Sunday, March 27, 2011
Emergency Preparedness Week May 1-7: taking individual and community preparedness to the next level
There is a day or a week declared for every cause: some more useful than others. One which has proved useful is Severe Weather Preparedness Week. It's not as well known, but there is also an Emergency Preparedness Week - this year May 1-7 - which seems especially strong in Canada. I propose we should consider spending this week examining, as both individuals and communities, how we would respond to a widespread disaster which might knock out power, services and supplies for months (think Japanese earthquake or worse). This could be real fun and build self-sufficiency skills. One can even imagine communities working towards a "Disaster Ready" status (just like Storm Ready status) which might involve things like having community gardens, farms and wells which promote self-sufficiency for the community.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Texas Wildfires Information
These are the first resources I can find for the wildfires in the Palisades, TX area Feb 27 2011. Please post comments with more resources if you have them. Note that the #txfire, #amafire and #wildfire tags are being used on Twitter.
National Weather Service 6.15pm update
Live video feed from ChaserTV
Impact map from National Weather Service
Amarillo Office of Emergency Management
Twitter search for #txfire OR #amafire OR #wildfire
Live Audio Scanner Feed for Lubbock County
Live Audio Scanner Feed for Potter & Randall County Fire, Sheriff, and Amarillo PD/FD
Google News search for Texas Wildfire
CBS7 Wildfire Status Page
KWES NewsWest9
KWTX News
INCIWEB - this fire is not there yet, but when it is it will have updates and links to other resources
Satellite images of Amarillo wildfire
National Weather Service 6.15pm update
Texas Forest Service updates
MyHighPlains.com - including evacuation instructionsLive video feed from ChaserTV
Impact map from National Weather Service
Amarillo Office of Emergency Management
Twitter search for #txfire OR #amafire OR #wildfire
Live Audio Scanner Feed for Lubbock County
Live Audio Scanner Feed for Potter & Randall County Fire, Sheriff, and Amarillo PD/FD
Google News search for Texas Wildfire
CBS7 Wildfire Status Page
KWES NewsWest9
KWTX News
INCIWEB - this fire is not there yet, but when it is it will have updates and links to other resources
Satellite images of Amarillo wildfire
Monday, February 21, 2011
Feb 2011 New Zealand Christchurch Earthquake
An 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Feb 21, 2011 at 23:51 UTC near Christchurch, New Zealand. Here are some information resources for the earthquake. There are reports of building collapses and fatalities.
If you are looking for someone use the #eqnzContact or #ruok hashtags in Twitter or call 1300 555 135. There is also a Civil Defence number - 800-779-997 You can also try the Christchurch Earthquake Person Finder
Top Twitter Hashtags for the quake are #eqnz, #chch. You can try a Twitter search for #eqnz OR #chch Earthquake OR #christchurch: use #eqnz for tweets
FINDING MISSING RELATIVES
1. Search or post requests on Twitter with the #eqnzcontact tag. For example, if you want to find someone called Fred Blogs, go to http://twitter.com, and type the following in the search box: fred blogs AND #eqnzcontact . If you find nothing, post a request for information for example: Please help me find fred bloggs on xxx street christchurch who is missing #eqnzcontact #eqnz
2. Look on the Project EPIC map for #eqnzcontact colored tags in the area of the person you are looking for
3. Try the Google Christchurch Earthquake Person Finder
FINDING ACCOMMODATION
QuakeEscape - finding people accommodation
Christchurch room finder
SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES
Project EPIC crowdsourced tweetmap of Christchurch quake
Crisis camp earthquake wiki
Twitter posts from near Christchurch
Twitter search for #eqnz OR #chch Earthquake OR #christchurch: use #eqnz for tweets
Google map showing damage (see below)
View Christchurch earthquake: Map of the destruction in a larger map
NEWS AND INFORMATION SITES
USGS site showing earthquake details plus reports from the public
