Domestic
Agencies, Organizations, and
Government Programs |
Hazard-Specific
Programs
and Information |
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Alphabetical Listing of All Links
A B
C D E
F G H I
J K L M N O
P Q R S T U
V W X Y Z |
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Alaska
Volcano Observatory |
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The Alaska Volcano
Observatory (AVO) is a joint program of the United States Geological
Survey (USGS), the Geophysical Institute of the University of
Alaska Fairbanks (UAFGI), and the State of Alaska Division of
Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). AVO was formed in
1988, and uses federal, state, and university resources to monitor
and study Alaska's hazardous volcanoes, to predict and record
eruptive activity, and to mitigate volcanic hazards to life
and property. |
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Bureau
of Land Management, Department of the Interior |
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The BLM, an agency
of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land -
261 million surface acres -- than any other Federal agency.
Most of this public land is located in 12 Western states, including
Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.9 billion and
a workforce of some 10,000 full-time, permanent employees, also
administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate
throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to
sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for
the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The
Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor
recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy
production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural,
and other resources on the public lands. |
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Canadian
Center for Remote Sensing (CCRS) Hurricane Watch |
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The Disaster Monitoring
team at the Canadian Center for Remote Sensing (CCRS) has undertaken
a joint project with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Atlantic
Oceanographic and Meteorological Laborator (NOAA/AOML) in Miami,
Florida. This project has been supported in an effort to explore
the ability to plan coincident RADARSAT-1 SAR coverage and aircraft
penetration flights, as well as to better understand the capabilities
of RADARSAR-1 SAR imagery as related to NOAA's hurrican monitoring
activities. Although nitial observations were largely serendipitous,
hurricane Watch as routinely acquired RADARSAT-1 ScanSAR wide
(SCW) mode imagery of hurricanes during the Atlantic Basin hurricane
seasons (nominally August through October) since 1998. |
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Canadian
Interagency Forest Fire Centre |
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The Canadian Interagency
Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) provides operational fire-control
services, as well as management and information services to
its Member Agencies. In addition to coordinating services for
all of the provinces and territories, CIFFC often coordinates
the sharing of resources with the United States and other countries. |
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Cascades
Volcano Observatory |
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The Cascades Volcano
Observatory (CVO) strives to serve the public interest by helping
people to live knowledgeably and safely with volcanoes and other
natural hazards including earthquakes, landslides, and debris
flows, in the western United States and elsewhere in the world. |
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CBS
News Disaster Links |
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CBS
news disaster links contains a substantial list of disaster-related
websites for quick reference. The site is
maintained by Dan Dubno, producer and technologist for CBS
news. (http://www.cbsnews.com/digitaldan/disaster/disasters.shtml). |
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Congressional
Natural Hazards Caucus |
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The Caucus assists
local, state and federal government entities to better prepare
for and help mitigate the costs of natural disasters. The Caucus
work group also has a website with a number of papers and facts
sheets (http://www.agiweb.org/workgroup/). |
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Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and
Human Services |
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The CDC protects
people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases
and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible
information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy
living through strong partnerships with local, national, and
international organizations. |
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Dartmouth
Flood Observatory |
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Housed at Dartmouth
College, the Observatory provides a research tool for detection,
mapping, measurement, and analysis of extreme flood events world-wide
using satellite remote sensing. The Observatory provides yearly
catalogs, maps, and images of river floods, from 1985 to the
present, and it is developing methods for obtaining globally-consistent
measurements of these events. |
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Department
of Housing and Urban Development |
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HUD's mission is
to provide a decent, safe, and sanitary home and suitable living
environment for every American. Many of HUD's programs already
include disaster mitigation components such as minimum construction
standards and rules on project site selection. This includes
not only the minimum property standards that apply to all HUD-assisted
construction, but also special wind and snow load requirements
for manufactured housing to ensure a degree of protection from
hurricanes and snowstorms. There are also restrictions on constructing
projects near any operation that stores, handles, or processes
hazardous substances such as petroleum products or flammable
chemicals. HUD has also placed some process and design requirements
on assistance for construction in areas having special flood
hazards. |
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Department
of State |
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The DOS leads the
interagency effort on International Strategy on Disaster Reduction
(ISDR) and coordinates how the U.S. votes on UN General Assembly
and ECOSOC resolutions on international disaster matters. DOS
works with a number of international organizations to foster
better disaster reduction.
