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DHS and FEMA
Updates

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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 -FEMA Updates

Be heard…Email comments or suggestions to us at cert@dhs.gov

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Prepare for Wildfire Season with Free Tools and Resources

You can participate in Wildfire Community Preparedness Day , Saturday, May 6, by organizing an event to clear dried leaves and other flammable debris from your neighborhood.  

Helpful tools and tips are available from the National Fire Protection Association to develop a 2017 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day activity for your community, or organization.

To learn more, visit the  U.S. Fire Administration Wildfire Safety page or download the Prepareathon  How to Prepare for a Wildfire guide.


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In the Path of a Tornado

This spring, learn how to prepare and react should a tornado watch or warning be issued for your area.

This April, there have been tornadoes in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin.

Do you know if your neighborhood is at risk for tornadoes? The tips to stay safe in a tornado are simple and easy to practice.

Whether you find yourself in a building, in a vehicle or outside during a storm, Ready.gov provides the following specific actions to stay safe.

In apartments, houses, small buildings or high-rises: 

  • Go to a pre-designated area or safe room designed and built to Federal Emergency Management Agency P-361 criteria or tornado storm shelter built to ICC 500 criteria .
  • If a safe room is not available or you are unable to move there safely, take shelter in a basement, storm cellar, or to the center of a small interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls.
  • In a high-rise building, go to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor possible.

In a mobile home or office:

  • Leave immediately and go to a pre-identified location such as the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes.

Outside with no shelter  

  • Immediately get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt, and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter. Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas.
  • Take cover in a stationary vehicle. Put the seat belt on and cover your head with your arms and a blanket, coat or another cushion if possible.
  • Lie in an area noticeably lower than the level of the roadway and cover your head.
  • Do not get under an overpass or bridge.

For more information, visit the Ready.gov Tornadoes page and download the Prepareathon How to Prepare for a Tornado guide.


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Volunteer to Prepare Your Community

Volunteering in your community is a rewarding experience for both yourself and those you are assisting. 

April 23-29, is National Volunteer Week . You can find volunteer opportunities or start your own project. Serve.gov offers resources to help you organize a group and be a positive addition to a community-based organization, or, if such an organization does not exist, to be a well-organized independently-run group that fills a gap in the community.

Get started by reviewing these tips:

  1. Identify Local Partners
  2. Build A Team
  3. Set Goals
  4. Serve Your Community
  5. Celebrate Success

Then, share your project and what you learn by telling your story at  Serve.gov or on social media with the hashtag #iServe. 


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Important Dates to Remember


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Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services or products. Please let us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters by contacting: citizencorps@dhs.gov

About FEMA

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.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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