FEMA Blog

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs

At the end of each week, we post a "What We’re Watching" blog as we look ahead to the weekend and recap events from the week. We encourage you to share it with your friends and family, and have a safe weekend.

Severe weather threat continues

Millions around the country dealt with a series of severe storms this week – and forecasts from the National Weather Service are calling for a potential for storms over the Great Plains, stretching from North Dakota to Kansas today.  As this week’s storms remind us, keeping up with your local forecast and having a plan are two key steps to stay safe.  What are the best ways to do that?  Well, you can follow the weather in your area through local TV/radio, but you can also do so on your phone through the National Weather Service mobile site at mobile.weather.gov.  And if you don’t have a NOAA Weather Radio, it’s definitely worth the investment.  It can alert you of severe weather conditions in your area 24/7, while providing specific actions for staying safe.  You can pick them up at most big box stores, and hardware stores are a good place to look, too.

As for making a plan for severe weather, Ready.gov has you covered.  You can visit the site on your computer or mobile device for a full list tips on staying safe before, during, or after severe weather.

Come Join our Team

Here at FEMA, we’re always looking to expand our team and recruit highly motivated people interested in a rewarding career in emergency management. Here are a few open positions within different departments of the agency:

• Supervisory Hazard Mitigation Specialist – Boston, MA
• Training Specialist – Hyattsville, MD
• Reports Analyst – Denton, TX
• Senior Mitigation Planning Specialist – Philadelphia, PA

Visit our Careers page to learn more about FEMA and browse through other opportunities that are available.

Upcoming Events

Here are a few events happening next week:

• Small Business Week – It’s important for everyone to be prepared for an emergency, even businesses. As part of Small Business Week, we’re encouraging all business owners and employees to take the time to make sure your business is prepared for an emergency and employees/coworkers know what to do in the event of an emergency. Visit the Small Business Administration’s website and Ready.gov for tips and resources on preparing your business for an emergency.

• Operation Hope – If you’re in the Atlanta, Georgia area, on Tuesday June 18 at 12:30 p.m. EDT Administrator Craig Fugate will be participating on the Operation Hope Forum titled Financial and Economic Disaster Recovery: People, Preparedness and the Price.  To learn more about the event or to register, visit the Operation Hope website, follow @OpHOPE_ATL and follow the conversation using #HOPEforum.

Video of the Week

FEMA's Private Sector forged a relationship with the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, the state of New Jersey Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the Lakewood BlueClaws minor league baseball team to raise donations of preparedness items and increased awareness of the importance of preparedness.



Photos of the Week

And finally, here are a few of my favorite photos that came into our Photo Library this week:


Moore, Okla., June 12, 2013 -- Governor Mary Fallin, stops at the memorial set up at Plaza Towers Elementary School to pay her respects during a tour with federal, state and local officials. Residents are encouraged to register with FEMA if they sustained damage during this storm. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA


Moore, Okla., June 8, 2013 -- FEMA Corps members Lorna Parish, center, and Eloy Arguello, right, register a local resident at a Vietnamese Survivor Event held at the Saigon Taipei Market Residents impacted by the May 20th tornado are still encouraged to register with FEMA. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA


Have a safe weekend!

Posted by: Bruce Brodoff, Private Sector Liaison, FEMA Region 1

Hurricane Sandy, the recent, deadly tornados in Oklahoma and the Boston Marathon bombing are stark reminders that businesses and commercial and industrial properties are susceptible to a wide variety of emergencies.  Hurricanes, extensive flooding, blizzards, ice storms, fires and utility disruptions are just some of the emergencies that can impact a business’ operations, bringing fresh urgency to the need for business preparedness and resiliency efforts.

Such emergencies and disasters have the potential to cripple or even destroy businesses – of all sizes and scope – that are unprepared for such events; studies show that 40% of businesses that do not have emergency plans in place do not re-open after a major incident. 