With respect to this mission, the Bureau of Oceans and Environmental
Sciences is the main research arm of DOS. The Bureau of International
Organizational Affairs (IO) also funds research aimed at gaining
a better understanding of the systemic risks posed to society
by disasters, and, along with NOAA and NASA, has stimulated
research into the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for use in
disaster telecommunications and remote sensing. IO also works
closely with Canada through the G-7 Information Society to develop
more effective knowledge management tools. |
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Disaster
Management e-Government Initiative |
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The Disaster Management
e-Government Initiative is one of 24 initiatives established
by the President's Management Council. The Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) is sponsoring this initiative. An integrated
team of partner agencies and organizations that perform Disaster
Management activities will accomplish program delivery. |
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Earthquake
Hazards Program, USGS |
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The goal of the
USGS Earthquake Hazard Program is to reduce earthquake hazard
in the United States. This website includes links to the latest
earthquakes reported by the National Earthquake Information
Center (NEIC). |
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Environmental
Protection Agency |
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EPA's overall mission
is to protect human health and to safeguard the nation's natural
environment - air, water, and land. EPA is responsibile for
dealing with environmental emergencies that involve sudden threats
to the public health or the well?being of the environment arising
from the release or potential release of oil, radioactive materials,
or hazardous chemicals into the air, land, or water. These emergencies
may occur from transportation accidents, events at facilities
that use or manufacture chemicals, or as a result of natural
or man?made disaster events. In September 2002, EPA created
the National Homeland Security Research Center. The Center,
a part of the Office of Research and Development (ORD), manages,
coordinates, and supports a wide variety of disaster-related
research and technical assistance efforts. Research at the Center
will focus on developing methods to clean up contaminated buildings,
protecting the nation's drinking water supply, and improving
risk assessment techniques. |
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Federal
Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security |
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FEMA became part
of DHS on March 1, 2003. Its mission is to lead America to prepare
for, respond to, and recover from disasters. FEMA's programs
span the four phases of emergency management: preparedness,
mitigation, response, and recovery. FEMA helps states and localities
prepare for a wide range of hazards through its preparedness,
exercise, and training programs for state, tribal, and local
emergency managers, and other officials.
The agency has a long history of partnering with states,
tribal and local governments, the private sector, non-profit
groups, and the general public to reduce or eliminate the
risk to people and property from all hazards, thereby contributing
to a nation of safer, stronger communities. FEMA provides
disaster assistance to states, and tribal and local governments,
and coordinates the provision of assistance by other Federal
agencies. The agency has both broad-based and in-depth experience
coordinating intergovernmental efforts. |
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Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission |
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The Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission is an independent regulatory agency within
the Department of Energy that regulates the transmission and
sale of natural gas for resale in interstate commerce; regulates
the transmission of oil by pipeline in interstate commerce;
Regulates the transmission and wholesale sales of electricity
in interstate commerce; Licenses and inspects private, municipal
and state hydroelectric projects; oversees environmental matters
related to natural gas, oil, electricity and hydroelectric projects;
Administers accounting and financial reporting regulations and
conduct of jurisdictional companies, and approves site choices
as well as abandonment of interstate pipeline facilities. The
Commission recovers all of its costs from regulated industries
through fees and annual charges. |
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FireNet |
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Developed at the
Australia National University in 1993, FireNet is an on-line
information service for everyone interested in rural and landscape
fires. The information provided covers all aspects of fire science
and management, fire behaviour, weather, prevention, mitigation
and suppression, and plant and animal responses to fire. |
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FireWise |
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FireWise is an educational
program intended for people who live or vacation in fire-prone
areas of the United States. The website is maintained by the
National Wildfire Coordinating Group, a consortium of wildland
fire agencies that includes the USDA-Forest Service, the Department
of Interior, the National Association of State Foresters, the
U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Fire Protection Association |
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Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations |
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The FAO was founded
in 1945 with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards
of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better
the condition of rural populations. Today, FAO is one of the
largest specialized agencies in the United Nations system and
the lead agency for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and rural
development. |
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Global
Disaster Information Network |
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GDIN is a voluntary,
independent, self-sustaining, non-profit association of nations,
organizations, and professionals, from all sectors of society
including NGO's, Industry, Academia, Governments, and International
Organizations with an interest in sharing disaster information.
