As part of National Preparedness Month, FEMA will be sending journalists information each week in September to help spread the word about how people and communities can better prepare for specific disasters before they strike.
As we mentioned in the FEMA news release dated September 1, 2015, each week will focus on a different type of disaster. The inaugural week highlights floods and the steps people and communities should take to better weather the storm when it strikes and recover more quickly once it has passed.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7607931-fema-national-prepareathon/
The National Climate Assessment: Climate Change Impacts in the United States concludes that warmer and drier conditions have already contributed to increasing wildfire events across the western United States, and future increases are projected in some regions. Already this year, there have been over 44,000 wildfires that have damaged or destroyed almost 8.5 million acres. Long periods of record high temperatures are associated with droughts that contribute to dry conditions and drive wildfires in some areas.
USDA Secretary Vilsack recently stated, “This year, we are experiencing yet another devastating wildfire season, particularly in the drought-ravaged West. Climate change, drought, fuel buildup, insects and disease are increasing the severity of unprecedented wildfire in America's forests and rangelands, which impacts the safety of people, homes and communities. Development close to forests has also increased the threat to property, with more than 46 million homes in the United States, or about 40 percent of our nation's housing, potentially at risk from wildfire.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7607931-fema-national-prepareathon/
More than 40 U.S. states have some potential for earthquakes. To increase earthquake preparedness, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages all Americans to participate in the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill happening on Thursday, October 15, at 10:15 a.m. local time.
“Residents in California aren't the only ones threatened by the potential of a catastrophic earthquake,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “From the Cascadia subduction zone in the Pacific Northwest to the New Madrid seismic zone in the South and Midwest, millions of Americans live and travel to areas that can be impacted by a major earthquake. All of us - regardless of where we live - should be prepared by knowing what to do: drop, cover, and hold on.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7607931-fema-national-prepareathon/
