MDEM Newsroom - Page 29 MDEM Newsroom

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ADVISES RESIDENTS TO USE CAUTION AS WINTER STORM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 21, 2014) – Governor O’Malley advises residents to take appropriate safety precautions as moderate to heavy snow showers make their way across Maryland.  As road conditions continue to deteriorate, the focus turns to the evening commute.

“It is extremely important that Marylanders take the appropriate safety measures to ensure safe travels during this evening’s commute,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “If you do not have to be on the roadways, we encourage you to limit travel. If you must travel in these conditions, keep a family member or friend informed of your route and take a fully charged cellphone.”

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has been monitoring the weather forecast all day and has been in touch with the four National Weather Service offices serving the State as well as local emergency management offices. MEMA and other state agencies are closely monitoring conditions to support local efforts.

“We want all Marylanders to be safe during this winter weather. Once the snow showers move out of the area we are expecting very cold temperatures to remain with us” said MEMA Executive Director Ken Mallette. He offers the following tips for dealing with the upcoming cold snap:

• Wear layers of clothing that can be easily removed if you become overheated, and make sure to use socks, hats and scarves to protect feet, head and exposed skin.
• Make sure your car’s radiator and windshield washer fluid tanks are full and watch for black ice when driving.
• In addition to normal supplies in your car, keep some extra blankets and snacks, such as energy bars, available in case you become stranded.
• Allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
• Consider SAFE alternative heating methods in case you lose power, or see if friends or relatives can provide a place to stay. Avoid using heaters with open flames or heating methods that produce carbon monoxide gas.
• Limit the time pets stay outdoors in these conditions, including pets that normally live outside. If they must remain outside, please make sure they have a dog house or some other type of shelter available and plenty of non-frozen water to drink. (Avoid leaving blankets outside for pets to sleep on in the winter as they may become wet and icy.)
• If some of your pipes are susceptible to freezing, leave a trickle of cold water running from the sink on the lowest level or your home. If possible, insulate pipes.

Tune in to your local news and radio stations for the most up-to-date information in your jurisdiction. Be sure to follow MEMA, local officials, and the National Weather Service on Facebook, Twitter, and regularly check websites for updates.

The following links may also be of use:

MEMA: http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/emergencies-WinterStorms.aspx

FEMA: http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather

Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/WinterWeather/index.html

National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/index.shtml

Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm?campname=getprepared&campmedium=aspot_dis12

CHART: Interactive Mapping: http://www.chart.state.md.us/MapNet/MapDOTNET.aspx?Browser=IE7&ViewName=Select&Cmd=switchtheme&tab=VideoAndCamera&DoPanTo=False&Direction=&PanFactor=&DoZoomScaleFactor=&x=&y=&Encoder=&timestamp=47921&x1=0&x2=0&y2=0&y1=0&gCenterLat=null&gCenterLon=null&gZoomLvl=null

Maryland State Highway Administration – http://www.roads.maryland.gov/Home.aspx

Social Media links for MEMA:

https://www.facebook.com/MDMEMA

https://twitter.com/MDMEMA

Media Contacts:

Nina Smith  Office:  410-974-2316

Warming Centers as of January 22nd 1400

Allegany County

Anne Arundel

Baltimore County

Baltimore City

Calvert County

Carroll County

Cecil County

Charles County

Dorchester County

Frederick County

Garrett County

Harford County

Howard County

Kent County

Montgomery County

Prince George’s County

Queen Anne’s County

Saint Mary’s County

Somerset County

Talbot County

Washington County

Wicomico County

Worcester County

MEMA Releases 2014-2015 Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan (TEP)

Preventing Home Fires in the Winter

Home fires occur more often in winter than in any other season. Here are some steps you can take to prevent home fires:

• Review safety tips for portable heaters, woodstoves, fireplaces, generators, and candles.
• Develop a home escape plan and practice it periodically.
• Ensure that you have working smoke alarms in every bedroom and outside every sleeping area. Test them monthly.

Visit the U.S. Fire Administration for more safety information.

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY URGES MARYLAND RESIDENTS TO REMAIN VIGILANT DURING PERIODS OF EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 6, 2014) – Governor O’Malley advises residents to take appropriate safety precautions as some of the coldest temperatures in 20 years approach Maryland. Temperatures are expected to dip to near or just below zero in central Maryland, with lows as cold as 15 below zero in the western portion of the state. Temperatures will be slightly warmer in southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore but wind chills are expected to drop temperatures dangerously low across most of the state for isolated periods.

