Are you ready for the Sales Tax Holiday?

State sales tax holidays are the perfect opportunity to ensure your disaster supply kit is up-to-date or purchase other items which may help you during a disaster. With hurricane season approaching, there is no better time to stock up on preparedness supplies.

Taking advantage of state sales tax holidays is just one more incentive to stock up on bottled water, extra batteries, and items for your disaster supply kit. Many states also offer sales-tax-free school supplies – backpacks can make helpful “go bags” during an emergency or disaster. Upcoming sales tax holidays for other states include:

• Texas – May 23-25 and August 7-9
• Virginia – May 25-31 and August 7-9
• Louisiana – May 30 – 31
• Georgia – July 31-August 1 and October 2-4
• Alabama – August 7-9

Don’t miss out! Use this opportunity to save a few extra dollars and make sure you and your home are prepared! View the full list of 2015 state sales tax holidays today! Don’t see your state on the list? Check with your local Citizen Corps Council to see if your state, county, city, or town is sponsoring an upcoming sales tax holiday. 

Are you Open for Business?

Disaster Preparedness Exercises For Your Business

Every business should have a disaster preparedness program and conduct exercises to determine how quickly operations will be restored following a disaster. Conducting program exercises help improve the overall strength of a disaster plan and the ability of employees to perform their roles and responsibilities.

The Ready campaign outlines several types of exercises that can help you evaluate the effectiveness of your disaster preparedness program, including:

• Walkthroughs, workshops, or orientation seminars – Basic training for team members are designed to familiarize employees with emergency response, business continuity and crisis communications plans, and their roles and responsibilities as defined in the plans;
• Tabletop exercises – Discussion-based sessions where employees review their roles during an emergency and their responses to a particular emergency situation;
• Full-scale exercises – Take place on location using the specific equipment and personnel that would be called upon during a real disaster event. These exercises are conducted by public agencies and often include participation from local businesses; and
• Functional exercises – Allow personnel to validate plans and readiness by performing their duties in a simulated operational environment. Activities for a functional exercise are scenario-driven, such as the failure of a critical business function or for a specific hazard.

Lessons from San Andreas: A movie review #AltusOK #OKstrong @BrianHumphrey #tweko

Someone's favorite wife agreed to see the movie San Andreas.  There's a lot of drama and trauma.  

Someone says there's going to be a quake.  Well, it would not be a movie without one.

What can one learn?

1.  Drop, Cover, Hold ON.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency has uploaded a video for your enjoyment and education.  People getting under sturdy desks and standing is doorways is NOT fiction.  It's the way things are.  It can save your life. 

2.  Foot care:  How well dressed to you need to be to be rescued?  How fast and how far can you run in high heels or flip flops?  More than one journalist has heard the Emergency Manager say "The camera does not care what is on your feet.  Don't walk through debris fields with improper footwear."

3.  It's fiction.  There's a measure of truth in fiction.  The movie viewer would do well to "be aware so you are not scared".  Is a helicopter pilot really able to "auto-rotate in"?  Can an earthquake over 9.0 cause a tsunami higher than a 20-story building?  How far away from the ocean is safe? 

The burning question is WHY was Brian Humphrey not given a cameo role?  

Governor announces Amateur Radio Week in Oklahoma #ARRL #hamradio

Mary Fallin, Governor of Oklahoma, has signed a proclamation naming Amateur Radio week in the State.  Amateur radio operators were invited to a photo opportunity with her recently.

Marry Fallin, Governor of Oklahoma presented a proclmation naming amateur radio week to (left to right) Michael Dean, K5MFD, ARRL Public Information Coordinator, Lloyd Colston, KC5FM, Oklahoma Section Manager, and Tom Webb, WA9AFM, Assistant Section Manager. (Capitol Staff Photo)

FEMA Youth Council named

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is pleased to announce the members of the 2015-2016 National Youth Preparedness Council (Council). The six new Council members are:

• FEMA Region III: Angelo DeGraff (Maryland);
• FEMA Region VI: Ty Zaunbrecher (Louisiana);
• FEMA Region IX: Kiahna Lee Espia (Guam);
• FEMA Region IX: Divakar Saini (California);
• FEMA Region X: Hailey Starr (Washington); and
• FEMA Region X: Megan Stutzman (Oregon).

The returning Council members are:

• Council Chairperson: Obie Jones (FEMA Region VI, Texas);
• Vice Chairperson: Weston Lee (FEMA Region VIII, Utah);
• FEMA Region I: Bridget Smith (Connecticut);
• FEMA Region II: James Collins (New Jersey);
• FEMA Region III: Sahara Duncan (Pennsylvania);
• FEMA Region IV: Matthew Mayfield (Alabama);
• FEMA Region IV: Jonathan Salazar (Florida);
• FEMA Region V: Isaiah Garcia (Michigan); and
• FEMA Region VII: Austin Witt (Iowa).

Created in 2012, the Council brings together youth leaders from across the country that are interested in advocating on behalf of preparedness and making a difference in their communities.

To learn more about the FEMA Youth Preparedness Council, please visit:www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness-council.

FEMA releases new Public Service Annoucements

In an effort to raise awareness of earthquake preparedness, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Ad Council have partnered with Warner Brothers to launch a new series of public service advertisements (PSA’s) featuring scenes from the action thriller San Andreas, starring Dwayne Johnson.

The PSA’s educate audiences on the three steps to take if an earthquake strikes; “Drop, Cover and Hold On.” The PSA’s direct audiences to Ready.gov/Earthquake, where visitors can access more information on how to protect themselves, their families, and property before, during, and after an earthquake.

“Earthquakes can occur anywhere in the U.S. without warning,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “The PSA provides earthquake safety tips that are vital to preparing yourself and your family to react quickly, which will save lives.”

For more information about the PSA’s, please read the full press release.

FEMA.gov Communities - National Preparedness Community Main Group - The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Ad Council Release new PSAs in Partnership with New Movie San Andreas

NOAA announces Grants Program #hurricane

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a call for proposals under the first federal funding opportunity for the new Regional Coastal Resilience Grants Program. The coastal resilience grants program will support regional approaches to activities that build resilience of coastal regions, communities, and economic sectors to the negative impacts from extreme weather events, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions. 

The full federal funding opportunity is available at Grants.gov. Each proposal may request between $500,000 to $1 million in federal funds, and requires a 2:1 federal to non-federal funding cost share in either cash or in-kind matches. Applications are due by July 24, 2015.

Eligible funding applicants include nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, regional organizations, private (for profit) entities and state, local, and tribal governments.   

More information about the program can be found at:http://www.coast.noaa.gov/resilience-grant/. 

Also, the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service is administering a companion $4 million Coastal Ecosystem Resilience Grant Program to advance healthy and sustainable coastal ecosystems through habitat restoration. Details about this program are available at:www.habitat.noaa.gov/funding/coastalresiliency.html. 

An informational webinar for both the Regional Coastal Resilience Grants Program and the Coastal Ecosystem Resilience Grant Program will be held on June 2, 2015, from 3:00-4:00 PM ET. 

For questions about NOAA’s Regional Coastal Resilience Grants Program, please contact Adam Stein at Adam.Stein@noaa.gov.