  | |
 | |
| ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
U.S. DHHS. Office of Minority Health. Resources..Money & More
2013 AmeriCorps NOFO Upcoming Tribal Calls
|
AmeriCorps is hosting two final calls for tribes on Thursday, December 13 and Thursday, January 10.
The steps for registration are below:
- Click the “register” button link. This will take you to an external website called EventBrite.
- When that website opens, click the orange REGISTER tab.
- Complete the registration information, changing the email address to your own if it is prepopulated. The page will also include the call-in information you need.
- An order confirmation screen will appear in eventbrite.com. Also, an email will be automatically sent to you confirming your ticket order. Tickets will include the call number and access code you need to participate in the call. Tickets are free and you do NOT have to print the ticket for any reason, as the event is via telephone.
- Under “WHEN” on the right-hand side of the page, click “add to my calendar,” then “Outlook calendar," “open,” and when the Outlook window opens, click “save and close” in the top-left corner. You will receive an email confirmation.
For a full list of technical assistance conference calls, the notice of funding opportunity, or other grant application resources, refer to our website.
New FAQs Available for Criminal History Checks
National Service Criminal History Checks
New FAQs Available for Criminal History Checks
The Corporation for National and Community Service has posted two new updates regarding National Service Criminal History Checks on the Knowledge Network.
The first is an updated Frequently Asked Questions document published on November 30, 2012.
The second is the latest presentation to grantees on the National Service Criminal History Check requirements published December 4, 2012.
Please review and contact your program officer should you have any questions or need further clarification.
Workshop: Mobile, AL. SBA 89(a) Business Opportunity
| |||
|
Lesley on Africa added to BEMA home\web\blog page
Blog and URL added to the BEMA home\web\blog page as insightful reference to Africa.
Webinar Recording: ""Water Sector Mutual Aid: How the WARN Program Facilitates Rapid Response and Recovery of Water Systems,"
The Webinar recording of the November 28th EMForum.org program,
""Water Sector Mutual Aid: How the WARN Program Facilitates Rapid Response and Recovery of Water Systems," with Kevin Morley (AWWA) and John Whitler (EPA), is now available.
This is a large file and requires Windows Media Player or Windows Media Components for QuickTime or a similar product to view.
The recording is now also available in MP4 format for mobile users.
The Transcript, Audio Podcast, presentation Slides, as well as Ratings and Comments are available from the Background Page.
The Audio Podcast and MP4 recordings are also available from the iTunes Store.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Emergency Planning: Ask: Do You Know What Is Transported Through Your Back Yard?
IEM Blog: NJ Train Derailment Begs Us to Ask: Do You Know What Is Transported Through Your Back Yard?
|  |
|
Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:24 PM PST
Last Friday’s freight train derailment in New Jersey in which several rail tank cars of vinyl chloride ended up in a creek off the Delaware River serves as a sobering reminder to emergency managers throughout the United States: do you know what is transported through your back yard? If so, do you have a plan for responding?
Fortunately, only one rail car of vinyl chloride was ruptured, a tribute to the strength of rail tank cars. At 353,000 lbs fully loaded, a rail tank car is difficult to move, even with the right equipment. However, an incident involving vinyl chloride (VCM), a highly flammable toxic inhalation hazard, contains multiple hazards that are worth reviewing. This incident should serve as a learning experience for emergency managers and first responders.
First, in an incident involving a chemical like VCM, it is important to step back and assess the situation before immediately putting water on the problem. While VCM is highly flammable, the water spray reportedly used in the initial response may have actually exacerbated the release because adding water in this case would have increased the formation of gas. The recommended media is alcohol resistant firefighting foam (AR-AFFF). The foam knocks down the flammable and toxic gas and slows down the vaporization.
Second, aging infrastructure is clearly a factor in this incident. There are 18 railroad systems in New Jersey operating over 983 miles of track. While freight rail operators are constantly improving their systems, they cannot always keep up with the maintenance of tracks, trestles and bridges. This bridge was constructed in 1874. Like many railroad bridges in this country, they need attention.
Finally, environmental concerns in this event are not significant as VCM is not a persistent material in the environment and it does not bio-accumulate. VCM has an environmental half-life of 23 hours in soil and water. In air it rapidly degrades with sunlight and disperses into the atmosphere.
