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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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Upcoming Webinar
Meeting the Needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities in Emergency Management
Wednesday, January 30 - 3:00 p.m. EDT
In support of the White House Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Initiative , this webinar will offer best practices in emergency management to engage linguistically and culturally diverse populations within the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Presenters will share best practices and explain how organizations that support diverse populations can connect with their state, territorial and local governments and FEMA before a disaster happens. Learn which preparedness strategies will best meet the needs of the diverse communities you serve.
Presenters will include:
- Asian American Federation of New York City
- San Francisco's Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs
- Chinatown Community Development Center, 2012 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Award Winner
- FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL) Unit
Please use this link to register for the webinar: http://connect.hsin.gov/aapi2013a/event/registration.html
Please use this link if you are already a registered HSIN user and simply need to log-in to the webinar: http://connect.hsin.gov/aapi2013a/event/registration_login.html
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***Upcoming FEMA Think Tank Call***
FEMA Think Tank : Innovative Response and Recovery Efforts during Hurricane Sandy
Please join officials from the White House Office of Public Engagement, Office of Science and Technology Policy and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Think Tank conference call on February 6, 2013 from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C. The call will highlight some of the initiatives developed by innovation teams inside and outside of government in the areas of communications, analytics, design, and technology, among other potential areas for discussion.
The FEMA Think Tank is a forum to engage the whole community, connect resources and share best practices, and develop solutions to the challenges we face in emergency management.
WHAT: FEMA Think Tank
WHO: Richard Serino, FEMA Deputy Administrator
WHEN: Wednesday, February 6, 2013
12:00PM – 1:30PM (Eastern)
WHERE: Eisenhower Executive Office Building
CALL IN: 888-324-6998
PASSCODE: THINK TANK
CAPTIONING: http://fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=2090240&CustomerID=321
After Hurricane Sandy, FEMA developed an Innovation Team in New York: a multi-sector, cross functional group made up of people in government, non-profit and international organizations, volunteer groups, businesses, and concerned citizens. For more information about the Innovation Team's efforts, please visit http://www.fema.gov/blog/2013-01-15/lessons-sandy-word-innovation .
Before our next call, we encourage you to visit FEMA's online forum at www.fema.gov/thinktank to comment and share your innovative ideas we will be discussing this month or to submit your own ideas and comment on others.
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.
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Flu Season is Here—Take Action Now!
Over the past few weeks, flu has been a big topic around office coolers and in the news. Flu season had an early and significant start in many parts of the country. Individuals who received their flu shot early took the first and best preventive measure for fighting against the flu. There are still things you can do to protect yourself.
- If you don't have the flu, get a flu shot now ; it takes two weeks to develop an immune response against the flu. Vaccinations are still available .
- Wash hands vigorously for 20 seconds with soap and water.
- Stay home if you are sick to prevent spreading germs to others.
- Know common flu symptoms to identify if you or loved ones need to seek medical attention.
Follow the conversation on Twitter using hashtags #flu or #flusurvival to learn more about flu prevention and other updates. Flu.gov also has useful resources on the flu.
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Tech Tips for Emergency Preparedness
Resolve to be ready this year when a disaster or emergency strikes through the use of every day technology. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Ready campaign in partnership with Citizen Corps and the Ad Council recommend incorporating technology into emergency plans by:
- Learning how to send updates via text and the internet from your mobile phone to your contacts and social channels in case voice communications are not available;
- Storing important documents such as personal and financial records in the cloud, in a secure and remote area or on a readily available flash drive so they can be accessed from anywhere;
- Creating an Emergency Information Document by downloading the Ready Family Emergency Plan to record your emergency plans; and
- Spreading the word throughout your community by adding a digital banner to your organization's website.
For more tips, download the Resolve 2B Ready 2013 Toolkit and visit Ready.gov or Citizen Corps .
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Get Ready to ShakeOut on February 7
You're invited to join more than one million people who will drop, cover, and hold during the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut on February 7, 2013 at 10:15 AM , local time. This regional earthquake drill will include participants across nine states (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee). These states will practice what to do when an actual earthquake occurs.
Participating in the ShakeOut only takes 90 seconds and provides an opportunity for communities to increase awareness of and readiness for earthquakes. Each state or region has a resource page on the ShakeOut website that provides drill manuals, custom flyers and other resources for schools, businesses, government agencies, nonprofits and more!
Sign up today and encourage family, friends, coworkers and others in your community to do the same. Don't miss out on the opportunity to practice an earthquake drill!
For more information about what to do before, during and after an earthquake, visit http://www.ready.gov/earthquakes
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Wireless Emergency Alerts Hit Cell Phones
Did you know you can receive local emergency alerts directly to your cell phone? With more and more people relying on cellular phones, the public can receive geographically-targeted Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on eligible mobile devices . These alerts can be life-saving because it allows the public to take preventive measures immediately. WEA will not get backlogged during emergencies when wireless, voice and data services get highly congested.
Three types of alerts can be sent to eligible mobile phones including:
- Presidential Alerts are issued by the President or a designee;
- Imminent Threat Alerts include severe man-made or natural disasters where an looming threat to life or property exists; and
- AMBER Alerts that help law enforcement search for abducted children.
Alerts are free of cost for all subscribers. If you have a WEA-enabled phone, you are automatically enrolled. To confirm WEA are available in your area and your device is capable of receiving the alerts, please check with your carrier.
Visit the CTIA-the Wireless Association website for more information.
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Dates for Your Calendar!
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