QuakeSmart Business Earthquake Mitigation Toolkit
Businesses never need an earthquake plan until they need one very badly. That’s why the Federal Emergency Management Agency has put together a package of resources that business owners and their employees can use to build a plan before they need one. The QuakeSmart kit provides simple steps to assess risk, create a plan, and implement it.
Disaster Preparedness Champions of Change
You’d be hard pressed to find a loser among people preparing their communities for disaster, but last week the White House singled out 17 individuals as disaster preparedness champions. Using innovative approaches that involve the entire community, these disaster heroes span the spectrum from high-level officials to municipal managers to community activists. Check out their bios and accomplishments on the Champions of Change page linked above.
National Hurricane Center Storm Surge Forum
Storm surge and how it relates to storm categories can be a tricky topic for the public to understand. That’s why the National Hurricane Center has created a forum to collect ideas on ways to better measure, monitor, communicate, and weather storm surges. Conversations are trending on everything from color scales to mobile apps, so stop by and add your two cents. All you need is an opinion.
Disaster Information Management Research Center Disaster Apps
Who doesn’t have to access information on the fly these days—especially during a disaster? For all those folks, the National Library of Medicine’s Disaster Information Management Research Center has compiled a list of disaster applications and Web information that can be easily used on a mobile device. From disaster medicine to hazards information to disaster resources, there’s a handy list of offerings complete with download links for a variety of platforms and devices. And if you don’t have time to explore now, no problem—connect to the page from your smartphone and keep it with you wherever you go.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
The National Academies could have good news for swaths of the nation facing serious and extended drought. A recent report has found that reusing wastewater for irrigation and industrial use could significantly increase available water. In some cases, treated wastewater might even be made safely available for drinking, according to the report. Federal regulation changes would be needed to ensure public health and confidence in treated wastewater though. Visit the report Web page for a list of findings or to download the entire document.