Coming Soon! – Register for America's PrepareAthon!
The good news is, you've already heard about America's PrepareAthon! The great news is, it's almost time to take action. On April 7 America's PrepareAthon! will launch an exciting new website designed to make preparing for disasters quick and easy. Keep your eye out for information related to the website early next week and be sure to register for the first national day of action scheduled for April 30!
Join the movement and take part in this campaign to build a more prepare and resilient nation. Anyone can participate, including individuals and organizations such as schools, community-based organizations, workplaces and houses of worship. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn the about the hazards that may affect your community and the protective actions you can take to stay safe.
Learn more about America's PrepareAthon! by following us on Twitter using the @PrepareAthon handle. For more information contact PrepareAthon@fema.dhs.gov .
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Standing on Shaky Ground
With a series of tremors and aftershocks recently hitting Southern California, earthquake preparedness may be fresh on the minds of California residents. According to reports , the Los Angeles area hasn't experienced an earthquake in excess of 5 magnitude since 1997, and it's been 20 years since a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Northridge, CA where 57 people lost their lives. Earthquakes can strike anywhere at any time. That's why preparedness is vital.
Throughout the year individual states provide opportunities to do statewide drills. One upcoming opportunity is the Great Utah Shakeout scheduled for April 17. You can join over 750,000 people planning to participate in the Drop, Cover and Hold On earthquake drill. This is part of the national Great ShakeOut initiative which provides a focused time every October for millions worldwide to practice how to Drop, Cover, and Hold On during Great ShakeOut earthquake drills. The Great ShakeOut is also a national supporter of America's PrepareAthon! and will be featured as one of the campaign's fall hazard activities later this year!
Looking for additional steps you can take before , during and after an earthquake to protect your family and property? Visit www.ready.gov/earthquakes . Some of these steps have also been outlined below.
Before an Earthquake:
- Fasten shelves and bookcases securely to a wall;
- Brace top heavy objects; and
- Hold earthquake drills with your family: Drop, Cover and Hold On.
During an Earthquake:
- Drop to the ground; Take Cover; Hold On;
- Minimize your movements to a few steps; and
- Stay inside until the shaking stops.
After an Earthquake:
- When the shaking stops, look around to be sure it's safe to move;
- Look for and extinguish small fires which are a common hazard;
- Go to a designated shelter. Text SHELTER + your ZIP CODE to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter.
Take your earthquake preparedness to the next level with Beat the Quake , an interactive game from the Earthquake Country Alliance. It's fun for the entire family!
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Be the Action
People helping people, this goes hand in hand with preparedness. So many times we are faced with the aftermath of natural disasters, and wonder how we can help our neighbors. Giving back and serving others is one facet of community preparedness.
The Soup Ladies of Black Diamond, Washington exemplify what community preparedness means. They give back by preparing hot and made-from-scratch meals for First Responders, as they answer the call to help out during emergencies.
How can you get involved in community preparedness? There are many ways to get involved , especially before disaster strikes. These ways include:
Participate in America's PrepareAthon! on April 30, 2014;
- Volunteer to support disaster efforts in your community. Consider joining Citizen Corps to be better prepared to respond to disasters of all kinds;
- Start a preparedness project; and
- Donate cash or goods to support relief efforts. The American Red Cross website lists many ways to help.
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Home Flood Repairs
Repairing your home after a flood can be a stressful endeavor. That's why FEMA and the American Red Cross developed a comprehensive book to help get you started on the road to recovery. “Repairing Your Flooded Home” gives step-by-step advice to make the process less overwhelming.
Your home and its contents may look beyond repair, but many of your belongings can be restored. If you do things correctly, your flooded home can be cleaned up, dried out, rebuilt and reoccupied sooner than you think.
Copies of this book are also available at your local Red Cross or by sending a written request to FEMA at:
PO Box 2012 Jessup, MD 20794-2012
America's PrepareAthon! will also put the focus on floods with the first national day of action on April 30. You can learn various ways to take action before a flood impacts you. Plus, you can take advantage of free resources available on the America's PrepareAthon! website including How to Prepare for a Flood. Be sure to keep your eye out for more information regarding the website early next week! This document explains how to protect yourself and your property, and details the steps to take now so that you can act quickly when you, your home, or your business is in danger.
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Free Preparedness Exercises
Points of Light and the HandsOn Network are offering free web-based exercises in May to help with your disaster volunteer and preparedness needs. The “Operation Volunteer Placement” exercise will be held on May 21, 2014 , and is intended for local agencies and organizations tasked with volunteer coordination during an emergency . Exercise participants will work through different scenarios dealing with the numerous challenges associated screening and placing spontaneous volunteers with various response agencies and organizations. For more information and to register, visit http://www.drc-group.com/project/vrc.html
The “Resilient Response” exercise is a disaster readiness and response activity discussing different scenarios related to natural disasters and how to respond. The next exercise is scheduled for May 30, 2014. For additional information and to register yourself or your organization to participate, visit http://www.resilientresponseexercise.org/
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Mitigate, Prepare, Respond
ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, USA is hosting a webinar entitled “Mitigate, Prepare, Respond: Emergency Managers as Partners in Climate Adaptation Webinar.” Gwen Camp, Director of Individual and Community Preparedness Division at FEMA, will present during this ICLEI webinar to discuss America's PrepareAthon!
ICLEI USA is a recognized leader in local sustainability. The organization sets national standards to help local governments achieve sustainability, climate protection and clean energy goals.
Please join ICLEI to hear key findings from cities and their federal and private sector partners that are addressing climate-fueled extreme weather through traditional emergency management practices. This important topic will help you to consider innovative ways to tackle climate resilience in a cost-effective way that leverages the work of emergency managers and other departments in local agencies.
The details about the webinar are as follows:
We hope that you can join us for the webinar. For questions, please contact PrepareAthon@fema.dhs.gov .
For more information about ICLEI USA, please visit: http://www.icleiusa.org .
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Dates for Your Calendar!
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