Emergency Tip: Make a Plan for Hurricanes during this Third Week of National Preparedness Month

This week's theme from FEMA is Hurricane Prep. 

September is National Preparedness Month 

 - This week's theme from FEMA is Hurricane Preparation and it's hurricane season in the North East!

From FEMA.gov:

What is a hurricane?
Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, rip currents, and tornadoes. These large storms are called typhoons in the North Pacific Ocean and cyclones in other parts of the world.

Which parts of the U.S. are threatened by hurricanes?
Each year, many parts of the United States experience heavy rains, strong winds, floods, and coastal storm surges from tropical storms and hurricanes. Affected areas include all Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal areas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, parts of the Southwest, the Pacific Coast, and the U.S. territories in the Pacific.

When is hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the peak occurring between mid-August and late October. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15 and ends November 30.

Know your risk: 
Do you want to have a better understanding of the hurricane risk you and your community face? Below is a map of the United States and the frequency of hurricane and tropical storm activity by county. Atlantic data dates back to 1851, while Pacific data includes storms since 1949.

See the complete list of hurricane tips at http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.

IMPORTANT: See my post from last year: "It's 9/11 - Do You Have a Family Communications Plan?" for great advice on simple ways your family can stay in touch during an emergency.

For more information visit Ready.gov/September or follow the campaign on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/readygov, on Twitter, at https://twitter.com/Readygov,  or for FEMA Region VII, www.twitter.com/femaregion7. For more information about events for America's PrepareAthon throughout September, and for National PrepareAthon! Day information, visit www.ready.gov/prepare.

Images credit: FEMA.gov

Sharing Info from MEMA's 2015 Hurricane Preparedness Conference

Welcoming Remarks by Kurt N. Schwartz,
 Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency

MEMA's 2015 Hurricane Preparedness Conference

Late last month - Thursday, May 28th - I had the privilege to attend the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency's 2015 Hurricane Preparedness Conference in Norwood, MA.

I'm still digesting all the information and files I received from this conference, but I wanted to share the agenda plus presentation links with you today.

This information is not just for the professionals. Each of us in the North East should have a thorough understanding of hurricane preparation practices.

Important: If you are interested in future MEMA training courses, seminars, and conferences - visit the MEMA site and log into their Training Registration System. You will receive email alerts for training opportunities plus view calendars of upcoming courses offered across Massachusetts.

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2015 Hurricane Preparedness Conference Agenda

Speaker Biographies 

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8:00 AM - 8:30 AM

Welcoming Remarks by MEMA Director Kurt N. Schwartz

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8:30 AM - 9:30 AM

National Hurricane Center Products and Seasonal Outlook   file size4MB

Local Office Hurricane Products and Services   file size6MB

Bob Thompson, Meteorologist-in-Charge, National Weather Service, Taunton, MA

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9:45 AM - 10:35 AM

Public Response to Hurricane Threats in Massachusetts   file size2MB

Dr. Earl J. “Jay” Baker, Associate Professor, Florida State University

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10:35 AM - 11:05 AM

Debris Overview   file size1MB

Scott MacLeod, Mitigation & Disaster Recovery Section Chief, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency

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11:05 AM - 11:50 AM

Media and Hurricane Preparedness   file size2MB

Matt Noyes, Chief Meteorologist, New England Cable News

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12:15 PM - 1:00 PM

Re-Entry and Rebuilding After a Disaster   file size6MB

Amy Grzybowski, Town Manager, Town of Westerly, Rhode Island

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1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Preventing Further Harm: Practical Insights   file size4MB

Lisa Crowner, Statewide Health Educator/Trainer, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

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2:15 PM - 3:00 PM

                Emergency Power; Fuel supply chain after a Hurricane and Power Restoration  file size1MB

Mike McCallan, Director of Emergency Planning, National Grid

A Fuel Retailer’s Perspective on Hurricane Preparedness   file size1MB

Tom Cacciola, Vice President of Facilities Support, The Cumberland Gulf Group

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3:00 PM - 3:20 PM

HURREVAC Overview   file size1MB

Paul Morey, Hurricane Program Manager, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region I

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3:20 PM - 3:45 PM

Know Your Zone   file size1MB

Kurt N. Schwartz, Undersecretary for Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Executive Office of Public Safety and Security; Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency

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For additional hurricane preparation info plus general emergency planning resources, visit the MEMA site at http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/.

Image credit: Patrick O'Connor

Is Your Data Ready for Winter?

My backyard after Massachusetts' 2008 Ice Storm! 

With today being Halloween, many of us think of scary things such as goblins, ghosts and witches.

Not me: what truly scares me is losing my data!

October is the anniversary of two major weather events in the Northeast: The October nor'easter of 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Additionally, October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

How does this tie into my fear of losing my data?

While most of us generally plan for what we will do in the event of a storm or natural disaster - buy extra food, buy a generator, keep the car's gas task full, etc. - most people don't think about their computers and all the important information and memories that are in these pieces of technology.

With winter approaching and power loss / power surges almost guaranteed, is your data properly protected? And this is important for everyone: home owners, small businesses and even large organizations.

I can't count the number of times either a hard drive crash, a power surge, or even a fire has destroyed valuable data. Sometimes you can get it back, but the cost may be in the thousands of dollars.

You Need a Data Emergency Plan

Think about the information that is on your computers and other devices in your home or office. What would you do if all those family pictures or business records & projects were gone?

