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IAEM
One of the central aspects of the IAEM Whole Community project funded by FEMA is looking at the role of spontaneous volunteers during disasters. IAEM is looking to determine what barriers currently exist that prevent emergency managers from involving, supporting, or recognizing the emergent actions of spontaneous volunteers during disasters. Additionally, IAEM intends to identify resources, tools, information, and tactics that could be effective in addressing and mitigating these barriers. Chandra Fox, CEM, is providing IAEM with technical expertise on a survey to address these topics and get relevant feedback from our emergency management community. The survey will go live on Monday, Jan. 11. This survey will yield vital information that will drive the focus of this contract, so participation in the survey is important. Please watch for the survey release. Questions should be directed to IAEM Whole Community Project Manager Chelsea Firth.
Time of India
An early morning tremor in Bengal, charting 4.5 on the Richter scale, made citizens sit up in panic. But geologists say that a major shake like that in Manipur or Nepal would have led to large-scale devastation since the city currently has no mechanism to locate those caught under debris. What worries disaster experts is the fact that the city doesn't have an integrated HAM radio network, which may be put to use when landlines are down or the mobile phone towers are damaged.
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The Guardian
The Scottish government has been urged to carry out an urgent review of flood defenses as forecasters warned of further flooding in the northeast of the country, with some rivers not peaking until Monday morning.
Scottish labor made the call as it emerged that the Scottish national party government is to cut the budget of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency — the country’s flood-forecasting and risk-management agency — by 6 percent in the next financial year.
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IAEM
The IAEM-Oceania Council has announced that its 2016 Annual General Meeting will take place Feb. 3, 2016, 18:30 AEST, at Surf Lifesaving Qld, “Surf Rescue House,” 18-24 Manning Street, South Brisbane, Australia. Teleconference details are included in the notice, and copies of reports and agendas will be sent to members prior to the meeting. Any questions should be addressed to Andrew Murray, IAEM-Oceania Council Secretary, at vice-president@iaem-oceania.org.
IAEM
Matt May, director of emergency management of Wyandotte County, Kansas and Larry Gispert, former president of IAEM and retired director of emergency management for Hillsborough County, Florida, asked us to bring this opportunity to your attention and urge you to comment. Matt May also co-chaired one of the FCC working groups involved in this issue. The deadline for initial comment period is Jan. 13, 2016. The Federal Communications Commission has been working to update the rules applied to the use of Wireless Emergency Alerting (WEA) one element of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). The FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which solicits feedback on the proposed new rules governing WEA. IAEM strongly encourages you to take advantage of this opportunity to voice your opinion on these changes so the emergency management voice is heard. A sentence or two indicating your support of WEA in general and the improvements these changes will provide will be the support the FCC needs to hear from you. Use this backgrounder and click-by-click tutorial to leave your comments. Time is of the essence. Stop and take 5 minutes to let them know your feelings about this issue. Contact Matt May with questions. “It has been proven time and time again that emergency management’s ability to communicate a threat to the public in a timely manner saves lives and property,” stated former IAEM President Gispert. “These changes to the FCC initial regulations concerning EAS (and WEA) would further codify the inclusion of the wireless/cellular system in the overall alert audience. This, combined with the original broadcast, cable and satellite TV users, would maximize our target audience to receive alert messages concerning potential threats to our citizens’ wellbeing. Emergency Managers should be supportive of this initiative.”
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On March 1-3, 2016, a gathering of practitioners and experts from a diversity of sectors will descend upon New Orleans to engage in programming that touches on a wide range of topics associated with resiliency and disaster management. Please consider attending! Additional information can be found at resconnola.com.
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IAEM
Be recognized! Enter your emergency management communications project in the international Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards competition. There are more than 40 categories to choose from, including public relations, media relations, graphic design, educational programs, social media, electronic communications, video/multimedia, branding, infographics, and more. The final deadline for entry is just one week away. As a special offer, NAGC is extending membership fee discounts to IAEM members. Download the brochure with payment schedule. NAGC continues to seek judges for the BP&GS Awards Competition. Non-members are welcome to apply. Learn more.
IAEM
The IAEM-USA Climate, Water & Weather Caucus is seeking IAEM members with relevant expertise who are interested in science and societal impacts of climate change and related public policy to participate in Climate Science Day on Capitol Hill, set for Feb. 9-10, 2016. Climate Science Day includes more than a dozen scientific organizations, comprising multiple branches of earth and atmospheric sciences, ecology, food and agriculture, and economics, and this will be the first year that emergency management is specifically represented. The purpose of the visits is to provide members of Congress the best possible access to objective information on climate change and its potential impacts when making policy decisions. This non-partisan event is a great opportunity for IAEM members to interact directly with Congressional members and staff, and to learn more about and have greater involvement in the policy arena. An afternoon orientation briefing will take place Tuesday, Feb. 9, with the Hill meetings scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10. IAEM members can download an event schedule here. Interested IAEM members should email Jeff Rubin, caucus chair, at jeff.rubin@tvfr.com, with their name, contact information, and a summary (less than 200 words) of relevant background. Participants will be responsible for their own travel arrangements, as IAEM is not offering travel support for this event.