The aim of GDIN is to provide the right information, in the
right format, to the right people, in time to make the right
decisions. |
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Global
Fire Monitoring Center |
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The Global Fire
Monitoring Center, working under the UN International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), provides information about wildfires
around the world. |
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Global
Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture
(GIEWS) |
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Since 1975, the
FAO GIEWS has been providing regular bulletins on food crop
production and markets at the global level and situation reports
on a regional and country-by-country basis. The GIEWS aims to
provide policy-makers and policy-analysts with the most up-to-date
information available on all aspects of food supply and demand,
warning of imminent food crises, so that timely interventions
can be planned. |
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Global
Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics |
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Global Observation
of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) is a coordinated
international effort working to provide ongoing space-based
and in situ observations of forests and other vegetation cover,
for the sustainable management of terrestrial resources and
to obtain an accurate, reliable, quantitative understanding
of the terrestrial carbon budget. Originally developed as a
pilot project by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
(CEOS) as part of their Integrated Global Observing Strategy,
GOFC-GOLD is now a panel of the Global Terrestrial Observing
System (GTOS). |
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Hawaiian
Volcano Observatory |
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Volcano Watch is
a weekly newsletter written and distributed by the scientists
at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
It is published in Hawaii newspapers weekly and posted to their
website every Monday or Tuesday. |
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International
Charter: Space and Major Disasters |
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The International
Charter provides a unified system of space data acquisition
and delivery to those affected by natural and other disasters
through authorized users. Each member agency has committed resources
to support the provisions of the Charter and, thus, helps mitigate
the effects of disasters on human life and property." |
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International
Landslide Research Group |
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The International
Landslide Research Group (ILRG) is an informal group of individuals
concerned about sharing information on landslide research and
promoting regional landslide analyses. |
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Michigan
Technological University Volcanoes Page |
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Michigan Tech's
Volcanoes Page provides information about volcanoes to the public
and to complement other informational sites on the web. |
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National
Academy of Sciences |
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For advice on the
scientific issues that frequently pervade policy decisions,
the nation's leaders often turn to the institution that was
specially created for this purpose: the National Academy of
Sciences and its sister organizations-the National Academy of
Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research
Council. |
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National
Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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NASA's Earth Science
Enterprise endeavors to understand and protect our home planet
by advancing earth system science to enable improved prediction
of climate, weather and natural hazards from the vantage point
of space. Through its ability to view the earth as a dynamic
system, NASA makes key contributions to the science of hazard
assessment and mitigation and provides essential support to
the efforts of other Federal agencies charged with these responsibilities.
NASA and USGS are partners in the Landsat program, which
has provided 30 years of data on land cover change. NASA and
NIMA partnered in the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission which
is yielding the first globally consistent topographic data
set at 90m resolution. The combination of land cover and topography
data makes a powerful tool for hazard assessment and response.
