FEMA Blog

Posted by: Shayne Adamski, Senior Manager, Digital Engagement

I’ve written several times about using social media in emergency situations.  This past Thursday, several of us from FEMA attended a hearing before a U.S. Senate panel on “Understanding the Power of Social Media as a Communication Tool in the Aftermath of Disasters.”  Administrator Fugate testified at the hearing to discuss how we use social media to facilitate two-way communication with the public in a disaster environment.  In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights from his testimony:

• He emphasized the importance of adapting to the method and tools that the public uses to communicate. At FEMA, we are striving to leverage the tools that people use on a daily basis, rather than trying to convince the public to adjust to the way we think they should communicate.  Social media allows us to more fully engage the public as a critical partner in our efforts.
  
  
• Administrator Fugate also discussed the use of "hashtags", which are names given to common topics of conversation on Twitter.  We actively participate in the social media and emergency management conversation through the hashtag "#smem" and used the hashtag "#smemhill" to discuss last week's hearing.  For more, read my blog post titled “SMEM = Social Media in Emergency Management”.
  
  
• He also told a story about the power of social media, using a tropical cyclone in American Samoa as an example:

"We have to be able to listen to the community, but we may not be able to have that conversation one-on-one. Yet, in one event, I actually did.  There was a tropical cyclone in the central Pacific bearing down on American Samoa…

And I had a person tweet back to me that he was on the island, and that these were the conditions.  And I sent back and said ‘Thanks for the updates, can you keep sending them?’…


So he kept giving me updates, and so in real-time, I had a person that was there in American Samoa giving me updates about the tropical cyclone…


And then, mid-way through the backend of the storm, he began tweeting the Chicago Bears (versus) Green Bay game because he was a Packers fan. And I realized that if he is getting information about the game and that was his new concern, then maybe the storm wasn't too bad.  And it turned out that luckily it caused minimal damage.  That's a rare example, but it's also telling to look at the public as part of the team and a resource and doing a better job communicating with them."

In addition to Administrator Fugate's testimony, other governmental and non-governmental witnesses participated in the hearing to offer their unique perspectives on the value of social media as a disaster communications tool.  Other speakers included:

• Renee Preslar, Public Information Officer, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management;
• Suzy DeFrancis, Chief Public Affairs Officer, American Red Cross;
• Shona Brown, Senior Vice President, Google; and
• Heather Blanchard, Co-founder, CrisisCommons

For more information on this hearing, check out Administrator Fugate's written testimony or the recap video (courtesy of C-SPAN).

Posted by: Public Affairs

When federal disaster assistance becomes available to individuals, we use many means of communication to encourage disaster survivors to apply with FEMA. One way we get the word out is through our teams of community relations specialists. We’ve talked about community relations teams in the past, after they hit the ground in Alabama encouraging residents to apply for assistance. Recently, teams have been on the ground in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and Georgia, performing door-to-door “sweeps” in affected areas.

The work of community relations teams have been in the news lately, and we wanted to share a few of the recent stories:

• FEMA door knockers give Jefferson homeowners advice, listening ear (courtesy of AL.com) 
• FEMA going door to door in Arkansas (courtesy of ArkansasOnline.com) 
• FEMA going door to door talking to tornado victims (courtesy of KATV) 

Unfortunately, scam artists will also go door-to-door, aiming to take advantage of disaster survivors. If anyone comes to your door, we encourage all residences to ask for formal identification that they are a FEMA employee. (See this past blog on avoiding and reporting fraud.)

If your home or business has sustained losses and it’s in an eligible county, you can apply for disaster assistance by:

• Visiting disasterassistance.gov,
• Going to m.fema.gov on your smartphone,
• Calling 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585 or 
• Visiting a disaster recovery center.

Posted by: Rachel Racusen, Director of Public Affairs

As we constantly say at FEMA, having an emergency communications plan is one of the most important things people can do to be prepared for disasters. And this morning, Administrator Fugate will join several of our partners in emergency communications at an event in New York City to announce a new tool that will enhance federal, state and local emergency communications plans with the public – the Personal Localized Alerting Network, or more appropriately, PLAN.