“The brutal cold that’s coming our way can be dangerous, and Marylanders need to be vigilant and prepared,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “After just a few minutes in weather like this, hypothermia can set in and exposed skin can suffer from frostbite. I urge everyone in Maryland to exercise caution, limit their activities outdoors, wear loose layers and cover all exposed skin if venturing outside is unavoidable.”

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has been monitoring the weather forecast for several days and has been in touch with the four National Weather Service offices serving the state as well as local emergency management offices. MEMA and other state agencies are closely monitoring conditions to support local efforts in case additional shelters and/or heating centers need to be opened.

Here are some tips for dealing with the upcoming cold snap:

• Wear layers of clothing that can be easily removed if you become overheated, and make sure to use socks, hats and scarves to protect feet, head and exposed skin.
• Be sure to stay hydrated in the low-humidity conditions, but avoid drinking beverages with alcohol and too much caffeine.
• Make sure your car’s radiator and windshield washer fluid tanks are full and watch for black ice when driving.
• In addition to normal supplies in your car, keep some extra blankets and snacks, such as energy bars, available in case you become stranded.
• If you are travelling, make sure people know when you are expected to arrive and what route you plan to take and make sure you have a fully charged cell phone.
• Consider SAFE alternative heating methods in case you lose power, or see if friends or relatives can provide a place to stay. Avoid using heaters with open flames or heating methods that produce carbon monoxide gas.
• Limit the time pets stay outdoors in these conditions, including pets that normally live outside. If they must remain outside, please make sure they have a dog house or some other type of shelter available and plenty of non-frozen water to drink. (Avoid leaving blankets outside for pets to sleep on in the winter as they may become wet and icy.)
• If some of your pipes are susceptible to freezing, leave a trickle of cold water running from the sink on the lowest level or your home. If possible, insulate pipes.
• Keep cell phones, tablets and other portable devices fully charged in case you lose power.

“If you have any relatives, friends or neighbors who may not have adequate heat, please check on their welfare during these next few days,” said MEMA Executive Director Ken Mallette. “If you have the ability, help them get to someplace warm or contact local social service providers on their behalf.”

Tune in to your local news and radio stations for the most up-to-date information in your jurisdiction. Be sure to follow MEMA and local officials on Facebook, Twitter, and regularly check websites for updates. Marylanders are encouraged to call 211 or their local city or county governments for information on local shelters and warming centers. MEMA will also update their website with shelter hours and locations as they become available.

The following links may also be of use:

http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/emergencies-WinterStorms.aspx#duringtips

http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/WinterWeather/index.html

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/index.shtml

http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm?campname=getprepared&campmedium=aspot_dis12

Social Media links for MEMA:

https://www.facebook.com/MDMEMA

https://twitter.com/MDMEMA

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Warming Center Status as of 1300 hours

Allegany County

Anne Arundel

Baltimore County

Baltimore City

Calvert County

Cecil County

Charles County

Dorchester County

Frederick County

Garrett County

Harford County

Howard County

Kent County

Montgomery County

Prince George’s County

Queen Anne’s County

Saint Mary’s County

Somerset County

Talbot County

Washington County

Wicomico County

Worcester County

Maryland Revises All-Hazards Emergency Response Plan

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency is proud to present to you the approved State Response Operations Plan (SROP), published to the public on December 1, 2013. The SROP is the core plan of the Response Mission of the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Program (MEPP). Its purpose is to describe the roles and responsibilities of Maryland entities during incident response operations and to define those actions to save lives, protect public health and safety, and protect property and the environment within the State of Maryland.

MEMA Introduces the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Program

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency is pleased to introduce the first iteration of the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Program (MEPP). The MEPP is an innovative, forward-thinking approach that sets the policy and strategy for comprehensive emergency preparedness and operations for the State of Maryland for today and into the future.

The Maryland Emergency Preparedness Program replaces the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program (CEMP), last updated in 2009, as the State’s overarching strategy for homeland security and emergency management preparedness and operations.  This document represents a comprehensive all-hazards approach to specific capabilities within four mission areas: Prevention/Protection, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation. Each mission area will be guided by a separate, state-level interagency operations plan that identifies the coordinating structure and concept of operations to deliver the pre-defined capability set of the mission area.  Capabilities are distinct, yet highly interdependent elements, which provide the means to accomplish missions, functions, or objectives through the execution of related tasks.