USGS PAGER initial rapid assessment of earthquake
New Zealand Civil Defense with earthquake updates
Christchurch Quake Map showing location of today's earthquakes
NZStuff page with video, pictures, maps, eyewitness accounts
Latest updates from Radio New Zealand (blog-style)
Live updates blog-style from 3News
3News Running Report
3News earthquake RSS feed - faster since site is slow
New Zealand Herald
MSNBC New Zealand Live Stream
3News Live Video Stream
Youtube Video of immediate aftermath of quake
NEW Youtube video of earthquake aftermath (graphic)
Christchurch Crowdmap of reports (new)
Wikipedia page for this earthquake
If you are looking for someone use the #eqnzContact or #ruok hashtags in Twitter or call 1300 555 135. There is also a Civil Defence number - 800-779-997 You can also try the Christchurch Earthquake Person Finder
Top Twitter Hashtags for the quake are #eqnz, #chch. You can try a Twitter search for #eqnz OR #chch Earthquake OR #christchurch: use #eqnz for tweets
AGGREGATION PAGES - aggregating social media and other sites
All Hazards Blog (this one)
SM4EM page aggregating social media resources
Examiner.com earthquake aggregation site
The Evolving Newsroom - another aggregate page
Google crisis response page for Christchurch earthquake - people finder, maps
FEMA's blog post with a list of resources
Google crisis response page for Christchurch earthquake - people finder, maps
FEMA's blog post with a list of resources
FINDING MISSING RELATIVES
1. Search or post requests on Twitter with the #eqnzcontact tag. For example, if you want to find someone called Fred Blogs, go to http://twitter.com, and type the following in the search box: fred blogs AND #eqnzcontact . If you find nothing, post a request for information for example: Please help me find fred bloggs on xxx street christchurch who is missing #eqnzcontact #eqnz
2. Look on the Project EPIC map for #eqnzcontact colored tags in the area of the person you are looking for
3. Try the Google Christchurch Earthquake Person Finder
FINDING ACCOMMODATION
QuakeEscape - finding people accommodation
Christchurch room finder
SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES
Project EPIC crowdsourced tweetmap of Christchurch quake
Crisis camp earthquake wiki
Twitter posts from near Christchurch
Twitter search for #eqnz OR #chch Earthquake OR #christchurch: use #eqnz for tweets
Google map showing damage (see below)
Some relevant twitter accounts: @NZcivildefence, @CanterburyEM, @Police_NZ (auto feed only), @ECan, @geonet
Christchurch Earthquake Person Finder
eq.org.nz report aggregator
QuakeEscape - finding people accommodation
eq.org.nz report aggregator
QuakeEscape - finding people accommodation
View Christchurch earthquake: Map of the destruction in a larger map
NEWS AND INFORMATION SITES
USGS site showing earthquake details plus reports from the public
USGS PAGER initial rapid assessment of earthquake
New Zealand Civil Defense with earthquake updates
Christchurch Quake Map showing location of today's earthquakes
NZStuff page with video, pictures, maps, eyewitness accounts
Latest updates from Radio New Zealand (blog-style)
Live updates blog-style from 3News
3News Running Report
3News earthquake RSS feed - faster since site is slow
New Zealand Herald
MSNBC New Zealand Live Stream
3News Live Video Stream
Youtube Video of immediate aftermath of quake
NEW Youtube video of earthquake aftermath (graphic)
Christchurch Crowdmap of reports (new)
Wikipedia page for this earthquake
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Quick guide to Space Weather and Solar Flares
If you have an interest in astronomy, or follow those "end of the world" blogs, you've probably heard about solar flares, and the potential impact of extreme events on the earth. Solar flares are associated with sunspots, are a regular feature of the Sun, and are normally not something to be worried about. However, due to solar cycles, about every 11 years or so there is a period of increased sunspot activity which can result in flares which actually have an impact on the earth. Recently we have heard stories of potential doom, including worldwide power outages and GPS satellites being knocked out. We are now entering a solar maximum, so should we be worried?