NASA, NSF, USGS, and the Keck Foundation created the Southern
California Integrated GPS Network to monitor strain and movement
in the Los Angeles basin. NASA, NOAA, and DOD are long-time
partners in the development and operation of the nation's
weather satellite system; NASA's research systems of this
decade will strengthen the operational system of the next
decade. NASA and NOAA's partnership in satellite data assimilation
is making substantial progress in predicting storm formation
and hurricane tracks. NASA satellites are enhancing the wildfire
monitoring assets of the U.S. Forest Service. Today's new
generation of gravity field and ocean topography measuring
systems will substantial improve sea level predictions.
NASA research and observations are providing essential tools
to help the U.S. meet its disaster reduction goals for the
next decade. NASA employs a systems engineering architecture
approach to the decision support tools it develops for its
partner agencies and stakeholders. |
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Natural
Disasters Roundtable of the National Academy of Sciences |
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The Roundtable's
mission is to facilitate and enhance communication and the exchange
of ideas among scientists, practitioners, and policymakers in
order to identify urgent and important issues related to the
understanding and mitigation of natural, technological, and
other disasters. |
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National
Drought Mitigation Center |
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Located at the University
of Nebraska, The Center helps people develop and implement measures
to reduce societal vulnerability to drought by stressing preparation
and risk management, rather than crisis management. |
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National
Geophysical Data Center Volcano Information |
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The National Geophysical
Data Center plays a major role in post-event data collection
and assists in the detection, location, and evaluation of the
extent of certain hazards using satellite data. |
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National
Guard Bureau |
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The National Guard,
the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States
and one of the nation's longest-enduring institutions, celebrated
its 365th birthday on December 13, 2001. The National Guard
traces its history back to the earliest English colonies in
North America. Responsible for their own defense, the colonists
drew on English military tradition and organized their able-bodied
male citizens into militias. Today's National Guard remains
a dual state-Federal force and continues its historic dual mission,
providing to the states units trained and equipped to protect
life and property, while providing to the nation units trained,
equipped and ready to defend the United States and its interests,
all over the globe. |
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National
Ocean Service, NOAA |
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NOAA's National
Ocean Service (NOS) performs response, assessment and restoration
activities for oil and chemical spills under several different
authorizing legislations. |
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Natural
Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder |
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The Natural Hazards
Center, located at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado,
USA, is a national and international clearinghouse for information
on natural hazards and human adjustments to hazards and disasters.
The Natural Hazards Center carries out its mission in four principal
areas: information dissemination, an annual workshop, research,
and library services. |
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National
Imagery and Mapping Agency |
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NIMA supports FEMA
and Federal Response Plan disaster operations by acquiring and
interpreting remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) data, which help define the scope and scale of a disaster
area. NIMA has developed and acquired a robust hardware- and
software-deployable capability that ensures that NIMA analysts
can support lead Federal agency requirements for crisis and
consequence management and longer-term recovery. The deployable
suites can support near-real-time commercial and national technical
means (NTM) imagery, GIS, and a host of analytical tools. In
addition, NIMA is working with FEMA to develop a capability
to support FEMA's Information and Planning with on-site geospatial
intelligence analysis at designated off-site Emergency Operations
Centers as required. |
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National
Institute of Standards and Technology |
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NIST's Building
and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) studies building materials;
computer-integrated construction practices; fire science and
fire safety engineering; and structural, mechanical, and environmental
engineering. BFRL products include: measurements and test methods,
performance criteria, and technical data that support innovations
by industry and are incorporated into building and fire standards
and codes. BFRL operates under five goal areas: Advanced Construction
Technology; Enhanced Building Performance; Fire Loss Reduction;
Advanced Building Materials; and Homeland Security. |
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National
Interagency Fire Center |
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The National Interagency
Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho is the nation's support center
for wildland firefighting. Seven federal and state agencies
call NIFC home and work together to coordinate and support wildland
fire and disaster operations. |
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National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
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NOAA conducts research
and gathers data about the global oceans, atmosphere, space,
and sun, and applies this knowledge to science and service that
