When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!
Do you hear that? No it's not thunder; it's the roar of millions of people getting prepared during Lighting Safety Awareness Week June 22 – 28! And getting on board is easy! The first step is to know your lightning safety tips .
You can access lightning and thunder safety guides through NOAA's Lightning Safety page and through Ready.gov's What To Do in a Thunder Storm guide.
Remember that seeking shelter is always your number one priority in a lightning storm! Once you're safe, remember to:
- Secure windows and doors;
- Unplug or avoid electrical appliances;
- Avoid contact with plumbing (showers, sinks, etc.);
- And keep your radio tuned into local weather channels for updates on storm conditions.
Lightning Safety Awareness Week is about keeping everyone sheltered and informed about lightning hazards. Remember to check out your lightning safety information resources and stay safe and shock free!
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National Disaster Resilience Competition
Climate change is no longer a distant threat; heat waves, hurricanes, and flooding have become more frequent and more severe. This means now more than ever it is time to take extra steps to protect, prepare, and preserve communities throughout the United States that have been exposed to natural disasters in the past.
On June 14, President Obama announced the opening of the National Disaster Resilience Competition. This initiative invites leaders from state, local and tribal levels to compete and receive funds to help increase the safety and security of communities that have experienced natural disasters. This $1 billion competition underscores the capability of these communities to rebuild to be stronger in the future. The funds received will provide each eligible community with required resources to better protect and prepare the community as a whole.
Specific Regions of the country exposed to certain hazards are eligible for larger portions of the competition funding, such as areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Read more about this competition and the specific communities it supports at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/14/fact-sheet-national-disaster-resilience-competition .
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Hurricane Workshops a Success!
For the second consecutive year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), other government organizations, whole community partners, like Home Depot, other private sector and non-profit organizations, bolstered their partnerships and came together to promote National Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 25th – 31st). Hurricane preparedness workshops were held at 700 Home Depot locations from the Gulf Coast to New England. These workshops were an important preemptive measure in getting Americans prepared for the 2014 hurricane season.
The workshops were free of charge, open to the public and allowed local residents to learn about how to prepare themselves, their families and their communities for hurricane hazards. Many different preparedness materials were distributed including a guide on how to assemble an emergency preparedness kit. Additional information included:
- Weather alerts and warnings information;
- Which generators are best used in certain emergency situations;
- What Regions in the nation are most affected by hurricane hazards; and
- Preparedness information regarding repairs and hazards following hurricanes.
Hurricane preparedness is critical to many coastal communities. For more information, check out this Hurricane Guide from Home Depot and the America's PrepareAthon! How to Prepare for a Hurricane Guide .
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Continue with Disaster Training
All communities around the U.S. have an obligation to be as disaster-ready as possible, and citizens of these communities work every day to achieve this goal. This year, FEMA has released a funding opportunity announcement for the Continuing Training Grant totaling $11 million!
The Continuing Training Grant (CTG) is focused on state and local (including rural) communities, tribes, and non-profit higher education institutions. The 2014 CTG program is going to be specialized into six areas:
- Hazardous Material/Weapons of Mass Destruction;
- Cybersecurity;
- Countering Violent Extremism;
- Maturing Public-Private Partnerships;
- Medical Readiness/Immediate Victim Care at Mass Casualty Events; and
- Rural Planning.
These grant awards are to be announced directly to eligible applicants by the end of the 2014 fiscal year. Applications for the Continuing Training Grant can be found at www.grants.gov . All applications are due by July 16, 2014 !
Don't miss out on an important opportunity to assist your community by furthering its opportunity to expand its emergency preparedness! For additional information, visit http://www.fema.gov/preparedness-non-disaster-grants .
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Dates for Your Calendar!
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