Fast Facts Update
As of 7:30 p.m. CDT, the updated statistics available for the Pensacola tornado relief operation from the American Red Cross 33 percent of damage assessment has been completed with the following numbers: Escambia County Two homes destroyed 10 homes with major damage 19 homes with minor damage In Santa Rosa County Two homes destroyed In Okaloosa County One home […]

Red Cross Volunteers Working Two Coasts
Contact: Diane Hawkins Cellular: 850.418.0543 hawkinsd@usa.redcross.org Red Cross Volunteers Continue Relief Response on Two Coasts PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, October 24, 2007 From the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, Red Cross volunteers continue to provide emergency assistance to victims of the Pensacola tornado and the California fires. Red Cross volunteers in Northwest Florida have been supported by volunteers in […]

FYI - Damage numbers
FYI to media: We’re trying to wrangle some updated damage statistics in time for evening deadlines (print and 10pm television).

Supplies on the way
The Gulf Coast Chapter in Mobile continues its support of the relief operation in Pensacola. Moments ago, a truck rolled east down I-10 to re-stock the following supplies: water chips cookies coffee cups assorted snack bars

Red Cross Brings Aid
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, October 22, 2007 As rain started to fall again yesterday in Pensacola, the Red Cross continues to provide emergency assistance to those affected by last Thursday s storm. Pensacola release 10-21-07 The case worker teams have been out visiting with families, many that have called the Red Cross Hotline at 1-866-GET INFO. The […]