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IAEM
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has asked its stakeholders, including IAEM, for assistance in promoting its “Turn Around, Don’t Down” messaging, which is illustrated by a National Weather Service public awareness video that includes tips on safety, whether driving a vehicle or walking during flooding conditions. Flooding is one of the leading causes of weather-related fatalities in the United States, claiming nearly 90 lives each year. More than half of these deaths occur in motor vehicles when people attempt to drive through flooded roadways, due to underestimating the force and power of water, especially when it is moving. More flood resources are available here.
CBS News
Despite significant efforts over the past decade, the U.S. remains ill-equipped to respond to the unique medical needs of children during public health emergencies, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Kids are particularly vulnerable to illness and injury during pandemics, natural disasters such as hurricanes, and potential terrorist attacks.
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KCBS-TV
Scientists have discovered an alarming connection underwater: Two of the most dangerous earthquake faults in the Bay Area.
Experts long debated whether the Hayward Fault and the Rodgers Creek Fault connected, but now there’s strong evidence they do.
U.S. Geological geophysicist Janet Watt made the discovery in an underwater survey using an acoustic instrument over the San Pablo Bay. She says the data is clearer than ever.
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IAEM
The Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA) and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), will hold the 2016 LEPA/GOHSEP) Annual Workshop on May 2-5, 2016, at the Golden Nugget, Lake Charles, Louisiana. Information about hotel reservations and the call for presenters is posted here. Interested LEPA members and EM officials are invited to submit proposals for presentations at the workshop. The deadline for speaker proposals is Friday, Jan. 15, 2016.
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Stay safe with the Gorman-Redlich CRW-S NOAA Weather Radio receiver, which includes SAME decoding and interfaces with digital signage, emergency lighting, PA systems and more. MORE
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IAEM
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) seeks public comments on proposed changes to the regulation describing FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) declarations criteria. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register. Learn more and submit comments online by Jan. 11, 2016. The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act (SRIA) requires FEMA to review, update and revise, through rulemaking, the factors it uses to measure the severity, magnitude, and impact of a disaster. The proposed rule, which has a 60-day public comment period, is intended to provide more objective and clear IA declaration factors and speed the declaration process, including FEMA’s recommendation to the President on whether a major disaster declaration authorizing IA is warranted.
The Independent
While the sodden, submerged North of Britain was, literally, wringing out the old year last week, one notorious Yorkshire flood blackspot was celebrating staying dry — despite having been refused a multimillion pound defense scheme.
Pickering, North Yorkshire, pulled off protection by embracing the very opposite of what passes for conventional wisdom. On its citizens’ own initiative, it ended repeated inundation by working with nature, not against it.
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U.S. News & World Report
The U.S. in 2015 saw the resurgence of measles, the threat of Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome and a focus by the Obama administration to tackle superbugs that have become resistant to antibiotics.
Despite federal efforts, however, states vary in how well they can prevent and respond to infectious disease, according to a report released. Its findings show that much of the country is largely unprepared to handle a pandemic.
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IAEM
On behalf of the Radiation Injury Treatment Network (RITN), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is offering six travel scholarships to attend the 2016 Preparedness Summit in Dallas, Texas, Apr. 19-22, 2016. The scholarship is intended for public health, emergency management, and other related professionals with experience in radiological/nuclear response and recovery and an interest in connecting with local public health officials to promote best practices in radiation emergency preparedness. The RITN scholarship will provide opportunities to learn, share experiences, and acquire tools and resources related to radiation preparedness. Visit NACCHO’s radiation preparedness website to review all RFA and application documents carefully before submitting an application.
The Associated Press via WRCB-TV
The Mississippi River floods more often than it used to, and at higher levels. Richard Knaup thinks he knows why.
The veteran emergency management director for southeast Missouri's Cape Girardeau County is fighting floods again, just as he did last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.
"Prior to levee building, the river was a wild thing and it spread out between the river bluffs," Knaup said Monday. "Now we've tried to tame it. Mother Nature and Old Man River will fight back."
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Electric Co-op Today
And though that’s a record landfall drought, scientists say it’s mostly a matter of circumstance and no reason for hurricane-prone areas to let down their guard.
“This luck cannot continue. Climatology will eventually reassert itself with many more U.S. landfalling hurricanes” according to Colorado State University experts Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray.
