Join America’s PrepareAthon

It may be the final week of National Preparedness Month but since disasters can strike at any time, preparedness should occur throughout the year. Join America’s PrepareAthon by registering today for the Great ShakeOut Day of Action earthquake drill.

On October 17 at 10:17 AM join millions of people worldwide as they drop, cover and hold on for earthquake preparedness. The Great ShakeOut was organized to help your community prepare for and recover from an earthquake, to encourage you to update emergency plans and supplies, and to secure your space in order to prevent damage and injuries during disaster. Last year over 21 million practiced “Drop, Cover, Hold On.” Don’t be left out, take action to prepare!

Follow @PrepareAthon for all things disaster preparedness!

For additional resources on how to protect your family during an earthquake, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and don’t forget to download the American Red Cross earthquake app to receive alerts. You can also make disaster preparation fun for the whole family with Beat the Quake, an interactive game to test your preparedness know-how!

Don’t forget to download the latest FEMA mobile app with its new feature Disaster Reporter for you to share photos of disaster damage in your area and show how your community is recovering. 

Mobile Devices in Times of Disasters

When disasters strike, survivors often turn to the tools at their fingertips, like a smartphone or tablet, to look for disaster assistance. Statistics show that in Fiscal Year 2012, more disaster survivors turned to mobile devices to apply for disaster assistance on DisasterAssistance.gov than ever before—21,290 to be exact. With this in mind, the Disaster Assistance Improvement Program (DAIP) teamed up with its development partner, the Department of Labor's Benefits.gov team, to further improve DisasterAssistance.gov access for people on the go.

The team primarily focused on enhancing the mobile user experience through responsive Web design to the point of registration. The site now detects the user's browser resolution and renders the Web page for either desktop or mobile viewing, eliminating the need for a separate mobile website.

On a mobile device, survivors can find disaster assistance on DisasterAssistance.gov that meets their personal needs using new sliding sub menus. With one touch, survivors can access the most important information on the site's new quick links bar and docked footer. DAIP also optimized the site's content, layout and navigation to ensure a consistent experience for survivors visiting DisasterAssistance.gov on their desktop or mobile device.

DAIP also made it easier for survivors to find and sort through frequently asked questions (FAQs) and to peruse the 70-plus forms of assistance (FOAs) through a new expand/collapse functionality. Survivors can now use the site's new Share button to refer others to useful Web pages, with the option of emailing or sharing links on Facebook, Twitter or other social media channels from anywhere on the site. DAIP also rebranded the core site functions—Find Assistance, Apply Online and Check Your Status—on the homepage, providing survivors quick access to the functions they utilize most on DisasterAssistance.gov.

DAIP's successful enhancement with regard to responsive Web design has carved a path for future updates that improve the disaster survivor's experience throughout the entire website. But for now, DAIP asks everyone to be proactive and save DisasterAssistance.gov to your smartphones, tablet devices and desktops to access all the recovery resources the government has to offer before a disaster strikes. Remember, September is preparedness month and this is one simple way to make sure you and your family are ready!

GAO Releases Report on Nation’s Emergency Alert System

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the report “Emergency Alerting: Capabilities Have Improved, but Additional Guidance and Testing are Needed.”

The report reviews the changing capabilities of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) in addition to the results of the nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). Primarily, the report highlights that while IPAWS has the capability to better disseminate alerts and warnings through the creation of the alert aggregator, barriers to implementation remain, including insufficient guidance, inability to test the IPAWS system, and insufficient public outreach.

The report also notes that during the 2011 nationwide test of EAS, approximately 82% of reporting broadcasters and cable operators received the alert and only 61% of  those reporting were able to redistribute the alert due to technical failures at public entry point (PEP) stations, shortened test length, and outdated monitoring assignments. As noted by the report, the implementation of IPAWS may help overcome some of the limitations traditionally seen in the “effectiveness of the national-level EAS.” 

