MDEM Newsroom - Page 42 MDEM Newsroom
WMDT47 News: End of Hurricane Season 11.30.11
December 1st, 2011MEMA Director Richard Muth was interviewed by WMDT out of Salisbury about the end of hurricane season and how Irene and Lee impacted the state.
Click here to Watch the Video Now.
FSA: USDA Designates 3 Counties in Pennsylvania as Primary Natural Disaster Areas, with Assistance to Maryland and New Jersey
November 29th, 2011| Bradford | Lebanon | York |
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| Adams | Cumberland | Lancaster | Schuylkill |
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| Berks | Dauphin | Lycoming | Sullivan |
| Wyoming | Tioga | Susquehanna |
| Baltimore | Carroll | Harford |
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| Chemung | Tioga |
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SBA Disaster Loans Available in Maryland Following Secretary of Agriculture Disaster Declaration
November 29th, 2011ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration announced today that federal economic injury disaster loans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes in Baltimore, Carroll and Harford counties in Maryland as a result of excessive rain, flooding and flash flooding associated with Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee that occurred on Aug. 26 through Sept. 12, 2011.
“These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in Pennsylvania. The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included,” according to Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East.
“When the Secretary of Agriculture issues a disaster declaration to help farmers recover from damages and losses to crops, the Small Business Administration issues a declaration to assist eligible entities affected by the same disaster,” said Skaggs.
Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquacultural enterprises, farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers are not eligible to apply to SBA.
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with a 3 percent interest for non-profit organizations,
4 percent for small businesses and terms up to 30 years. The SBA determines eligibility based on the size of the applicant, type of activity and its financial resources. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.
Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to[email protected]. Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
Those affected by the disaster may apply for disaster loans from SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.
Completed loan applications must be returned to SBA no later than July 9, 2012.
DHS anuncia alianza con la Major League Soccer para campaña “Si ve algo, diga algo™”
November 28th, 2011WASHINGTON— The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced a new partnership between the DHS “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign and Major League Soccer (MLS)—highlighting the Department’s partnership with the sports industry to ensure the safety and security of the employees, players and fans.
“Each of us has a role to play in helping keep America safe, and time and again, we have seen the value of public vigilance in thwarting terrorism and crime,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Promoting the simple, but effective “If You See Something, Say Something™” message during the MLS Cup and throughout the MLS season is a significant step in ensuring the safety of the players, spectators and employees.”
The Department’s “If You See Something, Say Something™” partnership with the MLS Cup will feature a “If You See Something, Say Something™” graphic that will aired on the video board during the MLS Cup championship game in Carson City, Calif. Safety messaging will also be printed on the back of MLS Cup credentials for staff, players, and volunteers and in game day programs distributed to fans. Throughout the MLS season “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign graphics appeared on video boards and on the MLS website, and the “If You See Something, Say Something™” Public Service Announcement was read at games.
“Major League Soccer is pleased to partner with the Department of Homeland Security on the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign,” said MLS Executive Vice President Nelson Rodriguez. “We encourage our millions of fans to heed this simple message and help keep all of us safe.”
The “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign—originally implemented by New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and now licensed to DHS for a nationwide campaign—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.
Over the past year, DHS has collaborated with federal, state, local and private sector partners, as well as the Department of Justice, to expand the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign and the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative—an administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to terrorism, crime and other threats; standardize how those observations are documented and analyzed; and ensure the sharing of those reports with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led Joint Terrorism Task Forces for further investigation.
Recent “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign partnerships with the sports industry include DHS partnerships with Major League Baseball during the play-offs and the 2011 World Series, Oklahoma University NCAA 2011 football and basketball seasons, and several National Football League teams including; the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, and the San Diego Chargers.
DHS will continue to expand the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign nationally to help America’s businesses, communities and citizens remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe.
Maryland Counties Eligible for Tropical Storm Lee Disaster Loans
November 28th, 2011Residents and businesses affected by the severe weather resulting from Tropical Storm Lee on Sep. 8-9 can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills announced today.
Mills made the loans available in response to a letter from Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell on Nov. 9, requesting a disaster declaration by the SBA. The declaration covers Fairfax and Prince Williams counties, and the neighboring cities and counties of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fauquier, Loudoun, Manassas, Manassas Park and Stafford in Virginia; Charles, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland; and the District of Columbia. More >>
Download Disaster Loan Fact Sheet: TS_Lee_Fact_Sheet.pdf (2.43 mb)
Tropical Storm Lee Survivors in Virginia can Apply for SBA Assistance
November 28th, 2011|
Fairfax County
South County Government Center
8350 Richmond Highway
Room 125
Alexandria VA 22304
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Prince William County
Frelazzo Building
15941 Donald Curtis Drive
Suite 140
Woodbridge VA 22191
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Open: Wed, Nov. 16 thru Tue, Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sat, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (closed Sunday)
Closing: Tue, Nov. 22 at close of business
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Cooking Fire Safety
November 18th, 2011Cooking equipment is the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. Whether you are cooking the family holiday dinner or a snack for the children, practicing safe cooking behaviors will help keep you and your family safe.
Stay safe when cooking this Thanksgiving:
- Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.
- Use turkey fryers outdoors away from buildings and items that can catch fire.
