Navigation
Search
Languages
Blog
Bravest and finest. Two words you’ve seen associated with police officers and firefighters. (In fact, that’s what they’re referred to in New York City. New York’s bravest are those with the FDNY, the finest are with NYPD.)Those are also two words we’d often use to describe the first responders with know and work with.As floodwaters leftover from Hurricane Matthew continue to rise in some places, we have deployed some of the country’s bravest and finest into those waters to help impacted communities.Over the last several days, the ten teams we’ve...
Posted On: October 10, 2016 It’s officially fall and many people are going pumpkin picking, heading out to apple orchards, and drinking pumpkin spice lattes.But, did you know that the start of fall isn’t the end of hurricane season? It actually doesn’t end until after Thanksgiving.In that vein, we’re quite busy around here because right now we're keeping our eye on Hurricane Matthew in the Atlantic.According to the National Hurricane Center's office in Miami, Matthew is on a course heading straight for Haiti, Cuba, and Jamaica and those areas are already seeing the impact.1,2 His track is...
Posted On: October 4, 2016 Walking through a pair of frosted glass doors, you immediately come upon a sea of red and blue vests swarming about a collection of brightly lit computer monitors. A visual treat. A wall of televisions blast the latest weather updates and the "tick-tock" (or "schedule" for folks outside of the agency) for the next round of reporting. Our main role as a coordinating agency is shown best in this room—known as the National Response Coordination Center.Here, where rows upon rows of rolling office chairs sit tucked neatly behind their desks on normal days, is where a lot...
Posted On: September 2, 2016 Labor Day weekend is a time for a lot of people to head out on fun and relaxing vacations and celebrate the last “official” days of summer. Here, it’s historically a time we find ourselves at our busiest. Labor Day lies right smack dab in the middle of peak hurricane season—and if you’re like us and have been following the forecasts, you might know a little bit about what’s on our radars.Right now, we’re following several different storms forecast to hit two vastly different areas: the Big Island of Hawaii and the Big Bend of Florida. (For those of us...
Posted On: August 31, 2016 One of the things we see most often after disasters is the concept of "neighbors helping neighbors"—where communities come together to help each other through. This round of flooding in Louisiana has shown us nearly countless instances of this; from children helping to supply lunches for first responders and survivors, to athletes from colleges and professional teams volunteering around their adopted communities.It's been a truly wide-spread humanitarian effort, and one that we've been astounded, humbled, and inspired by.Here's a quick breakdown of just some of the...
Posted On: August 23, 2016 Unprecedented. Historic. Epic. Three words that have been used to describe this month's flooding in Louisiana. Last Friday, as the rains came down and over 31 inches of water fell in some areas, we knew it was a big deal.A week later, this remains a very significant disaster. Our Administrator traveled down on Tuesday. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security traveled down on Thursday. Next Tuesday, the President will travel.With disasters like these, the federal family wraps its arms around affected communities. Large and small. The federal family becomes a true family and...
Posted On: August 19, 2016 As much of the country switched on their air conditioners and poured cool drinks in an attempt to battle stifling temperatures on Friday afternoon, parts of Louisiana braced themselves for a flooding event of epic proportions.While Louisianans are no strangers to flooding conditions, this round of flooding is unprecedented. Flood gauges across the state are hitting high levels with several areas not expecting to crest until later into the week.1As the situation has evolved, we've continued to work with our partners in the state. Four parishes (East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena and...
Posted On: August 15, 2016 According to its website, the Angeles National Forest offers "natural environments, spectacular scenery, developed campgrounds and picnic areas, swimming, fishing, skiing, and the solitude of quiet wilderness areas." Not cited on that webpage, it also provides a scenic background for one of the most hustling and bustling cities in the country: Los Angeles, California.This weekend, this serene, picturesque forest became home to an incredibly active, dangerous blaze known as the Sand Fire. (For reference, fire names are often determined by their proximity to certain landmarks; this...
Posted On: July 25, 2016 Steamy. Searing. Sweltering. Hazy, hot and humid. In a word, it's summer. It's also disgustingly warm and frankly quite gross--especially when it's the kind of heat that coats your skin with an insufferable layer of moisture as soon as you step outside.This weekend, that kind of heat is going to blanket much of the country.Here are today’s forecasted high temps:And Saturday's:And Sunday's:When the National Weather Service talks about this kind of stifling heat, they use several words and terms that might cause some confusion: heat advisory, heat index, excessive heat...
Posted On: July 22, 2016 I’d been warned before meeting him that he might be intimidating. But, “intimidated” doesn’t even come close to describing what I felt when I first met him. “Petrified” gets a little closer, but even that might not even be strong enough to describe the anxiety and sheer terror I felt. However, the more I got to know him, the more I grew to love him.He was my father-in-law. A police officer in south Florida, he was always full of surprises and stories.One of my favorite stories to tell is actually one he’s featured in. It’s simple, yet...
Posted On: July 21, 2016