Specifically, IPAWS will help to disseminate alerts and warnings to a larger portion of the population through dissemination in many modalities including radio, television, mobile alerts and “messages to specialized alerting devices for individuals with disabilities.”

http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/654135.pdf

June is National Safety Month

June is National Safety Month. Are you prepared? Natural disasters and fires can occur anywhere, at any time. Take the time during National Safety Month to practice your emergency drills with all your family members, and prepare an emergency kit filled with water, nonperishable food, a flashlight and blankets. Take into consideration your functional and access needs when preparing for an emergency. Tips on creating an effective plan and kit are available through the National Safety Council. Sign up today to receive free resources. http://goo.gl/k4gE9

Using Hashtags Efectively During a Crisis

Here are five pointers for using hashtags effectively during a crisis. Basically, you want to ensure that your tweets are planned for ease of retweeting in a crisis. Hashtags need to be:

• Compact – 10 characters or less. And remember that if you are linking, the tweet needs to be less 112 characters or less.
• Simple and easy to understand, i.e.; #foodsafe
• Share with partners, both internal and external, plus key stakeholders BEFORE the crisis hits.
• Organic. For example #bnefloods (Brisbane Floods). Choose hashtags that are easily understood and are straightforward. This is not the time for being witty and clever, although that is inevitable in SocialMediaLand.
• Test BEFORE crisis hits. Include Twitter language and hashtags as a separate but integral part of your next desktop or planning exercise. Brainstorm with your crisis team and advisers, and test, test and test so that you can iron out as many bugs as possible in advance.

Thanks to crisis bloggers Melissa Agnes and Kim Stephens for this information!

TV Emergency Information to be More Accessible Due to 21st CVAA: Weather Channel Gets More Time to Comply

On April 8, 2013, the FCC adopted additional rules to make emergency information on television more accessible to people who are blind or have visual impairments. These were issued as a result of the passage of the 21st CVAA and a longstanding demand of the COAT coalition. The new rules require an audio output of any emergency information that appears visually during a non-news program. Typically such emergency information is shown along the bottom of the TV screen during a regularly scheduled program and is typically in text and up to now has not been required to be made audible. The new rules require this text to be provided audibly on a secondary audio stream and goes into effect in two years. This should help many people with visual impairments learn about local emergency weather and other situations and should help save lives, time and reduce aggravation. The two year effectiveness date gives the industry plenty of time to figure out the technology to make this happen. Due to the usual begging and pleading we have come to expect, however, The Weather Channel got an additional six months to comply. That is, The Weather Channel has an additional 6 months to comply beyond the 2 year effectiveness date; and The Weather Channel on DIRECTV has an additional one year to comply.

In the same rulemaking, the FCC set up new requirements for equipment. That is, also adopted were new rules to ensure that certain equipment used to receive, play back, or record television programs is able to make secondary audio streams available such as audio that provides emergency information, as well as the video description that makes programs accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. These rules also go into effect two years after they are published in the Federal Register.

http://www.coataccess.org/node/10140?goback=%2Egde_3080152_member_232855029                    

• Progress of the Bill

• Emergency Information and Services

FEMA SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR YOUTH PREPAREDNESS COUNCIL

ATLANTA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency is looking for youth leaders who are dedicated to public service, who are making a difference in their communities, and who want to expand their impact as national advocates for youth disaster preparedness.

Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 interested in strengthen the nation’s resiliency against disasters may now apply or be nominated to serve on FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council. Participants will represent the youth perspective on emergency preparedness and share information with their communities.

Those interested may apply directly or be nominated by an adult by submitting a completed application form, a narrative, and a letter of recommendation. Visit www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness to access the application materials and instructions.

Applications and supporting materials must be received by midnight April 19, 2013.

Youth Preparedness Council members will attend the 2013 Youth Preparedness Council Summit and meet with emergency management leadership and national organizations dedicated to youth preparedness to discuss individual and community preparedness. Council members will participate in regular conference calls with FEMA and will complete a youth preparedness project of their choosing.

“Engaging youth is an integral step in preparing the nation for all hazards,” said FEMA’s Region IV Administrator Phil May. “Youth have a unique ability to influence their peers and families to be more resilient and play an important role in disaster preparedness, during and after a crisis.”

Benjamin Cooke of Memphis, Tenn., represented FEMA’s Region IV on the 2012 Youth Preparedness Council. He frequently spoke to diverse groups of youth about the need for emergency preparedness and volunteered at the Memphis Virginia Hospital. He has participated in community initiatives such as “Get Ready Shelby” and “Go Green Memphis.”

Share your personal story of survival during an emergency and/or or disaster

Marcie Roth, Director of FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, would like to share the request below from The Center on Disability at the Public Health Institute. The Center for Personal Assistance Services at UC San Francisco is collecting stories about experiences individuals with disabilities have endured in times of an emergency or disaster. If you or someone you know would like to share your story please follow the link provided below.

