At the end of each week, we post a "What We’re Watching" blog as we look ahead to the weekend and recap events from the week. We encourage you to share it with your friends and family, and have a safe weekend.
June 22, 2012 - Satellite photo from the National Hurricane Center showing an area of low pressure organizing near the Gulf of Mexico.
Storm activity near the Gulf of Mexico
Earlier this week, the first hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season formed (Hurricane Chris), but you may not have heard much about it since it wasn’t a threat to the U.S. or its territories. Although Chris didn’t make many waves (in the media at least), we’re closely monitoring a tropical system much closer to home near the Gulf of Mexico.
National Hurricane Center forecasts say it’s probable that this system will develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours – so all those along the Gulf Coast should stay up to date with what’s happening.
Now is the time to prepare your family, home or business to lessen the impact of a tropical storm or hurricane; don’t wait until a storm is approaching your area. If you’re unsure about where to start, visit Ready.gov/hurricanes today to learn about the risks in your area, how to make an emergency plan, and how to create a family emergency kit.
And staying up to date with the latest tropical forecast information during hurricane season is easy. Here is how you can get the latest from the National Hurricane Center:
- Full website: www.hurricanes.gov
- Mobile website: //hurricanes.gov/mobile
- Twitter: Follow @NHC_Atlantic, @NHC_Pacific, and NHC Director Dr. Rick Knabb at @NHC_DrRickKnabb
- Facebook: Like “NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center”
How to beat the heat
No, I’m not talking about how to beat the Miami Heat, who won the NBA Championship last night. I’m referring to the abnormally high temperatures that many places in the U.S. experienced this past week. The National Weather Service is predicting more heat for next week, especially for the middle of the country.
So if the mercury in your thermometer rises next week, remember to check on those without air conditioning to make sure they are staying cool. And the age-old tips of drinking plenty of water and staying inside during the hottest part of the day are still effective – but you can find other useful heat safety tips at Ready.gov/heat.
Your feedback
As Shayne Adamski blogged yesterday, we’re watching for your feedback on the preview of the new fema.gov site. The redesigned site will be easier to navigate and help users quickly find the information they’re looking for – but we want you to “kick the tires” before we make the full switch over to the new site. So check out the new site at preview.fema.gov and leave a comment below or send us an e-mail at FEMA-New-Media@fema.dhs.gov.
Next weeks’ Think Tank call
Next week’s Think Tank call (June 28, 12 p.m. EDT) focuses on increasing coordination and collaboration within emergency management, healthcare and public health. The Think Tank provides a platform for people across the entire emergency management team, a team that includes members of the public, to share their best ideas on improving emergency management.
FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino will co-host the call with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the Department of Health and Human Services. Check out fema.gov/thinktank for more information, and I hope you can join us for the next week’s call:
Time: 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. EDT (11:00am – 1:00pm Central)
Call-In Number: 888-989-4401
Passcode: Think Tank Captioning for the event
Twitter: #femathinkank