Insights

VIFR sponsors November Community Dinner at VHS

• John Cornelison
• 11/3/11

The Fire District is sponsoring the community dinner at Vashon High School tonight. The school district puts on these dinners once a month to raise funds for the school’s lunch program.  A suggested donation is $10 per person, but come by, enjoy a dinner and support this wonderful program. 

FEMA’s Community Preparedness Webinar-- Introduction to the National Disaster Recovery Framework

• John Cornelison
• 11/3/11

Join FEMA Tuesday, November 8th to learn how the recently released National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) provides a more inclusive, collaborative and comprehensive approach to addressing disaster recovery issues and challenges. The NDRF defines how we will work together as a nation to best meet the disaster recovery needs of individuals, families, communities, and states. 
The NDRF is based on the principle that all emergency management partners, including the private sector, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, and individual citizens, as well as local, state, tribal and federal government agencies, have a role to play in the recovery process.  In catastrophic scenarios, leveraging Whole Community resources to meet the needs of disaster impacted communities is essential.  If you have a role in disaster recovery operations, you don’t want to miss this!
To join this free webinar on Tuesday November 8th at 10:50 a.m. PST, click here. We ask that you register fifteen minutes prior to the start time.

Puyallup Emergency Preparedness Fair November 5th

• John Cornelison
• 10/31/11

Puyallup’s Emergency Management Department is hosting a free Emergency Preparedness Fair this Saturday at their fairgrounds. Learn to build an emergency kit, learn about their CERT, ARES & related citizen corps programs, fire safety and much more.

Introductory HAZUS Webinars Available

• John Cornelison
• 10/21/11

• Tags

  Earthquakes , Usgs , Vashon be prepared , Training , Fema , Software , Volunteers , Vashon , Flood

Hazus is a nationally applicable standardized methodology that contains models for estimating potential losses from earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Hazus uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to estimate physical, economic, and social impacts of disasters.

NOAA Updates Winter Predictions-- Wetter–and now Colder–than Average

• John Cornelison
• 10/21/11

NOAA had already posted news that we were likely to have a wetter than average winter in the northwest. Now they’re also saying there is over a 33% chance it may be colder than average, according to their latest long range forecast issued Thursday, and their “non-technical” explanation.

Real Change’s Survive the Streets Seeking Warm Clothes

• John Cornelison
• 10/21/11

In addition to helping maintain Vashon CERT’s generators at the local fire stations each month, Vashon’s Dennis Schroeder has been a volunteer at the Real Change newspaper for the past five years, as well as serving on its Board of Directors for a two-year term. For those who may  not know, Real Change is the street newspaper that is sold in Seattle and the surrounding areas by homeless and low-income people.

2011 Great California ShakeOut Earthquake Drill Interrupted by Real Quakes

• John Cornelison
• 10/21/11

• Tags

  California , Earthquakes , Exercise

It is not too surprising that it would happen somewhere in California in any given day, but yesterday’s 2011 Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill was punctuated with a few minor quakes yesterday around the Berkeley area. No injuries and only minor damage was reported.

Draft “Task Books” for Key Incident Command System Positions Available for Comment

• John Cornelison
• 10/18/11

• Tags

  Training , Eoc , Nims , Ics

It appears that the ICS Task Books that help evaluators judge ICS performance (2007 versions are online at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/PositionChecklists.htm) have been newly revised in April 2011, and are now published as a draft docket currently undergoing a comment period as detailed in the October 4th Federal Register. These may be revisions of the original 1993 Wildland Fire evaluation forms that are still on the Department of Labor’s OSHA site.

Infographic on FEMA’s Spending for the Year

• John Cornelison
• 10/18/11

Thanks to King County’s Dave Nichols for spotting this infographic by the Digital Surgeons depicting where FEMA’s funds have gone this year.

Swarm of 7 Earthquakes around Rainier

• John Cornelison
• 10/18/11

• Tags

  Regional , Wa , Earthquakes

KING 5 News reported today a swarm of earthquakes in recent weeks around Mount Rainier: nothing especially exciting, but an alert that it IS an active volcano!

Japan Clears the Debris

• John Cornelison
• 10/18/11

• Tags

  Earthquakes , Japan , Recovery , Debris

If you appreciated my 14 March post that mentioned the ABC site showing before & after images of some tsunami scenes, you’ll likely also appreciate this somewhat similar set of photos from the Sacramento Bee that show 3 sequential images shot from the same perspective – of maybe a dozen different scenes. Thanks to Cathy Rogers & Jill Watson for alerting us to these.

New Emergency Alert System to be used for 1st Ever Nationwide Test on November 9 @ 11 AM PST

• John Cornelison
• 10/15/11

• Tags

  Us , Vashon , Fema , Wa , Software , Wemd , Kcoem