The Center on Disability at the Public Health Institute along with the Center for Personal Assistance Services at UC San Francisco is collecting emergency and disaster experience stories from individuals with disabilities who use personal assistance services (PAS).  We expect these experiences will lead to valuable lessons, techniques, strategies, and skills.

This is an opportunity to share what you have learned in surviving an emergency.

 

To participate, you must: 

• use one or more personal assistants (also known as an attendant or caregiver). This can be someone who you pay for, or someone who volunteers to assist you, including family members or friends. 
• have in the last 5 years (since 2008), lived through a large emergency such as, but not limited to, a storm, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, fire, flood, heat or cold wave, power outage, or chemical spill. By large emergency we mean an incident that effects a large physical area, affects many people and overwhelms local resources which leads to the state and possibly FEMA responding.
• be interested in helping others understand and learn from your emergency experience
• be willing to share your written or recorded story on the Center for Personal Assistance Services website

If this is all true for you, we would like to hear about your experiences.  Please go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Emergency_Stories to give your experiences. 

If you complete the questions, which should take approximately fifteen to thirty minutes, you will be entered into a drawing for which 5 individuals will each win a $50 gift card.

If you have questions, please contact Lewis Kraus, Project Director at deputy@adapacific.org. 

Home Use Devices: How to Prepare and Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices that Require Electricity

As a home medical device user, it is important that your device works during a power outage and that you have a plan in place to ensure you know what to do. This booklet will help you have an established plan to obtain and organize your medical device information, take necessary actions so that you can continue to use your device, have the necessary supplies for the operation of your device, and know where to go or what to do during a power outage. If you use more than one medical device, complete a booklet for each device and ask your healthcare professional to help you.

Home Use Devices: How to Prepare and Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices that Require Electricity http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/UCM252812.pdf

It's National Severe Weather Preparedness Week - (March 3-9, 2013)

Stay informed by having multiple sources for weather alerts - NOAA Weather Radio including adaptive weather radios for individuals with access and functional needs, NWS Weather Wire Service, Weather.gov, and Wireless Emergency Alerts. Subscribe to receive alerts www.weather.gov/subscribe.

WRERC Releases Survey for Emergency Communications for People with Disabilities

On February 7, the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center launched a new survey on emergency communications to help improve accessibility of emergency response. The data collected will be used by the regulatory authorities and other professionals working to improve emergency response and disaster relief. To participate in this survey, visit:
http://www.wirelessrerc.org/content/newsroom/just-launched-2012-survey-emergency-communications-and-people-disabilities?goback=.anp_155773_1352655643906_1.gmp_155773.gde_155773_member_183349922.

The Disaster Distress Helpline, a program of SAMHSA, encourages you to 'prepare for coping'!

Program the DDH 1-800-985-5990 into your cell phone / land line address book for easy, 24/7 access in case you feel distress- like anxiety, fear, frustration -before, during or after any disaster. Also, offer to program the number into the phones of loved ones who may need help doing so, such as frail elderly. Before, during or after disasters, short of needing emergency 9-1-1 response, sometimes when we feel overwhelmed a phone call to a crisis hotline can help us feel calmer and more in control so that we can be better able to prepare, respond or move forward on the path to recovery following a disaster. Learn more about the Disaster Distress Helpline at http://disasterdistress.samhsa.gov!

New toolkit released from the US Department of Education on Creating and Updating School Emergency Management Plans

http://rems.ed.gov/CreatingAndUpdatingSchoolEmergencyManagementPlans.aspx

The REMS Technical Assistance Center's primary goal is to support schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education in school emergency management, including the development and implementation of comprehensive all-hazards emergency management plans. The TA Center disseminates information about school emergency management to help individual schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education learn more about developing, implementing, and evaluating comprehensive, all-hazards school emergency management plans. In addition, the TA Center helps OSHS coordinate technical assistance meetings and share school emergency management information, and responds to direct requests for technical assistance and training.

Chairman's Announcement and PSHSB Report on Impact of June 2012 Derecho on Communications Networks and Services

Marcie Roth, Director of FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, would like to share a recently released report from the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau regarding the impact of the June 2012 Derecho.  The inquiry, conducted by the FCC’s PSHSB, included in-depth investigation, public comment and analysis culminating in a report released today entitled “The Impact of the June 2012 Derecho on Communications and Services: Report and Recommendations.” 