Monday, August 4, 2008
Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED) Tropical Storm Edouard forms in the Gulf of Mexico At 5:00 am EDT the center of Tropical Storm Edouard was located about 185 miles southeast of Lafayette Louisiana and about 295miles east-southeast of Galveston, Texas.  A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi river westward to San Luis Pass, Texas.  A Hurricane Watch remains in effect from west of Intracoastal City, Louisiana to Port O’Connor Texas Edouard is moving toward the west near 9 mph.  A turn to the west-northwest is expected today with a west-northwestward motion expected to continue on Tuesday.  By Tuesday morning the center of Edouard is expected to be very near the upper Texas coast or the coast of southwestern Louisiana Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts.  Some increase in strength is expected during the next 24 hours and Edouard could be nearing hurricane strength before reaching the coastline.  Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center. A storm surge of 2 to 4 ft above normal tide levels can be expected in the warning area in areas of onshore winds. Edouard is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 2 to 4 inches along portions of the Louisiana coastal counties into southeastern Texas. Isolated maximum amounts of 6 inches are possible over southeastern Texas. Isolated tornadoes are possible over portions of southern Louisiana and the upper Texas coast later today. (NOAA, National Hurricane Center) Significant National Weather West: With a ridge of high pressure over the Pacific Northwest the only significant weather will be scattered showers and thunderstorms in the Rockies and the Southwest deserts generally during the afternoon hours.  Highs will range from the 70s along the Northwest coast to the 90s from eastern Washington southeast to Colorado and New Mexico to 100s in the deserts of Arizona, Nevada and California. Midwest: Strong to severe thunderstorms are forecast from South Dakota east to the Great Lakes this afternoon and evening.  A relatively dry frontal system remains draped across the central Midwest and will produce little weather. The high temperatures will be the big weather threat.  High temperatures should approach 90 degrees in the northern Border States.  In the central Plains to the middle Mississippi Valley, highs will reach 95 to 105 degrees, with heat indices of 100 to 110 degrees. South: A stationary front across the southeast will produce precipitation especially along the Gulf Coast with a warm moist flow off the water.  High temperatures will reach well into the 90s across the southeast, in the upper 90s to lower 100s in the lower Mississippi Valley and from 100 to 110 degrees in the southern Plains and northern and central Texas. Northeast: A trough of low pressure aloft will slowly drift away from the northeast but look for scattered showers and thunderstorms lingering across northern New England and northeastern New York through Monday evening.  High temperatures will range from the middle 70s in New England to the 90s in Virginia. (National Weather Service, Media Sources) Alaska Flooding A Flood Warning is in effect through 12:00 pm AKDT on Aug 5. The Tanana River has crested at Nenana and will continue to crest downstream through Sunday. Extensive areas of water are covering the lowlands adjacent to the Tanana River upstream of Nenana which will result in a very slow fall in the river level. Flooding is at minor levels. Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor declared local disaster on July 31. The Alaska Rail Road Corp main track not passable between Denali and Fairbanks. (fema Region X) California - Telegraph Fire Update The fire has burned 34,091 acres and is 95 percent contained. Zero acres have burned on Yosemite National Park.  Full containment expected on August 4, 2008.  Thirty seven minor injuries (all firefighters) have been reported; no fatalities to date.  California OES, Inland REOC and State SOC are activated at the duty officer level. Mariposa County has activated their EOC and an OES representative is on scene.  There are currently 75 crews, 2600 fire engines, 27 dozers, 44 water tenders, 9 helicopters, 5 air tankers, and 4,057 total personnel assigned to this fire.  The number of destroyed structures is 21 residences and 33 outbuildings. (Cal Fire) More Cities Move Aggressively To Stop Heat Deaths In recent years, deadly heat waves have killed dozens-to-hundreds-of-people-at-a-time in various U.S. cities, often catching local officials unprepared.  Climate scientists say more killer heat waves lie ahead with global warming, and city officials are taking note. A number of cities - especially those hard-hit in the past, such as Chicago, Philadelphia and Phoenix - get aggressive when a heat wave emerges.  They open cooling centers, hand out water bottles, go door to door to check on people and even ask utilities not to shut off electricity to late-payers during a heat wave. In recent days, much of the country has experienced dangerously high heat.  Denver, CO just shattered a 134-year-old record of temperatures topping 90 for 19 days in a row. An excessive heat warning is in place for Phoenix, AZ, which is expected to top 110, with lows falling only to around 90.  Nashville, TN was forecast to reach a near-record 98 on Sunday. High humidity made it feel like 100 degrees in much of South Carolina and 107 in Austin, TX. “It’s already started,” said a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO.  “As the average climate warms up, the heat extremes will become more extreme, and we’ll have more intense, more frequent and longer-lasting heat waves as we progress through the 21st century.” So far this year, roughly 50 people have died from the heat, according to news reports.  Heat waves lack the dramatic destruction of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, but at 8,015 deaths, heat has killed more people in the U.S. than all those other weather events combined in the 24-year period ending in 2003, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Many cities have learned that the hard way. Most of Phoenix, AZ’s now extensive efforts began after the summer of 2005, when temperatures hit at least 110 on 24 days; 80 people died.  A decade earlier, it was Chicago, IL that was suffering with more than 700 heat deaths.  During that heat wave, the morgue got so full that bodies were kept in refrigerated trucks.  Most of those who died were elderly, living alone and without air conditioning.  “It was a real awakening,” said a former deputy commissioner of public health.  “There were a number of days where the body count kept increasing and there was absolutely nothing you could do because the heat had already taken its toll.  It was a helpless feeling.”  Now, other cities are acting before they get to that point. Seattle, WA has begun educating the public about the dangers of heat and directing people to seek air conditioning.  At large public events, Boston, MA has begun putting up “rain rooms,” giant, portable, tent-like structures that spray a mist.  In the San Francisco Bay, CA area, the National Weather Service recently implemented a heat/health watch warning system.  An epidemiologist who studies heat wave deaths for the CDC, pointed to Philadelphia, PA as a pioneer at preventing heat deaths. After a 1993 heat wave killed at least 118, Philadelphia became the first in the country to begin a heat/health watch warning system.  It’s now a worldwide model for forecasting heat, with 18 other metro areas copying it. During a three-year period that began when Philadelphia instituted its system, an estimated 117 lives were saved because residents knew there’d be a dangerous heat wave, according to an article published by the American Meteorological Society. About 18-to-20 cities nationwide have plans similar to one in Chicago, which opens cooling centers, holds news conferences and sometimes opens a command center with public safety and health officials. There have been successes.  Last summer, one man in St. Louis, MO became so concerned about his elderly neighbor that he broke in when the man didn’t answer his door, said the director of St. Louis’ public health department.  She said the elderly man was severely dehydrated and unconscious.  “Another 24 hours, and he would have died,” she said.  He didn’t. (Media Sources) Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) Nothing significant to report. (fema HQ) Tropical Weather Outlook Atlantic/Caribbean: As discussed above, the National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on recently-formed Tropical Storm Edouard.  Shower activity associated with a low pressure area centered about 450 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands remains poorly organized.  Significant development of this system is not expected.  Elsewhere, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours. Eastern Pacific: Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours. Western Pacific: Tropical cyclone activity does not threaten U.S. territories. (NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center) Earthquake Activity No new activity (fema HQ) Preliminary Damage Assessments No new activity (fema HQ) Wildfire Update National Fire Activity as of Sunday, August 3, 2008: National Wildfire Preparedness Level: 4 Initial attack activity: Light (150 new fires) New large fires: 1 Uncontained large fires: 38 Large fires contained: 1 States with Large fires: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NC, OK, TX, UT, WA and WY (National Interagency Fire Center, National Incident Information Center) disaster Declaration Activity No new activity (fema HQ)