Having businesses that are resilient to emergencies ultimately helps local communities and citizens recover from disasters faster – which is why business resilience is so important to FEMA.   Engaging an entire community in disaster preparedness, response and recovery activities is a main responsibility of FEMA’s Private Sector Liaisons, who work in all ten FEMA regions across the country.  As the Private Sector Liaison for FEMA Region I (which covers six states and 10 Indian Tribes in New England), I arranged for our regional office to participate in the “Weathering the Storm: How Properties Can Prepare and Respond” event that NAIOP Massachusetts, The Commercial Real Estate Development Association, hosted on May 31, 2013.

The event focused on the important steps commercial property owners should take to prepare their properties and protect their tenants – a great topic that doesn’t get talked about enough. It also featured a variety of experts who discussed topics including the lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy, developing a storm preparedness plan, insurance impacts and legal challenges, and “preparing buildings for tomorrow.” 

With support from NAIOP Massachusetts executives, FEMA Region I Acting Administrator Paul Ford and the directors of our National Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and External Affairs divisions, a team of FEMA experts spent several hours at the event, sharing literature with and talking to attendees interested in learning how FEMA can help them protect their business, property and tenants.

To help capture the insights from the speakers, we live tweeted the event from the Region 1 Twitter account (@femaregion1).  So rather than rehashing all of the lessons they shared, here are the bite-sized messages posted during the event – some great tips for businesses:

• Vivien Li, President, The Boston Harbor Association:
  

  Vivien Li: "Properties identify vulnerable structures & systems on your property" in anticipation of sea level rise & storm surge #naiopma
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

• Alfred Scaramelli, Senior Vice President, Beacon Capital Partners, LLC:
  

  Alfred Scaramelli's #Sandy lessons learned: property owners keep tenants regularly informed during disaster cleanup #naiopma
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

  Alfred Scaramelli's #Sandy lessons: property owners need disaster plan in advance b/c equipment is in high demand after disasters #naiopma
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

• John Brandstetter, Managing Director, The Brandstetter Group:
  

  John Brandstetter: Pre-incident relationships are crucial to getting businesses back online after a disaster #naiopma
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

  John Brandstetter: property owners, document your loss & keep a journal logging disaster events as they happen #naiopmaevent
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

  John Brandstetter's parting message to property owners is "train, train, train on disaster response & recovery plans" #naiopmaevent
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

• Peter See, Boston Properties
  

  Peter See: property owners have backup communications plan for if/when regular systems fail#naiopment
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

  Peter See: property owners have emergency communications plan with vendors - have hard copy contact lists on hand #naiopmaevent
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

  Peter See: property owners make an emergency flood plan - how will you de-energize building & protect electrical systems? #naiopmaevent
  — FEMA Region 1 (@femaregion1) May 31, 2013

The event in Boston last week is a great model for other communities to follow. It was successful because it provided a platform for business owners to share their stories from disasters in a way that others could apply to their own companies.  Preparing for emergencies makes good business sense. The better prepared your business and employees are and the more resilient your business is, the faster your operations can recover – helping not only your business but your community as well.
I’m thankful that NAIOP Massachusetts, The Commercial Real Estate Development Association, allowed FEMA to participate. I hope other communities will learn from this event and business owners who weren’t there will take the lessons to heart!

Other resources

• More information on getting your business prepared for a disaster: Ready.gov/business
• More information about the “Weathering the Storm” event
• More information on FEMA programs, free tools, and resources available to all private sector entities
• For more discussion, or to contact your regional FEMA Private Sector Liaison, please reach out to us at FEMA-private-sector@dhs.gov

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs

At the end of each week, we post a "What We’re Watching" blog as we look ahead to the weekend and recap events from the week. We encourage you to share it with your friends and family, and have a safe weekend.

Miami, Fla., May 31, 2013 -- FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate speaks at NOAA's annual Atlantic Hurricane press event discussing the upcoming hurricane season.

