FEMA to Assess Future Over-the-Air Broadcast Alerting Technology

WASHINGTON —The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Continuity Programs’ Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Division has begun to assess the feasibility of a public alert and warning capability that is being developed in the private sector.   

New technologies could deliver detailed emergency information to the public with pictures and videos of evacuation routes, storm tracks, and shelter information – increasing community preparedness before, during, and after a disaster. The media alerts will be able to include multilingual and multi-format information to warn non-English speaking populations and people with access and functional needs.  

“FEMA is committed to working with the private sector to examine and improve future alerts and warnings,” said Roger Stone, Acting Assistant Administrator for National Continuity Programs. “New systems could someday include pictures and video as part of the advanced alert and warning information provided to the general public.”

One such technology being considered is the Advanced Warning and Response Network (AWARN).  AWARN works by using advanced capabilities in the next generation of digital television broadcast system called ATSC 3.0 being standardized by the Advanced Television Systems Committee.  The emerging television broadcast standard provides for the transmission of large media rich, data messages over-the-air to mobile, portable, and fixed television and video devices without interrupting ongoing television shows.   

FEMA’s IPAWS is a national system for local alerting. IPAWS enables authorities at all levels of government to alert and warn people in areas endangered by disasters. IPAWS is used by federal, state, and local authorities to send emergency alerts to cellular phones as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs), to radio and television as Emergency Alert System (EAS) broadcasts, to NOAA Weather Radios, and to an All-Hazards Alert and Information Feed for Internet applications, services, and websites.

For more information on IPAWS, go to www.fema.gov/ipaws. 

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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.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, 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.

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FEMA to Assess Future Over-the-Air Broadcast Alerting Technology

Arlington Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Award

DENTON, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recognized the Arlington Christian Disaster Network’s accomplishments in coordinating preparedness and emergency response efforts. The group received an honorable mention for Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability in the 2015 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards.

FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson and Region 6 Federal Preparedness Coordinator Randy Meshell presented the award during a recent ceremony at the Arlington Emergency Operations Center.

“Arlington Christian Disaster Network has utilized key partnerships to offer volunteer reception, shelters and emergency preparedness support in countless ways that will benefit Arlington citizens and visitors for years to come,” Robinson said. “I applaud the efforts of both the Arlington Office of Emergency Management and the Arlington Christian Disaster Network for coming together to address the need to coordinate the preparedness and emergency response efforts in your community.”

Among the group’s accomplishments:

  • Bringing together 17 local faith-based organizations to coordinate resources to serve the Arlington community.

  • Recruiting members and managing the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program.

  • Responsible for an additional 55 trained individuals to complement the Arlington CERT program.

  • Providing CERT train-the-trainers and instructors to Arlington Office of Emergency Management.

Each year FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division recognizes the preparedness efforts of organizations around the country. This year, 138 organizations applied for recognition. There were 11 award winners and 37 honorable mentions.

The categories are:  

  • Outstanding Citizen Corps Council Award

  • Community Preparedness Heroes

  • Awareness to Action 

  • Technological Innovation

  • Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness

  • Preparing the Whole Community

  • Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives

  • Outstanding Citizen Corps Partner Program

  • Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability

Several other groups in Texas and Louisiana received awards and recognition as well:

  • New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps won the award for Outstanding Citizen Corps Program.

  • Mart High School Teen CERT, near Waco, Texas, received two honorable mentions: Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness and Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiative.

  • The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana received an honorable mention in the category of Technological Innovations.

Visit www.ready.gov/citizen-corps/citizen-corps-awards for more information on this year’s award recipients and honorable mentions.

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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. 

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

                                                      

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Arlington Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Award

Volunteering and Donating to Help Hurricane Isaac Survivors

BATON ROUGE, La. — Since Hurricane Isaac struck Louisiana in late August, the public has been an important part of the emergency management team by volunteering time, money, and energy helping disaster survivors and their communities.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its partner, Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (LA VOAD), are committed to fostering the Four Cs: communication, coordination, collaboration and cooperation.

LA VOAD is the primary statewide point of contact for voluntary organizations assisting with Hurricane Isaac disaster needs. It is also the forum where organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle — preparation, response and recovery — to help disaster survivors and their communities.

Members of Louisiana VOAD have done valuable work throughout the state since Isaac struck. Many are community- and faith-based groups, providing people with basic household needs, helping with clean-up and repair, and planning for longer-term recovery. Some have fostered cultural sensitivity and awareness, providing for particular needs of ethnic groups. Others are health care professionals who have counseled survivors at shelters and in their communities as they continue to cope with stress.

Whether or not you live in one of the affected parishes, you can support the ongoing response and recovery efforts in several ways. Listed below are tips for Louisianians who want to donate goods and services or volunteer their time and energy to help disaster survivors:

  • Register at www.volunteerlouisiana.org to receive updates and information on volunteer opportunities as they are identified.
    • For opportunities in Plaquemines Parish, call the Committee for Plaquemines Recovery at 1-504-564-0309.
    • For opportunities in St. John Parish, call the hotline at 1-985-359-1024 
  • Visit Louisiana VOAD website at www.lavoad.org and click on the “How to Help” tab for information and links on how to volunteer or donate.
  • A financial contribution is the most efficient method of donating and offers voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources. You can donate money directly to Louisiana VOAD members including texting a donation to the American Red Cross or Salvation Army at www.nvoad.org.
  • If you have a quantity of a given item to donate, and you need help in determining which organizations to give to, you can make your offer through the National Donations Management Network by clicking “Louisiana” on the drop down menu at www.aidmatrixnetwork.org.
  • Also at this website, click on “Louisiana” on the interactive map for updated parish-specific opportunities for volunteers.
  • Join up with existing nonprofit organizations before coming to the disaster area. A community easily can become overwhelmed by the amount of generous people who want to help. Contacting and affiliating with an established organization will help to ensure that you are appropriately trained to respond in the most effective way.
  • Confirm the need before donating goods. Unsolicited donated goods require voluntary agencies to redirect valuable resources away from providing services in order to sort, package, transport, warehouse and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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Volunteering and Donating to Help Hurricane Isaac Survivors