Well, yes and no. Most of the concern revolves around the potential for a very strong solar flare which could potentially overload transformers and cause widespread, and possibly permanent power outages. This is a real threat, and was described recently in a National Academy Of Sciences report. In particular, a repeat of a very large flare which occured in 1859 (known as the Carrington Event) could, according to the report, cause an electromagnetic overload of power grids, cause transformers to explode, with damage that might not be repairable for 5-10 years. Yes, that's a 5-10 year widespread power outage. Now, the Carrington Event appears to be quite unusual, and most solar events are much less spectacular. But it should be on our preparation radar. Smaller scale events can still cause regional outages (such as in 1989, when a solar flare resulted in a widespread outage in Quebec, lasting 12 hours and affecting 5 million people)
Fortunately, we have some wonderful resources available, especially from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center which, like its terrestrial counterpart, offers warnings of activity that could cause problems. However, to be able to use these warnings and resources, we need a quick lesson in solar flares. Here is the super-quick version: for a more detailed account see the SWPC FAQ. Basically, sunspots can result in solar flares which are intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. These only really affect the earth if the sunspot is pointing right in our direction. The most immediate impact of these earthbound flares is a very quick increase in X-ray flux. You can see current X-ray flux values in this plot from the NOAA GOES satellite (also available on the SWPC site):
See the letters on the right (A, B, C, M, X)? That represents the intensity of the flare. The really interesting ones are "X" class flares, and we get a few of these each solar cycle. Very quickly after the flare an X-class (and sometimes an M class) can cause shortwave radio outages on the sun-facing side of the earth. These rays reach the earth very quickly. The possible impacts on radio are given by the R scale on the NOAA Space Weather Scale.
A solar flare can also produce a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). This is a cloud of geomagnetically charged particles which reaches earth usually a couple of days after a flare. This is the one which can cause power outages. It is measured using Planetary K-index (Kp) values - you can see the current Kp values in the plot below (also taken from the NOAA site):
Anything over "4" is classed as a storm, although it's really 8's and 9's which spell trouble. Again for a mapping to real effects, see the G-scale on the NOAA Space Weather Scale.
So that's the quick intro to get you started! For more information, as well as the NOAA site, I recommend SolarHam.com (check out the forums) and SpaceWeather.com, and AllHazards Blog's own Solar Dashboard.
Well, yes and no. Most of the concern revolves around the potential for a very strong solar flare which could potentially overload transformers and cause widespread, and possibly permanent power outages. This is a real threat, and was described recently in a National Academy Of Sciences report. In particular, a repeat of a very large flare which occured in 1859 (known as the Carrington Event) could, according to the report, cause an electromagnetic overload of power grids, cause transformers to explode, with damage that might not be repairable for 5-10 years. Yes, that's a 5-10 year widespread power outage. Now, the Carrington Event appears to be quite unusual, and most solar events are much less spectacular. But it should be on our preparation radar. Smaller scale events can still cause regional outages (such as in 1989, when a solar flare resulted in a widespread outage in Quebec, lasting 12 hours and affecting 5 million people)
Fortunately, we have some wonderful resources available, especially from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center which, like its terrestrial counterpart, offers warnings of activity that could cause problems. However, to be able to use these warnings and resources, we need a quick lesson in solar flares. Here is the super-quick version: for a more detailed account see the SWPC FAQ. Basically, sunspots can result in solar flares which are intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. These only really affect the earth if the sunspot is pointing right in our direction. The most immediate impact of these earthbound flares is a very quick increase in X-ray flux. You can see current X-ray flux values in this plot from the NOAA GOES satellite (also available on the SWPC site):
See the letters on the right (A, B, C, M, X)? That represents the intensity of the flare. The really interesting ones are "X" class flares, and we get a few of these each solar cycle. Very quickly after the flare an X-class (and sometimes an M class) can cause shortwave radio outages on the sun-facing side of the earth. These rays reach the earth very quickly. The possible impacts on radio are given by the R scale on the NOAA Space Weather Scale.
A solar flare can also produce a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). This is a cloud of geomagnetically charged particles which reaches earth usually a couple of days after a flare. This is the one which can cause power outages. It is measured using Planetary K-index (Kp) values - you can see the current Kp values in the plot below (also taken from the NOAA site):
So that's the quick intro to get you started! For more information, as well as the NOAA site, I recommend SolarHam.com (check out the forums) and SpaceWeather.com, and AllHazards Blog's own Solar Dashboard.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Emergency managers - are you ready for #smemchat?
If you haven't picked up on it, the world of Emergency Management is a-buzz with talk about Social Media. In many recent emergencies, from the Australian floods, Egyptian revolt to the Midwest icestorm, Twitter, Facebook and Blogs have played an increasingly important part in both dissemination of information and in providing a medium for gathering information from the public.
But of course there is a lot for us to think about: how reliable is all this information? Do false rumors spread like wildfire (or icestorms)? How do you get information out into the "blogosphere" or "tweetverse"? How do you get started? Is there a simple place to get the basics?
