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National Situation Update: Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Hurricane Preparedness Measures for Families and Businesses

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center (NHC) provide preparedness information on their web sites that will help individuals and businesses prepare before tropical cyclones hit (see www.fema.gov and www.nhc.noaa.gov).

Recommended Preparedness Actions to Protect Your Family

• Discuss the type of hazards that could affect your family. Know your home's vulnerability to storm surge, flooding and wind.
• Locate a safe room or the safest areas in your home for each hurricane hazard. In certain circumstances the safest areas may not be your home but within your community.
• Determine escape routes from your home and places to meet. These should be measured in tens of miles rather than hundreds of miles.
• Have an out-of-state friend as a family contact, so all your family members have a single point of contact.
• Make a plan now for what to do with your pets if you need to evacuate.
• Post emergency telephone numbers by your phones and make sure your children know how and when to call 911.
• Check your insurance coverage - flood damage is not usually covered by homeowners insurance.
• Stock non-perishable emergency supplies and a Disaster Supply Kit.
• Use a NOAA Weather Radio. Remember to replace its battery every 6 months, as you do with your smoke detectors.
• Take First Aid, CPR and disaster preparedness classes.

Recommended Preparedness Actions to Protect Your Property or Business

Protecting your business from disasters caused by natural hazards can involve a variety of actions, from inspecting and maintaining your buildings to installing protective devices. Most of these actions, especially those that affect the structure of your buildings or their utility systems, should be carried out by qualified maintenance staff or professional contractors licensed to work in your state, county, or city. One example of disaster protection is safely storing the important documents, electronic files, raw materials, and inventory required for the operation of your business.

Most businesses keep on-site records and files (both hardcopy and electronic) that are essential to normal operations. Some businesses also store raw materials and product inventory. The loss of essential records, files, and other materials during a disaster is commonplace and can not only add to your damage costs, but also delay your return to normal operations. The longer your business is not operating, the more likely you are to lose customers permanently to your competitors.

To reduce your vulnerability, determine which records, files, and materials are most important; consider their vulnerability to damage during different types of disasters (such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes); and take steps to protect them, including the following:

• raising computers above the flood level and moving them away from large windows
• moving heavy and fragile objects to low shelves
• storing vital documents (plans, legal papers, etc.) in a secure off-site location
• regularly backing up vital electronic files (such as billing and payroll records and customer lists) and storing backup copies in a secure off-site location
• securing equipment that could move or fall during an earthquake

Tips - Keep these points in mind when you protect business records and inventory:

• Make sure you are aware of the details of your flood insurance and other hazard insurance policies, specifically which items and contents are covered and under what conditions. For example, if you have a home business, you may need two flood insurance policies, a home policy and a separate business policy, depending on the percentage of the total square footage of your house that is devoted to business use. Check with your insurance agent if you have questions about any of your policies.
• When you identify equipment susceptible to damage, consider the location of the equipment. For example, equipment near a hot water tank or pipes could be damaged if the pipes burst during an earthquake, and equipment near large windows could be damaged during hurricanes.
• Assign disaster mitigation duties to your employees. For example, some employees could be responsible for securing storage bins and others for backing up computer files and delivering copies to a secure location.
• You may want to consider having other offices of your company, or a contractor, perform some administrative duties, such as maintaining payroll records or providing customer service.
• Estimate the cost of repairing or replacing each essential piece of equipment in your business. Your estimates will help you assess your vulnerability and focus your efforts.
• For both insurance and tax purposes, you should maintain written and photographic inventories of all important materials and equipment. The inventory should be stored in a safety deposit box or other secure location.
• Hurricanes cause heavy rains and become tropical systems that can also cause extensive flood damage in coastal and inland areas. Everyone is at risk and should consider flood insurance protection. Flood insurance is the only way to financially protect your property or business from flood damage. To learn more about your flooding risk and how to protect yourself and your business, visit the NFIP Web site, www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419. (source: www.nhc.noaa.gov and www.fema.gov )

Florida Approves 2006 Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday

On April 27, 2006, Florida's Governor Bush signed legislation authorizing Florida's second annual 12-day sales tax holiday for hurricane preparedness. The legislation was developed as an incentive for Floridians to stock up on supplies, as well as a reminder to prepare for the safety of their families.

The tax holiday began on Sunday, May 21 and ends on the first day of the 2006 Hurricane Season, June 1. The 12-day holiday will save Floridians an estimated $41 million. Under the legislation, no state or local sales tax will be collected on hurricane preparedness items, including:

Flashlights and portable, self-powered light sources - $20 or less
Portable radios, two-way radios and weather-band radios - $50 or less
Flexible waterproof sheeting (tarps) - $50 or less
Gas or diesel fuel containers - $25 or less
Batteries - $30 or less
Non-electrical food storage coolers - $30 or less
Portable generators - $1,000 or less
Carbon monoxide detectors - $75 or less
Storm shutter devices - $200 or less
Cell phone batteries - $60 or less

The tax holiday is a key component of Florida's hurricane preparedness, response and recovery budget for the 2006 season. (Office of the Governor, State of Florida)

Severe Weather Forecast

Midwest:  Severe weather in the form of thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds, and possible tornadoes are likely during the next 24 hours in the area extending from Minnesota southward to Oklahoma then east to Indiana. A low pressure system moving eastward through the region is expected to bring unsettled weather and rainfall to Ohio and Kentucky by Wednesday night and the entire Ohio Valley by Thursday. 

West:  Some scattered showers are expected in the Pacific Northwest during Wednesday-Friday. Temperatures throughout the West will continue to climb with highs in the West and Southwest expected to be in the 80s-90s-100s. The Southern California and Arizona areas could see temperatures above 110 degrees on Thursday.

South:  Except for some scattered rain showers in Florida on Wednesday, the rest of the South will see dry, hot, and sunny weather. Highs will range from the 70s to the 90s north to south in the region.  

Northeast:  The Northeast is expected to see dry weather Wednesday. Temperatures will continue the warming trend. (NWS, Media sources)

Tropical Activity

Atlantic: No tropical activity.

Pacific:  No tropical activity.  (Source: USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

Minor earthquakes were reported in Hawaii and Alaska during the previous 24 hours. A 5.1 quake was reported in the Mariana Islands region. A 5.2 quake was reported in Baja California (Mexico) at 0420 a.m. EDT this morning. No reports of any injuries or damages. (Source: United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

Initial fire activity was light nationally with 152 new fires reported. Thirteen new large fires were reported, 12 in the Southwest Area and one in the Southern Area. Ten large fires were contained in the Southwest Area. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Utah.  (National Interagency Fire Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)