touch the lives of all Americans. NOAA is the nation's resource
for weather-related research, observing systems, and environmental
data and information services. With respect to natural hazards,
it focuses on two critical areas to lower the impacts and costs:
(1) providing the best possible warnings and information to
prevent damage and permit escape during atmospheric and coastal
hazard events, and (2) providing information and techniques
to lower the vulnerability and increase the resiliency of people
and property before and after atmospheric and coastal hazard
events. Within NOAA, the National Weather Service, the National
Environmental Satellite, Data & Information Service, the
National Ocean Service, the National Marine and Fisheries Service,
and NOAA Research play critical roles and have distinct functions
that together promote, protect, and enhance the nation's economy,
security, environment, and quality of life. |
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National
Reconnaissance Office |
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The NRO designs,
builds, launches, and operates U.S. space-based reconnaissance
assets, which include near-real time photoreconnaissance systems
that may be used to collect scientific and environmental data
as well as data on natural and manmade disasters. Photoreconnaissance
assets can be used to image the U.S., its territories, and possessions. |
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National
Science Foundation |
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The NSF is an independent
agency established to promote the progress of science; to advance
the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure
the national defense. NSF supports fundamental research and
education across all fields of science and engineering, including
the effects of extreme conditions on natural and constructed
environments. Disaster-related projects aim to enhance fundamental
understanding of the natural and social environments contributing
to disasters and to promote advances in engineering analysis,
design, and construction and in social sciences to improve the
response and reduce the impact of natural and technological
hazards. Laboratory and field experiments and monitoring projects
(which include the use of advanced sensors) improve hazard event
prediction and assessment of infrastructure integrity during
and following major disasters. These research efforts take advantage
of high-speed computers to develop models and improve simulation
of natural disaster events and community response and recovery. |
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NOAA
Coastwatch Program |
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NOAA's CoastWatch
program processes raw satellite data to produce usable images
that help meteorologists predict weather, fishermen locate fish,
and scientists track oil spills and red tide events. |
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NOAA
Drought Information Center |
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The Drought Information
Center collects data and links from various NOAA websites. |
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NOAA
Flash Flood Homepage |
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Provides experimental
products for flash flood forecasting. |
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NOAA
National Hurricane Center |
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The NOAA National
Hurricane Center maintains a continuous watch on tropical cyclones
over the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern
Pacific from May 15 through November 30. |
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NOAA
National Weather Service |
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NOAA"s National
Weather Service is the primary source for weather data, forecasts
and warnings for the United States and its territories. The
National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather
and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping
to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. |
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NOAA
National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center |
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The Storm Prediction
center (SPC) is part of the National Weather Service (NWS) and
the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Its
mission is to provide timely and accurate forecasts and watches
for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United
States. The SPC also monitors heavy rain, heavy snow, and fire
weather events across the U.S. and issues specific products
for those hazards. |
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Nordic
Volcanological Institute |
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The Nordic Volcanological
Institute was established in 1974 as a result of an initiative
to strengthen the already well established earth science community
in the Nordic countries by jointly exploiting the research opportunities
evident in the active volcanism and tectonics of Iceland. |
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Nuclear
Regulatory Commission |
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The Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, as a collegial body, formulates policies, develops
regulations governing nuclear reactor and nuclear material safety,
issues orders to licensees, and adjudicates legal matters. |
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Oil
Program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency |
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This website provides
information about the U.S. EPA's program for preventing, preparing
for, and responding to oil spills that occur in and around inland
waters of the United States. |
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Oil
Spill Public Information Center |
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The Oil Spill Public
Information Center provides public access to information on
the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The OSPIC collection includes information
for numerous disciplines of the natural and social sciences,
economics, and law. |
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Pacific