Kicking off the Atlantic hurricane season
We are coming to the end of National Hurricane Preparedness Week, which means the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season (June 1) is almost here. All week long we’ve been sharing hurricane safety tips on our website, Facebook and Twitter accounts.  There are lots of ways you can get prepared for hurricane season at Ready.gov/hurricanes – especially important if you live in a coastal area – but I will share two things you can do in the next five minutes to make sure your phone is ready for the start of hurricane season:

• From your phone, text the word HURRICANE to 43362 - You’ll receive hurricane safety tips every two weeks from FEMA’s dedicated text message number.  It’s a great way to have regular reminders sent to you that can inspire action to staying safe.  (Standard message & data rates apply.)
• Download the FEMA app – It’s filled with tips on what to do before, during, and after a hurricane – and other disasters, for that matter.  Should a storm hit, the app has maps of any open shelters or FEMA disaster recovery centers.  And one thing I really like about the app is that even if cell service is unavailable, you can still access all the safety tips since accessing them doesn’t require a data connection.  The app is available for Android, iTunes, and Blackberry phones and tablets.

So start the 2013 hurricane season off on the right foot.  Have a plan for how you, your family, and your business will stay safe if a hurricane or tropical storm impacts your area.  Ready.gov/hurricanes has all the info you need, so check it out today.

Hacking for good – National Day of Civic Hacking
Coming up this weekend, developers and technology enthusiasts will meet in 95 locations across the country to solve challenges relevant to our communities, states, and our country.  FEMA is one of the government agencies supporting the effort through our Fire Data Visualization challenge.   We’ve recently released the world’s largest fire-related dataset to inspire people to use the data and build an online data visualization that inspires fire awareness and safety at the local level.  There are lots of other great challenges from other agencies and organizations, so I encourage you to check them out and join the effort if you’re interested!

FEMA around the web
In addition to upcoming events, I wanted to share a few articles, as well.  Earlier this week, we launched new public service announcements about the Wireless Emergency Alert system.  The New York Times did a great write up about the alerts, how they are automatically enabled on many smartphone models, and how they can save lives.  If you haven’t seen the new public service announcements – here it is:


And related to the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, a few of our employees were featured on other blogs. Both are great perspectives and worth the read:

• Microsoft Citizenship Blog – FEMA’s social media lead talks about the lessons he’s learned about using technology (and especially his phone) as a resource before, during, and after emergencies
• Coast Guard Compass blog – One of the members of our External Affairs team talks about how right now is the ideal time to prepare and gives the key steps to doing so.

Photos of the week
To wrap up, here are some of the photos from our photo library this week.


Moore, Okla., May 27, 2013 -- Disaster Survivor Assistance Team (DSAT) member, Kathleen King and FEMA Corps member, Ana Canizales canvas the Whispering Oaks area of Moore. They are providing disaster related information and taking FEMA disaster assistance registrations. The Moore area was struck by a F5 tornado on May 20, 2013. Andrea Booher/FEMA

Oklahoma City, Okla., May 28, 2013 -- Local resident Elijah Meza is fitted for a pair of glasses by Vision Source volunteer optometrist Taylor Oliphant after an eye exam. Vision Source is providing local residents with eye care who were impacted by the recent tornado on May 20, 2013. The center is set up at the Graceway Baptist Church. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

With that, have a safe weekend!

Posted by: Flat Stella and Flat Stanley

It’s National Hurricane Preparedness week and our friends at FEMA wanted us to do something fun to make sure Stella and I are prepared for the start of hurricane season, June 1. We’ve heard a lot about how it’s important to have an emergency kit – it is a collection of basic items your family may need in the event of an emergency.

So to help us get our kit together, we did a scavenger hunt for things already around the house that are also great things to use during an emergency.



First we had to find our battery powered weather radio that sends out alert when severe weather is in our area.  We also found a basic first aid that we can add to our kit.





Next we needed to find something to help us see in the dark in case the power goes out… our clue says it would be under the sofa… it’s a flashlight!




We’ve got a good start so far, but there’s more we can add to our kit. Our next clue says to head to the kitchen pantry for something to quench our thirst. We found bottled water....



Our final clue says to look under the sink for something to help our radio and flashlight work.



We found batteries!

The scavenger hunt was a fun and easy way to help us get prepared! We used simple items around the house to get our kit started. And you can do the same. Getting prepared doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Take items from around your house and start your emergency kit today!

Visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes to learn how you can prepare for the upcoming hurricane season!

Posted by: David Miller,Associate Administrator, Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration/FEMA

May 31 is National Dam Safety Awareness Day, established to encourage and promote individual and community responsibility and best practices for dam safety, and to highlight the steps people can take to prevent future catastrophic dam failures or lessen the impact of a potential failure.  FEMA recognizes National Dam Safety Awareness Day in order to help promote the benefits that dams can offer to communities nationwide.

This commemoration serves as an important national initiative for FEMA at both the national level as well as through several local events this year in Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Virginia. One of the events happening in Henrico County, Virginia is the Virginia Dam First Aid Program.  It’s aimed at helping Virginia dam owners with routine and emergency repairs that will be demonstrated at Echo Lake Park by Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation.

National Dam Safety Awareness Day commemorates the tragic failure of the South Fork Dam in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on May 31, 1889, which resulted in the loss of over 2,200 lives, and was the worst dam failure in the history of the United States.



Dams are a vital part of the American infrastructure and provide economic, environmental, and social benefits. Anyone who has enjoyed an artificial lake knows some of these social benefits firsthand.  The benefits of dams, however, can be countered by the risks they sometimes present. The failure of even a small dam is capable of causing significant property and environmental damage, as well as the loss of life.

For 30 years, FEMA and its federal partners have worked to reduce the impacts of dam failures across the nation through the National Dam Safety Program. The program, led by FEMA, is a partnership of States, Federal agencies, and other stakeholders encouraging individual and community responsibility for dam safety. Reducing the risk of dam failure is the driving force of the National Dam Safety Program, central to the mission of ensuring that the public and property owners downstream of dams are informed of the risk of dam failure.

Here’s a snapshot of what the National Dam Safety Program is all about:

• Raising public awareness of dam safety,
• Lessening the impacts of dam failure by assisting States in establishing and maintaining dam safety programs,
• Providing technical training to state and federal dam safety staff, and
• Supporting research and the development of guidance to advance the practice of dam safety to improve public safety.

States have the responsibility for regulating about 80 percent of the dams in the United States. With support by the National Dam Safety Program, state dam safety programs have been raising dam safety awareness with the goal of preventing a dam failure like the one experienced in Johnstown over a century ago.  The program serves as a real investment in preventing dam failures and reducing the impacts of such failures on lives and property.

A great example of the National Dam Safety Program in action is in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  With funding from a National Dam Safety Program grant, the Commonwealth developed a process for estimating costs and prioritizing dam safety rehabilitation needs across the state.  In 2012, the Virginia legislature approved $14 million for the repair of State-owned high hazard  dams in need  of repair throughout Virginia, largely as a result of the research and analysis from this program.

So take a look at the resources below and learn more about dam safety.  On this National Dam Safety Awareness Day, or any day that you’re enjoying the benefits of a dam in your community, remember that a team effort goes into making them as safe as possible.

Other resources

• About the National Dam Safety Program and how you can become more aware about dams in your community
• How your state can apply for assistance for dam safety grants
• Sign up to start receiving electronic updates when dam failures may occur in your community

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs



This week, we’re kicking off National Hurricane Preparedness Week! Once again, we’ve teamed up with our partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to encourage all Americans to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season, which officially starts this Saturday, June 1 and lasts until November 30. Above all, hurricanes are powerful forces of nature that not only cause damage to coastlines, but also hundreds of miles inland as well because of flooding.

The impact of Hurricane Sandy was felt in Puerto Rico, Florida and other parts of the East Coast, and this video shows just how much damage Hurricane Sandy caused in the Northeast:


All week long we’ll be posting hurricane safety resources and information, encouraging everyone to take two simple actions:

• Pledge to prepare – It’s an easy step as you take action to prepare your home, family, and business against hurricanes and other severe weather. By taking this pledge, you’re taking the first step in ensuring you’re ready for severe weather.
• Share your pledge with someone you know - Once you pledge, encourage other family members, friends, and neighbors to take the pledge and prepare for hurricane season. We hope you join us in spreading the word this week and encouraging everyone you know to prepare. Having a plan and being prepared for can make a world of difference during an emergency and severe weather.

