Clipmarks | Preparedness Clips

New Orleans: Evacuate, or face Gustav alone

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:13:08 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Police with bullhorns plan to go street to street with a tough message about getting out ahead of Hurricane Gustav: This time there will be no shelter of last resort. The doors to the Superdome will be locked. Those who stay will be on their own.

Authorities issued the warning Friday as new forecasts made it increasingly clear that New Orleans will get some kind of hit — direct or indirect — as early as Monday.

And those among New Orleans' 310,000 residents who ignore orders to leave accept "all responsibility for themselves and their loved ones," said the city's emergency preparedness director, Jerry Sneed.

In an effort to keep track of where people go after they leave the city, officials plan to give evacuees bar-coded bracelets containing their ID.

Tags: weather, hurricane, new orleans

Disaster Survivors Warning

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:10:47 GMT

clipped by: Imnclady

Clip Source: www.ama-assn.org

New recommendations to protect disaster survivors

For immediate release
August 4, 2008

CHICAGO – To help injured disaster survivors that may be at risk for infection from blood-borne viruses or tetanus in the environment, new vaccine recommendations were released today in the latest issue of the American Medical Association (AMA) Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal. The recommendations are co-published with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Diseases and bacteria that cause disability and death, such as hepatitis B and tetanus, can be prevented by vaccines that are safe, effective and widely available,"

A blood-borne virus may infect exposed wounds, abraded skin, body fluids, or tissue from injured persons.

The report was developed through consultation among immunization experts, physicians who specialize in trauma and emergency medicine, and public health epidemiologists.

This article is available ahead of print online t

Tags: survival, disasters, disease, virus, bacteria, healthcare, health, medicine, vaccine

Surviving disasters - be prepared to help yourself & your neighbors

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:46:22 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: I live in California, where we have a 99% chance of having an earthquake measuring 6.7 or higher some time in the next 30 years. The chance of a quake 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%. As we saw after the Loma Prieta quake, the government and emergency responders will not be able to help everybody, and each of us will need to help ourselves and the people around us.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Much of what we know about surviving disasters comes from people who have been through them.

the science of disaster preparedness and survival. One of the main lessons is that panic, denial and fear may be inevitable during a disaster, but your brain will perform best in a stressful situation if you have already put it through a few rehearsals.

That’s why the fire drill is so important. You need to make the walk down the stairs to the exit so that your brain can store the physical memory of the experience.

A surprisingly common disaster behavior is the tendency to stick around and gather things

being aware of this “gathering instinct” can help you overcome it

Crowd behavior in a disaster is also surprisingly predictable

People stick together, follow one another and are civilized and painfully slow during evacuations

A person who takes a leadership role in a disaster will invariably be followed

hundreds of lives were saved by a busboy

barked orders at the wealthy patrons telling

how to evacuate

Tags: preparedness, disasters

Wilderness survival classes (near Poughkeepsie)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:35:30 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: At $285 for a weekend class, this sounds like a fantastic value.

Clip Source: travel.nytimes.com

UNLESS John D. McCann, the managing director of Survival Resources, based in Hyde Park, N.Y., is wearing a suit for some sort of business meeting, he always carries in his pants pocket an Altoids tin. There are no mints inside it. Instead, he painstakingly packs the tin — which he explains can double as a mini-frying pan if you’re ever marooned in the wilderness — with a remarkable assortment of worst-case scenario supplies.

What is your most important survival tool? Your brain.

Second only to the brain, he said, is a sharp knife.

“Play with fire, please,” Mr. McCann prompted us. “Get good with fire.” In addition to cooking food and generating warmth, fire bolsters the morale of would-be survivors.

TO take advantage of body heat, an effective shelter must be snug

Many rookies mistakenly erect a McMansion when a garden shed will do

Multimedia

Slide Show

Getting in Touch With Your Inner Backwoodsman

the rule in the wilderness is to survive first and worry about legalities later.