Disaster Center |
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The Pacific Disaster
Center is an information technology-based applications center
designed to provide world-class information products and services
to Federal, State, local and regional emergency managers. Applying
science and engineering expertise drawn from technical staff
and a diverse group of participating organizations, the PDC
is a gateway for information resources supporting natural hazard
mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery and humanitarian
assistance within the Indian/Pacific Ocean region. |
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Palmer
Drought Severity Index |
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Graphic map of the
United States, updated weekly, that shows current drought conditions
according to the Palmer Index. |
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Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO) |
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The Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO), is the world's oldest public health
organization, and also serves as the regional office for the
Americas of the World Health Organization(WHO). PAHO's Emergency
Preparedness and Disaster Relief Coordination Program (http://www.paho.org/disasters/)
develops the capacity of its 35 member countries throughout
Latin America and the Caribbean to prepare for and respond to
natural and manmade disasters. |
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Public
Private Partnership 2000 |
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The subcommittee
on Natural Disaster Reduction (SNDR) and the Institute for Business
Home Safety (IBHS) are pleased to co-sponsor the Public Private
Partnership 2000 (PPP 2000), a series of Forums on public policy
issues in natural disaster reduction. PPP 2000 sought new and
innovative opportunities for government and nonprofit, private
sector organizations to work together to reduce vulnerability
to and losses from natural hazards in communities throughout
the United States. The PPP 2000 forum ran from September 1997
through October 1999 and encompassed the Nation's leading public
and private organizations seeking to decrease the costs--economic,
environmental, and psychological--of natural hazards. |
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Research
and Special Programs Administration, Department of Transportation |
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Transportation is
a critical daily lifeline for communities across the country.
During disasters, transportation is essential for helping the
community restore its economy. DOT's Office of Emergency Transportation
(OET) in the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA)
provides a centralized, effective program for handling transportation
disasters by operating a crisis management center and performing
coordinated crisis management functions for multi-modal transportation
emergencies, including natural disasters, technological incidents,
and major transportation accidents. |
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Research
Centre on Landslides, Kyoto University |
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United
Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space |
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The Committee on
the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was established by the UN General
Assembly in 1959 to review the scope of international cooperation
in peaceful uses of outer space, to devise programs in this
field to be undertaken under UN auspices, to encourage continued
research and the dissemination of information on outer space
matters, and to study legal problems arising from the exploration
of outer space. |
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United
Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN ISDR) |
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The ISDR's mission
is to enable all societies to become resilient to the effects
of natural hazards and related technological and environmental
disasters, in order to reduce human, economic and social losses. |
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United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) |
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The OCHA mobilizes
and coordinates the collective efforts of the international
community, in particular those of the UN system, to meet in
a coherent and timely manner the needs of those exposed to human
suffering and material destruction in disasters and emergencies. |
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United
States Agency for International Development |
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The U.S. Agency
for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian
assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. USAID is an independent
federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy
guidance from the Secretary of State. The agency works to support
long-term and equitable economic growth and advancing U.S. foreign
policy objectives by supporting: economic growth, agricultural
and trade;global health; and, democracy, conflict prevention
and humanitarian assistance. With headquarters in Washington,
D.C., USAID's strength is its field offices around the world.
We work in close partnership with private voluntary organizations,
indigenous organizations, universities, American businesses,
international agencies, other governments, and other U.S. government
agencies. USAID has working relationships with more than 3,500
American companies and over 300 U.S.-based private voluntary
organizations. |
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United
States Army Corps of Engineers |
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USACE serves as
DOD's lead agency with respect to hazard management and response,
and coordinates with FEMA. USACE is engaged in a full range
of research and development efforts through its Engineering
Research and Development Center that contribute to a better
understanding of the impacts of natural disasters and the development
of management and mitigation models and techniques that focus
on damage reduction, infrastructure protection, and civil emergency
management.
