Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array Quantifies Earthquakes
May 31, 2011Scientists now can track the minuscule motions of shifting plates as they happen, thanks to an expanded network of GPS sensors that covers the region like a blanket and beams back data almost instantly.
Read MoreGreenhouse Emissions Hit Record Level & Germany Ends Nukes
May 31, 2011Carbon emissions from energy use reached a record level last year, up 5% from the previous record in 2008, the International Energy Agency said.
Read MoreVashon Maury Island Radio Club celebrates “Amateur Radio Week” with Field Day
May 28, 2011
Vashon Maury Island Radio Club will celebrate Washington’s Amateur Radio Week on Vashon with our own Field Day. (We’ll actually be over achievers by holding a two day event, on June 24 & 25!)
Tribal Sovereignty Disaster Legislation Introduced
May 26, 2011Federal support is growing for tribes to have increased resources and lines of communication with the federal government when natural and other disasters strike.
Read MoreCash is Best
May 26, 2011
A second disaster threatens to overtake Joplin MO by way of a tidal wave of unsolicited goods (things like clothing, miscellaneous household items, mixed or perishable foodstuffs, diapers...) and volunteers who just show up to help. Critical resources are being redirected from the important work of response and relief to managing what has become a crush of unneeded donated items. Social networking sites are promoting collection drives while radio stations, small and large businesses, business and fraternal organizations and churches around the country fill semis with items that threaten to crowd warehouses and overwhelm distribution channels in the impacted area.
Enhanced Alerting on the Way
May 26, 2011Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN) is a new public safety system, announced May 10th, to send free text alerts to cell phones. Geographically-targeted Presidential, emergency and AMBER alerts will use unique vibrations and tones to send alerts of imminent threats to safety. PLAN complements the existing Emergency Alert System (prior to 1998 known as the Emergency Broadcast System) and will be implemented by the FCC and FEMA. While the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) Is apparently voluntary, the Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) Act requires those wireless carriers to activate PLAN technology by April 2012. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have pledged earlier support.
Read More“If You See Something, Say Something” Campaign-- The Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative
May 26, 2011“900 security cameras feed into a central command center”
Read MoreDHS Announces Grant Guidance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Preparedness Grants
May 25, 2011(May 19) Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced the release of FY 2011 grant guidance and application kits for 12 DHS grant programs totaling $2.1 billion to assist states, urban areas, tribal and territorial governments, non-profit agencies, and the private sector in strengthening our nation's ability to prevent, protect, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies. In FY 2011, DHS grants were reduced by $780 million from the FY 2010 enacted level, nearly a quarter of FY 2010 DHS grant funding. Read the full announcement here.
Global warming to bring MORE low clouds during the spring to Puget Sound
May 24, 2011
“According to the regional climate simulations being done by my group and others at the UW, global warming will bring MORE low clouds during the spring around here.” – Cliff Mass in his June Gloom and KUOW Weekday blog. While he thinks most people will like the hotter summers also forecast - I’m not so sure I like that!
Grant Disaster
May 23, 2011
It was a different type of Judgment Day and it came early on Thursday when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the 2011 Homeland Security Grants and the numbers were not pretty. Most funding was down significantly and for others the funds were nonexistent. The only true winners in the process were the big cities like New York that retained their full funding amounts--based on risk. See the Wall Street Journal article Some Cities Lose Funding to Prevent Terrorism
Dayton Hamvention 2011
May 22, 2011There’re a few hot new releases from this weekend’s Hamvention over in my old home state. And I’m not referring to the sewage issue there!
Read MoreWhat Motivates People to Prepare, or Not Prepare, for Natural Disasters?
May 20, 2011An article published May 11, 2011 in Knowledge@Wharton, an online resource from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School, looks at the question "what motivates individuals to listen to warnings and act" using the virtual world as a laboratory. Robert Meyer, a Wharton marketing professor who is co-director of the Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, developed an "interactive simulation to study such factors as news media reports, storm warnings and the level of concern expressed by friends and neighbors" motivate people to act before an impending disaster.
Read MoreAmerican Red Cross Launches National Ready Rating™ Program
May 20, 2011
The American Red Cross (ARC) launched a newly designed website, ReadyRating.org, to help businesses, schools and other organizations better prepare for emergencies. The announcement was made at an event involving business, education and government leaders at Red Cross national headquarters in Washington DC. Ready Rating™ is a free, self-paced, web-based membership program that helps a business or school measure how ready they are to deal with emergencies, and gives customized feedback on how they can improve their efforts. Schools and businesses may face a number of emergencies that could disrupt their operations, ranging from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods to outbreaks of illness such as the flu. The Ready Rating Program can help them feel more confident about the safety of their employees or students. See the ARC press release for more information.
Business Continuity-- Free Technical Disaster Recovery Videos
May 20, 2011A few handy videos are available on this topic courtesy of TechSoup. While oriented to nonprofits, many of the lessons also apply to small businesses:
Read MoreSnohomish County’s Largest Disaster Drill Wednesday
May 17, 2011
Hundreds of people and a score of emergency agencies will participate in Snohomish County’s largest disaster drill ever. "Shake, Rattle and Roll 2011" will be held Wednesday at Arlington's municipal airport. The scenario is a 7.5 magnitude earthquake along the South Whidbey Fault, which runs through Snohomish County.
King County Mass Care Workgroup hosts June 8 Mass Care Regional Forum
May 11, 2011The King County Mass Care Workgroup is hosting the annual Mass Care Regional Forum on June 8 and you are invited! The goal of this free forum is to bring together government, non-profit, faith-based and other partners who would have a role in Mass Care (shelter, feeding, distribution of emergency supplies, etc.) for disasters in King County. Information will be provided and exchanged on planning efforts, emerging issues, resources, and channels for receiving and offering assistance during a disaster.
Read MoreNetQuakes
May 10, 2011
The USGS is trying to achieve a denser and more uniform spacing of seismographs in select urban areas to provide better measurements of ground motion during earthquakes. These measurements improve our ability to make rapid post-earthquake assessments of expected damage and contribute to the continuing development of engineering standards for construction.
Read MoreFree Red Cross Mass Care & Disaster Action Team Training on Vashon
May 6, 2011
The Seattle Red Cross will conduct a free two-day Volunteer training on Saturday June 4, and Saturday June 11, 2011, from 9:00am-6:00pm. (Both days are obligatory.) The training will be held at Vashon Island Fire & Rescue, 10020 Southwest Bank Road.
Public Invited to Learn about Disaster Training Opportunities
May 5, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 11 AM PST
ARRL’s Western Washington Section Website Refreshed
May 5, 2011
Glenn Thomas WB6W has refreshed the website of the Western Washington Section of the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL). Check it out at: http://wwa.arrl.org
Regional Mass Care Forum Scheduled for Wednesday, June 8th
May 2, 2011Everyone interested in King County Mass Care issues should plan on attending an all morning forum to be held June 8th at the King County Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) in Renton. Organizers include Jill Watson (Seattle), Dave Nichols (PHSKC), Sarah Miller (Auburn), Mike Ryan (Zone 1), Howard Ferrucci (American Red Cross), Rachel Myers (Renton) and Jan Beck (Bellevue).
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