The Red Guide to Recovery

Flood Safety Lessons

Lisa — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:46:12 +0000

First account stories are truly interesting to read. We found a fascinating recent account of Swift Water Rescue Team member, Scott E. Schermerhorn, Master Technician – Technical Rescue of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. His stories bring to life the warnings we all know when it comes to flood safety…”be prepared” and “turn around don’t drown”.

Read his story on the FEMA Blog: My Time in the Water: Flood Safety Lessons Learned

See more tips and resources on Flood Preparedness

Know the Facts: Ionization Smoke Detectors

Lisa — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 06:04:21 +0000

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) posted an article not to be missed regarding smoke detectors. Did you know there are two popular technologies used for smoke detection? This headline article provides helpful information about both ionization and photoelectric technology. You will also find a link to making smart choices for the placement of your smoke detector.

IAFC website: Know the Facts: Ionization Smoke Detectors

And check out this 4-page PDF about Residential Smoke Alarms, with interesting facts and information for homeowners. For example, did you know… “The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted full scale fire tests and concluded that escape time in flaming fires can be as little as three minutes, as compared to 17 minutes in tests conducted in the 1970s.”

IAFC Position Statement: Use of Residential Smoke Alarms (PDF)

For more helpful resources, visit our page for Fire Preparedness tips.

2012 Worst Natural Disasters

Lisa — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:18:20 +0000

It can be sobering to look back and see what types of disasters occurred in the past year. The memories of disaster events may only be through images we saw in the news, or they may have touched our lives directly.

2012 was full of extremes, too much water or not enough, heatwaves and hurricanes. This photo gallery on huffingtonpost.com describes the Worst Disasters of 2012

Wikipedia has an interesting category page with links to Natural Disasters by Year

Does a Pink Wig Belong In a Disaster Supply Kit?

Lisa — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:47:41 +0000

On a recent morning, Nina Coleman, Assistant Manager of FEMA for Kids Community Relations Strike Team, took various items out of a disaster supply kit, held them up and asked students at Public School 215 in Far Rockaway, NY what supplies do and don’t belong. This recent blog from FEMA shares a fun example of how kids can help spread the message of preparedness.

FEMA Blog – 1/16/13: Does a Pink Wig Belong In a Disaster Supply Kit?

For more information and games for kids on disaster preparedness, visit www.Ready.gov/kids

Enjoy a Happy 2013 New Year!

Lisa — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:52:27 +0000

The Red Guide to Recovery wishes you a very happy holiday season and new year! Celebrate safely and dedicate 2013 as your year of personal preparedness.

Here are some tips for safe celebrating and driving by Consumer Reports.

Visit our Free Preparedness and Recovery Tools page to support your recovery and preparedness.

New York Hurricane Recovery

Lisa — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:58:47 +0000

As a follower of the FEMA blog, we found today’s post by Michael Byrne, Federal Coordinating Officer, to be an amazing reflection on the recovery efforts to support New Yorkers after Hurricane Sandy. You can read the blog post at Fema.gov: New York, One Month After Sandy

In this short excerpt, Michael describes the support force used to help the city…

“The New York metropolitan area has over 15 million people and this is a city that is built vertically. We knew immediately that having enough people would be a huge challenge. We had over 1200 people out in the field, going door-to-door in the damaged areas. We had to activate the Department of Homeland Security surge capacity force to have enough people to do these sweeps. This “surge force” consisted of over 1,100 employees from the agencies that make up DHS, such as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard. They are spending the nights on Merchant Marine training ships so we don’t take hotel rooms from survivors. I have been out to the ships and the sleeping conditions are austere, but the food is good.” Read more…

For additional tips and resources, see our page on Hurricane Preparedness