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Maryland and Target Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Assist with Disaster Response and Recovery Efforts
April 29th, 2011BALTIMORE, MD (April 29, 2011) – The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with representatives from the Target Corporation which will enhance disaster response and recovery, and Maryland’s ability to assist victims and return those citizens quickly to a sense of normalcy after a catastrophic event.
According to MEMA’s Executive Director, Richard Muth, lessons learned from disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Gustav, and events closer to home, such as the 2010 Blizzard and localized flooding shows a shift in how recovery is managed by governments throughout the United States. “During catastrophic events our citizens often believe they have a very limited role in helping their community recover”, Muth said. “The reality is that recovery is and must be a unified effort between government, business and our communities” he stated. Muth also acknowledged that people want to help by being able to obtain supplies and self-sustain and, as such, should be encouraged to do so. “People impacted by disasters want to have a role in their recovery efforts”, Muth said, adding, “Empowerment gives people confidence, and in partnership with Target, gives them a sense they are contributing toward the resiliency and rebuilding of their community. Restoring our communities to normal is an effort in which we all must play a part, Muth said”.
Muth explained MEMA and Target met earlier this year and agreed to enter into this an M.O.U which enhances the concept of public/private partnerships during a response to an emergency or disaster. This collaboration between public/private entities has been instituted in several states and has met with great success, Muth said, noting a similar such partnership, referred to as a Business Operations Center (B.O.C.) was developed in California as a response to the 2007 wildfires. Maryland is beginning to explore this concept and anticipates developing a BOC in conjunction with private corporations like Target.
Some highlights of the Target M.O.U include.
- Enhances the ability of the Government and Private Sector to work together and provide a “Continuity of Community”
- Allows the Governor, elected officials, the emergency management community and others the opportunity to publically make citizens aware of the proactive steps being taken, specifically regarding partnering with the private sector, in an attempt to mitigate, prepare, respond and recover from a host of natural or man-made emergency events
- Target partners with the state to identify the needs of the communities impacted then determine how best to respond with supplies, personnel and support.
- Items donated in the past have been water, food, batteries, blankets, clothing items, gloves, tools etc.
- Target volunteers have also been provided to augment emergency personnel and other volunteers to assist with recovery efforts or provide expertise in areas deemed appropriate.
More Stories about the Maryland and Target Memorandum of Understanding:
Media Advisory Severe Storms Impacting Maryland
April 27th, 2011Maryland Residents Should Monitor Weather Broadcasts
REISTERSTOWN, MD (April 27,2011) – Maryland residents should monitor local television, radio and weather radio broadcasts throughout the evening, as there is a potential for severe weather to impact Maryland counties. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are possible in conjunction with another approaching weather system.
Much of the state has been under a severe weather and tornado watches throughout the evening. A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form. Severe thunderstorms also are possible.. Emergency management officials are urging motorists to check news, weather and traffic reports before traveling for the evening. Drivers are asked to exercise diligence and patience when driving and be aware of firefighters , State Highway crews and law enforcement handling emergencies on state and county roadways.
Additionally, drivers must avoid downed wires and trees and stay alert for falling debris in the roadway. All loads should be secured, preventing debris from flying out of pickup trucks and other truck beds. The State Highway Administration recommends delaying travel during the storm. Log onto www.roads.maryland.gov and click “CHART” to view traffic cameras and current traffic conditions.
Residents and media members should check the following website to learn about current National Weather Service watches and warnings throughout the state: http://www.weather.gov/alerts-beta/md.php?x=1.
For information on how to prepare for severe weather, go towww.mema.state.md.us and click on the Be Prepared tab on the left side of the home page. That will display a menu with preparedness information for a variety of emergencies. Preparedness information also is available forwww.ready.gov. Follow MEMA on TWITTER atwww.twitter.com/mema_feeds
State Exercise for Emergency Preparedness: Volunteers Needed
April 18th, 2011
Click Here to Downoald Flyer(449.22 kb)
Harford County and Exelon Team Up to Produce Emergency Preparedness Video
April 18th, 2011(Bel Air, MD) – The Harford County Division of Emergency Operations (EOC) in cooperation with Exelon Power has produced a video to demonstrate emergency preparedness between Harford County and Exelon should an emergency occur at the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Plant in nearby Pennsylvania. The program was filmed by Harford Cable Network.
“The Harford County Division of Emergency Operations and Exelon Power have worked together for many years developing emergency preparedness plans should an incident occur at the Peach Bottom nuclear facility,” stated Harford County Emergency Manager Rick Ayers. “Together we are prepared to help protect the citizens of Harford County, as well as those in neighboring Cecil County and Pennsylvania should an unfortunate situation occur at the power plant,” Ayers remarked.