In addition, DOD has military development programs that have
direct applications to disaster reduction and management. The
results of these efforts will be directly applicable to the
needs of the civil community during disasters. DOD also is involved
in the types of data collection, purchasing, and database development
where more complete, accurate, and dynamic disaster reduction
technologies are produced. DOD technologies may be leveraged
and utilized in a timely fashion to enhance current capabilities
and optimize Federal response to all types of emergencies affecting
life, property, and economic stability. |
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United
States Forest Service |
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The Forest Service
is responsible for managing and reducing risks of multiple hazards
on national forests and grasslands and for cooperating with
states and other landowners to reduce disaster risks and impacts
on public and private lands. The largest Forest Service hazard
reduction programs are currently under the interagency National
Fire Plan, which addresses disaster preparedness and prevention,
hazards management, and science and technology development related
to wildland fire. The Forest Service also manages wildlands
to reduce the risks of flooding, erosion, sedimentation, and
contamination of water supplies arising from the impacts of
natural and human disturbances. Major research areas include:
post-fire rehabilitation and restoration; effects of road design
and disturbance from logging and other activities regarding
susceptibility to extreme flooding and erosion; management of
riparian zones; and impacts of natural disasters, human impacts,
and extreme weather events on water quality, air quality, and
wildlife habitat. |
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U.S.
Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management Program |
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The Fire and Aviation
Management part of the Forest Service is a diverse group of
people working to advance technologies in fire management and
suppression, maintain and improve the extremely efficient mobilization
and tracking systems in place, and reach out in support of Federal,
State, and International fire partners. |
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United
States Geological Survey |
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The USGS natural
hazards programs produce information and understanding that
help to reduce the impact of natural hazards and disasters on
human life and the economy. These programs contribute to the
reduction of human and economic losses and disruptions associated
with these natural hazards by:
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Defining, assessing, and
monitoring potential earthquake, flood, volcano, landslide,
and other hazards as the basis for loss?reduction strategies
and actions by government and the private sector |
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Providing analyses and
real?time information and warnings for improved disaster
response, for reducing losses from future disasters, and
for enhanced public awareness of these natural hazards
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Expanding the fundamental
knowledge of earthquake, flood, volcano, landslide, and
other hazard processes for more effective risk?mitigation
and disaster?response strategies. |
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USGS
Landslides Program |
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USGS scientists
are working to reduce long-term losses and casualties from landslide
hazards through better understanding of the causes and mechanisms
of ground failure both nationally and worldwide. This website
provides links to a number of resources, including the USGS
National Landslide Hazards Program, the National Landslide Information
Center, and a searchable bibliographic database. |
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Vegetation
and Temperature Index |
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This index, maintained
by the National Environmental, Satellite, Data, and Information
Service (NESDIS) of NOAA, includes vegetation condition data
obtained from NOAA's operational polar-orbiting satellites. |
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Volcano
Watch, University of Wisconsin |
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The Space, Science,
and Engineering Center maintains satellite images showing some
of the world's most active volcanoes, which are updated every
half hour. |
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Worldwide
Earthquake Locator |
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The Worldwide Earthquake
Locator was developed at the Department of Geography at the
University of Edinburgh in 1995. It provides an earthquake analysis
system using data dynamically obtained over the internet. |
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World
Health Organization |
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The World Health
Organization, the United Nations specialized agency for health,
was established in 1948. WHO's objective is the attainment by
all peoples of the highest possible level of health. WHO's Division
of Emergency and Humanitarian Action provides operational response
to emergencies and major natural disasters in the health field,
collaborating closely with WHO's technical divisions, humanitarian
institutions of the United Nations system, and other partners.
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World
Meteorological Organization |
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The World Meteorological
Organization coordinates global scientific activity to allow
increasingly prompt and accurate weather information and other
services for public, private and commercial use, including international
airline and shipping industries. |
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World
Organization of Volcano Observatories |
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Established in 1981,
the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) stimulates
cooperation between scientists working in observatories and
facilitates ties between observatories and institutions directly
involved in volcano monitoring. |
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