Preparedness

Calling the state's wildfire crisis "immense," CAL FIRE and federal officials presented a new three-part strategy that includes community hardening, forest management and wildfire response.

Called HNL Alert, the mass notification system will send text messages, push notifications or emails to users during situations like severe weather, evacuations, or drinking water or ocean safety issues.

Tornado warnings Sunday gave way to severe thunderstorm warnings and watches in at least six lower Michigan counties. Some electricity customers were already without power following an earlier ice storm.

The "Weather the Storm" virtual reality experience from Clemson University and the University of Georgia simulates storm surge creeping into a home during a tropical storm in hopes that it will teach users to take evacuation orders seriously.

The Oceanside Police Department has been offered grant money for a 13-month trial of new first responder drones that can soar from a downtown rooftop within seconds of a 911 call.

More communities than previously thought could be impacted by a tsunami resulting from a large earthquake off the California coastline. The state's tsunami preparedness week kicks off this Saturday.

The new plan reflects how the county has approached emergency management since the COVID-19 pandemic, a more flexible vision that goes beyond just fire and police services as disasters become more complex.

Law enforcement officials in Chippewa County, Wisc., are preparing to undergo new training Thursday that aims to advance their skills in crisis interventions, response and de-escalation.

A preparedness exercise last week with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers simulated how the region would respond to a storm as intense as Hurricane Helene, which ravaged communities hundreds of miles from the coast.

The county was added to a list of 236 others included in a disaster proclamation from Gov. Greg Abbott amid "elevated fire conditions" statewide. The state EOC is also preparing to respond to damage from wildfires, tornadoes, hail and heavy rainfall.

Georgia, the Carolinas and even Alabama have seen intense wildfires spread over the past week. While fires aren't unusual in the South, experts say climate change is likely to lead to more severe threats going forward.

Since 2020, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation's emergency operations center in North Dakota has grown from an office in the back of a gym to a 24/7 hub for large-scale disaster response. Here's how they did it.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency and suspended the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act to "fast-track" vegetation and fuel removal, as well as prescribed burns.

The legislation would create a $15 million grant program to help residents prepare their homes for storms, increase state funding for disaster relief and preparedness, and help communities qualify for federal disaster relief.

The funding is part of $37 million statewide from the Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program, meant for equipment purchases, training, facility upgrades and other operational costs.

Proposed by Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, the Fight for Firefighters Act aims to address staffing issues and make firefighting work more aggressive as California's wildfire season becomes year-round.

An Irvine, Calif., neighborhood carefully planned to stand up to wildfires was put to the test when all homes there were undamaged by the Silverado fire in 2020. It could now offer a blueprint for rebuilding in Los Angeles.

Emergency services must develop strong crisis communication plans to effectively combat misinformation and ensure that accurate, timely info is reaching the public.