 FCC CHAIRMAN GENACHOWSKI ANNOUNCES ACTION TO STRENGTHEN RELIABILITY AND RESILIENCY OF 9-1-1 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS DURING MAJOR DISASTERS.   Based on findings and recommendations of a comprehensive inquiry into widespread 9-1-1 service failures in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions as a result of 2012 derecho storm; Final report delivered by the FCC's PSHSB.  

News Release. News Media Contact: Justin Cole at (202) 210-2437, Justin.Cole@fcc.gov  http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-318333A1.docx

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-318333A1.pdf

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-318333A1.txt

Webinars Focused on Emergency Preparedness for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Emergency Preparedness - What Does That Mean For People With I/DD, Their Families, And Their Communities?
AUCD (Association of University Centers on Disabilities) www.aucd.org
and
aaidd (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) www.aaidd.org
presents a webinar on:

Tuesday, January 22, 2013
3:00pm-4:00pm EST

Register for this webinar 

Webinar Description:

Emergency preparedness is an essential part of living for any individual or family. For those with intellectual disabilities, their families, or those providing support, however, emergency preparedness may require more specific plans of support. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a number of resources to prepare and support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities before, during, and after natural disasters. Of key importance is the implementation of self-determination practices in this area. One example of this implementation is the “Feeling Safe, Being Safe” training curriculum through which individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have become advocates and trainers in emergency preparedness..

This webinar will cover a) the current state of disaster preparedness for individuals with I/DD, (b) identify gaps in preparedness plans, and (c) discuss future research in this area particularly in linking community resources/supports/services with individual, family, and agency disaster planning and how social connectedness and resources might be leveraged to provide such support. Join Ms. Marcie Roth, Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination at the Department of Homeland Security/ FEMA and Ms. Dawn Skaggs, Principle Investigator for the Hawai`i Emergency Preparedness System of Support and the Project Coordinator for the Hawaii Department of Health Developmental Disabilities Division Emergency Preparedness and Consumer Directed Training Projects at the Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai`i at Manoa as they discuss key issues around emergency preparedness for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Topics will include how FEMA supports individuals before, during, and after disasters and how individuals with I/DD have become certified emergency preparedness trainers through the “Feeling Safe, Being Safe” training curriculum. The speakers will also explore opportunities for future research and careers in this area.

Speakers:
Marcie Roth was appointed by President Obama to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, DC in June 2009. She serves as Senior Advisor to Administrator Fugate and Director of the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, leading the national transformation towards integrating the access and functional needs of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of whole community emergency and disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. Ms. Roth also leads the work of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities which is Chaired by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. Ms. Roth joined FEMA after serving as President and CEO of Global Disability Solutions Group, leading national and international initiatives with a focus on emergency management and disability issues. Over the past 20 years she held senior leadership positions with the National Coalition for Disability Rights, National Spinal Cord Injury Association, National Council on Independent Living and TASH.

Dawn Skaggs is the Principle Investigator for the Hawai`i Emergency Preparedness System of Support and  the Project Coordinator for the Hawaii Department of Health Developmental Disabilities Division Emergency Preparedness and Consumer Directed Training Projects at the Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai`i at Manoa.  In these capacities she developed and leads a cross discipline, multi-agency council of state, county and local organizations and stakeholders to establish and execute best practices for including individuals with disabilities as leaders in the planning, preparation, and response activities for various emergencies. She has been instrumental in identifying emerging best practices throughout the country; applying culturally competent adaptations that make resources and information meaningful and relevant and expanding the emergency preparedness resources and opportunities for individuals and agencies in Hawaii.

Register for this webinar 

FEMA Provides Accessible Technologies for Hurricane Sandy Survivors

On December 16, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced efforts to better serve Hurricane Sandy survivors who are deaf, hard of hearing or blind by providing the New York disaster recovery centers with a number of technologies to help people with disabilities better access information. The assistive technology tools utilized are enhanced listening devices, iPad 3s with real-time-video remote sign language interpreting apps, and captioned phones to get accessible disaster recovery information. 

“We’ve been engaging the real experts, people who use these tools on a regular basis, as our planning partners,” Marcie Roth, Director of FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination. “We are so far ahead of where we were, even a year ago, but that doesn’t mean that we’re there yet. We’re in a position where we’re using for the first time some of the most advanced technology in one of the worst disasters. This is a great teachable moment, but we have to make sure no one falls through the cracks in this learning curve.” 

For more information, visit:

http://www.fema.gov/news-release/fema-continues-innovations-meet-access-and-functional-needs-integration.