E-Mergency Info On-Line
-From Wildfire to WMD: www.fema.gov-
Release Date: June 6, 2002
Release Number: R10-02-45
Salem, OR -- The grim lessons of 9-11 have changed emergency management priorities nation-wide, and here in the Pacific Northwest, the ugly threat of terrorist strikes joins the list of natural hazards such as earthquakes and attendant tsunamis, volcanic ash storms and lahars, wildfires, thunderstorms, flash floods and mudslides. The good news is that a wealth of pre-disaster preparedness information is available online at: http://www.fema.gov/reg-x/.
According to Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Director John Pennington, FEMA web sites are updated daily, and include fresh audio (FEMA Radio Network) from federal, state, and local officials with the latest on federal disaster preparedness initiatives, emergency programs, disaster response activities, and even links for weather updates.
"FRN Online already allows us to post real-time disaster updates within minutes of recording newsfeeds, and Internet users can access real-time disaster news as it happens, in the original words of disaster officials and program experts. It's a one-stop-shop if you will, for everything from accessing new floodplain maps and family preparedness checklists, to registering for Citizen Corps and applying for job vacancies," said Pennington. "Nationally, we are upgrading our Information Technology (IT) capabilities towards becoming the primary portal for all federal disaster information.
The FEMA site has been credited with being the first government site to post information about the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and has registered as many as 2 million hits per day.
Audio clips are posted from the FEMA Radio Network daily, and digital photographs, even fresh video, can be posted to track major disaster activity nation-wide. A variety of printed material, including brochures, pamphlets and emergency preparedness checklists is available through local emergency management offices and local chapters of the American Red Cross.
Last Modified: Friday, 18-May-2007 08:40:44