Emergency Preparedness

FEMA aims to increase emergency preparedness with New Year’s resolution
As the New Year begins the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is ramping up its Ready Campaign, a nationwide effort aimed at increasing emergency preparedness
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2011 natural disasters cost U.S. insurers more than $32 billion
2011 saw U.S. government set record for disaster declarations; the severity of the disasters set a record as well, with twelve separate billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in 2011, with an aggregate damage total of approximately $52 billion (this number reflects both insured and uninsured losses)
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Buffalo – second best prepared city in U.S. for disasters
Buffalo, New York was recently declared the second best prepared city in the United States for a major terrorist attack or disaster in terms of public health
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California lawmakers work to improve utilities’ disaster preparedness
California lawmakers are considering a bill to better prepare public utilities for emergencies and disasters following a series of severe storms that left thousands without power across the state
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Hosting a holiday disaster kit potluck
Cindi Shank, the executive director of the Southwest Colorado chapter of the American Red Cross, is encouraging local residents to host a party where instead of bringing potluck dishes they bring flashlights and bandages
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CBP buys new risk management tool
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Technology Innovation and Acquisition (OTIA) is replacing existing risk management systems with a product from a U.K. company to bolster the department’s risk and opportunity management capabilities
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LA-area hospitals prepare for the big quake
In earthquake-prone California, local hospitals and emergency responders are at hard at work preparing for the next big quake
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Tweeting may help in disasters
Social networks like Twitter cannot help prevent disasters, but can quickly correct misinformation resulting from false rumors, thus preventing possible further loss of lives
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Evaluating California earthquake forecasts
The Southern California Earthquake Center held a competition among seven different earthquake forecasts; an analysis of the competition shows that earthquake prediction remains an imperfect science, but the best forecasts are about ten times more accurate than a random prediction; the findings should help researchers both develop better earthquake forecasts and improve their tools for assessing those forecasts
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NIST offers comprehensive risk assessment guidance for federal information systems
NIST has released two new publications dealing with risk assessment; one is the authoritative source of comprehensive risk assessment guidance for federal information systems, the other, an update to a March 2011 publication, focuses exclusively on risk assessments
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Tsunami-predicting software to help protect coastal communities
New software has been developed to help protect vulnerable coastal communities from the destruction of a tsunami; the mathematical model has created significant interest in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan six months ago
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More than $2.1 billion in DHS preparedness grants announced
DHS announced the final allocation for twelve preparedness grant programs totaling more than $2.1 billion in federal grants; DHS grants were reduced by $780 million for the FY 2010 enacted level, nearly a quarter of FY 2010 DHS grant funding
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Most Americans unprepared for disaster, survey finds
A new survey finds that most Americans are unprepared for major disasters and that they maintain a false sense of security with regard to what will happen if a major disaster or a terrorist attack took place; contrary to reality, almost one-third of respondents believed that during a major disaster, calling 911 would bring help within an hour, while 30 percent said they believed help would come within several hours
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Emergency cleanup plans for potential Cuban oil spill
With Cuba set to begin offshore drilling, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pressing the United States to immediately begin developing emergency plans to assist Cuba in the event of a major oil spill
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Flood prediction tech simulates rivers 100x faster than real time
Researchers have applied advanced analytics to river systems, weather, and sensor data, to predict the Guadalupe River’s behavior more than a hundred times the normal speed; simulating thousands of branches at a time, this technology could help provide up to several days warning of a flood, allowing more time for disaster prevention and preparedness
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