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.

FEMA Think Tank Conference Call

Join Deputy Administrator Rich Serino as he hosts the next FEMA Think Tank Conference Call Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Over one year ago, Deputy Administrator Serino created the FEMA Think Tank to bring together people across all sectors of emergency management to discuss real-life solutions and ideas to present and future emerging challenges within the emergency management field. This month’s call will focus on innovative solutions in emergency management and is open to everyone.

Here’s the call-in information:

Call-in Number: 888-324-6998

Passcode: ThinkTank

Captioning: http://fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=2090240&CustomerID=321

Twitter: #femathinktank

We hope that you can join us for this month’s call. Even if you can’t join the call, you can follow and participate in the conversation on Twitter. We’ll be live tweeting from the event from our @FEMAlive account.

Great ShakeOut

On Thursday, Feb. 7 at 10:15 a.m. CST, millions of people will stop what they’re doing and "Drop. Cover. Hold on." Join over 2 million people across the U.S. who plan to participate in the largest earthquake drill in the U.S.

Taking part in the ShakeOut is a great first step towards knowing what to do in the event of an earthquake. It’s not too late to register your family, business, or school. After the ShakeOut, visit Ready.gov/earthquakes for more information on preparing your home, workplace or school for an earthquake.

We hope you will join us for these events.

Photo of the Week

Mitigation expert Bill McDonnell spoke at an informational meeting to help residents in Toms Rivers, N.J., affected by Hurricane Sandy. Survivors were able to learn about individual assistance, mitigation, flood insurance, and many other topics. 

For more photos, visit the FEMA Photo Library.

Video of the Week

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Debris Collection

More than 90 percent of the debris left in New York in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, has been collected in just 90 days by the Army Corps of Engineers. Much of it is being cleaned, repurposed and recycled.

In Case You Missed It…

• Earlier this week, President Obama signed the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013. In addition to providing assistance to individuals, families, and communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the act also included an amendment to the Stafford Act, giving Tribal nations the same status as states when requesting federal disaster assistance. Federally recognized tribal governments can now make a request directly to the President for an emergency or major disaster declaration to receive assistance, whereas in the past, Tribes had to make the request through a State.

Read more about this new legislation on our blog and visit our Tribal page.

• As winter storms and weather continue to impact many parts of the U.S., be sure you are prepared for winter weather. Visit Ready.gov/winter-weather for tips on what to do before, during and after winter weather.

Have a safe weekend!