The 30 minute program, called “Ready Harford,” will air on the Harford Cable Network Friday, March 18 at 8:00 p.m. and will be shown every Friday at the same time and Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. for the next month.
Harford Cable Network is available to Comcast subscribers on Channel 21, to Armstrong subscribers on Channel 7, and to Verizon FiOS subscribers on Channel 31.
For more information regarding Harford County emergency preparedness visit the Harford County Division of Emergency Operations website atwww.harfordpublicsafety.org.
President of Bosnia and Herzegovina Tours MEMA
April 18th, 2011President Bakir Izetbegovic, a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Tri-presidency, visited the Maryland Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday, March 22 during a visit to Camp Fretterd Military Reservation in Reisterstown, Md.
The official visit was part of the National Guard’s State Partnership Program (SPP) with Maryland and Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to enhance bilateral relationships. The president and his delegation were also in town attending the U.S.-Balkans Business Summit at the University of Baltimore.
While at MEMA, the President received a tour of the State Emergency Operations Center and the Maryland Joint Operations Center, the first joint civilian-military 24-hour watch center in the United States. this week. He was briefed about how MEMA helps to coordinate the use of state resources to support local agencies in emergencies and how the state civilian and military agencies work together.
The SPP brings together U.S. states and territories with partner nations through a range of military, civil-military and civil activities under the Maryland Military Department auspices. MEMA resides at Camp Fretterd with the Maryland Military Department, which maintains two State Partnerships — one with Estonia, and one with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The state has partnered with Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2003.
For more information about the visit, you may go to the Maryland Military Department’s Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150129774822557. To view a news clip of the visit from WJZ TV, Channel 13, in Baltimore, please go to http://bit.ly/dE83mN
2011 Hurricane Hunters Tour
April 3rd, 2011Everyone is invited to this one of a kind event
2011 Hurricane Hunters Tour
Tuesday May 3rd, 2011
Patuxent River Naval Air Station, MD Everyone is invited!
- TOUR on-board one of the unique NOAA “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft.
- LEARN what it is like to penetrate a hurricane from the pilots who fly it.
- SPEAK with National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center forecasters.
- LEARN what you and your family can do to prepare before a hurricane strikes.
Update: Maryland’s Ongoing Monitoring of Radioactive Material in Rainwater Following Japanese Nuclear Incident: No Public Health Risk
March 28th, 2011Update: Maryland’s Ongoing Monitoring Detects Trace Amount of Radioactive Material in Rainwater Following Japanese Nuclear Incident: No Public Health Risk
Baltimore, MD (March 28, 2011) — The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) reported today that a very small amount of radioactive Iodine – 131 was detected in a rainwater sample from Baltimore. The reported level of Iodine – 131 (32 picoCuries per liter) was consistent with the findings in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts as reported yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“This very small level is not surprising and does not pose a public health risk,” said Frances B. Phillips, DHMH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services. “We will continue to monitor and update the public.”
Rainwater is diluted by water in reservoirs and rivers or filters through the ground before reaching groundwater and is treated before reaching consumers in drinking water. As a result, it is not expected that I-131 levels of concern of would appear in public water systems. Yesterday the Department reported negative results in public water systems and milk.
For additional information, see the Department’s website:www.dhmh.state.md.us.
WJZ: Japan Disaster Prompts Concerns For MD Nuclear Safety
March 16th, 2011The unfolding nuclear crisis in Japan has raised concerns over how vulnerable Maryland would be in a similar disaster.
REISTERSTOWN, Md. (WJZ)—The situation in Japan continues to worsen as crews attempt to reverse what’s happening at a damaged nuclear power plant. The crisis is now having a ripple effect on the use of atomic energy worldwide.
Mike Hellgren reports from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency with more on how Maryland inspects its nuclear facilities.
The Maryland Emergency Management Agency annually takes a look at the disaster plans, including evacuation routes and the potential impact.
The unfolding nuclear crisis in Japan has raised concerns over how vulnerable Maryland would be in a similar disaster. Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactors are located in the southern part of the state. Peach Bottom nuclear plants are just a few miles north of Maryland on the Susquehanna.
See Full Story Here: CBS Baltimore – http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/
Justice Department’s New ADA Rules Go into Effect on March 15, 2011
March 15th, 2011WASHINGTON – Revised regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will take effect March 15, 2011, the Department of Justice announced. The revised rules are the department’s first major revision of its guidance on accessibility in 20 years.
