Google Maps, Warning Alerts about Emergency Situations

Whether you're unaware that an earthquake warning has been issued for the area you are visiting later or whether you desperately need more information about the hurricane headed your way, Google Maps should be able to help! Why? Because the popular mapping service now incorporates emergency alerts from several public safety organizations.
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10241717-google-maps-will-now-warn-you-about-emergency-situations
If you'd rather see all active alerts in one spot instead, you can do so on the main Google Public Alerts page.

My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan - serving those with Cognitive disAbilities

My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan
http://www.wihd.org/EmergencyPreparedness/index.


My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan is an emergency preparedness program aimed at helping individuals with intellectual disabilities to become more independent in their homes. Knowing what to do in an emergency fosters self-determination. Individuals learn about different types of emergency situations and how to be prepared.  My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan uses a step-by-step approach to creating a Personal Emergency Plan. The program includes a full curriculum, a trainer’s manual, and an exciting new web version with 8 informative and interactive videos. A supplemental Family Guide on Emergency Preparedness provides steps for individuals with disabilities living with their families to create a Family Emergency Plan together. The project was developed at the Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY.

FEMA February 17th Think Tank Conference Call

Please join FEMA’s Deputy Administrator Richard Serino as he hosts the next FEMA Think Tank conference call on February 17th from San Francisco, CA.
Friday, February 17, 2012
1:00 pm – 3:00 P.M. Eastern (10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Pacific)          
Call in number: 1-800-369-1986 
Passcode: Think Tank February  
Individuals who would like to access the captioning for this event may do so by following the link below: http://fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1904972&CustomerID=321  
The focus of this month’s Think Tank conference call will be the use of technology and social media in emergency management. The two specific topics that will be discussed on the call are:
1.      How to communicate with disaster survivors and distribute information to mass audiences if cellular and on-line communications are unavailable immediately following a catastrophic disaster. In particular, we will discuss how existing communications tools, such as amateur (ham) radio operators, can be leveraged and linked to other forms of mass communications following a disaster. We’d also like to hear your ideas on how we can ensure these communications are accessible to the whole community.  
2.      How mobile applications can help emergency managers and individuals prepare for, respond to, and quickly recover from disasters. We will talk about two specific ideas for mobile apps that were submitted to the online forum, and then open the discussion to other ideas for apps related to emergency management and preparedness.

What's your State's "Awareness" week?

Wondering about good opportunities to increase awareness among people with disabilities on weather related emergencies and how to prepare?
Consider using an "awareness" week for these activities - find your state's scheduled 'week" at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/severewxcal.shtml