approaching the northeast today, including those areas still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. This Nor'easter is expected to bring strong winds, rain and even snow throughout today into Thursday. As the storm makes its way up the coast, we are asking you to do the following:
- Read and share this email;
- Visit http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather ;
- Like and share FEMA's Facebook page posts ;
- Follow and retweet @ReadyDotGov tweets; and
- Download and share these useful apps: FEMA Android , Apple , Blackberry
Given the power has not yet been fully restored in some areas, state and local governments are opening warming stations in anticipation of the Nor'easter. To find more about these warming stations and other open shelters, visit:
New York State
www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/
www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/warming_ctr.html
New Jersey
www.nj.gov/nj/home/features/spotlight/hurricane_sandy.shtml
www.nj211.org/hurricane.cfm
Connecticut
www.ct.gov/sandy
For those within an area expected to be impacted by this current storm, below are some simple steps one should take now to prepare:
- Follow the direction of local officials if told to evacuate, listen to the direction of your local officials and evacuate immediately.
- Know the forecast for your area - listen to your NOAA weather radio and local news reports, or visit weather.gov for conditions in your area.
- Check on your neighbor make sure they are also prepared for the weather.
- Have an adequate communication plan - be sure friends and family know how to contact you. Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a phone call might not get through.
FEMA continues to support both recovery operations as a result of Hurricane Sandy as well as preparedness efforts associated with the Nor'easter. Additional commodities including food, water, blankets, and generators are currently being delivered to distribution points across the region impacted by Sandy. FEMA is also pre-positioning even more resources and supplies for its state and local partners to respond, if necessary, to the Nor'easter.
Community Relations Teams are on the ground, going door-to-door, letting individuals know how to register with FEMA for financial assistance and how to prepare for the upcoming storm. More than 277,000 people have applied for financial assistance, and more than $250 million in assistance has been approved.
Prepare for hazards in YOUR area
Although you may not be in the path of this forecasted storm, now is a good time to review the potential hazards where you live. Knowing likely risks for your area, whether snow storms , earthquakes or tornadoes and knowing what to do when a disaster strikes is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds matter.
Local emergency management offices can help you identify hazards in your community and can outline the local plans and recommendations for each. Be sure to share this information with family, neighbors, colleagues and friends talking about preparedness helps everyone be ready, just in case. Use the links below to make your family, business and community safer, more resilient and better prepared for any disaster event.
For further information regarding these safety tips or other post hurricane safety recommendations, visit www.fema.gov or www.ready.gov .
We want to hear your suggestions on how we can improve our communications to you, be sure to email us at citizencorps@dhs.gov .
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DHS -FEMA Updates
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and communities affected by Hurricane Sandy and the recent Nor'easter.
When a crisis takes place, our instinct is to immediately respond and to extend a helping hand. Together, we can support l those individuals and communities still in need of food, water and other necessities. The entire federal family continues to work alongside its many community partners, such as the Corporation for National and Community Service , the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) , and others to support states, communities and tribes in their ongoing response to Hurricane Sandy and the recent Nor'easter. To learn about more about how you can help the survivors of these events, please visit one of the websites below or visit the Corporation for National and Community Service at: http://www.serve.gov .
We thank each of you who through various nonprofit and private sector organizations and at every level of government, are working to help save lives, provide shelter, and rebuild communities.
For Those Who Want to Help
Volunteer
Affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before coming to the disaster area . Contacting and affiliating with an established organization will help to ensure you are appropriately trained to respond in the most effective way.
Be patient: Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster - especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period.
Learn more : Several state and local agencies will be looking for volunteers to help with the disaster recovery. Learn more about volunteering by visiting the links below.
ALL AREAS
Network for Good
The Corporation for National and Community Service is working
American Red Cross
Medical Reserve Corps
Petfinder
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
NEW YORK
New York Cares , New York City
Long Island Volunteer Center , Long Island, NY
American Red Cross , Greater New York Region
Volunteer Center Serving Westchester and Mid-Hudson Valley
Hands on Network Action Centers , Various
Hope for New York , Various
NYC.gov for additional volunteer opportunities ( www.nycservice.org )
Volunteer to help clean and restore parks hit most affected by the storm
Volunteer at a Bronx park
Volunteer at a Brooklyn park
Volunteer at a Manhattan park
Volunteer at a Queens park
Volunteer at a Staten Island park
NEW JERSEY
New Jersey Response Hotline , Newark, NJ
Hands On Network Action Center , Various
Jersey Cares , Newark, NJ
Pass It Along , Sussex County, NJ
Volunteer Center of Bergen County , Hackensack, NJ
Volunteer Center of Philadelphia and South New Jersey
United Way of Northern New Jersey , Morristown, NJ
New Jersey's volunteer emergency response hotline: 1-800-JERSEY-7 (1-800-537-7397)
CONNECTICUT
Hands on Network Action Center, Various
PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania : United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
RHODE ISLAND
Serve Rhode Island , Rhode Island, RI
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Cares , Boston, MA
VIRGINIA
Volunteer Alexandria , Alexandria, VA
Volunteer Fairfax , Fairfax, VA
Volunteer Arlington , Arlington, VA
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Greater DC Cares , Washington, DC
WEST VIRGINIA
If someone wants to contact volunteer, they can email disastervolunteersforwv@gmail.com or call at 304-343-9922. We will need their contact information (name, phone, email), specific skills, and the dates they want to volunteer.
Give Blood
The need for blood rises during disasters of this scale. You can locate information about donating through the American Red Cross or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS .
Cash Contributions
Cash donations are very useful in situations where supplies must be acquired quickly. This is the most efficient way to make an impact with your donations. If you need help in determining who to give to, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website has a list of major nonprofits active in disaster work or you can make your offer through the National Donations Management Network . |
