Summer Fire Safety Tips From FEMA

Release Date: July 2, 2012
Release Number: R10-12-015

» 2012 Region X News Releases

SEATTLE, Wash. — As skies clear and weather turns warmer, Pacific Northwest residents are hoping for glorious weather this Fourth of July. But however the weather turns out, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) warn that careless handling of fireworks and outdoor grills can ruin parties and picnics — and entire summers. New data released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that last year, during the 30 days surrounding July 4, these fireworks sent about 1,900 injured consumers to emergency rooms. CPSC’s statistics show that about 8,600 consumers ended up in hospital emergency rooms due to injuries involving legal and illegal fireworks. About 40 percent of the injuries that occurred during this time period were related to firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers.

“When celebrating the Fourth of July, Americans need to remember to use fireworks, fires and barbecues with care. The best way to enjoy fireworks is to visit public displays held by trained professionals,” said Loper. “Summer holidays should be fun and generate good memories, not pain and remorse. Have fun, but be safe.”

FIREWORKS SAFETY TIPS:

If fireworks are legal where you live and you decide to set them off on your own, be sure to follow these important safety tips:

Observe local laws.
Keep a bucket of water handy in case of a malfunction or fire.
Read and follow all warnings and instructions.
Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks.
Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks. Never shoot a firework at or near another person.
Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves, and flammable materials.
Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned. Douse and soak them with water and throw them away.
Never ignite fireworks in a container, especially a glass or metal container.
Keep unused fireworks away from firing areas.
Store fireworks in a dry, cool place. Check instructions for special storage directions.

GRILLING FIRE SAFETY TIPS

Propane and charcoal BBQ grills must only be used outdoors. If used indoors, or in any enclosed spaces such as tents, they pose a fire hazard and a risk of exposing occupants to deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
Place the grill a safe distance from lawn games, play areas, and foot traffic. Grills should be positioned at least 10 feet away from siding, deck railing, and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
Keep matches, lighters, and starter fluid out of the reach of children in a locked drawer or cabinet.
Keep children and pets away from the grill area: declare a three-foot “kid-free zone” around the grill.
Use long barbeque mitts and long-handled grilling tools to protect the chef from heat and flames when cooking.
Periodically remove grease or fat buildup in trays below the grill so it cannot be ignited by a hot grill.

USFA, part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, serves the American public and the nation’s fire services through training, data collection and analysis, public fire education, and fire protection technology research. For more information, visit: www.usfa.fema.gov. For wildfire preparedness tips, sample preparedness plans and emergency checklists, visit firewise.org or www.fema.gov.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. Social media links are provided for reference only. FEMA does not endorse non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMAs mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Monday, 02-Jul-2012 16:38:35

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Summer Fire Safety Tips From FEMA

5 Months Before Flood Maps Are Effective in Santa Fe Co, NM

Release Date: July 2, 2012
Release Number: R6-12-115

» 2012 Region VI News Releases

DENTON, Texas — In five months, on Dec. 4, new flood maps for Santa Fe County, New Mexico will become effective. Before the maps are final, state, local and federal officials are encouraging everyone to view the maps to understand their flood risk and consider purchasing flood insurance.

Most property insurance policies do not cover the effects of a flood. Floods can place people at risk of uninsured loss to their businesses, homes and personal property if they don’t have either a private flood insurance policy or coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a voluntary protection program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Flooding is the #1 natural disaster in the United States and only flood insurance covers these unexpected, damaging and sometimes fatal events. “Where there is rain, there could be flooding,” said FEMA Region 6 Acting Administrator Tony Robinson. “Everyone lives in a flood zone.”

To learn if your community participates in the NFIP and to review the new flood maps, please contact your local floodplain administrator (FPA) who may be located at City Hall or the local courthouse.

FEMA Map specialists and Flood Insurance experts also are available to answer questions. They can be reached by phone and online chat:

To contact a FEMA Map Specialist, call 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627) or send an email to FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com
To use the live chat service, visit go.usa.gov/r6C. Click on the “Live Chat” icon.
For more information on estimated rates for flood insurance, flood facts and to locate an agent in your area, visit www.FloodSmart.gov or call 1-888-379-9531.

