Disaster Preparedness


Red Cross Salute by JFK Airport Tower

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey lit the control tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport red through March 14 to mark Red Cross Month and recognize the disaster relief and lifesaving work of the American Red Cross.

Red Cross Launches Social Media Command Center for Disaster Relief

The center will help expand the Red Cross’s ability to engage with the public during emergencies. Tests run during recent tornadoes in the Midwest enabled Red Cross team members to determine where to position workers on the ground.

CAL FIRE Urging Flood Safety Awareness

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is observing Flood Safety Awareness Week March 12-16.

ASSE Offers Post-Storm Cleanup Tips for Businesses

Provide training in the proper selection and use of PPE for your employees and yourself such as eyewear, gloves, boots, and dust masks/respirators for cleaning and other operations.

Christchurch Cathedral Coming Down

Bishop Victoria Matthews of the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch announced March 2 that the earthquake-damaged structure will be "carefully deconstructed down to a level of approximately two to three meters" to meet safety requirements.

Ocean Radar Improvements Agreed

The Feb. 17 agreement during the World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12) held in Geneva, Switzerland, means better tracking of tsunamis, oil spills, ocean debris, and people lost at sea.

HHS Picks Winners in Facebook App Challenge

First prize and $10,000 went to two Brown University graduates for an app named Lifeline that will be launched prior to this year's hurricane season.

Have TaxiBot, Will Travel

The vehicles being developed by Airbus and Israel Aerospace Industries will be operated by commercial aircraft pilots from their cockpits, eliminating the need to use the planes' main engines during ground taxi.



Study: Cognitive Performance Suffers Following Natural Disasters

The researchers’ findings may point to potentially serious complications arising from post-disaster performance in daily life and work tasks. These findings also suggest that police, emergency responders, and others working in the aftermath of the disaster may also experience cognitive disruption, which can interfere with their ability to perform rescue-related tasks.

Lloyd's Delegation Visiting Mumbai

India is a growing reinsurance market for Lloyd’s. The top classes it writes there are offshore energy, property catastrophe, terrorism, cargo, and aviation excess of loss risks.

Winter Weather Patterns Can Increase Risk for Flooding, FEMA Says

Across the country, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast, heavy snowfall, ice jams, rapid snowmelt, and intense rainstorms caused by fluctuating temperatures can all increase the likelihood and the severity of localized flooding.

Seismic Study to Aid Some Nuclear Plants' Hazard Reviews

It was released Jan. 31 by the Electric Power Research Institute, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and replaces source models used since the 1980s.

Washington Dept. of Labor Offers Tips on Hiring Contractors for Storm Cleanup

Beware of contractors who ask to be paid in cash, to have a check made out to someone other than the business, who will work just weekends, or who use high-pressure sales tactics.

Carnival Auditing All Lines' Safety, Emergency Response Procedures

The company announced its senior vice president of maritime policy and compliance, Capt. James Hunn, will lead the review.

Too Little Ice for an Ice Rescue Drill?

Snow and cold weather arrived in Green Bay, Wis., just in time for a football playoff game. Authoritites expect will there be sufficient ice for a large-scale ice rescue drill set for Jan. 18 near Dyckesville, Wis.

A top concern among customers in the first responder market is limiting the number of items that responders have to carry downrange.

Wireless Detectors Aiding Emergency Responders

"Today, I can hand you a gas monitor, and it's really a trust-based scenario. Whereas with a real-time feed, it's trust and verify. I can see where you are. I know what kind of readings you're getting while you're out there."

137 Big U.S. Relief Operations in 2011: Red Cross

“The number of lives affected by large disasters in the past year is simply staggering,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president for Red Cross Disaster Services.

Weather-Ready Nation Workshop This Week

NOAA is inviting 150 leaders to the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla., for three days of discussions to set in motion actions to make the United States more resilient against tornadoes and other severe weather.

Destructiveness of Japan's Tsunami Explained

NASA and Ohio State University researchers found it was a "merging tsunami," where two wave fronts merged to create a double-high wave front far out to sea that could travel long distances without losing power.

2011 U.S. Prop/Casualty Catastrophe Losses: $38.6 Billion through September

These losses were 140 percent of the losses during the first nine months of last year, according to A.M. Best Co.'s estimate.

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