This Citizen Corps News Digest is provided by FEMA's Individual & Community Preparedness Division to highlight community preparedness and resilience resources and activities recently announced by federal agencies and Citizen Corps partners.

DHS and FEMA Updates

*Webinar: Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test*

FEMA National Continuity Programs, Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) is hosting a final webinar before the Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test.

This discussion will focus on a year in review of the national dialogue on the EAS, aggregate Test information and resources, and address questions that still remain from the EAS Community.

Event Details:

Please join us on the webinar for information about the EAS test that might be helpful to your organization, members, and employees.

For official information on the Nationwide EAS Test, please visit the FEMA IPAWS website.

For questions on the webinar, email FEMA IPAWS at: ipaws@dhs.gov

Please note the Live Meeting client must be installed to hear the audio portion of the program. If you have Live Meeting Client installed, you will not need a pass code or username. Microsoft Windows (XP or later) and sound card are required. Please refer to the Live Meeting Instructions for configuring your system.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

National Preparedness: Stay Involved All Year Long

With such as successful National Preparedness Month behind us, we encourage you to stay involved in emergency preparedness all year long! You can keep the momentum going by joining us and helping to spread the word about the Great California ShakeOut happening next week on October 20 th . ShakeOut is an earthquake drill, involving community leaders like you and members of your community, emphasizing the importance of how to stay safe during and after an earthquake. Even if you don't live in California, you can register for a drill near you or register for a drill on another date. The California ShakeOut is an event for everyone and one that can be replicated in every community.

And as a reminder and feel free to pass these on, here are a few tips on what to do during and after an earthquake:

• If you're indoors, DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn't a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
  
  
• If you're outdoors, move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
  
  
• Voice data networks may be congested after the earthquake (or other disaster), so send a text message or email to friends and family to let them know you're OK, and update your social network status to say “I'm OK.”

Follow the direction of local officials when making the decision to return home, and return home only when local authorities have said it's safe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First National Preparedness Goal Announced

The Department of Homeland Security recently announced the release of the country's first-ever National Preparedness Goal. The goal is the first deliverable required under Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 8: National Preparedness, which was released in April 2011. The goal sets the vision for nationwide preparedness and identifies the core capabilities and targets necessary to achieve preparedness across five mission areas laid out under PPD 8: prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery.

"As we work to build a more prepared nation, we must work with the entire community –the public and private sectors, faith-based and non-profit organizations, and most importantly the public," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "This goal recognizes that reality, and we will continue to work with all our stakeholders to implement PPD 8 and build a more prepared and resilient nation."

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate announced the release of the goal at the annual National Emergency Managers Association (NEMA) Conference in Austin, Texas. The full goal can be found online at www.fema.gov/ppd8.

PPD 8 called for the development and maintenance of a National Preparedness Goal to define the core capabilities necessary to prepare for the specific types of incidents positing the greatest risk of security to the nation. This goal builds extensively on prior work of various stakeholder groups from around the nation, draws upon lessons learned from large-scale and catastrophic events and represent input from all stakeholders.

As directed by PPD 8, this goal will be reviewed regularly to ensure consistency with applicable policies, evolving conditions and the National Incident Management System.

For more information about PPD 8 and its implementation, visit www.fema.gov/ppd8.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's National Fire Prevention Week!

It's Fire Prevention Week, and this is a great opportunity to spread important fire prevention and safety messages and information in your community. This year's theme is “It's Fire Prevention Week! Protect Your Family From Fire!” Use this time to motivate your community to take an active role in preventing home fires and protecting their families with life-saving tools and planning.

The National Fire Protection Association reports that there were more than 360,000 home fires reported in the U.S. in 2009. The best way people can protect their family and homes from fire is to be ahead of the game. National Fire Prevention Week is a time to educate your community about what they can do to prevent the leading causes of home fires – cooking, heating and electrical equipment, candles, and smoking.

Fire Corps provides many tools and resources at www.firecorps.org/prevention to help your department and Fire Corps team conduct fire prevention programs in your community. These include the All-Ways Fire Safe at Home fire and life safety public education module, the Home Safety Checklist, the First Alert Smoke Alarm Donation program, links to fire prevention programs and resources, and much more. In addition, Fire Corps has compiled tips sheets you can use to distribute in your community as part of your Fire Prevention Week campaign and all year long.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week, including outreach materials, safety tips, statistical information, and other resources that can be used by fire departments, Fire Corps programs, and teachers, visit www.firepreventionweek.org .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates

Crime Prevention Month: Programs to Engage your Community

Neighbors working with neighbors and communities working together are helping law enforcement achieve their goal of public safety and crime prevention. Below are two volunteer programs individuals and communities can become involved in to keep our nation safe:

1. Neighborhood Watch : As members of Neighborhood Watch, individuals and communities contribute to homeland security by being the “eyes” and “ears” of law enforcement; by reporting suspicious behavior in local areas; and by helping to create a community disaster plan. Watch groups can be as small as a few homes or as large as several blocks. Regardless of a group's size or resources, Neighborhood Watch empowers individuals to prevent crime, forges bonds between law enforcement and the communities they serve, and builds a foundation for broader community improvement. The National Sheriff's Association has a Neighborhood Watch Action Kit available at usaonwatch.org . This kit provides specific information for how to start a Neighborhood Watch program; the benefits of participating; and activities to address immediate crime problems, build neighborhood cohesion, and focus on homeland security.
   
   
2. The Volunteers in Police Service Program (VIPS): The desire to keep communities safe and crime low is a primary reason individuals get involved in VIPS. As volunteers, individuals can provide support services to law enforcement agencies in communities, allowing them to respond more effectively to homeland security and other policing priorities. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) manages the VIPS Program in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. From providing home safety checks for vacationing residents to participating in search and rescue activities, there are many ways individuals can assist a law enforcement agency. The VIPS website , serves as a gateway to information for citizens interested in volunteering with a state or local law enforcement agency in their community. Check it out today!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

National Cyber Security Awareness Month: Developing a Secure, Social Media-Savvy Workforce

Week two of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month highlights the importance of developing a secure, social media-savvy workforce.

Individuals are less likely to be a victim of a cyber attack when they are aware of and avoid risky behavior. Social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and others are attractive and useful to businesses; however they also present risks if employee data or intellectual property were to fall into the wrong hands . Issuing official policies and guidance to provide employees with direction for safe and proper use of social media at work and at home is important to raising awareness about cybersecurity and to increasing the resiliency of the Nation and its cyber infrastructure.

Click here to find out how everyone can do their part to practice cybersecurity during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. You can raise awareness within your community, no matter what your role is. The National Cyber Security Alliance has developed a series of Get Involved sheets to provide suggestions on how you can participate and make an impact during National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Pass this information along to those individuals you know in your community and in those risk management and PS-Prep strategy planning teams where you work.

For more information on the public National Cyber Security Awareness Month campaign, visit http://www.staysafeonline.org .

The National Office of Citizen Corps
FEMA Individual & Community Preparedness Division

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FEMA Major Disaster Declarations Update

New Jersey Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee
Major Disaster Declaration number 4039 declared on Oct 14, 2011