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Envirotech Online
In today’s modern age of smartphones, tablets and laptops, it seems there’s nothing technology can’t do. Whether it’s locating the nearest restaurant in a remote town in Kyrgyzstan, translating said restaurant’s menu into English using the camera or talking with your family thousands of miles away while you eat, the advance of technology has made our lives easier in every aspect.
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Global News
Six seconds doesn’t sound like a lot of time but when it comes to earthquakes, it can mean the difference between life and death.
UBC researchers have developed an earthquake early-warning system that is being tested in dozens of British Columbia schools. During Tuesday night’s 4.7-magnitude temblor, they learned the technology shows promise.
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IAEM
Have you thought about attending the CEM®/AEM® Prep Course as you prepare to start the certification process? Find out what is covered in the CEM®/AEM® Prep Course and join us for one of the upcoming CEM®/AEM® offerings:
- Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Baltimore, Maryland
Interested candidates should register through the IAEM website. IAEM requires a minimum of 10 registrants for the Prep Course. If you have any questions, contact Certification Administrator Jason Majesky.
IAEM
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Dec. 30 published the Community Resilience Economic Decision Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems (NIST SP 1197), which details steps for evaluating the economic ramifications of contemplated resilience investments as well as the option of maintaining the status quo. The new publication complements NIST’s recently issued Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems. That guide lays out a practical six-step process that communities can follow to develop resilience plans that help them prepare for hazards, adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from disruptions. Community-developed resilience plans help governments, utilities, service providers and other organizations set priorities and allocate resources for mitigating damage, maintaining vital services, and if a hazard does strike, building back better.
IAEM
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in December 2015 published the “Emergency Services Sector Specific Plan,” an addendum to the National Infrastructure Protection Plan of 2013 (NIPP 2013). The updated Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) is designed to guide and integrate the sector’s voluntary, collaborative efforts to improve its security and resilience over the next four years. It describes how the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) manages risks and contributes to national critical infrastructure security and resilience, as set forth in Presidential Policy Directive 21: Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience. The SSP tailors the strategic guidance provided in the NIPP 2013 to the unique operating conditions and risk landscape of the ESS. The sector strategy is closely aligned with the NIPP 2013 national strategy, the 2014 Joint National Priorities for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, and Executive Order (EO) 13636: Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. This 2015 release of the SSP substantially updates the original plan issued in 2007 and the update issued in 2010. It represents a collaborative effort between the private sector; state, local, tribal and territorial governments; nongovernmental organizations; and the federal government.
IAEM
The Ready Campaign released the 2016 National Seasonal Preparedness Messaging Calendar, available in both a graphic or text format. To learn more about each topic month or week and to get content to promote preparedness information all year, visit www.ready.gov/calendar.
IAEM
The next IAEM webinar will take place on Jan. 20, 2016, 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST on the topic of “How FirstNet Could Benefit Managers at the Super Bowl.” After recent attacks in the United States and around the world, there is a heightened state of awareness about the need to protect public gatherings, such as stadiums and parades, which often can serve as targets. The Super Bowl, along with its related events, is an example of a huge responsibility for which emergency managers must prepare, and reliable communication between all agencies and personnel involved is critical. The webinar will highlight: public safety/governmental participation; the need for wide area data capabilities; the aggregation of data to create a common operating picture; and the challenges faced during public safety operations for Super Bowl XLIX, which was held in the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. Speakers will include: Kevin Kalkbrenner, Assistant Chief, City of Phoenix Emergency Manager; Amanda Hilliard, Director of Outreach, FirstNet; and Mike Worrell, Senior Fire Services Advisor, FirstNet (Former Division Chief, Phoenix Fire). Online registration is live. IAEM members have free access to IAEM webinars, but must register using their member password. Non-members can attend by registering and paying a $59 fee; after the event, non-members can use the $59 as a credit toward IAEM membership (credit is good for one year). All registrants, both members and non-members, will receive a link via email to set up their access to the webinar. Space in IAEM webinars is limited, so register early.
IAEM
This 90-minute webinar will explore a unique public-private partnership between cultural heritage and emergency management professionals called Alliance for Response (AFR). Launched in 2003, this program has connected more than 800 museums, libraries, archives, and other collecting institutions across the country with their local first responders and emergency managers. An overview of the program, administered by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation, will be followed by a close look at one AFR network - AFR-Miami – which is co-chaired by an emergency manager and a cultural steward. Other AFR networks also will share how their network has influenced local planning efforts and enhanced the protection of cultural and historic resources. The webinar will conclude with examples of federal guidance on protecting these resources. Each segment will offer ample time for Q&A from participants. Speakers will include: Jessica Unger, emergency programs coordinator, Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works; Steve Detwiler, emergency management planner (Recovery & Public-Private Partnership), Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management, AFR Miami co-chair; Kim Bergen, registrar, FIU Wolfsonian, AFR Miami co-chair; and Lori Foley, administrator, Heritage Emergency National Task Force, FEMA/Smithsonian Institution. Register online.