- Never use a turkey fryer in a garage or on a wooden deck.
More Cooking Fire Safety Action Steps »
State backs OC’s actions during Irene
November 16th, 2011Source: Delmarvanow.
OCEAN CITY — Richard Muth, Maryland’s director of emergency management, said he backs the timing and the reasoning of Ocean City officials who evacuated the resort in anticipation of Hurricane Irene.
Muth visited a Town Council work session where officials from the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association voiced questions and concerns they had about the way the evacuation was executed.
Muth said numerous factors — including the necessity to close the Chesapeake Bay Bridge when winds hit a certain speed, and the evacuation of multiple low-lying areas in Delmarva and the immediate area — made the decision to evacuate in the days before the storm hit a prudent one.
“It was the right decision made based on the information they had at the time,” Muth said of the Aug. 26 evacuation date, echoing a comment Mayor Rick Meehan has made about the decisions. The brunt of the storm came about a day later.
Fishtales owner and HMRA member Shawn Harman pointed out during the discussion that Ocean City had been evacuated before places like Cape Hatteras, N.C., an area that was hit by the storm hours before Ocean City.
Muth said it didn’t matter to his staff which other states and towns had handed down evacuation orders when Ocean City did, adding that in that situation, municipalities often look for a town elsewhere to make the initial move before following suit.
By leaving Ocean City early, people were able to get away from the Eastern Shore without some of the traffic congestion some areas of Delaware encountered when they evacuated later, Muth said.
“If the Bay Bridge had been closed when people were trying to leave, that would have taken away a very important route,” he said.
Councilman Joe Hall said the storm was a real threat, and that town officials took it as one.
If Ocean City had felt the force of the storm that some areas north and south of the resort had, there wouldn’t be a discussion about the evacuation, he said. Instead, there would be one about rebuilding the town.
“We did the right thing for the town of Ocean City,” Hall said.
HMRA Executive Director Susan Jones said the association did not wish to question the decision to evacuate, but wanted to speak with the council in an effort to make practical improvements in the event another natural disaster looms on the town’s horizon.
Ocean City’s official press release on the evacuation was confusing, and calls to a hotline listed on the release gave HMRA members conflicting reports on what they were to do, Jones said.
Meehan and the council acknowledged that improvements can certainly be made.
Ocean City spokeswoman Donna Abbott recommended the town make plans to establish a joint information committee that can be assembled in the event of another impending disaster. The group could form a comprehensive communication plan, and training for facets of the group could be provided by the town. Muth pledged the state’s help with training if necessary.
Councilwoman Margaret Pillas commended the community on its actions in the time leading up to the hurricane.
“You have criticisms, but you still followed through and complied,” Pillas said.
The Ocean City Fire Department has already been analyzing its actions before and during the storm as part of an effort to create a department plan that will allow the department to begin planning for a storm up to 96 hours before it hits, Chief Chris Larmore said later in the meeting. The day after the storm, Larmore appointed two full-time workers to handle that review.
The department’s storm preparedness plan will be “shelf-ready” in the event of another storm, and will include everything the department can think of for storm planning and logistics, Larmore said.
Maryland Residents are Urged to be Aware of First Nationwide Test of Emergency Alert System
November 4th, 2011Test to Take Place November 9 at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
REISTERSTOWN, MD (Nov. 1, 2011) — The federal government will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, November 9, at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency wants all residents to understand this event will be just a test, and not a real emergency alert.
The test is expected to last approximately 30 seconds. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested.
“It is important to make sure the system works at the national level,” said Richard Muth, Executive Director of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency. “The system is regularly used for local and regional notifications, but this will be the first national test. But I want all Maryland residents to understand that this will only be a TEST.”
The test is being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as part of an ongoing effort to keep the nation safe during emergencies and strengthen our resilience against all hazards. The EAS is an alert and warning system that can be activated by the president to provide information to the public during emergencies.
NOAA’s National Weather Service, governors, and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system to issue more localized emergency alerts. The test is an important exercise to ensure communication of critical information in a national emergency. Similar to EAS tests already conducted frequently on the local level, the nationwide test will involve television and radio stations across the United States and its territories.
Under the FCC’s rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers and wireline video service providers must receive and transmit presidential EAS messages to the public. A national test will help federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system, as well as its effectiveness notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers nationally and regionally. The test will also provide the FCC and FEMA a chance to identify improvements needed to build a modern and fully accessible system.
The public should use this event as a reminder that everyone should establish an emergency preparedness kit and emergency plan for themselves, their families, communities, and businesses. Visitwww.Ready.gov for more information readiness. For information about the EAS test, visithttp://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test
Baltimore and Harford Counties Included in Disaster Declaration
November 4th, 2011REISTERSTOWN, Md – Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal aid has been made available to support local recovery efforts in Baltimore and Harford Counties as a result of the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.
The jurisdictions were added to the Public Assistance disaster declaration, which included Anne Arundel, Cecil, Charles, Howard and Prince George’s Counties.
State and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in these jurisdictions are eligible to apply for funding for emergency services related to the disaster, debris removal and repair or replacement of damaged roads, bridges, buildings, utilities, recreation areas and other public facilities.
Under the cost-share program, FEMA funds 75 percent of the cost for eligible work.