PLAN is a technology developed by FEMA that will allow any customers of participating wireless carriers to turn their mobile phones into personal alert systems. What’s new about that? Well a few key things:

• First, these alerts will be geographically targeted, so people will receive them based on where they are when an emergency hits, as opposed to where they live. This is a much more practical and useful way of getting emergency information, when it matters most.
  
• Second, these alerts will be able to get through to phones, no matter how jammed nearby cell towers are.
  
• And third, they are completely free of charge and require no sign up. Wireless carriers voluntary choose to participate, and in doing so, provide the technology to new and existing customers. Customers whose phones include the new PLAN technology will have the alerts already activated on their phones, but can opt out of receiving them if they choose to do so.

At 11 a.m. EDT today, Administrator Fugate will join the FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the top executives of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon to announce that this new technology will be ready to go ahead of schedule in New York City and possibly other metro areas – by the end of this year.

It’s an exciting announcement and one that yet again demonstrates that FEMA is just part of the team, along with other federal agencies, the private sector, and many others, most importantly the public. We know there will be a lot of questions today and going forward about how this new technology will work so stay tuned to the blog for important information.

To get started, check out this fact sheet.

Leave a comment below and let us know what you think about PLAN.

Posted by: Public Affairs

Editor’s Note: Updated on May 10, 5 p.m. EDT 

Yesterday, President Obama made federal disaster assistance available to individuals in five counties in Missouri and Tennessee, to supplement the state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding.  

If you live in an eligible county and have sustained losses, you can register for assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov, on your phone at http://m.fema.gov, or by calling  800-621-FEMA (3362) / TTY 800-462-7585.

If you have flood insurance, this is a good time to locate your policy and proactively contact your insurance company to find out what information you may need to have on hand if you need to file a claim.  For general flood insurance questions, a step-by-step guide to filing a flood claim, and more information about flood insurance, visit http://www.FloodSmart.gov or call 1-800-427-4661.

And as we continue to support the response to the severe storms that affected the Southeast earlier this month, we are also continuing to closely monitor the ongoing flood fight along the Mississippi River Valley, its tributaries and other low-lying areas.

Historic flood levels have been set at many locations where the river has crested, and thousands of Americans are continuing to be affected. Here's a rundown of what we’re doing to support the flood fight, and what you can do if you live an area at risk for flooding:

What we're doing
Through our regional offices in Atlanta, Ga., Chicago, Ill., Denton, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo., we remain in close contact and coordination with our state and local partners in all of the areas affected by, or potentially impacted by, flooding. And as the crest moves down the Mississippi River, we will continue to coordinate closely with officials from the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

At the request of the states, we currently have staff on the ground in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee working with state emergency management partners, to coordinate federal support. Last week, President Obama declared emergency declarations for Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana, and a major disaster declaration for Kentucky, allowing the federal government to support emergency measures to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety.

In addition to personnel on the ground, we're also sending supplies to a pre-determined staging area in western Kentucky to ensure the needed supplies are located close to the affected areas. Here’s a quick look at the supplies at the staging area so far:

• More than 720,000 meals,
• More than 460,000 thousand liters of water,
• More than 39,000 blankets,
• More than 20,000 tarps and
• More than 14,000 cots.

Nashville, TN, May 4, 2010 -- An aerial photograph shows the extensive flood damage to Nashville during last May's flooding.

What you can do
If you live in an area that may be affected, follow the directions of local officials (including evacuation orders), as record flood levels are anticipated as the crest continues to move down river.

The National Weather Service remains the source for official weather information, and has issued flood warnings across several states, from Cairo, Ill. to Baton Rouge, La., including Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana as rivers are forecast to crest over the next few weeks. You can track your local forecast at www.weather.gov or on your phone at http://mobile.weather.gov.