And in case you missed it, you can also receive hurricane safety tips directly to your phone, by texting HURRICANE to 43362 (4FEMA).  And of course, standard message and data rates apply.

I hope you’ll join us in sharing hurricane safety this week!

Posted by: Tony Robinson, Regional Administrator, FEMA Region 6

As you have seen on TV, a tornado leaves behind large amounts of wreckage and debris.  Unfortunately, that debris is generally made up of people’s homes, community buildings, cars, trees, and all sorts of things that a tornado may destroy with winds that can exceed 200 MPH. In order for disaster survivors to even think about rebuilding their homes or their schools or hospitals the debris needs to be picked up and removed.  FEMA and the federal government can assist by helping to pay debris removal costs.


Moore, Okla., May 22, 2013 -- Residents look at the place their home stood after a tornado struck the community of Moore, Oklahoma on May 20th. Andrea Booher/FEMA

Local and tribal officials such as mayors, county commissioners, school superintendents, and emergency management officials ultimately make the decisions about how debris gets picked up, where it goes, and who does the work. Generally speaking, they have several options. They can have their own employees do the work, local volunteers and organizations can help, the town could hire a company with heavy equipment, or they could request assistance from the state who can ask the federal government to help if necessary. At this point local officials in Oklahoma are deciding which of these options they will use to go about getting all the debris picked up.

At FEMA, our role is very much a support role by joining the whole community team of local, state and tribal officials, disaster relief organizations, volunteers, and disaster survivors. One of our most valuable contributions to the mission is in the form of funding. As the debris left by the storm is being picked up, FEMA works with the state, local, and tribal officials to provide federal reimbursement for the removal costs. If you’re interested in what FEMA can fund, you can look at our Debris Management Guide.


Moore, Okla., May 22, 2013 -- FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (Nebraska Task Force 1) team members search house to house for survivors in a tornado devastated neighborhood. Andrea Booher/FEMA

We can also assist the state with technical experts from FEMA or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who can offer assistance to local and tribal officials on debris management. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may also provide guidance on how to safely handle hazardous waste debris. In Oklahoma, FEMA will be providing additional funding above our normal 75 percent cost share funding for debris that is quickly picked up through a new pilot program.  Remember, the quicker the debris is picked up, the faster people can rebuild their homes.

Local and tribal officials may ask disaster survivors to help with debris removal by bringing debris from their property to the curb or by helping to sort the debris into different categories. If you try to move debris please be careful. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality published guidance on debris management for residents, including how to handle chemicals and other hazardous debris.

All of the debris typically doesn’t just end up in the landfill. It is often sorted before being picked up or taken to a staging site where it is sorted. Just like taking your garbage out on a normal day, items should be recycled and used again helping the environment and in some cases being sold, such as precious metals like cooper, for money.  With FEMA’s new pilot program, your local or tribal government may be able to use proceeds they earn from the recycling of debris for other debris removal or emergency management needs.

The removal of debris is a big job, but FEMA remains committed to assisting state, tribal and local officials and helping their communities in the recovery effort. If you would like to join the team and help those who were affected by the Oklahoma tornado, we have some information on our website, or you can visit the Oklahoma Strong webpage.

Moore, Okla., May 22, 2013 -- Moore resident looks at home destruction caused by an F5 tornado that struck on May 20. Andrea Booher/FEMA

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs


Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and communities affected by the tornadoes in Central Oklahoma.  We continue to coordinate the federal response efforts in supporting our state, local, and tribal partners on the ground.  Here are a few quick updates on what’s happening now:

• We’re encouraging those impacted by the storms to apply for FEMA assistance at disasterassistance.gov on their computer or phone, or by calling 800-621-3362.  So far, over 2,200 Oklahomans have applied for disaster assistance.
• Three Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are on the ground helping survivors register for FEMA assistance.  These teams are using internet-enabled tablets to register people as quickly as possible, as well as to record any unmet needs that affected individuals or communities are experiencing.
• Two disaster recovery centers are open near damaged areas so those affected by the tornadoes can speak face-to-face to staff from FEMA and the state.  At the centers, staff answer questions about the disaster assistance process or what help may be available. 

