Preparedness and Communications

Tacoma has taken a similar approach, setting up a large, industrial-style tent shelter with case-management services, shower and laundry trailers paired with 40 of the “pallet” shelters, where people can move.

The Chula Vista Police Department is undergoing a pilot project that uses the Samsung Galaxy smartphone to bypass the traditional mobile data terminal in police vehicles.

The 8,000-square-foot center "bunker" meets FEMA 361 construction standards to withstand a direct impact of an F5 tornado.

A recent inspection of Warrenton's nearly 11 miles of levees revealed several issues. Encroachments include things like a garage, gates, sign posts, boat dock access ramps, water and sewer pipes and utility poles.

A hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Portland said the weather service has no record of a flood event in the southern Willamette Valley occurring this late in the rainy season.

Federal agents reviewed the local transit system, checking stations and going over the agency’s training and security protocols. SacRT’s plan was “very strong.”

The recent Northern California wildland fires and the wide paths of death and destruction the flames created should be enough for Marin officials to take the initiative to try to improve safety.

No two days are alike for emergency response officials and community leaders. That is why it is important to take advantage of “blue sky” days and evaluate the health of your emergency response and communications plans. This article tells you exactly what you need to know to make sure plans are in peak shape as we move through the year.

For emergency managers and elected officials in many of those Minnesota towns, though, it’s business as usual until the worst hits. And that’s if major flooding even materializes.

Early indicators point to a below-average Atlantic hurricane season. Researchers, however, warn those in coastal areas should remain prepared following consecutive years of damaging hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.

Risk Rating 2.0 will result in flood insurance policies that more accurately reflect risk, thanks to newer technology, data and methodology, and create more transparency in the National Flood Insurance Program, according to FEMA.

The drill utilized all Hunt Regional Medical facilities and staff, American Medical Response ambulance service, all area law enforcement, fire/rescue, Homeland Security, Red Cross and HAM radio club.

The new figures have lowered flood risk for 1,200 properties, but the maps also came with new floodways, a first in Ascension Parish, that have caught some home and business owners off guard.

By 2020, hospitals must reduce the risk of collapse. By 2030, they must be able to remain in operation after a major earthquake. That could cost hospitals $34 billion-$143 billion, according to a new Rand Corp. report.

The state's been hinting for weeks that the spillway could be reused soon as a wet winter turns into spring snowmelt season in the Sierra. The lake level, deliberately kept low as repairs ended, has risen to 853 feet — about 50 feet from the top.