Well the good news is that help is at hand. Twitter is no longer just the home of spotty teenagers, and there are some really good resources popping up. Here are my recommendations
1. Take a look at the website sm4em.org. This is a new site run by a leading emergency manager with great resources for getting started.
2. Check out what FEMA is doing - their blog, the twitter account of Craig Fugate, head of FEMA, and their news release on Social Media tools
3. Check out the #smem tag search on Twitter. You don't need an account, just go to this search page and take a look at some of the things people are posting about Social Media and Emergency Management.
4. Join us for #smemchat! Every Friday from 12.30-1.30 EST, we have an online chat about social media and emergency management using the #smemchat tag on Twitter. This is a a safe place to air opinions and have a lively debate. To participate, you need a twitter account and the easiest way is to use your twitter account to log into TweetChat.com and enter #smemchat as the tag. If you want to watch but not participate, just do a Twitter #smemchat search on Fridays at lunchtime!
But of course there is a lot for us to think about: how reliable is all this information? Do false rumors spread like wildfire (or icestorms)? How do you get information out into the "blogosphere" or "tweetverse"? How do you get started? Is there a simple place to get the basics?
Well the good news is that help is at hand. Twitter is no longer just the home of spotty teenagers, and there are some really good resources popping up. Here are my recommendations
1. Take a look at the website sm4em.org. This is a new site run by a leading emergency manager with great resources for getting started.
2. Check out what FEMA is doing - their blog, the twitter account of Craig Fugate, head of FEMA, and their news release on Social Media tools
3. Check out the #smem tag search on Twitter. You don't need an account, just go to this search page and take a look at some of the things people are posting about Social Media and Emergency Management.
4. Join us for #smemchat! Every Friday from 12.30-1.30 EST, we have an online chat about social media and emergency management using the #smemchat tag on Twitter. This is a a safe place to air opinions and have a lively debate. To participate, you need a twitter account and the easiest way is to use your twitter account to log into TweetChat.com and enter #smemchat as the tag. If you want to watch but not participate, just do a Twitter #smemchat search on Fridays at lunchtime!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tips for a power outage
Here are some tips for preparing for and dealing with a power outage:
Food & Water
Stocking up on canned goods is preferable, since they keep for a long time if not needed (see my post on keeping a rolling pantry). Buy enough bottled water for a gallon of water per person per day. Get one of those "indoor/outdoor" thermometers, and if the power goes out put the outdoor sensor in the fridge. Once the temperature in the fridge is higher than the temperature outside it's time to move the refrigerator food into a secured box outside (watch for predators!), and put the thermometer in the freezer (which will soon become your fridge). For information on keeping food safe in an emergency, see the USDA factsheet. Whether or not water is available or safe during a power outage is very dependent on your circumstances. Find out as much as you can beforehand, but if in doubt boil water before using.
Heat
The three most important things are to not set fire to your house, to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, and to stay warm. Most gas fireplaces will still work in a power outage, but make sure that you have a window open a crack to replenish the oxygen, and make sure you have a Carbon Monoxide detector in the room with the fireplace. Decide which rooms you are not going to use and close the doors. Put blankets up against any place that might cause a draft. You can use a camping stove for a short time to warm drinks and cook food, but they are VERY dangerous so make sure you keep them in a secure place and only use them for short times. Keep dressed in warm clothes at all times: the most important bits of your body to keep warm are the head, feet and hands. Dress in multiple layers to keep warm air trapped. Watch for signs of hypothermia. You probably have a tank of warm water - use it wisely to keep warm!
Other preparation steps
Fill up your car with gas - it can help you escape to a nice warm hotel, can keep you warm (but don't run in the garage), and can be a source of power (especially with an inverter). Get some money out of the bank, since ATMs could be down and cash could be valuable. Check out the frequencies of not just your local radio stations, but more distant ones that may stay up longer. Also, if you have a scanner, find your local ARES/RACES, fire and EMS frequencies at Radio Reference. Charge up everything you might want to use, and keep a supply of AA, C and D batteries on hand.