This incident underscores the importance of knowing what’s going through your back yard, preplanning so you know how to deal with such incidents, the ability to make good assessments and developing mitigation and response plans. Hazmat incidents must be supported by well trained and prepared responders.
|
|
Posted: 03 Dec 2012 08:44 AM PST
Author: IEM
On Friday, November 30th a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed while crossing a bridge in Paulsboro, NJ, a town south of Philadelphia. Four tanker trucks overturned into the creak creating a hole in rail car containing vinyl chloride.
Here is raw footage of the wreckage.
NJ Train Derailment Tips Tankers (Associated Press, Nov 30)
Train Derailment in New Jersey Spills Hazardous Waste (ABC news, Nov 30)
National
Transportation Safety Board Official Information:
NTSB Launches Go-Team to Investigate a Freight Train Derailment and Hazardous Materials Release in New Jersey (Article contains links to NTSB press briefings)
IEM’s hazmat and transportation experts are conducting an independent analysis of the spill that will be available later today.
See more information on IEM’s transportation expertise and hazmat modeling and simulation capabilities. |
SBA: Business Continuity Strategies
NEWS release
|
| ||||||||||||||
|
|
Top 10 Mistakes for Businesses To Avoid When Dealing With a Crisis
Business Continuity Strategies offered at Free SBA/Agility Webinar
WASHINGTON – What are the biggest and most common mistakes business owners make when facing down a disaster event? It could be flooding caused by a big hurricane, or the loss of sensitive and vital data inflicted by a hacked account. How you respond within the first few hours of the incident can either make your company a survivor, or result in the costly failure of your business.
Get tips on how to avoid making the mistakes that could cause you to lose your hard-earned assets at a free webinar hosted by Agility Recovery and the U.S. Small Business Administration on Tuesday, Dec. 11. Agility CEO Bob Boyd will share anecdotes from business owners who experienced natural and man-made disasters, and what they learned during the recovery phase.
SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies through its “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for additional preparedness tips.
The SBA provides disaster recovery assistance in the form of low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, private nonprofits and businesses of all sizes. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov/disaster.
WHAT: “The Top 10 Most Common Mistakes During a Crisis”- A presentation from Agility CEO Bob Boyd followed by a question and answer session.
WHEN: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 -- 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Central
HOW: Space is limited. Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/258501528
Monday, December 3, 2012
Disaster Preparedness Guide - Part 5. Weather Conditions
NewsFlash - The iPrepare Newsletter
|
We Make it Easy to Prepare!
Welcome to NewsFlash!
This email series and information is provided free of charge by iPrepare.com.
Disaster Preparedness Guide - Part 5
In the previous messages we have discussed Floods, Hurricanes and Tornadoes. Part 5 in this series provides more specific information about dealing with Winter Storms. Here is advice that will help you protect yourself and your family against the hazards of winter storms--blizzards, heavy snows, ice
storms, freezing rain, or sleet.
- KEEP POSTED ON WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Use your radio, television, newspapers and Internet to keep informed of current weather conditions and forecasts in your area. Even a few hours' warning of a storm may enable you to avoid being caught outside in it, or at least be better prepared to cope with it. You should also understand the terms commonly used in weather forecasts:
- - A blizzard is the most dangerous of all winter storms. Itcombines cold air, heavy snow, and strong winds that blow the snow about and may reduce visibility to only a few yards. A blizzard warning is issued when the weather service expects considerable snow, winds of 35 miles an hour or more, and temperatures of 20 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. A severe blizzard warning means that a very heavy snowfall is expected, with winds of at least 45 miles an hour and temperatures of 10 degrees or lower.
- - A heavy snow warning usually means an expected snowfall of 4 inches or more in a 12-hour period, or 6 inches or more in a 24-hour period. Warnings of snow flurries, snow squalls, or blowing and drifting snow are important mainly because visibility may be reduced and roads may become slippery or blocked.
- - Freezing rain or freezing drizzle is forecast when expected rain is likely to freeze as soon as it strikes the ground, putting a coating of ice or glaze on roads and everything else that is exposed. If a substantial layer of ice is expected to accumulate from the freezing rain, an ice storm is forecast.