Step 1: Backup and then Backup Again

Local backup: We use Western Digital "My Passport" 1TB external USB drives to backup our home office laptops, but any external HD will do if it has these features:

• Automatic backup - don't rely on you remembering to back things up - schedule a backup nightly - better yet, buy a HD that automatically mirrors your data immediately after every save. 
• Encryption - make sure your data is safe from theft. Very important for businesses, but also vital for home owners who store bank or tax info on their systems.
• Enough capacity - buy a backup HD with 50% to 100% more space than your current system's HD. 
• Portability - get a portable HD that's easy to carry and simple to set up.

Important: Local backup is great until you lose that portable HD or it's damaged in an accident. Then Cloud Storage looks much more attractive...

Cloud backup: As a backup to the backup, you should also consider cloud backup services, not just for business data, but your home files as well.

Cloud backup plans start at around $50 / year and go up as you add storage space and features. The #1 benefit of Cloud backup is your data is protected from theft, fire, etc. If there's a natural disaster, there's nothing to carry out the door because your data is safely stored in a data center offsite.

A Google search for "cloud backup" yields a host of companies that can keep your data safe.

The way I personally use these 2 technologies:

• I backup all my data locally using external USB drives.
• I backup my "greatest hits" - favorite family pictures/videos plus important financial files to the Cloud. (I may start relying less on my external USB drives as the cost of Cloud storage continues to decrease. Right now it doesn't make sense to back up 3 TBs of data from multiple computers to the Cloud.)

Step 2: Work in the Cloud

Another way to keep all your important files safe is to make the Cloud the place where you work.

• You can use Google Drive or Dropbox to automatically store and share your important data across multiple platforms.
• If you have Microsoft Office, use the free online document storage for your most important work.
• You can also store and share important pictures and videos on image storage sites like Flickr, Photobucket, Snapfish, Shutterfly, or Picasa Web Albums.
• And of course if your company hosts it's own wiki or IBM Connections site, posting your work and files there will protect them from data loss as well.

Step 3: Plan on what you will do with your computer assets in an emergency 

When a winter storm hits, don't forget your computers and other electronics.

• Protect: Make sure you have all your sensitive electronics connected to high-quality power strips with surge protection.
• Unplug: If you lose power, remember to unplug all your sensitive electronics - TVs, DVRs, stereos, and computers - so when the power does return, your equipment isn't damaged by a possible power surge. (I unplug my power strips - even the ones with surge protection - I don't want to take any chances.)
• Remove: If you have to evacuate due to a winter emergency, plan on which electronics you will take.
    -  If we can drive away from the emergency - I plan to take all my phones, tablets, laptops, and backup HDs plus all needed cables. I also plan to take my desktop computers - only the cases, leaving behind monitors, keyboards, etc.
    -  If we can't drive away due to the roads being blocked, then we'll take all the portable electronics and place the desktops in the attic to protect them from flooding, etc.

I know this is a long list of items to digest - just make sure you add "protecting your data" to your family's emergency action plan today!

Happy Halloween!

For more information on how to prepare in advance for a power outage, visit the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency's site.

Are you ready for Arthur? How about the next storm?

OK, it's time to put my National Guard, Emergency Management hat on.

June 1st was the official start of the Hurricane Season for the Atlantic Ocean. While many forecasters predict a below-average 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, all you need is just one hurricane to ruin your day (or ruin your life).

Image courtesy of CNN

For us in the Boston area, it appears that the Northeast will be spared most of Arthur's effects. See http://www.weather.gov/ for the latest, official forecast.

So what can the average citizen do to prepare for this storm or the next one?

Be alert
In today's social media, TV-everywhere society, it still shocks me to see people surprised by weather, especially tropical storms and hurricanes.

• Weather apps: If you have a smartphone or tablet, download a weather app - I use WeatherBug & AccuWeather - but they are all good. Then check the app daily.
• Weather sites: If you don't have a smartphone or tablet, bookmark a good weather site such as http://www.weather.com/ or a local news website (here's Boston's list) and check the site at least daily.
• Social media: Many states' emergency management agencies have Facebook and Twitter accounts plus official social alert systems. Below are Massachusetts' channels:
   - http://www.facebook.com/MassachusettsEMA
   - http://twitter.com/MassEMA|
   - http://www.youtube.com/MassachusettsEMA
   - Get Emergency Information on Your Cellphone via Ping4alerts! & WEAs

Additionally, many towns also have fire and police social channels. Either search your favorite social media app for your town's account or check your town's website for its channels.

This all may sound like overkill, but being informed and alert is your first line of defense in these types of events.

Be prepared

Now I'm not saying we should all go out and become Doomsday Preppers, but all families should have a plan, loose or written down, for weather emergencies. Having a plan will give you a much greater sense of confidence going into a weather event and greatly improve the outcome should you experience an actual weather emergency.

• For my friends in Massachusetts, visit MEMA's "Ready Massachusetts" site - an excellent source of information and plan outlines. For other states, entering "<your state here> emergency management" in any search engine will get you to the correct local resources. 
• FEMA also has an excellent Family Emergency Plan that can be downloaded and filled out.

And being prepared doesn't mean going into overkill mode, it just means carefully thinking about what you should do before, during and after an event.

Act early

Being informed and prepared will then allow you to respond to a weather event in a timely manner.

Some tasks you should do earlier rather than later:

• Secure outdoor furniture and loose items to prevent additional wind damage.
• Fill your car's gas tank.
• Shop for food and essentials. (In a perfect world, we'd all have enough canned food and water on hand to not have to do last minute shopping...)
• Determine if you are going to "shelter in place" or leave the area.

Once again, your actions should be part of your family's overall plan.

Well, I have to go and start securing my yard in advance of Arthur. For those on the east coast, I hope this storm doesn't ruin your holiday week and more importantly, I hope and pray for a very uneventful 2014 hurricane season.