Hurricane Preparedness Week

Preparedness for Older Americans

May is National Older Americans Month. It's a great opportunity for families to discuss the  needs of their  parents, grandparents, and other older adult  members of the family.    

Preparedness is the same no matter your age , but older Americans may want to consider adapting their personal  preparedness plans because of access or functional needs, such as medication needs, hearing or vision loss, cognitive or mobility disability. 

For example, an older American may take the same actions to prepare for emergencies, including:

• Access alerts and warnings ;
• Assemble or update medications, batteries for hearing aids and other assistive technology needs if used on a daily basis ;
• Keep a list of all medical providers and medical information in a safe place that is easy to access if needed;
• Document and insure property ; and
• Safeguard all documents .

Additionally, if you, someone you care for, or an older neighbor receives regular treatments from a clinic, hospital, or a home healthcare service, be sure to talk with the service provider to determine back-up plans in the event of an emergency. 

You can find more information on how older Americans prepare for emergencies online. 

FEMA Launches New Children and Disasters Webpage

With approximately 69 million children under the age of 18 in the United States, children comprise nearly one-quarter of the entire U.S. population. One of FEMA's strategic priorities is to be survivor-centric in mission and program delivery by maximizing speed, efficiency, accessibility and ease of use of FEMA's programs and services for individuals and communities. We work diligently to ensure that we meet this goal and effectively address the needs of all survivors, including children. 

The Children and Disasters webpage is comprised of resources to support the integration of children's disaster-related needs into preparedness, planning, response and recovery efforts.  These resources may be helpful for state, local and tribal governments, as well as stakeholders responsible for the temporary care of children.  

Webinar: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Preparing Communities Through Partnerships

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, FEMA's Individual and Community Preparedness Division and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships invites you to a webinar on Thursday, May 26, 2016 , focused on engaging the public on disaster preparedness efforts serving Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.  

Title: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Preparing Communities Through Partnerships
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2016
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT

Featured Speakers:                                 

• Doua Thor , Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
• Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Honolulu Field Office

How to Join the Webinar:

• Please register for the webinar using the Adobe Connect registration web link .
• Be sure to test your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting.
• This webinar will offer closed captioning. 

We hope that you will be able to join us on May 26! 

Webinar: Protect Your Business This Hurricane Season

Title:  Protect Your Business This Hurricane Season 
Date:  Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Time:  2:00 – 2:30 p.m. EDT
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/zlycf2u

Join the Small Business Administration and PrepareMyBusiness co-sponsor Agility Recovery, as they share lessons learned and the best methods to prepare your organization for the upcoming Hurricane season. 

The start of the 2016 season is only days away so the time for preparation is now. Your organization is more than just a place of business to your customers, employees and stakeholders. Your organization is a key aspect of their lives, and one that must be protected. If your organization is affected by a storm, how well will you be prepared to serve those who depend on you in their time of need?  Topics covered will include: Preparing Employees; Practical Steps to Organize and Prepare Your Business; and Simple Tools and Takeaways Any Organization Can Use Today.

The SBA partners with Agility to offer business continuity strategies through its “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for additional preparedness tips.

The FEMA Private Sector Division partners with SBA and Agility Recovery to make the monthly "Prepare My Business" webinars available to our e-bulletin subscribers. This information does not represent an endorsement by FEMA of any commercial or private sector issues, products, or services. 

To contact the FEMA Private Sector Division, email FEMA-Private-Sector@FEMA.dhs.gov .

Dates for Your Calendar

• May 12 – May 15: Metro Atlanta Fire Fighter Conference – Atlanta, GA
• May 15 – May 18: PCI National Flood Conference – Washington, DC
• May 15 – May 20: Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• May 15 – May 21: Hurricane Preparedness Week
• May 15 – May 21: National Police Week – Washington, DC
• May 15 – May 21: National EMS Week
• May 16 – May 18: Annual Safety Conference – Wisconsin Dells, WI  
• May 17: Webinar: Protect Your Business This Hurricane Season
• May 20 – May 22: Lancaster County Firemen's Association FIRE EXPO 2016 – Harrisburg, PA
• May 22 – May 25: 2016 National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster – Minneapolis, MN
• May 26: Webinar: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Preparing Communities Through Partnerships