- - Sleet is small particles of ice, usually mixed with rain. If enough sleet accumulates on the ground, it will make the roads slippery.
If you live in a rural area, make sure you could survive at home for a week or two in case a storm isolated you and made it impossible for you to leave. You should:
- - Keep an adequate supply of heating fuel on hand and use itsparingly, as your regular supplies may be curtailed by storm conditions. If necessary, conserve fuel by keeping the house cooler than usual, or by "closing off" some rooms temporarily. Also, have available some kind of emergency heating equipment and fuel so you could keep at least one room of your house warm enough to be livable. This could be a camp stove with fuel, or a supply of wood or coal if you have a fireplace. If your furnace is controlled by a thermostat and your electricity is cut off by a storm, the furnace probably would not operate and you would need emergency heat.
- Stock an emergency supply of food and water, as well as emergency cooking equipment such as a camp stove. Some of this food should be of the type that does not require refrigeration or cooking.
- Make sure you have a battery-powered radio and extra batteries on hand, so that if your electric power is cut off you could still hear weather forecasts, information and advice broadcast by local authorities. Also, flashlights or lanterns would be needed.
- Be sure to keep on hand the simple tools and equipment needed to fight a fire. Also, be certain that all family members know how to take precautions that would prevent fire at such a time, when the help of the fire department may not be available.
- TRAVEL ONLY IF NECESSARY.
Avoid all unnecessary trips. If you must travel, use public transportation if possible. However, if you
are forced to use your automobile for a trip of any distance, take these precautions:
- - Make sure your car is in good operating condition, properly
- serviced,and equipped with chains or snow tires.
- Take another person with you if possible.
- Make sure someone knows where you are going, your approximate
- Have emergency "winter storm supplies" in the car, such as a
- Travel by daylight and use major highways if you can. Keep the
- Drive with all possible caution. Don't try to save time by
- Don't be daring or foolhardy. Stop, turn back, or seek help if
- KEEP CALM IF YOU GET IN TROUBLE.
If your car breaks down during a storm, or if you become stalled or lost, don't panic. Think the problem through, decide what's the safest and best thing to do, and then do it slowly and carefully. If you are on a well-traveled road, show a trouble signal.
Set your directional lights to flashing, raise the hood of your car, or hang a cloth from the radio aerial or car window. Then stay in your car and wait for help to arrive. If you run the engine to keep warm, remember to open a window enough to provide ventilation and protect you from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Wherever you are, if there is no house or other source of help in sight, do not leave your car to search for assistance, as you maybecome confused and get lost.
- AVOID OVEREXERTION.
Every winter many unnecessary deaths occur because people--especially older persons, but younger ones as well--engage in more strenuous physical activity than their bodies can stand.
Cold weather itself, without any physical exertion, puts an extra strain on your heart. If you add to this physical exercise, especially exercise that you are not accustomed to--such as shoveling snow, pushing an automobile, or even walking fast or far--you are risking a heart attack, a stroke, or other damage to your body.
In winter weather, and especially in winter storms, be aware of this danger, and avoid overexertion.
One of the later emails in this series includes more information and a comprehensive list of Emergency Supplies. However, in the meantime, you can visit http://www.iPrepare.com to see a complete selection of Emergency Supplies.
This email series and information is provided free of charge by iPrepare.com, and will provide you information about how to respond to various types of disasters. Please forward this important
information to your family and friends.
This series is based on the handbook, "The Disaster Preparedness Guide," which is available
for purchase and download at http://www.iprepare.com/diprgu.html.
For more information on preparing for emergencies, and to see a complete listing of Emergency Supplies, please visit http://www.iPrepare.com. You can also purchase a complete copy of this handbook in eBook format.
Please visit us online at: http://www.iprepare.com/diprgu.html or email us at sales@iPrepare.com.
This guide is meant to be instructional, and information herein is believed to be current and correct.
The teaching in this handbook and all materials are meant to provide information that will help you understand and reduce the risk from disasters. The companies, agencies and individuals involved in the preparation, printing and distribution of any material assume no responsibility for any damage that arises from any action that is based on information found in this material Thank you again for visiting iPrepare.com.
We hope that you find this list useful and informative.
Sincerely,
Dave Walter
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)