Preparedness and Communications

Ahead of what promises to be another severe fire season on the West Coast, many U.S. Forest Service firefighters are leaving their jobs due to low wages, worsening conditions and poor quality of life.

Climate change and record dryness are creating an increasingly dangerous situation for California. Did the Golden State learn anything from its last drought? Experts say yes and no.

With heat index values expected to rise to between 100 and 110 degrees, the National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Warning covering all of western Ohio set to remain in effect through Wednesday night.

An atmospheric river of rain is churning toward Northwest Washington with the intensity of an autumn storm, packing strong wind and heavy rain and leading to lowland flooding, road closures and scattered power outages.

The Kansas City, Mo., weather alert system is driven by the National Weather Service. When the weather service issues a tornado warning, fire dispatchers in Kansas City turn on the sirens.

The collapsing land has been an issue for years, but the university has recently raised as the ridge moves closer to some buildings. The student health center, for example, is not far away from a steep embankment.

The National Weather Service issues so-called Red Flag Warnings when conditions in a given area are ripe for wildfires to ignite within the next 24 hours, potentially resulting in the destruction of homes and loss of life.

Over the past few months, fire agencies have issued public advisories detailing how property owners can take preventive actions before the wildfire season begins and how firefighters are preparing for the season.

"Dam safety and integrity are critical to our hydroelectric program," said Jan Nimick, vice president of Power Generation. "PG&E inspects and maintains its dams according to strict safety guidelines, ensuring structural integrity under even extreme conditions."

As hurricane season approaches, residents should be thinking about ways to be ready. Building a go bag with all the essential items in one spot is a great way to make sure you're not caught off guard.

More important than having a plan ahead of an emergency situation is the process of planning itself. During events, emergency managers should leave room for improvisation and adjusting to conditions as they unfold.

Forecasters expect this will be another “above average” season, although it hopefully won’t be as bad as 2020, when COVID took off and a record-breaking number of storms zigzagged through the Atlantic.

After nearly 50 years in the health-care field, Lopez retired from his position as the integrated medical services manager for the Spokane Fire Department. He said he is happy to have served the community he cares about.

Anchorage Fire Chief Doug Schrage instituted a municipality-wide burn ban last week. The ban came after the National Weather Service issued a "red flag warning" on Friday, prompted by hot and windy weather.

The new permanent rules by the Oregon Public Utility Commission lay out specific communication requirements for investor-owned electric utilities for notifying state and local emergency management officials.