IT’S A DISASTER! e-news 2-Sep-2011
Our opt-in e-newsletter shares ideas and stories, program and product announcements, and other resources we hope you find of interest. (Note: Some links open a new window or tab.)
This week's topics:
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Citizen Corps
ON THE FRONT LINES
IN THE NEWS
DID YOU KNOW…
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Citizen Corps
Citizen Corps was created in 2002 to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. It provides opportunities for people to participate in a range of measures to make their families, their homes, and their communities safer from the threats of crime, terrorism, and disasters of all kinds.Currently Citizen Corps Councils across the nation serve 173,556,790 people or 61% of the total U.S. population and is comprised of 5 partner programs:
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) – CERT
was originally developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire
Department (LAFD) in 1985 and became available nationally by FEMA in
1993. CERT educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. According to the Citizen Corps Council statistics page, as of 9/1/2011 there are 1,817 CERTs nationwide. www.citizencorps.gov/cert/ Also check out Teen CERT, CERT in Action! (stories about CERTs), the CERT newsletter (quarterly news), and an Introduction to CERT IS 317 (an online study course).
Fire Corps - Citizen advocates can assist local fire departments in a range of activities including fire safety outreach, youth programs, and administrative support. As of 9/1/2011 there are 1,098 Fire Corps nationwide. www.firecorps.org 
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) - MRC volunteers work in coordination with existing local emergency response programs and also supplement existing community public health initiatives, such as outreach and prevention, immunization programs, blood drives, case management, care planning, and other efforts. As of 9/1/2011 there are 966 Medical Reserve Corps. www.medicalreservecorps.gov
USAonWatch - Neighborhood Watch - USAonWatch (a.k.a. National Neighborhood Watch program) provides information, training, technical support and resources to local law enforcement agencies and citizens. www.usaonwatch.org 
Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) - VIPS Program provides support and resources for agencies interested in developing or enhancing a volunteer program and for citizens who wish to volunteer their time and skills with a law enforcement agency. As of 9/1/2011 there are 2,183 VIPS programs. www.policevolunteers.orgSome Affiliates and Organizations that work closely with Citizen Corps include The American Legion, American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Civil Air Patrol, Corporation for National and Community Service, National Safety Council, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) and many others.
To learn more about Citizen Corps or to check if there's a program in your community, visit www.citizencorps.gov … and find some cool widgets for your blog or site at www.citizencorps.gov/widgets/
FedHealth would also like to take a moment to thank all volunteers nationwide who give of themselves so unselfishly for the betterment of our society. If you or someone you know works with a volunteer organization, please share our funding programs in case they can help support their efforts.
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Chasing4Life’s Stronger Communities radio show with well-known author/educator Eddy Weiss focuses on disaster preparedness, disaster response, First Responders, current disaster events and how you can be better prepared. Chasing4Life believes with more education we’ll need less response. www.blogtalkradio.com/chasing4life/
Join Eddy and Eric Brown of The Homeland Security Foundation of America Monday 9/5 at 10p Central as they discuss National Preparedness Month. Learn more and see future show lineup here
FEMA has a few blog posts that may come in handy for those suffering from Hurricane Irene’s aftermath .. and the potential flooding from TS Lee spinning in the Gulf Coast and Katia in the Atlantic as of today (9/2). Check out Federal Assistance Before, During & After a Hurricane .. and .. Avoiding loan scams after a natural disaster.
And stay current on alerts and news on FEMA’s blog http://blog.fema.gov and their mobile site http://m.fema.gov . Also check out FEMA’s new app for the Android and Ready.gov’s new Get Tech Ready page
Remember… if your CERT, MRC, agency, business, school, church or group has not registered on Ready.gov’s National Preparedness Month Coalition site, visit http://community.fema.gov to learn more. Individuals are also encouraged to register and join the forum and share information.
This great vid produced by the Lake Elsinore Citizen Corps (in CA) is the national CERT recruitment public service announcement.
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In honor of National Preparedness Month, Bill and Janet Liebsch will be appearing on several radio shows throughout September. (Note: links have recorded archives.) This week’s lineup includes…
On 9/1 Janet appeared on Destiny Survival Radio with John Wesley Smith to discuss NPM on the Preparedness Radio Network. And please visit John’s blog post about the show and learn how to win your copy of IT’S A DISASTER!
Janet will join Lynna on The Other Side of…a Preppers Path this Sunday 9/4 at 2p Eastern / 11a Pacific on the Preppers Broadcasting Network to discuss if recent disasters are starting to create an “awakening”.
Next week’s enews will have more appearance links...
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...First responders are not invited to this year’s 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero?! That’s the word from city officials who say there isn’t enough room for the tens of thousands of firefighters, police and other rescue workers. Source: CBS .. also .. join a discussion on USFRA about the NYC Mayor’s decision.
...recently the Red Cross issued a study indicating that Americans are increasingly using social media and mobile tools to track disasters. According to the study, 18% of Americans surveyed rely on Facebook for disaster-related information. And 24% of Americans polled say they'd turn to Facebook to locate friends and family--and make sure they're OK--when a disaster strikes, while 80% said they expected national emergency response organizations to actively follow social media to respond faster. Source: CNET
… in his two and a half years in office, President Obama has issued 360 declarations without the occurrence of one hurricane or large-scale earthquake?! That continues a 16-year trend during which declarations tripled from 43 under President George H. W. Bush to 89 under President Bill Clinton to 130 under President George W. Bush. As a result, Heritage notes, FEMA is becoming distracted by responding to routine natural disasters instead of preparing for catastrophic natural disasters which could have a national impact. Source: The Heritage Foundation (Note: This was posted prior to Hurricane Irene.)
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COOL LINKS / IDEAS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) issued the ASPR Lifeline Facebook Application Developer Challenge in collaboration with FEMA, a health-focused online community of developers, designers, patients, providers, health care organizations that promotes health technology innovation. The person or team developing the best application will receive $10,000 from HHS .. second place will be awarded $5,000 .. and third place will receive $1,000. The online challenge closes Nov 4, 2011. To register as a participant in the ASPR Lifeline Facebook Application Developer Challenge, visit http://challenge.gov/challenges/220 or Health 2.0
Water Canary is a device used to identify global water contamination problems using GPS and crowd-sourcing. The Water Canary device provides real-time information on potential outbreaks of disease-infected water and requires minimal training and almost no education, including literacy, for its operator. It lets anyone test water with only the push of a button, and then it submits the results along with location data wirelessly. Additionally, a red light flashes to alert the user to a potential drinking water problem. Source: Treehugger hat tip to SFCard
Got a cool link or idea? Email it to Janet at info@itsadisaster.net
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We’re always looking for input, stories, news, products or services from agencies, volunteer groups, schools and others so feel free to email info@itsadisaster.net anytime.
p.s. If you know an agency, nonprofit, school, church, Scout troop, or volunteer group (like a CERT, MRC, Radio Club, Rotary, etc) who could benefit from our preparedness book and/or funding ideas, please have them call 1-888-999-4325 or email us for a FREE information kit!
Stay safe out there, j & B
Bill & Janet Liebsch
FedHealth
7739 E Broadway Blvd # 416
Tucson, AZ 85710-3947 USA
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