Tags: survival, preparedness, wilderness

Green ‘Peace Party’ positions against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars compared to pro-occupation Clint

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:06:53 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: “The occupation of Iraq will continue whether a Democrat or a Republican moves into the White House in January 2009,” said Jason Wallace, Green candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 11th District <http://www.electwallace.us>; and a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War <http://ivaw.org/index.php>;. IVAW has announced ‘Winter Soldier’ (March 13-16), a four-day event bringing together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan <http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier>;. “The ILWU action planned for May 1 is evidence that working people are impatient with vague promises to end these wars. Will Ms. Clinton or Mr. Obama endorse the ILWU protest and pledge to call home all US military personnel immediately?”
“By calling the Iraq War a matter of military preparedness and botched strategy, Democrats are sidestepping the premise of the war,” said Bob Kinsey, Green candidate for the US Senate in Colorado <http://www.kinseyforsenate.org>;. “While it’s true that

Clip Source: greenpartypeacenetwork.wordpress.com

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders today compared the Green demand for an immediate end to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to the pro-occupation positions of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.

The Green Party of the United States has called for immediate troop withdrawal and impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney for numerous crimes and abuses of power, including deception and manipulated intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq. Greens also favor a sharp reduction in the military budget, shifting funds over to health care, conservation programs, efforts to curb global warming, and other urgent needs.

Democrats have retreated, our own Green presidential candidates — Jesse Johnson, Cynthia McKinney, Kent Mesplay, and Kat Swift — have aggressively promoted the Green Party’s position on the wars and on impeachment,” said Dr. Julia Willebrand, co-chair of the Green Party’s International Committee <http://www.gp.org/committees/intl>.

Zombie Preparedness Inititiative

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:08:20 GMT

clipped by: moonspirit4ever

Clip Source: ww2.zombieinitiative.org

The Zombie Preparedness Initiative is a knowledge base provided by a community of citizens concerned about the impending zombie invasion and the imminent disaster that is sure to follow. We are not claiming to be experts on anything, we are merely doing what we can to gather knowledge and share the acquired information with the public. By doing this, we hope to help people prepare for the very real threat that we shall face when zombies show up and governments have not taken the time to prepare. We are working to do what we can to help people find others in their area that are interested in fighting against the zombies so that when the time comes there can be safe locations all around the world. We have recently moved to a new content management system, so if there are any problems with anything, please report it to the Site Admin.

Tags: zombies

Pragati,ngo puri orissa india

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:18:53 GMT

clipped by: Ashwini
clipper's remarks: Pragati an organization focusing on the progress of the society through economic development and women empowerment,providing equality and social justice.

Clip Source: pragati.dev4india.org

Pragati is an organization focusing on the progress of the society through economic development and women empowerment. We believe in providing equality and social justice to everyone in the community so as to alleviate poverty on a sustainable basis. We work in the slums of Puri municipality and Sadar Block of Puri district.

We have covered a population of more than 1,00,000 people and enable growth of Self Help Groups (SHG) and people's forums in every community. Pragati has also worked for the relief and rehabilitation of super cyclone victims and started many community based disaster preparedness programme.

Tags: pragati, ngo, puri, orissa, india, dev4india, development, society, empowerment, relief

We've seen the future ... and we may not be doomed

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:06:53 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: www.independent.co.uk

Humanity stands on the threshold of a peaceful and prosperous future, with an unprecedented ability to extend lifespans and increase the power of ordinary people – but is likely to blow it through inequality, violence and environmental degradation. And governments are not equipped to ensure that the opportunities are seized and disasters averted.

So says a massive new international report

Backed by organisations ranging from Unesco to the US army, the World Bank to the Rockefeller Foundation, the 2008 State of the Future report runs to 6,300 pages and draws on contributions from 2,500 experts around the globe.

Its warning is all the more stark for eschewing doom and gloom. "The future continues to get better for most of the world," it concludes, "but a series of tipping points could drastically alter global prospects."

the report warns "half the world is vulnerable to social instability and violence due to rising food and energy prices, failing states, falling water tables, climate change

Tags: preparedness, sustainability

More on The Outquisition

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:28:43 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: www.worldchanging.com

We were talking about the slow-motion collapse here in America, the looming climate crisis,the futility of survivalism; and we began to play with the thought, what kinds of heroes would actually do some good for the communities that get hit hard?

a huge number of people are going to need help forging new ways of life

Imagine these folks like this passing out free textbooks, running holistic programs for kids, creating local knowledge management systems, launching microfinance projects, mobilebanking and complementary currencies. Helping rural landowners apply climate foresight and farm biodiversity. Building cheap, smart, quality housing for displaced people (not to mention better refugee camps), or an Open Architecture Network for cheap informal rehabs of run-down suburban housing. Hacking together DIY windmills and ad hoc smart grids, communication systems, water treatment systems -- and getting really good atadaptive reuses of outdated infrastructure.

