Preparedness and Communications

In a recent article, we discussed the changing communications landscape of the public emergency management sector. This covered trends like end users’ evolving data and communication needs, the limitations of traditional networks to meet these needs and how natural disasters further disrupt communication channels. Together, these three factors can severely inhibit the preparedness and on-site effectiveness of response teams in achieving mission-critical goals.

When disaster strikes - and it will - it’s imperative that emergency responders and relief teams have the communication technology they need to succeed already in place.

Elastomeric respirators are designed for reuse and can be repeatedly cleaned, disinfected, and placed back into service, using high-efficiency replaceable and interchangeable filters.

“I do think that people not being out is one significant ingredient to what we’re seeing in 2020. They’re still seeing impacts of the heat, but it’s maybe not as deadly as previous summers because of COVID-19.”

Humans are thought of as rational decision-makers, who make decisions based on the costs and benefits associated with them. But in reality, we take shortcuts when deciding, and most decisions have biases attached.

About 118 square miles of Fort Worth has some flood risk, says a city assessment. FEMA designated about 50 square miles as part of its flood zone, but its review is associated with waterway flooding, not urban flash floods.

The seven-member team include scholars seeking to develop a digital platform to study various aspects of wildfires, including pre-ignition factors and post-ignition factors, to gain actionable intelligence for communities.

Clark County, Ohio, has broken ground on a 911 facility that will address next-generation 911 issues with new tech and hopes to absorb the Springfield city dispatch center to eliminate redundant calls between centers.

As the world around us changes, often inexplicably and without any sense of consideration, we must find a way to balance growth and the protection of public safety and health.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Public Utilities Commission created a new division to monitor wildfire safety plans from California utilities, including Pacific Gas & Electric, whose equipment and negligence ignited the Camp fire in November 2018.

There will be a mixture of in-person and online courses for the nearly 5,700 students that will attend fall semester. Also, 38 percent of the courses are online and all courses have an online component.

The virus has greatly impacted Michigan facilities — with some in metro Detroit hit very hard — but the state has yet to tally the total nursing home residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 since the crisis began.

Tropical storms Arthur and Bertha started the season in early May with minimal effects, including some flooding, in the Carolinas. The third named storm, Tropical Storm Cristobal, made landfall in Mexico June 3. Last week, its remnants brought severe storms to the Midwest, the Great Lakes region and Canada.

And the Bush Fire, as of Monday, was 38,000 acres and growing fast with zero containment. It has been burning mostly tall grass and brush in the Tonto National Forest near the Four Peaks Wilderness Area. More than 300 personnel are working on the fire.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer emailed a 16-page letter and 34 pages of supporting documents, including maps and photos, to President Donald Trump, requesting a major disaster declaration for the State of Michigan in response to the flooding.