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DHS and FEMA
Special eBrief

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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.

National Cyber Security Month, Get Ready to ShakeOut, and Avoid Disaster Fraud

DHS -FEMA - Special eBrief

Be heard…Email comments or suggestions to us at FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov

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National Cyber Security Awareness Month

The theme for the first week of  National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), October 1-5, is Make Your Home a Haven for Online Safety.

Learn basic cybersecurity essentials to protect your home against cyber threats. Use the following resources to educate your family today:

Learn how to keep your accounts and information safe during a Twitter chat on October 4 at 3 p.m. ET. Use #ChatSTC to join!


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Participate in the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill

Earthquakes can happen where we work, live, or travel.  Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills  are an opportunity for everyone, everywhere, to practice earthquake safety and other aspects of emergency plans. Once again, FEMA is partnering with ShakeOut to encourage everyone to take action and register their participation.

The 2018 International ShakeOut day is October 18, when millions of people worldwide will hold earthquake drills in schools, organizations, communities, and households at 10:18 a.m. local time. 

Visit  ShakeOut.org  to register your participation, find resources, and learn more. 

To learn more about earthquake safety,  watch the When the Earth Shakes video and visit Ready.gov .


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Avoid Disaster Fraud

Many people and organizations come together to support the needs of those affected by a disaster. Unfortunately, some people prey on those disaster survivors by offering fraudulent services.

Learn how to protect yourself and your finances from additional loss. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers reminders to help you avoid disaster fraud, including:

  • Do not pay a fee to apply for FEMA disaster assistance or to receive it. FEMA does not charge a fee for these services.
  • Get three written estimates for repair work. Check the credentials of the repair company. Contact your local Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce to learn about any complaints against the contractor or business.
  • Make sure you obtain a written contract with all the services and costs before work begins. The contract should include a projected completion date. It should also outline ways to negotiate changes and settle disputes.
  • Do not pay anything without a signed contract. Pay only by check or a credit card. A reasonable down payment may be required to buy materials for some projects.

Check out the full list of disaster fraud tips . Visit DisasterAssistance.gov to learn more.


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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: FEMA-prepare@fema.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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