Local Assistance Takes Shape
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, October 19, 2007 In response to yesterday s tornado and storm system that swept through Pensacola, the American Red Cross of Northwest Florida has been providing assistance to the families and neighborhoods effected by this storm. Thirty-five trained volunteers have responded and are providing direct emergency assistance in communities and neighborhoods impacted by […]

Fast Facts Update - 10/24
(as of 10/23) Opened 1 shelter in Pensacola and sheltered 15 tornado evacuees Staffed Escambia County Emergency Operations Center around the clock with Red Cross workers 84 Red Cross workers and volunteers have provided disaster services from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Michigan Served 3,930 meals and snacks to disaster clients and disaster workers 119 families have been assisted through […]

Turkey: Disgusting Bombings
“Every news channel right now is running the breaking news on Istanbul s bomb blasts, in what the city governor calls a ‘terrorist attack.’ Whoever did it, and whatever message they are trying to convey, this is certainly a disgusting way of doing it,” remarks Mideast Youth, on the latest bomb explosions to rock Istanbul, Turkey.

Moldova, Ukraine: Floods
A Fistful of Euros writes about “huge floods across southeastern Europe” and the lack of reliable information in English from this region.

Turkey: Disgusting Bombings
“Every news channel right now is running the breaking news on Istanbul s bomb blasts, in what the city governor calls a ‘terrorist attack.’ Whoever did it, and whatever message they are trying to convey, this is certainly a disgusting way of doing it,” remarks Mideast Youth, on the latest bomb explosions to rock Istanbul, Turkey.

Fire fighters working in Colorado (ID: 37465)
Lakewood, Colorado, August 4, 2008 — Wild land ground crews from West Metro fire district get to work on mop up of the Green Mountain fire. Photo Michael Rieger/fema

Not Guilty: Egypt’s Ferry disaster
On February 3, 2006 Al-Salam ferry sank in the middle of the Red Sea killing more than 1,000 people who were coming to Safaga, Egypt from Saudi Arabia. The passengers were mainly Egyptian workers in Saudi Arabia, who were returning home on vacation or who were bringing their savings home to retire in their homeland. The Egyptian criminal court has found the owner of a Red Sea ferry and four others not guilty of manslaughter. The families of the victims as well as Egyptian bloggers were shocked and angered.