FEMA encourages communities not currently participating in the NFIP to look at the benefits of joining the program. Participation in the NFIP can assure a faster recovery in the event of a devastating flood.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Monday, 02-Jul-2012 09:41:39

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5 Months Before Flood Maps Are Effective in Santa Fe Co, NM

Federal, State and Local Partners Team Up To Identify Middle Brazos/Palo Pinto Watershed Flood Risks in Texas

Release Date: July 2, 2012
Release Number: R6-12-113

» 2012 Region VI News Releases

DENTON, Texas — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is initiating a watershed approach to identifying flood risk in an area involving nearly a dozen Texas counties.

As this effort begins in the Middle Brazos/Palo Pinto Watershed, local, state and federal officials are working together to develop partnerships, share flood risk information and identify opportunities for mitigation action.

The watershed touches a total of 11 Texas counties: Archer, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Stephens and Young.

“It’s important that the whole community be a part of this process in order for the end result to be a tangible mitigation action,” said FEMA Region 6 Acting Administrator Tony Robinson. “For a comprehensive picture of a community’s flood risk, FEMA relies heavily on information and data provided by the community itself.”

Presently, FEMA is gathering information from a variety of stakeholders including community officials, flood plain administrators, engineers, watershed council representatives, planners, and emergency managers. This data is being collected through a process called discovery, initiated by discovery meetings recently held in the local area.

Because flood hazards change over time, officials say the watershed approach to identifying flood risks provides a great opportunity to take a comprehensive look at the components that contribute to a community’s flood risk.

Last Modified: Monday, 02-Jul-2012 09:11:22

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Federal, State and Local Partners Team Up To Identify Middle Brazos/Palo Pinto Watershed Flood Risks in Texas

FEMA Authorizes Funds to Help Fight Utah’s Rose Crest Fire

Release Date: June 29, 2012
Release Number: R8-12-020

» 2012 Region VIII News Releases

DENVER, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for Utah’s Rose Crest Fire in Salt Lake County. This is the fourth Fire Management Assistance Grant has approved in the last week.

FEMA Regional Administrator Robin Finegan approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) upon receiving the state’s request. At the time of the request, the fire was threatening approximately 150 homes in Herrmann City, Utah with a population of 20,000. The fire is also threatening a military installation, a residential subdivision and volatile brush.

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state’s eligible firefighting costs for managing, mitigating and controlling the fire. These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

Fire Management Assistance Grants are provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.

Since Friday, June 22, FEMA has approved Fire Management Assistance Grants for the Dump Fire in Utah County, the Wood Hollow Fire in Sanpete County and the Clay Springs Fire in Millard County, after it was determined that the fires threatened to create a major disaster. There are currently five other large fires burning uncontrolled in Utah.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Monday, 02-Jul-2012 07:15:22

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FEMA Authorizes Funds to Help Fight Utah’s Rose Crest Fire

FEMA Supporting State and Local Officials Responding to Severe Weather in Midwest and Mid-Atlantic

Individuals in Affected States Urged to Listen to Local Officials and Take Precautions Due to Extreme Hot Weather

Release Date: June 30, 2012
Release Number: HQ-12-051

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its federal partners continue to work closely with states affected by yesterday’s damaging winds, hail and severe thunderstorms, including parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.

At the request of the State of Ohio, a FEMA liaison officer is deployed to the Ohio state emergency operations center to support state response efforts as needed. FEMA has also deployed an Incident Management Assistance Team to West Virginia to work side by side with the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management as it continues to respond and identify potential needs from the storm outbreak. FEMA also remains in close contact with federal partners at the National Weather Service forecast offices, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The National Weather Service has issued Excessive Heat Advisories in many areas that have been affected by the severe weather and may be without power, and urges everyone to take safety precautions due to the extreme high temperatures.

“Response efforts are underway from last night’s storms. FEMA urges affected individuals to continue to monitor weather conditions, heed advice from local officials and take appropriate precautions due to the severe hot weather and humidity,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “We will continue to work closely with our state and local partners in impacted areas to ensure there are no unmet needs as they continue to respond.”

FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. is activated, and our Regional Response Coordination Centers in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa. are activated to support impacted states if requested.

More information on severe weather preparedness is available at www.ready.gov, www.listo.gov, and for other languages at www.ready.gov/translations.

Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Last Modified: Saturday, 30-Jun-2012 16:43:44

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FEMA Supporting State and Local Officials Responding to Severe Weather in Midwest and Mid-Atlantic

Federal Aid Programs for State of West Virginia Emergency

Release Date: June 30, 2012
Release Number: HQ-12-052Factsheet

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Obama’s emergency disaster declaration issued for the State of West Virginia.

Assistance for the State and Affected Local Governments Can Include as Required:

FEMA is authorized to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the designated areas.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to provide emergency protective measures (Category B), limited to direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program at 75 percent Federal funding.

Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts available at www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema ; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fema and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fema.

Last Modified: Saturday, 30-Jun-2012 16:36:27

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Federal Aid Programs for State of West Virginia Emergency

President Declares Major Disaster for Colorado

Release Date: June 29, 2012
Release Number: HQ-12-050

» More Information on Colorado High Park And Waldo Canyon Wildfires

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to Colorado to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the High Park and Waldo Canyon Fires beginning on June 9, 2012, and continuing.

Federal funding is available for Crisis Counseling and Disaster Unemployment Assistance for affected individuals in El Paso and Larimer counties impacted by the High Park and Waldo Canyon Fires.

Federal funding also is available to state, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, for El Paso and Larimer counties impacted by the High Park and Waldo Canyon Fires.

Michael F. Byrne has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Byrne said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.

Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only.

FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Last Modified: Friday, 29-Jun-2012 09:22:17

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President Declares Major Disaster for Colorado

FEMA Authorizes Funds to Help Fight Utah’s Clay Springs Fire

Release Date: June 27, 2012
Release Number: R8-12-019

» 2012 Region VIII News Releases

DENVER, Co. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for Utah’s Clay Springs Fire in Millard County.

FEMA Regional Administrator Robin Finegan approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) upon receiving the state’s request. At the time of the request, the fire was burning into the town of Oak City. Mandatory evacuations are ordered for 225 homes at this time.

On Sunday, June 24, Regional Administrator Robin Finegan approved Fire Management Assistance Grants for the Dump Fire in Utah County and the Wood Hollow Fire in Sanpete County, when it was determined that the fires threatened to create major disaster. There are currently eight other large fires burning uncontrolled in Utah.

Last Modified: Thursday, 28-Jun-2012 10:12:15

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FEMA Authorizes Funds to Help Fight Utah’s Clay Springs Fire

FEMA Continues to Monitor Tropical Storm Debby

Individuals in Affected States Urged to be Aware of Potential Flooding Conditions and Listen to Local Officials

Release Date: June 25, 2012
Release Number: HQ-12-048

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its federal partners continue to monitor and work closely with states potentially affected by Tropical Storm Debby, including Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina. FEMA and its partners will continue to closely track severe weather conditions and forecasts for Debby through the week, and are urging residents to be vigilant in monitoring local reports due to anticipated heavy flooding.

As of 10 a.m. today, the storm is currently located in the Gulf of Mexico about 75 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, and continues on a very slow pace, moving northeastward at 3 m.p.h. Tropical storm watches and warnings, as well as flash flood watches and warnings have been issued for several areas along the Gulf Coast, including inland areas.

“Gulf coast residents and visitors should take Tropical Storm Debby seriously,” emphasized FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 illustrates the immense amount of rain a slow-moving tropical system can produce. Flooding with Tropical Storm Debby is a very big concern for the Florida panhandle and portions of the southeast.”

According to the National Weather Service, Debby is expected to produce rain accumulations of 5 to 10 inches over eastern portions of the Florida panhandle and northern Florida, with isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches possible. Total rain accumulations of 5 to 10 inches are expect over central Florida and southeast Georgia into coastal South Carolina, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches possible.

Along with the heavy rains, land falling tropical systems also increase the potential for tornadoes, and FEMA is urging people in the impacted areas to monitor weather conditions by listening to your local radio and television news outlets, or by listening to NOAA Weather Radio.

FEMA, through its regional offices in Atlanta, Ga., and Denton, Texas, remains in constant contact with state emergency management officials stands ready to support impacted states if requested. At the request of the State of Florida, a FEMA liaison officer is onsite at the Florida state emergency operations center to support state response efforts as needed.

More information on tropical storm and flooding preparedness is available at www.ready.gov, www.listo.gov, and for other languages at www.ready.gov/translations.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 26-Jun-2012 08:46:51

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FEMA Continues to Monitor Tropical Storm Debby