It's Here: The Redesigned America's PrepareAthon! Website
Have you heard? The redesigned America's PrepareAthon! website is now available, featuring a a bold new look and some exciting new additions!
Now, it's easier than ever to find disaster preparedness resources, add your preparedness activities to the website, and learn how to prepare your community for hazards. There is also a stories section that highlights exciting preparedness activities happening around the country.
Also, all registered PrepareAthon! activities for the year are now featured on an interactive map, so you can quickly view or search for preparedness events nationwide. If you're organizing an event for the first time and want to register the event on the website, you'll need to create an account to add your activity. You can also indicate if you would like to be publicly listed as a supporter of America's PrepareAthon! If you are a returning user, you'll need to request a new password to login to your account.
The website is now also compatible for your mobile device, so you can make updates to your America's PrepareAthon! account while on the go.
Welcome to the all-new website from America's PrepareAthon!
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New American Red Cross Emergency App
Take your disaster preparedness to the next level with the new mobile application (app) from the American Red Cross called Emergency . This all-inclusive app provides real-time severe weather alerts and safety information for various hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis. You can even customize the app by choosing to receive alerts for hazards that impact your community the most.
Other features of Emergency include:
- More than 35 severe weather alerts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey;
- Expert Red Cross tips and guidance on what to do before, during and after severe weather hits – including a simple way to “Make a Plan” and be prepared;
- A toggle to view content in Spanish; and
- Engaging quizzes to test your knowledge on emergency topics.
This free mobile app is available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store .
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College Campus Safety
Summer break is almost over and many students are preparing to head back to campus for another school year. Before you or your student enters their new college home, it's important that both on- and off-campus students know their fire risk and how to prevent fire emergencies.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), university housing fires occur most frequently in the late summer and fall, and more than 80 percent of campus fire fatalities occur in off-campus housing. Cooking, candles, and overloaded power strips are some of the specific causes for fires in on- and off-campus housing.
Help yourself or your student stay fire safe this school year by encouraging them to follow these USFA tips :
- Cook only where it is allowed;
- Never leave a burning candle unattended;
- Do not overload outlets; and
- Only use surge protectors or power strips that have internal overload protection.
Get in the know about campus fire safety by downloading this wall poster from USFA.
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Koshland Science Museum Interactive Games
Make preparedness fun for the entire family with interactive games from the Koshland Science Museum. As you explore the activities, be sure to try your hand at the Resilience Jigsaw Puzzle to learn what it takes for communities to be resilient. According to experts at the Koshland Science Museum , there are several criteria for building a resilient community, including:
- Infrastructure and facilities that withstand disasters;
- Transportation that is operational within a week;
- Measures that reduce the impact of disasters;
- Plans that help businesses reopen quickly;
- Community plans and agreements that leverage expertise and partnerships; and
- Groups that support the community.
In addition to these interactive games, you can also find resources on the new America's PrepareAthon! website to prepare your family and organization for disasters.
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Submit Feedback to the Federal Interagency Operations Plans
FEMA is working with its Federal partners to update the Federal Interagency Operations Plans (FIOPs) and wants to get your feedback! The FIOPs describe the concepts of operations for integrating and synchronizing existing national-level Federal capabilities to support local, state, tribal, territorial, island areas, and Federal plans.
Visit https://www.fema.gov/learn-about-presidential-policy-directive-8 to review proposed updates to the FIOPs and download the feedback forms. All comments should be submitted via email to PPD8-Engagement@fema.dhs.gov using the downloadable forms. The comment period ends Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 5:00 PM EDT .
FEMA will also host National Engagement Webinars to provide stakeholders with more information on the FIOPs update effort. The webinars will take place August 17-26, 2015. Webinar details will be announced at a later date.
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Dates for Your Calendar!
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