The heart of the MEPP is risk management, and preparedness is one tool the State uses to manage risk.  Maryland is susceptible to a wide range of threats and hazards, and risk is a combination of the vulnerability of a community to threats and hazards, the impact that a threat or hazard would have on people, services, facilities and structures in the community, and the likelihood of a hazard resulting in an emergency condition that causes injury or damage.  The Maryland Preparedness System, part of the MEPP, uses an 8-step process to continuously improve the State’s ability to manage risk by identifying, building, delivering, evaluating, and sustaining capabilities.

The Governor’s Core Goals for Homeland Security are an interagency, intergovernmental, and multi-disciplinary listing of priority areas; they focus on common-sense ways to improve and maintain security, with a focus on “daily use” projects and programs.  The MEPP and the capabilities concept aligns with the Core Goals through either individual capabilities or as programs under a capability. The MEPP supports the Core Goals by providing a methodology for measuring the State’s progress towards building, maintaining, executing, and improving in all the mission areas of homeland security, making Maryland a Center of Preparedness Excellence.

The MEPP contemplates the “Whole Community” and encourages local jurisdictions to follow the lead of the State for emergency preparedness and operations.  The MEPP acknowledges that effective planning must: be community-based, representing the whole population and its needs; include participation from all stakeholders in the community; include senior officials throughout the process to ensure both understanding and approval; and inform those with operational responsibilities what to do and why to do it, and to further instruct those outside the jurisdiction on how to provide support and what to expect.

The MEPP represents the pathway to creating a Resilient Maryland.  Please look for additional planning products and guidance to support implementation of the MEPP.

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO IMPROVE MARYLAND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

REISTERSTOWN, MD  (Nov. 4, 2013) – As part of the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s commitment to homeland security, Governor Martin O’Malley issued an Executive Order today to adopt the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Program (MEPP). The MEPP is the overarching platform to ensure a consistent and comprehensive approach to preparedness.

The Executive Order outlines the roles and responsibilities related to the four mission areas used for measuring preparedness — prevention and protection, hazard mitigation, incident response and disaster recovery. The Order is part of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to improve our State’s ability to withstand adverse conditions, both natural and man-made. Under the Executive Order, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Maryland State Police, and other state agencies are charged with fulfilling the activities that support those four core mission areas.

“Our most solemn obligation as public servants is to ensure the safety of our people. Over the last several years, winter blizzards, Hurricanes Irene and Sandy and the derecho storms have given us many opportunities to learn new lessons in safety and preparedness,” said Governor O’Malley.  “Building on those lessons, this new program will help to improve preparedness among individuals, businesses and governments throughout Maryland.”

MEMA is coordinating the new efforts with other state agencies, local partners and the private sector.

“Traditionally, state emergency management agency plans focus on roles and responsibilities during the response phase of an emergency – providing help for local governments and their first responders,” said MEMA Director Ken Mallette. “Now, we will develop robust plans to deal with those other mission areas – recovery, prevention and mitigation’ – so we will be better prepared to serve our residents.”

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For more information, contact MEMA Public Information officer Ed McDonough at410-517-3632 (desk), 410-446-3333 (cell) or [email protected].

MEMA ROLLS OUT NEW MARYLAND PREPARES MOBILE APP

Reisterstown, MD (Oct. 11, 2013) — The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is excited to announce the release of its official “Maryland Prepares” mobile application.  The app provides iPhone, iPad, and Android phone and tablet users the ability to access emergency preparedness information on the go.

“MEMA is excited about the opportunities this new app affords Maryland families for emergency preparedness,” said Ken Mallette, MEMA Executive Director. “Incorporation of this new technology adds another dimension to the State’s ability to help Marylanders stay and be prepared for emergency situations.” 

Maryland Prepares enables families to make a communications plan and assess their disaster supply kit through an interactive checklist. Other features of the app include:

• View emergency preparation guides for different types of emergencies;
• Send an “I’m Safe” message via email, text, and social networks;
• View real-time alerts for emergencies, weather and traffic;
• Monitor current cyber threats and suspicious activity;
• Access Maryland Emergency Management Agency news and events; and
• View current and extended National Weather Service forecasts based on current location.

The app is available for Android users via Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nicusa.MDPrepares) and via the iTunes store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/maryland-prepares/id718996444?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4) for Apple users. The application was developed jointly by MEMA, the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT) and NIC, which has helped government agencies develop electronic services for 20 years.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Kasey Parr, Social Media Coordinator

 K[email protected]; (office) 410-517-5129