Preparedness and Communications

The hazard-mitigation program is a source of federal assistance for communities that have been declared major disaster areas. The intent is strengthening communities by improving buildings and critical infrastructure.

COVID-19 has taken a devastating toll on India’s 1.3 billion people since February. The country has reported 220,000 deaths and more than 20 million cases, with almost half of those reported in the last three months.

School officials desperate to calm worried parents bought these devices and others with a flood of federal funds, installing them in more than 2,000 schools across 44 states. They use a same technology deemed unproven.

For the first time, residents will be able to get alerts on their cellphones seconds before the ground under their feet starts shaking — enough time, hopefully, to get to a safe spot and avoid injury.

When disaster strikes, all sectors of the community must come together to work on restoring the comfort, safety and community resiliency disrupted by the emergency.

As millions of Americans enjoy the technological advances of the 21st Century, public safety professionals have been forced to work with the outdated system that they have inherited.

Hospital leaders are more stressed about trying to get people to wear masks and take other precautions than they are about dealing with the present surge, which includes having enough beds, protective equipment or staff.

To avoid overburdening hospitals, the program enrolls chronically ill patients whose health-care options have been limited to emergency room visits, and provides them tools to care for themselves without calling 911.

She had a few symptoms, but no fever. She isolated at home with her family. Within days her skin hurt to the touch and she lost her appetite. She was young, healthy — not the typical profile of those who die from COVID.

Federal funding the city received from what’s known as the CARES Act freed up funds the council had previously appropriated. So now the council is interested in using some of the stockpiled funds to help those impacted by the pandemic.

Seven months into the pandemic, K-12 schools and universities are still grappling with the challenges of educating students while mitigating the spread of the coronavirus — and there is no one-size-fits-all plan.

The county has received $18.7 million in federal coronavirus relief money, some of which can be used on facilities and supplies. Early on in the crisis the county spent about $70,000 on PPE and other equipment.

Hundreds of smaller communities across the country — with limited routes into and out of town — face greater danger when confronted with emergency evacuations, according to a risk assessment study by Streetlight Data.

"It's important to add the protection of influenza vaccination and to contact their health care provider early if they develop fever and influenza-like symptoms so their symptoms can be correctly diagnosed and treated."

CAL FIRE is deploying a new modeling technology in three phases this year to collect and analyze weather and fuel data, providing fire managers with a model of the potential actions of a fire in real time.