Food & Water
Stocking up on canned goods is preferable, since they keep for a long time if not needed (see my post on keeping a rolling pantry). Buy enough bottled water for a gallon of water per person per day. Get one of those "indoor/outdoor" thermometers, and if the power goes out put the outdoor sensor in the fridge. Once the temperature in the fridge is higher than the temperature outside it's time to move the refrigerator food into a secured box outside (watch for predators!), and put the thermometer in the freezer (which will soon become your fridge). For information on keeping food safe in an emergency, see the USDA factsheet. Whether or not water is available or safe during a power outage is very dependent on your circumstances. Find out as much as you can beforehand, but if in doubt boil water before using.
Heat
The three most important things are to not set fire to your house, to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, and to stay warm. Most gas fireplaces will still work in a power outage, but make sure that you have a window open a crack to replenish the oxygen, and make sure you have a Carbon Monoxide detector in the room with the fireplace. Decide which rooms you are not going to use and close the doors. Put blankets up against any place that might cause a draft. You can use a camping stove for a short time to warm drinks and cook food, but they are VERY dangerous so make sure you keep them in a secure place and only use them for short times. Keep dressed in warm clothes at all times: the most important bits of your body to keep warm are the head, feet and hands. Dress in multiple layers to keep warm air trapped. Watch for signs of hypothermia. You probably have a tank of warm water - use it wisely to keep warm!
Other preparation steps
Fill up your car with gas - it can help you escape to a nice warm hotel, can keep you warm (but don't run in the garage), and can be a source of power (especially with an inverter). Get some money out of the bank, since ATMs could be down and cash could be valuable. Check out the frequencies of not just your local radio stations, but more distant ones that may stay up longer. Also, if you have a scanner, find your local ARES/RACES, fire and EMS frequencies at Radio Reference. Charge up everything you might want to use, and keep a supply of AA, C and D batteries on hand.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Latest on Winter Ice Storm, Blizzard and Tornados
A Major winter storm is forecast for the Midwest and East Coast of the US, January 31-Feb 3 2011. This is a page I plan on developing with a variety of resources for keeping track of the storm, especially social media resources. Please email me or leave a comment if you know of other resources and I'll add them as soon as I can.
Weather Information
Weather.gov - official NWS page with links to regional and city pages
Storm Prediction Center with nice map showing national radar, watches and warnings
NWS Experimental snow/ice probabilities
Weather Underground
Accuweather
StormPulse
General Social Media Resources
Twitter search for storm OR blizzard OR icestorm OR tornado OR power outage
Submit storm reports to the NWS via twitter
Google News search for ice storm/blizzard/tornado/power outage
Google Latest search for ice storm/blizzard/tornada/power outage
CrisisWiki - submit reports for this event
Google Map for crowdsourced reports of ice storms, snow, and tornados (see also below)
FEMA Blog
State-specific Resources
IN: Indiana road conditions map, Duke Energy Power Outages
NM: NM Road Conditions Map, Follow #NMstorm and #NMwx, dial 511 for info
OK: Oklahoma Ice Map, Follow #OKice #OKwx
Preparation
Haby's Ice Storm Preparation Advice
MyGreatHome Preparing for a Winter Storm
Ready.gov preparing for a winter storm
Tips for a power outage - preparation and during the event.
GOVLIVE stream of storm-related reports
Google map of reports
View Feb 2011 Storm Power outage and damage reports in a larger map
Weather Information
Weather.gov - official NWS page with links to regional and city pages
Storm Prediction Center with nice map showing national radar, watches and warnings
NWS Experimental snow/ice probabilities
Weather Underground
Accuweather
StormPulse
General Social Media Resources
Twitter search for storm OR blizzard OR icestorm OR tornado OR power outage
Submit storm reports to the NWS via twitter
Google News search for ice storm/blizzard/tornado/power outage
Google Latest search for ice storm/blizzard/tornada/power outage
CrisisWiki - submit reports for this event
Google Map for crowdsourced reports of ice storms, snow, and tornados (see also below)
FEMA Blog
State-specific Resources
IN: Indiana road conditions map, Duke Energy Power Outages
NM: NM Road Conditions Map, Follow #NMstorm and #NMwx, dial 511 for info
OK: Oklahoma Ice Map, Follow #OKice #OKwx
Preparation
Haby's Ice Storm Preparation Advice
MyGreatHome Preparing for a Winter Storm
Ready.gov preparing for a winter storm
Tips for a power outage - preparation and during the event.
GOVLIVE stream of storm-related reports
Google map of reports
View Feb 2011 Storm Power outage and damage reports in a larger map
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