Disaster preparedness

01/18/2010 -- In response to a series of powerful winter storms moving through California this week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today directed his departments and agencies to take action to prepare and respond to the needs of affected Californians.

The storms are expected to bring high winds and heavy rain in some areas. Southern California could see three to six inches of rain for coastal and valley areas and as much as 10 inches in some mountain locations. Northern California could see even more rain, with forecasts of 10 to 20 inches of rain for coastal mountains and eight to 15 inches for inland valley and foothills.    » read more »

Weekly Address of the Governor

01/15/2010 -- California Governor Schwarzenegger:

Hello, this is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

This week the people of California and people all around the world witnessed the tremendous and sometimes horrific power of Mother Nature.

I know many of you have seen on TV the catastrophic and heart-wrenching damage caused by the earthquake in Haiti. It is an unspeakable tragedy.

Now, here in California, we were also struck by an earthquake. On Saturday a 6.5 magnitude quake hit our northern coast.

A few days after, I visited Eureka and toured the damage.    » read more »

12/08/09 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today Representative Joe Courtney announced the release of fiscal year 2010 grant application guidance kits for 13 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant programs. The purpose of these DHS grants is to provide state, local, and private sector entities the ability to strengthen the prevention, protection and response to terrorist attacks, natural disasters and other emergencies.    » read more »

Funding Allocations Will Allow State, Localities to Harden Terror Targets, Improve Emergency Response and Preparedness

December 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has allocated more than $132 million in federal funding to New Jersey and its surrounding areas for programs to protect the region’s ports, transportation network, chemical facilities and other critical infrastructure.

Funding to improve emergency communication, preparedness and response throughout the region was also allocated.    » read more »

Grants issued by the Department of Homeland Security to be awarded in 2010

12/08/2009 -- WASHINGTON -- Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has pledged nearly $62 million in emergency preparedness grants for Louisiana. DHS will accept and review applications from Louisiana entities for the funding, provide grant guidance to applicants, and issue the awards in the spring or early summer 2010.    » read more »

Measure to Install Weather Radios, Save Lives Receives Unanimous Support

December 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - The House approved legislation today to provide Americans in the path of dangerous storms with life-saving warnings. CJ's Home Protection Act requires manufactured and mobile homes to be equipped with emergency weather radios. The bill is named after CJ Martin, a two-year-old boy, whose life was taken by an F3 tornado in Southwest Indiana in 2005.

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), who oversaw the recovery effort as Vanderburgh County Sheriff, teamed up with Reps. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Dennis Moore (D-KS) and Kay Granger (R-TX) to introduce the bill and praised its passage as a life-saving measure.    » read more »

12 November 2009 -- Washington, D.C.— Today, Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA-03) announced $2.4 million in federal funding is coming to the Cascades Volcano Observatory to improve public safety throughout the Pacific Northwest. The funding will be used to upgrade volcano monitoring systems at the center. This will allow scientists to detect potential eruptions more quickly, and give the public more advance warning of a volcanic event. The money comes from the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).    » read more »

Nov 09, 2009 -- BATON ROUGE - Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal held a press conference, following a meeting of the State’s Unified Command Group, which assembled to prepare state response efforts for the threat of Tropical Storm Ida.    » read more »

November 09, 2009 -- MOBILE - Alabama Governor Bob Riley on Monday declared an official state of emergency in Alabama due to the imminent threat posed by Tropical Storm Ida. The emergency declaration enables the Governor to invoke various emergency preparedness measures.

During a press briefing at shipbuilder Austal USA in Mobile, Governor Riley urged Alabama residents to take the threat seriously and to follow the direction of local emergency managers for storm preparation.    » read more »

October 26, 2009 -- ATLANTA, Ga. -- Just as every home should have a smoke alarm, every home should have an emergency supply kit packed and ready. And being prepared doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.

While emergency preparedness is ongoing at the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it's also an individual responsibility.

“You should be prepared to take care of yourself and members of your family for the first 72 hours – that’s three days – following a disaster such as a hurricane or the September flooding across Georgia,” said GEMA Director Charley English. “A big part of disaster preparation is knowledge and the state has developed a comprehensive disaster preparedness guide that is available online.”    » read more »

Secures $4 Million for the Fort Madison Bridge and Funding for FEMA and Disaster Mitigation Projects

Washington, Oct 19 - Congressman Loebsack secured critical investments for Iowa in the FY 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. The bill makes critical investments in disaster funding, including funding for FEMA management, disaster relief, and flood map modernization, and disaster relief loans.

The bill also makes critical improvements in securing vital infrastructure such as aviation systems, ports, and surface transit while also including aid for our brave first responders.    » read more »

The Time to Assess Animal Preparedness Plans is BEFORE Disaster Strikes

September 17, 2009 -- SEATTLE, Wash. -- September is National Preparedness Month, and this year the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is using the calendar observance to focus on changing perceptions about emergency preparedness, and helping Americans understand what it truly means to be Ready.

Being Ready is all about taking four simple but all-important steps: get an Emergency Supply Kit; make a Family Emergency Plan; be informed about emergencies and their appropriate responses; and get involved in community preparedness initiatives. According to FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Dennis Hunsinger, the time to make proper provisions for pets is before disaster strikes.    » read more »

September 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON. D.C. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that more than 1,200 national, regional, tribal, state and local businesses and organizations have pledged their support and joined the 2009 National Preparedness Month (NPM) Coalition. Non-member organizations are strongly encouraged to join before the start of NPM.

Led by FEMA's Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, NPM is held each September and is designed to raise awareness and promote action surrounding emergency preparedness among citizens, businesses and communities.    » read more »

June 22, 2009 -- CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After extensive flooding in southern West Virginia in 2001, 2002 and 2004 left many West Virginians without safe and adequate housing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) brought in temporary housing units until homes could be repaired or rebuilt.

Each time the portable housing units were brought in, FEMA also had to find suitable locations on which to place them. Finding or building a temporary housing location that is out of harm’s way and that has public utilities and access can take two to three months. That can seem like a long wait for a family that is without their home, said Larry Puccio, chief of staff for Gov. Joe Manchin and the governor’s designee on the West Virginia Housing Development Fund’s board of directors.    » read more »

Jun 18, 2009 -- BATON ROUGE – Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced that FEMA has granted Louisiana $177.6 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding to support projects to protect the state from future damage following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Governor Jindal said, “In the days following two back-to-back hurricanes that devastated many communities in our state last year, we saw the benefits of previous mitigation work, as elevated homes and buildings were largely spared from floodwater. We must now work to elevate even more homes, reinforce more buildings and structures and become better prepared for future storms.”    » read more »