Tags: prepare-for-the-change, preparedness

Post-apocalypse without the militias: The Outquisition

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:24:23 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: www.boingboing.net

while there's a whole ton of stories -- and people who emulate them -- about heavily armed survivalists bravely holding off the twilight of civilization after the Big One, there are damned few stories about super-networked post-apocalyptic Peace Corps who respond to the Great Fall by figuring out how to put it all back together. I even came up with a name for it: the Outquisition; the opposite of the Inquisition -- missionaries who come to your town to remind you of how awesome it can all be, leave behind a bunch of rad, life-improving systems and tools, and generally get on with the business of being happy, well-fed and peaceful

Alex wrote up a great post about this and 24 hours later, some WorldChanging readers created Outquisition.org. I'm not sure what they'll do there, but in my dreams, they're off building a non-secret society of emergency-preparedness Nice People who think that the response to catastrophe isn't lifeboat rules and militias, but humanitarian aid and kick-ass tools.

Tags: prepare-for-the-change, preparedness, community

Safety Training Videos

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:58:04 GMT

clipped by: ERJun
clipper's remarks: Visit this site for the most extensive collection of safety training videos you will find, at great prices too.

Clip Source: www.efilmgroup.com

Tags: disaster preparedness, safety training videos, training dvds, remember charlie, counterterrorism training

Who Created Uncle Sam?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:25:23 GMT

clipped by: sapphira

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

Who Created Uncle Sam?

James Montgomery Flagg created the iconic illustration of Uncle Sam.

Flagg, an illustrator and portrait artist best known for his commercial art, contributed 46 works in support of the war effort during World War I. Leslie's Weekly first published his illustration of Uncle Sam as the cover of the July 6, 1916, issue with the title "What Are You Doing for Preparedness?"

More than four million copies were printed between 1917 and 1918. The image also was used extensively during World War II.

In 1961, Congress passed a resolution that officially recognized meat packer Samuel Wilson (1766-1854) as Uncle Sam's namesake. Wilson, who supplied meat to the army during the War of 1812, is reputed to have been a man of great fairness, reliability, and honesty who was devoted to his country.

— LiveScience Staff

Tags: uncle sam, creator, illustration, congress, resolution

World's poor hit hard as disaster tally rises

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:00:11 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.canada.com

OTTAWA - More poor people are falling victim to global disasters than ever before, says a new report that tracks carnage.

This higher level of vulnerability is occurring even though emergency preparedness is generally better and there were fewer floods, droughts and earthquakes in 2007 than in previous years, says the 2008 World Disasters Report released Thursday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

More than 201 million people were affected by disasters, a 40 per cent increase over 2006. But of those killed, a disproportionate number came from vulnerable people in developing countries.

Tags: poor, disasters

Advice for Ag producers

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:18:37 GMT

clipped by: dmccluredvm

Clip Source: www.senecanewsdispatch.com

Ag Preparedness Specialists Offers … Common-Sense Tips for Protecting the Farm

ed animals. Quarantine new animals for three to four weeks. Feed and handle these animals last.

What can an agricultural producer do to help protect their farm?

Here are some common-sense tips from Amanda Marney, agriculture preparedness specialist with University of Missouri Extension that will increase biosecurity on the farm.

LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS

Pandemic Influenza Planning by CDP

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:41:43 GMT

clipped by: dmccluredvm
clipper's remarks: This course is also recommended for veterinarians as non-traditional responders.

Clip Source: cdp.dhs.gov

Pandemic Influenza Planning and Preparedness (PIPP)

PIPP is a three-day training course providing an overview of pandemic influenza, its challenges, and many facets of community planning that will enable a community to prepare and effectively respond to a pandemic influenza event. Following lectures regarding various aspects of influenza and pandemic influenza, the course culminates in an all-day exercise that casts planning and management level responders in a community role where he or she must participate in the planning process to prepare a fictitious community for pandemic influenza. As part of their 24 contact hours for this course, planning and management level responders will experience the outcome of the planning process as the beginning of an outbreak unfolds in a community.

Tags: pandemic, flu, disaster planning