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.