Fire crew working a wildfire in Colorado (ID: 37464)
Lakewood, CO, August 4, 2008 — Wild land ground crews from West Metro fire district use hoses to work on taking control of the Green Mountain fire. Photo Michael Rieger/fema

Turkey is Typing .Bomb Blasts in Istanbul
While the city of Istanbul enjoyed itself with a Metallica concert, the party died down with the news of a bombing in the Istanbul neighborhood of G ng ren, leaving at least 17 people dead and over 150 people injured. Reactions to the news in the Turkish blogosphere were slow, but between speculation as to who is behind the attacks and protests against terrorism, one thing has become quite clear….this hasn’t been the first time, and it sure won’t be the last.

PSA: Staying Safe Around Buildings Damaged by a disaster
Stay away from damaged buildings until building inspectors say it is safe to enter

Ukraine: Treatment of Flood Victims
Ukrainiana writes and translates on the treatment of Ukrainian flood victims.

Ukraine: Political Optimism After Flood disaster
Ukrainiana comments on the optimism over flood disaster reconstruction expressed by Ukrainian President Yushchenko and Prime Minister Timoshenko, and interprets it as influenced by the upcoming presidential elections.

Israel: Traffic Awareness for Muslims
From Israel, Not a Fish writes about a traffic course for non-Jewish residents in Israel - aimed at reducing road accidents. A total of 250 Muslim clergymen attended a day of lectures on child safety, accident prevention and the Muslim belief in fate versus personal responsibility. Since the beginning of the year, 86 Arabs were […]

PSA: Preventing Mold After a disaster
When rain or flood waters get into your building, take steps to prevent mold growth

Myanmar: Bloggers and Cyclone Nargis
Ashin Mettacara notes that aside from Buddhist monks, bloggers have been consistent in helping the cyclone victims of Myanmar by raising money from blogs.

China: Healing through Olympic participation
Susan Brownell at The China Beat recounts a moving story of how she and a few colleagues took a re-enactment of the Olympic Torch relay to one of the hardest-hit parts of the Sichuan earthquake zone, and what positive effect seeing that had on the children there.

PSA: Staying Safe in Your Home During a Hurricane
If you stay in your home through a hurricane, there are things you can do to protect yourself

Milk Use Began 2,000 Years Earlier Than Thought
Cow herders in northwest Turkey became the world’s first dairy producers some 8,500 years ago, a new discovery of ancient milk containers shows.

The Barometer Bob Show for February 14, 2008
My guest this week will be Jim Belles the Meteorologist In Charge at the NWS Memphis, TN. We will talk about the Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak, other tornado events in the area, and Tornado Safety, and what you can do in case Severe Weather affects your area.File Download (116:40 min / 22 MB) […]

Extinction Threatens Half of Primate Types, Study Says
Almost half of the world’s 634 types of primates face extinction due to hunting and habitat loss, says a new report one expert calls “absolutely horrifying.”

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED) Significant National Weather Midwest An approaching front will cause scattered thunderstorms across the lower Midwest and […]

Two Weeks Left to Register for disaster Assistance
NEW YORK, N. Y. — New York City residents affected by the severe storm, flooding and tornado that struck the state on August 8 have until October 30, 2007, to register for disaster assistance programs triggered when President Bush declared Queens and Kings counties a major disaster area, at the […]

SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Rare Clouds, Eclipse, More
The moon Phobos’s battered surface is captured; the giant elliptical galaxy M87 shines, and more in our new weekly roundup of space news photos.

Prehistoric Antarctic Bugs and Plants Discovered
The specimens some of which contain organic tissue help paint a picture of a temperate Antarctica where lakes were fringed with trees and swarmed with blackflies.

Dead Penguins Found Closer to Equator Than Ever Before
Hundreds of dead or dying Magellanic penguins have washed up on Brazil’s beaches, with some experts citing global warming and pollution as possible causes.

Mile High Baby, EMS Week Recap, and EMS Pension Shuffle
This week’s MedicCast News features a look at a high flying childbirth. Also, how some companies served up EMS Week celebrations for their communities, what some areas are doing with EMS retirement benefits to make ends meet, and a look at Hawaiian EMS and the wireless transmission of ECG data to cardiac centers from […]

Groundbreaking of St. Martin High School (ID: 37443)
Ocean Springs, MS, July 24, 2008 — Various members of the Jackson County community gather at the groundbreaking of the St. Martin High School. MS TRO Public Assistance Section Chief Randy Walker represented fema at the event. The fema-funded project will use similar building techniques as D’Iberville High School, which began construction several months earlier. Jennifer Smits/fema.