In addition to the items above, more than 127,000 liters of water and nearly 30,000 meals have been delivered to the state at a Federal Staging Area in Oklahoma City in support of the local response efforts.  There are many other actions our federal, state, local, and tribal partners are taking and you can find the latest at fema.gov/OKtornadoes.

We’ve seen an outpouring of support for those impacted by the deadly storms, so if you’re outside of the impacted area and are looking for ways to help those that have been affected, check out fema.gov/howtohelp.  It has information on donating and volunteering responsibly – by doing things like donating only through trusted organizations, volunteering through established channels, and sending cash (not goods) to organizations providing relief.

As we often say at FEMA, responding to emergencies takes a team effort.  Minutes after the tornadoes struck, this team moved into action, including first responders, federal, state, local, and tribal governments, first responders, non-profit organizations, volunteer groups, and members of the public.  There have been a lot of stories of heroism amidst this tragic tornado, so I wanted to share a few visuals and updates from how the emergency management team is helping on the ground.

Texas Task Force 1, Urban Search and Rescue


Nebraska Task Force 1





Oklahoma National Guard


American Red Cross





Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services



Feed the Children

Watch what we were doing in the first 48 hours & what you can do to help here in Oklahoma! Video: bit.ly/1abdLOs
— Feed The Children (@FeedTheChildren) May 23, 2013

Oklahoma Humane Society
 

Desde: Lars Anderson, FEMA



Nuestros pensamientos y nuestras oraciones están con las familias y comunidades afectadas por los tornados que azotaron el centro de Oklahoma. Continuamos ofreciendo los recursos federales a nuestros colaboradores estatales, locales y tribales del área. A continuación un resumen de lo que está pasando ahora:

• Exhortamos a todos los afectados por las tormentas a solicitar asistencia por desastre de FEMA visitando www.disasterassistance.gov/es desde sus computadores o teléfono móvil. También pueden solicitar llamando al 800-621-3362. Más de 2,200 sobrevivientes ya se han inscrito para solicitar asistencia.
• Tres Equipos de Asistencia por Desastre para Sobrevivientes están ofreciendo ayuda a los sobrevivientes de desastre para inscribirse con FEMA y solicitar asistencia. Estos se encuentran equipados con tabletas para poder inscribir a las personas con la mayor rapidez posible mientras toman nota de las necesidades de la comunidad.
• Se han abierto dos centros de recuperación por desastre cerca de las áreas afectadas para que las personas afectadas por los tornados puedan reunirse en persona con representantes de FEMA y el estado. En los centros, los representantes podrán responder a preguntas sobre el proceso de asistencia por desastres y proveer información sobre los tipos de asistencia disponible.

Además, más de 127,000 litros de agua y alrededor de 30,000 comidas han sido distribuidas a Oklahoma City para apoyar los esfuerzos de respuesta locales. Nuestros colaboradores federales, estatales, locales y tribales están tomando otras acciones. Para mantenerse al día, visite http://www.fema.gov/es/disaster/4117.

Hemos visto una gran demostración de apoyo para aquellos afectados por las tormentas, así que si usted se encuentra fuera del área afectada pero desea ayudar, visite http://www.fema.gov/es/donar-y-ser-voluntario. Aquí encontrará información sobre cómo donar y ser voluntario – incluyendo cómo donar a una organización confiable, servir como voluntario, y donar dinero (no artículos o productos) a las organizaciones benéficas ofreciendo servicios de emergencia.

Cómo solemos decir en FEMA, responder a emergencias requiere trabajo en equipo. Tan solo minutos después de la tormenta este equipo – compuesto de personal de primera respuesta, los gobiernos federal, estatal, local y tribal, y organizaciones sin fines de lucro y benéficas, y los miembros de la comunidad – tomaron acción. Hemos oído varias historias de demostraciones de heroísmo durante la tragedia. A continuación comparto con ustedes algunas fotos y actualizaciones del trabajo que están desempeñando los equipos para el manejo de emergencias.

