MDEM Newsroom - Page 43 MDEM Newsroom
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.
Howard County Included in Disaster Declaration
November 2nd, 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 Howard County as a result of the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.
The jurisdiction was added to the October 5, 2011, Public Assistance disaster declaration, which included Anne Arundel, Cecil, Charles 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.
Fall Back on Sound Advice: Time to Change Your Clock AND Your Smoke Alarm Batteries
November 1st, 2011Emmitsburg, MD. – As our nation moves back to Standard Time beginning this weekend, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to mark the occasion as a time to test your home smoke alarms and replace the batteries if more than one year old.
Every day in the United States, needless home fire deaths occur. Working smoke alarms significantly increase your chance of surviving a deadly home fire. A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert scanning the air for fire and smoke.
In addition to changing your smoke alarm batteries this weekend, the USFA recommends following these simple steps to protect your life, your loved ones, and your home:
- Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries.
- Test alarms once a month using the test button.
- Replace the entire alarm if it’s more than 10 years old or doesn’t work properly when tested.
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, and both inside and outside of sleeping areas.
- For the best protection, equip your home with a combination of ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor alarms.
- Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout your home so that when one sounds, they all sound. Interconnected alarms are available at most stores that sell smoke alarms.
- Make sure everyone in your home understands the warning of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.
Finally, prepare and practice an escape plan so that you and your loved ones can get out of your home safely should there be a fire. Plan to meet in a place a safe distance from the fire and where first responders can easily see you.
For more information on smoke alarms, fire escape planning, and fire prevention, visit the USFA website at www.usfa.fema.gov/smokealarms
RESIDENTS, TRAVELERS IN NORTHERN, WESTERN MARYLAND URGED TO BE PREPARED FOR EARLY-SEASON WINTER STORM
October 28th, 2011REISTERSTOWN, MD (October 28, 2011) – Residents and people travelling in northern and western sections of Maryland should be prepared for hazardous conditions this weekend as an unusual October snow storm is predicted. A dusting to perhaps eight inches of snow is predicted from Friday night until Saturday afternoon in the northern tier of Maryland counties, with more predicted in far western Maryland.
The biggest concern for this storm will be the weight of snow on trees, which still have significant leaf cover. That could lead to injuries and property damage because of falling trees and power outages if trees fall on utility wires. There also is potential for some icing on roadways and sidewalks in northern areas of the state – especially in the overnight hours — and perhaps some snow accumulation on road surfaces in the western portion of the state.
Moderate flooding is also possible in Ocean City and Worcester County due to coastal flooding along the Atlantic Ocean and the inland bays Saturday.
Residents and travelers should tune to weather forecasts throughout the next 48 hours and can check on the condition of state roads around Maryland by dialing 511 or visiting http://www.md511.org/. Also be careful of wet leaves making roads slippery.
This is also a good time to make sure your vehicle is ready for winter travel. Add a blanket, water or sports drinks, energy bars, a flashlight, a small shovel and kitty litter, sand or road salt (for traction in snow) to your car’s emergency kit and always make sure to have at least a half a tank of gas in your car in case your vehicle becomes disabled or stuck in traffic. Consider carrying a cell phone charger or spare cell phone battery when you travel.
Make sure your home kit is ready in case of a power outage. Water, a battery operated or crank radio, non perishable food items and other essentials should be on hand, and the kit should be portable if you must evacuate.
Baltimore County and the City of Baltimore Included in Disaster Declaration
October 27th, 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 County and the City of Baltimore as a result of Hurricane Irene.
These jurisdictions were added on to the September 16, 2011 Public Assistance disaster declaration, which included Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties.
State and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in these jurisdictions are eligible to apply for funding for debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster 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.