Picks of the Week: Practical Tips for Hurricane Season

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/

Mother Nature kicked off Hurricane Season early, with two Tropical Storms: Alberto and Beryl. FEMA, the American Red Cross and the National Hurricane Center answered with an abundance of information during Hurricane Preparedness Week.  Here are some of the best resources for addressing what we all hope will be a relatively easy Hurricane Season.


Tips from the National Hurricane Center

Visit the National Hurricane Center's website to watch video or listen to audio (short clips available in both English and Spanish) or read about the topics as listed below. 

					PREPARE	ACT
					Get A Plan!	Take Action

Evacuation - Flat Stanley has some ideas for getting citizens involved in planning

Regardless of information made readily available to the public, preparedness planning and evacuation plans are one of the weakest points due to citizen apathy. In the FEMA Blog Lessons from Hurricane Andrew, CNN reporter John Zarrella underscores the importance of evacuation planning and his concern about citizens' who choose not to evacuate. Check out FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate's 2012 Hurricane Season message; Flat Stanley for some smile-making evacuation planning tips for children, adults and families, or watch the video of Flat Stanley's recent FEMA visit.
 


Social Media: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Ready.gov is the FEMA go-to site for a well-organized information about emergency preparedness and recovery.
Social Media Links include smartphone, apps, text, blogs for updates before, during and after a disaster.

To apply for Disaster Assistance: Online at DisasterAssistance.gov; via a smartphone at m.fema.gov;or by Phone: (800) 621-3362,TTY (800) 462-7585 for people with speech or hearing disabilities. 

Fake FEMA websites and Phishing make recovering from disaster more difficult for those who recovering from disaster. http://www.ready.gov is the official FEMA site.

Excellent Resources for Post-Disaster Stress Management and other Disaster-Related Issues

David Baldwin's Trauma Pages are the best collection of disaster-related links and materials available, dealing with stress, emotional challenges, and healthy coping strategies.  An added plus is the list of disaster related websites.   

Here's wishing all a fun-filled, disaster-free summer!