Equipo de trabajo de Texas 1, Búsqueda y rescate urbano


Equipo de trabajo de Nebraska 1




Guardia Nacional de Oklahoma


Cruz Roja Americana




Servicios de Emergencia por Desastre del Ejército de Salvación



Feed the Children

Esté al tanto de lo que estamos haciendo durante las primeras 48 horas, y cómo usted puede ayudar. Video: bit.ly/1abdLOs
— Feed The Children (@FeedTheChildren) 23 de mayo de 2013

Sociedad Humanitaria de Oklahoma

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs

Yesterday evening a large tornado touched down near Moore, Oklahoma, leaving massive destruction in its path. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and communities affected by the tornadoes.



At the direction of the President, Administrator Fugate is in Oklahoma to ensure all Federal resources are supporting our state, local, and tribal partners in life saving and safety operations, including ongoing search and rescue.  Yesterday, President Obama declared a major disaster for the State of Oklahoma, making federal funding available to support affected individuals and families in the counties of Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie.
Federal assistance has been made available to support immediate response and recovery efforts, including:

• Preliminary damage assessment teams, comprised of representatives from the state, FEMA and the Small Business Administration, are on the ground and will begin assessments today, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.
• Three national Urban Search and Rescue Teams (Texas Task Force 1, Nebraska Task Force 1 and Tennessee Task Force 1) and an Incident Support Team have been deployed to support the immediate response efforts.
• One national and two regional Incident Management Assistance Teams are deployed to the state emergency operations center in Oklahoma City to coordinate with state and local officials in support of recovery operations.
• Two Mobile Emergency Response Support Teams are in Oklahoma to provide self-sustaining telecommunications, logistics, and operations support elements, to assist in the immediate response needs and additional teams are being deployed.
• Three Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are scheduled to arrive later today into communities to perform the Assess, Inform, and Report (AIR) Missions, a tool to help federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners gather detailed information on the affected areas during the critical first hours, days and weeks after a disaster strikes. DSATs will address immediate and emerging needs of disaster survivors including: on-site registration, applicant status checks, on-the-spot needs assessments, and access to partners offering survivor services.
• FEMA activated the National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., a multi-agency coordination center that provides overall coordination of the federal response to natural disasters and emergencies, to support state requests for assistance, and FEMA’s Region VI Response Coordination Centers (RRCC) located in Denton, Texas remains activated.

In addition to sharing the role of FEMA and our federal partners, I also wanted to share tips for those in the Oklahoma City area or looking to help survivors:

• If you’re in the affected area: We encourage residents in declared counties to register for FEMA assistance online or on your smartphone at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).  Disaster applicants with a speech disability or hearing loss but use a TTY device, should instead call 1-800-462-7585 directly.
  
  Follow the instructions from local officials and take the recommended protective measures to safeguard life and property while response efforts continue. Roads are very likely to be damaged or blocked by debris, and traffic jams slow emergency managers and first responders as they attempt to reach hard-hit areas.
• If you’re trying to get in touch with friends/family in the impacted area: Use the American Red Cross Safe & Well website (or mobile site), text messaging, and social media accounts to check-in with friends & family.  After a disaster, phone lines may be congested, so using other communication methods can be more successful.
• If you’re not in the affected area, but are looking to help: For those looking for ways to help tornado survivors, remember: go through trusted organizations and only send goods that have been requested by local authorities.  If you’re considering donating money, cash donations are often the best way to help. The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters has a list of organizations that you can feel confident in making a donation to. You can also follow NVOAD on Facebook and on Twitter @NationalVOAD.
  
  For more information on helping survivors after a disaster, visit fema.gov/howtohelp and www.ok.gov/okstrong.

As President Obama said this morning, we will continue to bring all available resources to bear as we support those impacted by the deadly tornado. For ongoing updates on FEMA’s response efforts, follow @FEMA and @FEMAregion6 on Twitter or visit the Oklahoma tornado disaster page.