The regulations apply to the activities of more than 80,000 units of state and local government and more than seven million places of public accommodation, including stores, restaurants, shopping malls, libraries, museums, sporting arenas, movie theaters, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, hotels, jails and prisons, polling places, and emergency preparedness shelters. The rules were signed by Attorney General Eric Holder on July 23, 2010, and the official text was published in the Federal Register on September 15, 2010.
The department is also releasing a new document, “ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business,” to help small businesses understand the new and updated accessibility requirements. In addition, the department is announcing the release of a new publication explaining when the various provisions of its amended regulations will take effect. Both documents will be available tomorrow on the department’s ADA website, www.ada.gov.
“The new rules usher in a new day for the more than 50 million individuals with disabilities in this country,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. “The rules will expand accessibility in a number of areas and, for the first time, provide detailed guidance on how to make recreation facilities, including parks and swimming pools, accessible.”
The new ADA rules adopt the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which have been retooled to be more user-friendly for building code officials, builders, and architects, and have been harmonized with state and local accessibility codes. The 2010 standards also include, for the first time, standards on making swimming pools, parks, golf courses, boating facilities, exercise clubs, and other recreation facilities accessible for individuals with disabilities. Entities covered by the ADA have until March 15, 2012 to comply with the 2010 Standards. In addition to adopting the new ADA 2010 Standards, the amended regulations contain many new or expanded provisions on general nondiscrimination policies, including the use of service animals, the use of wheelchairs and other power-driven mobility devices, selling tickets for wheelchair-accessible seating at sports and performance venues, reserving and guaranteeing accessible rooms at hotels, providing interpreter services through video conferencing, and the effect of the new regulations on existing facilities. The compliance date for the all the new nondiscrimination provisions, except for those on hotel reservations, is March 15, 2011. Compliance with the hotel reservation provisions is not required until March 15, 2012.
“ADA Update” and “ADA 2010 Revised Requirements: Effective Date/Compliance Date” are the first of several planned publications aimed at helping businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and state and local governments understand their obligations under the amended Title II and Title III regulations. Individual print copies of the Effective Date/Compliance Date publication can be ordered from the ADA Information Line (800-514-0301 voice or 800-514-0383 TTY).
For more information about the ADA, call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY), or access the department’s ADA website at www.ada.gov.
MEMA Activates to LEVEL 3 in support of Statewide Operations Due to Heavy Rains
March 11th, 2011RESISTERSTOWN, MD (March 10, 2011) – The Maryland Emergency Management Agency will activate to a Level 3 at 12:00noon today due to the forecast of heavy rains that will impact Maryland this afternoon and this evening. Level 3 means representatives of state agencies involved in firefighting, rescue, law enforcement, transportation, hospitals, utilities, evacuation, sheltering, and emergency medical response will join MEMA staff in the state emergency operations center. MEMA’s 24/7 Joint Operations Center has been monitoring the weather and has been in contact with local jurisdictions to address any needs or concerns they have with regard to the impending weather.
MEMA’s preparedness officials remind citizens to plan accordingly. Residents are urged to listen to local news, weather and traffic prior to travelling and further encouraging Marylanders to be prepared and use caution as the National Weather Service is reporting the potential for 1.5″-3″ of rain that could cause flooding. Flooding may occur anywhere and cause road closures, downed trees or power lines. Drivers are asked to exercise caution when driving and be aware of firefighters, State Highway crews, power crews, and law enforcement handling emergencies on state and county roadways.
For more information on preparedness, please visit www.mema.state.md.us. It is also suggested travelers check with Maryland Transit Administration atwww.mtamaryland.gov for mass transit travel plans or log into the Maryland Department of Transportation web site http://www.mdot.maryland.gov or www.roads.maryland.gov and click on the CHART ICON.
Emergency managers suggest the following preparedness actions:
· Report any EMERGENCY by dialing 911
· Check your route to insure roadways are open and passable
· Allow extra travel time as downed trees and wires may be blocking roads
· Do not drive or walk thru standing water
· If power goes out in your community, check on your neighbors to make sure they are ok
· If you use a generator in a power outage, make sure it is properly vented and kept away from the house
· If you are using a chain saw to remove downed trees, practice chain saw safety. If you are not experienced in the use of a chain saw, have someone else perform the job
· Remember floodwaters take days to make their way downstream and continue to do so even when the rain stops and the sun shines. Never underestimate the power and speed in which floodwaters can rise and impact property and the safety of residents
Follow MEMA on TWITTER at www.twitter.com/MEMA_feeds.