Become familiar with the terms that are used to identify a flooding hazard and discuss with your family what to do if a flood watch or warning is issued:

• Flood Watch: Flooding is possible. Tune in to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for information
• Flash Flood Watch: Flash flooding is possible. Be prepared to move to higher ground; listen to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for information.
• Flood Warning: Flooding is occurring or will occur soon; if advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
• Flash Flood Warning: A flash flood is occurring; seek higher ground on foot immediately.

For more flood safety and preparedness tips, visit Ready.gov, and check back on the blog for the latest updates.

Posted by: Public Affairs

Many of you were following our blog and the activities leading up to the Great Central U.S. Shakeout conducted on April 28. Not only was the ShakeOut the multi-state earthquake drill (with 3.1 million participants), there’s no doubt that it was also the most successful drill to take place along the New Madrid Seismic Zone.  Millions of registered participants; from Atlanta, Ga. to Chicago, Ill. took part in the “Drop! Cover! Hold On!”  drill scheduled to teach earthquake safety.


Students at the Milford Elementary School in Atlanta, GA participate in the ShakeOut drill. FEMA and GEMA personnel were there to answer questions about earthquake and emergency preparedness.

While the drill itself was a big success, individuals, families, businesses, and communities should continually prepare for the threat of earthquakes. Even if you did not participate in the Great Central ShakeOut last month, we encourage you to conduct earthquake drills at any time with your family, coworkers or employees.

And as always, we also encourage you to take three simple steps to get prepared for any emergency: get a kit, make a plan and be informed.

Posted by: Public Affairs

We are continuing to support the emergency management team across the southeast as they recover from deadly storms and tornadoes.  Here are some of the latest photos from our Photo Library, highlighting some of the ongoing recovery efforts.


Griffin, Ga., May 4, 2011 -- A Catoosa County resident confirms the necessary paper work for filing an application to receive federal funding for damage from the April 27, 2011 tornado. FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee Carol Hill, at the Catoosa County Disaster Recovery Center, explains the process.


Concord, Ala., May 4, 2011 -- Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne conducts an interview an Associated Press photographer. He explained FEMA's role in helping communities and individuals recover from the April 27 tornadoes and how they can come to this Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Concord, or any other DRC in Alabama, and register with FEMA.


Heckleburg, Ala., May 6, 2011 -- The downtown section here was destroyed by the April 28 tornado. FEMA is on the ground and continues to assist in recovery efforts.


Selma, Ala., May 7, 2011 -- Trucks prepare to transfer mobile homes which will serve as temporary housing to residents of Hackleburg, Ala. who lost their homes to the April 27 tornadoes.


Benson, N.C., May 6, 2011 -- FEMA Mitigation Outreach Specialist Crispin Nery explains the bracket system used in the DAWG HAUS or Disaster Avoidance with Good Home Attenuating-Unionization System structure to West Johnstone High school shop teacher Eddie Poplin before beginning construction. The DAWG HAUS is a FEMA mitigation program to show how to build or rebuild stronger, safer structures that can withstand most tornadoes.


Concord, Ala., May 4, 2011 -- A survivor of the April 27th tornado takes the first step of applying for assistance by registering with FEMA at the Concord Disaster Recovery Center.


Concord, Ala., May 4, 2011 -- FEMA External Affairs Officer Bob Jensen and Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne meet with citizens impacted by the April 27 tornado, and discuss how to register with FEMA.


Rocky Mount, N.C., May 7, 2011 -- FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Bolch and Deputy State Coordinating Officer Emily Young answer media questions concerning FEMA's use of temporary housing in North Carolina. FEMA is responding to the deadly tornadoes and severe storms that damaged or destroyed homes and businesses across North Carolina on April 16, 2011.


Ringgold, Ga., May 5, 2011 -- The residents of Ringgold take time from cleaning up their damaged town to remember veterans, and take part in the National Day of Prayer. Ringgold, in Catoosa County, was hit by a powerful tornado on April 27, 2011.