|
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 -FEMA Updates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* * * Webinar Reminder * * *
Starting Early: Financial Preparation for Disasters and Emergencies
Tuesday, April 9 -- 3:00 p.m. EDT
Next week, on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM EDT, FEMA's Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) will host a free webinar entitled, “Starting Early: Financial Preparation for Disasters and Emergencies.” This event will highlight best practice programs and tools to engage local communities on the often overlooked financial aspect of disaster preparedness. Personnel from the federal government and non-profit organizations such as the Consumer Financial Preparedness Bureau (CFPB) and Operation Hope will also be participating and discussing their work in this critical area.
For more information or to register, please visit: http://connect.hsin.gov/financiallita/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/financiallita/event/registration_login.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reaching the Whole Community in Disaster Preparedness
Earlier this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) marked its 34 th anniversary. As FEMA looks ahead, the agency will continue its efforts to engage with the whole community in disaster preparedness. Effective disaster preparedness means everyone must get involved – including underserved populations.
Each person's abilities and needs are different and should be evaluated to fit the unique needs of individuals in disaster plans. A recent webinar highlighted successful efforts at the local level to foster an ongoing dialogue about preparedness and to build inclusive disaster plans in diverse communities.
When developing disaster plans, be sure to:
- Partner with trusted community leaders with whom community members have an established relationship;
- Ensure language translations of preparedness materials are culturally appropriate; and
- Meet with individuals at places they already go and attend local cultural events to get to know community members better.
For more tips, view the webinar recording here .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April Showers Bring Increased Flood Risk
April showers can bring more than just flowers during springtime; it can also bring increased flood risk. Know the flood risk for your home and protect yourself today.
Take these steps to prepare for floods ahead of time:
- Avoid building in a floodplain unless you elevate and reinforce your home;
- Elevate the furnace, water heater and electric panel in your home if you live in an area that has a high flood risk;
- Consider installing "check valves" to prevent flood water from backing up into the drains of your home; and
- If feasible, construct barriers to stop floodwater from entering the building and seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds.
Just because you haven't experienced a flood in the past, doesn't mean you won't in the future. So don't hesitate and prepare right away.
Follow us on Twitter @Citizen_Corps or visit www.ready.gov/floods for more tips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dates for Your Calendar!
- April 2-4: Partners in Emergency Preparedness 2013 , Tacoma, WA
- April 7-9: National Safety Council Texas Safety Conference & Expo , Galveston, TX
- April 11-14: Michigan EMS Expo , Detroit, MI
- April 18-20: Annual North Dakota EMS Rendezvous Conference and Tradeshow , Bismarck, ND
- April 22-27: Fire Department Instructors Conference , Indianapolis, IN
|