IAEM
Tribal emergency managers, response personnel, employees, department heads, and leaders will have the opportunity to participate in Emergency Management Framework for Tribal Governments on Feb. 29-Mar. 3, 2016, at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, Maryland.The course provides participants with a basic understanding of emergency management principles and their role in leading and directing their tribes in implementing comprehensive emergency management systems. It also covers the legal and financial basis for emergency management, hazard identification and analysis, planning, components of an emergency management system, readiness through training, forming public and private sector partnerships, and upgrading and sustaining emergency management capabilities. Tribal applicants may apply by completing a FEMA Form 119-25-1, General Admissions Application, no later than Feb. 5, 2016. State, territory, and local applicants must send their applications through their State Training Officer. FEMA regional staff must send their applications through their regional training manager. Please send questions to Katie Hirt. Space is limited.
Breitbart
A statement obtained by Breitbart Texas from the Texas Association of Dairymen says that the winter storm named Goliath “hit hard at the heart of the Texas dairy industry.”
The reduction in the state’s milk supply, and dairy and other financial losses, as well as the emotional impact on farmers of losing their animals, is enormous, says TAD Executive Director Darren Turley.
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CNN
As flooding receded Saturday in the St. Louis area, residents to the south prepared for high water by stacking sandbags, moving furniture to higher floors or by evacuating.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner toured communities in Alexander County, the southernmost part of the state, where levee breaches have already sent people fleeing. The Mississippi River is expected to crest Sunday in East Cape Girardeau and on Monday in nearby Cairo.
READ MORE
KMBC-TV
The National Weather Service says its preliminary data shows Kansas had 124 confirmed tornadoes in 2015 — 83 more than in 2014. The Hutchinson News reports the number of tornadoes last year tied for the fourth highest number since 1990.
Eric Metzger, a meteorologist in Wichita, Kansas, says moisture from a strong El Nino was a possible factor in 2015's higher number of tornadoes.
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The Associated Press via WPEC-TV
Fire broke out in a residential building near Dubai's massive New Year's Eve fireworks display.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which ran up at least 20 stories of the building near the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper at 905 yards.
Burning debris rained down from the building as firetrucks raced to the scene. It was not immediately clear if anyone was wounded in the blaze.
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The Economic Times
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern China.
The quake struck Linkou in Heilongjiang Province at a depth of 580 km, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.
No casualties were reported so far, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
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News Corp Australia Network
Emergency workers have found the body of a man swept away in flood waters as new warnings are issued for more torrential rain.
The man believed to be from the town of Seymour, north of Melbourne, was recovered shortly after being swept into a flooded creek four hours earlier.
The flooding was caused by severe thunderstorms which lashed large parts of Victoria.
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Daily Echo
Flash floods are caused “traffic mayhem” across Hampshire as torrential rain battered the county yesterday.
Cars were piling through two feet of water in Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh, after Monk’s Brook burst its banks.
The route, near Stoneham Park and Eastleigh football ground, was set to be closed.
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The Jakarta Post
Heavy downpours in a number of parts of the country over the weekend have resulted in landslides, killing one person in Semarang regency and burying several houses in Batam.
In Semarang regency, Central Java, the body of Margono Marsono, 78, of Kendal Ngisor village, Banyubiru subdistrict, was found on Sunday morning; Margono had been reported missing in the wake of a landslide that struck the area on Saturday evening.
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The Weather Channel
A magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck far northeast India in the hours before sunrise Monday, causing major structural damage to several buildings near the epicenter and sending frightened residents running into the streets of cities there and in neighboring Bangladesh. At least 13 deaths and more than 100 injuries have been blamed on the earthquake.
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NPR
Fast-moving wildfires on Christmas Day destroyed more than 100 homes in southern Australia. Now, residents and officials in Victoria State are beginning to assess the scale of the damage as firefighters work to contain the still-raging fires.
Victoria State's Premier Daniel Andrews told the BBC that the scale of the damage is not yet clear. "Today's really assessment day," he says, including "assessing damage to property, the safety of roads, power, water, environmental issues."
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Reuters
Storms hit the U.S. South, Southwest and Midwest over the Christmas holiday weekend, unleashing floods and tornadoes that killed at least 43 people, flattened buildings and snarled transportation for millions during a busy travel time.
The bad weather, or the threat of it, prompted the governors of Missouri and New Mexico to declare a state of emergency for their states.
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Explaining how GIS relates to disaster management, this book offers software-neutral best practices.
Order Now! Save 20% - Promo Code JWP36
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7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
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