Prehistoric Antarctic Bugs and Plants Discovered
The specimens some of which contain organic tissue help paint a picture of a temperate Antarctica where lakes were fringed with trees and swarmed with blackflies.

New Blades Could Ease DRP Planning
A string of new blade server systems promises to hit new heights in processing capabilities, energy efficiency and ease of use, producing even more choices for enterprise users in what is turning into an increasingly crowded field. The latest entry comes from Dell, which introduced the new PowerEdge M1000e rack enclosure that the company claims can be installed and operational within 15 minutes. The 10U rack can hold up to 16 half-height blades, including the M600 and M605 units outfitted with quad-core Xeon or Opterons. The M1000e will replace the outgoing M1955 enclosure, although it will use the same OpenManage toolkit. IBM has added a new Power6 blade to its line-up, the JS22 Express, which matches a pair of the dual-core processors engineered with the Advanced Power Virtualization system to host up to 10 virtual servers per core. Unix users might be interested in the system’s Live Partition Mobility feature that enables live migration of operating systems and applications among servers.

“New” Killer Whale Types at Risk From Antarctic Warming
Newly identified types of Antarctic killer whales feed off of ice shelves that may soon be gone, due to global warming.

disaster Recovery Sites Impacted by Wildfires by Closings ofr San Diego High Tech Firms
(Computerworld) — High-tech San Diego-area groups such as the AeA San Diego Council, as well as local employers, are keeping a cautious eye on winds and warnings as Southern California’s wildfires edge closer to industry centers in the region. The executive director of the AeA chapter, lives in San Diego County in what is now termed a voluntary evacuation area. On drive through San Diegos high technology areas many technology companies, including Hewlett-Packard Co., have closed local facilities but none have been damaged by fire, although houses within miles of these firms have been damaged.  How would your company operate if its DRP site were there? 

IT Caught Off Guard by Warning
(Computerworld) — LAS VEGAS — Gartner Inc. is recommending that businesses complete planning by the second quarter of next year for a possible avian influenza pandemic and in particular stock up on supplies that would be needed by data center workers who might be quarantined together. Among the suggestions offered last week by Gartner at the consulting firm s annual data center conference here: Store 42 gallons of water per data center employee enough for a six-week quarantine and don t forget about food, medical care, cooking facilities, sanitation and electricity.

Local Assistance Takes Shape
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, October 19, 2007 In response to yesterday s tornado and storm system that swept through Pensacola, the American Red Cross of Northwest Florida has been providing assistance to the families and neighborhoods effected by this storm. Thirty-five trained volunteers have responded and are providing direct emergency assistance in communities and neighborhoods impacted by […]

Relief efforts continue in Pensacola
American Red Cross disaster relief workers continue to provide assistance to the residents of Pensacola, Fla., following the Thursday, Oct. 18 tornado. disaster assessment continues throughout the affected neighborhoods, and as of noon Friday, was approximately 50 percent complete. Outreach efforts continue with workers and Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV’s) from Pensacola, Mobile, Ala., and Hattiesburg, Miss., […]

disaster Assessment
As of 4pm, Red Cross volunteers trained in disaster Assessment had personally visited 2 out of the 5 neighborhoods affected in and near Pensacola. So far: 10 homes either Destroyed or with Major Damage 15 homes with Minor Damage (considered habitable)

“New” Killer Whale Types at Risk From Antarctic Warming
Newly identified types of Antarctic killer whales feed off of ice shelves that may soon be gone, due to global warming.

Supplies on the way
The Gulf Coast Chapter in Mobile continues its support of the relief operation in Pensacola. Moments ago, a truck rolled east down I-10 to re-stock the following supplies: water chips cookies coffee cups assorted snack bars