Preparedness

12/06/2007 -- California Governor Schwarzenegger has directed the state Office of Emergency Services (OES) to prepare for the upcoming weather conditions that pose a serious threat of flooding, particularly in areas where the Southern California wildfires recently burned. OES is working with state and local officials to pre-position emergency assets, including swift water recue teams, watercraft and California National Guard (CNG) helicopters. The state has also opened emergency operation centers in Sacramento and Los Alamitos.    » read more »

JACKSON, KY – (Dec. 4, 2007) – Crews from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Department of Highways are preparing for the first predicted winter weather of the 2007-08 season. In anticipation of snow later this evening and tomorrow, crews are pre-treating highways in Breathitt, Estill, Lee, Magoffin, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Powell and Wolfe counties with brine to help combat accumulating shows should they occur.    » read more »

Clinton: Emergency Preparedness Issues Need to Be On the Table During Relicensing Process

December 3, 2007 -- “Since September 11th I have worked to push both the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Entergy to improve safety, security and emergency preparedness at the plant. Despite improvements in both Entergy’s management of Indian Point and NRC oversight, problems have persisted at the plant.    » read more »

November 20, 2007 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today conducted an exercise designed to test the response of major Connecticut state agencies in the event of a significant winter storm.    » read more »

Study outlines four steps cities can take to improve preparedness

Nov. 12, 2007 -- CHICAGO – A nuclear attack on a major U.S. metropolitan city with hundreds of thousands of casualties is unthinkable – but government reports persistently indicate that terrorists intend just such a deliberate attack. What can a city do to prepare for this nightmare scenario?    » read more »

November 9, 2007 -- ROCKFORD, Ill. – With winter rapidly approaching, every family should be prepared to face another season of destructive cold, storms and flooding. Every home should have a Disaster Supply Kit that includes a weather radio. The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) urge all Illinois residents to act now to assemble their family's emergency supplies before the start of the winter storm season.    » read more »

Nov 8, 2007 -- Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe will take part in an emergency-preparedness exercise through the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management on Friday, November 9. The exercise will focus on State response following a hypothetical earthquake along the New Madrid Fault Line. Heads of approximately 12 state agencies will join Governor Beebe for the exercise.    » read more »

Priorities include medical countermeasures, cooperation on common threats

07 November 2007 -- Washington -- As the human toll from avian influenza grows and the threat of bioterrorism rivets world attention on emergency capacities of medical systems everywhere, health officials from eight nations are planning a more secure future.    » read more »

November 2, 2007 -- AUGUSTA, MAINE -- The Maine Emergency Management Agency urges Mainers to pay close attention to weather forecasts and to safety as Hurricane Noel turns into a northeaster affecting Maine. The National Weather Service is forecasting high winds and locally heavy rain amounts on Saturday, especially in coastal sections and downeast Maine.

“We know how to deal with coastal storms in Maine, and our towns are well prepared,” says MEMA Director Rob McAleer. “But there are many things we can do as families to make sure we weather the storm safely.”    » read more »

11/02/2007    » read more »

31 October 2007 -- Nearly three years after the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Indonesia has only one working tsunami-warning buoy in place.

Plans call for more than 20 buoys to monitor seismic activity off the Indonesian coast by the end of 2008. Dr. Fauzi heads the tsunami division at Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysical Agency, and he says only three have been installed, and two are now being repaired.    » read more »

October 30, 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers a wide-range of emergency preparedness resources to help schools create safe and secure environments for their students. Emergency preparedness is an important responsibility shared by all individuals as well as communities, including schools.    » read more »

New Preparedness Guide Available in Nine Languages; Will be Disseminated to 1.1 Million Public School Students

October 30, 2007 -- New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno and Department of Education (DOE) Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm today launched Ready New York for Kids, the latest addition to OEM's preparedness campaign.    » read more »

Lawsuit Calls for Change in Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulations

NEW YORK, NY (October 24, 2007) -- New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that his office submitted legal papers in support of its lawsuit calling on the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to force nuclear power plants, like Indian Point, to safeguard their facilities against terrorist attacks from the air.    » read more »

Lacking Local Resources for Preventive Measures to Protect Homes, Property; Federal Resources Shrink as Front Line Population Surges and More Drought Looms

SAN FRANCISCO (October 24, 2007) – As blazes erupt across California, the authors of a new report released today warn that many of the region’s booming communities have not taken steps ahead of time that have been proven to protect properties and prevent losses.    » read more »