Last day of #preparedness talks in Georgia in Glynn County

Another great day in Georgia talking about preparedness to various pros.

Special thanks to Glynn County (GA) EMA Director Jay Wiggins for hosting the class…

…and special thanks to Laura Ginn who coordinated efforts on behalf of everyone in City, County, and State of Georgia.

Glad to see so many participants here to learn but more importantly, share information and challenges and success stories they found within their community. Espically when it comes to senior care and supportive care – these issues need to be talked about openly and various members of family and staff need to be aware of challenges they may face when disaster strikes.

Aside from www.ready.gov program – there are a ton of other agencies to follow to ascertain great and trusted information.

Remember, a short time ago, this entire area was hit by Hurricane Matthew with MANDATORY evacuations.

Building these kinds of relationships before a disaster can only strengthen our efforts in response and recovery.

Plus, it’s super awesome to hang with like-minded individuals who are so dedicated to preparedness.

Be safe peeps!

@rusnivek

 

Dam – I should have paid more attention this weekend #OrovilleDam

Open up the twitter and…..

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Dam. I should have paid more attention this weekend.

Mandatory evacuations.

Accounts: @MarysvillePD @CountyofButte @NWSSacramento @CaltransDist3 @CA_DWR

Hashtags: #OrovilleDam #CAWx #TADD #CAFlood

YouTube Live: State of California Emergency Operations Center Live feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJVG0z1g6Eo

Dam-mit.

@rusnivek

 

Love me aisles preparedness stuff!

This store’s preparedness section is on fleek!

I love how they have things sectioned into different sections (kinda like by function).

Evacuation supplies seperated from foods.

And of course helmets and flashlights.

Flashlights a plenty!

I wish every store had sections like this dedicated to emergency preparedness / readiness.

@rusnivek

Save your #Family #Emergency #Communications #Plan on multiple devices #NatlPrep #PrepareAthon

Here’s an easy Saturday plan – take a few moments to have your Family Emergency Communications Plan in hard copy, saved on laptop/tablet, and of course on your smart phone enabled device.

By having multiple backup copies of your Family Emergency Communications Plan, you can be assured that during an evacuation, you’ll have instant access to it for use by any member of your family.

Nice work! Now, it’s Saturday! Get out there and have some fun!

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But do it safely and responsibly.

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“Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.”

@rusnivek

 

Bioterrorism discussion at IIT in Chicago

This past weekend, I was invited to swing by the Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate School in downtown Chicago.

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Spirited discussion included bioterrorism, social media data/intelligence, explosives, nuc/rad release, mass panic/evacuation, and of course drone operations for large events.

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Participants included many members of Chicago Police’s upper administration and leadership from Chicago Police specialty teams.

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They asked Dr. Fagel if I was a Special Agent kinda guy. Clearly, my Aloha shirt on a Saturday really messed things up.

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Overall, it was a great day to be in downtown Chicago.

Looking forward to sharing some SME knowledge with the graduate students this fall.

@rusnivek

Immediate evac? Command decision? or Additional companies?

To my Firefighter peeps – Watch this video below. Few questions for you to ponder:

1. Just by observation, did the conditions necessitate the immediate evacuation from large residential structure?

2. Should Command have known of conditions in the 360/scene size-up to pull crews out?

3. Do Truck companies with tools and ladders or even a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) exist in other municipalities?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=128&v=NrUFYseJwBE

Share with your duty crews.

And more importantly, to all the Dads out there, Happy Father’s Day!

@rusnivek

Your pet needs an emergency preparedness kit too! Check out the one I have – ready to go #Prepared2014 #NatlPrep #Woof

It’s finally Friday in this third week of 2014 National Preparedness Month

“Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare”

#FridayFurDay right? Or is that #FridayFunday ?

This week’s theme is consistent with FEMA’s National Preparedness Campaign: Build an Emergency Kit

#19: Your pet needs an emergency preparedness kit too! Check out the one I have – ready to go #Prepared2014 #NatlPrep #Woof

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Dry dog food (3 days worth). I have Kacy’s food parceled out into individual easy servings. This way, we don’t over feed her.

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Two (2) bottles of water – which is enough for her for 3 days.

Pet identification (3×5 notecard in zip lock bag which makes this waterproof) which includes our contact cell phones and twitter handles, pet name, date of birth, current vaccinations, county dog registration, vet address, vet phone, and of course a short description of what she looks like. Also in the zip lock bag is Kacy’s pet medications (heart worm pills and flea and tick meds).

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Small bowl to eat and drink.

Dog identification tags that includes her name tag, county dog identification, rabies vaccination information, our contact information, and home address.

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Pet First Aid kit – I got this from a community fair thanks to the local health department. This is a necessity! It will make minor injuries easier to manage.

Extra static 6ft leash…and yes, it’s labeled w/ duct tape with her name on it.

Packable raincoat because in case it rains, we are prepared for adverse weather! Also the “wet dog smell” isn’t the most fragrant aroma.

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Favorite pet toys for Kacy which includes two Nylabone chew toys and a bright orange rubber tennis ball from Target.

*******All of the above items fit nicely in a dog carry pack. *******

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Incidentally, this pack/harness has a handle on the topin case I need to emergently pick her up and go. I also have a green glow stick (break activation) that attaches via carabiner to the top for easy identification during night travel/evacuation.

The pack has several zippered outside pockets so I can separate the medications/Identification from the food.

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These simple and easy basic supplies make up my pet preparedness kit. Keep in mind that everyone’s pet preparedness kits should be different depending on the size and breed of the animal…but it should have the basics like food, water, and medications.

I was reminiscing about my deployment during Hurricane Katrina/Rita in 2005 – our Task Force saw SO many abandoned pets in Louisiana’s Lower 9th Ward.

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In case of an emergency or disaster, PLEASE take the time to prepare/evacuate with your pets as they are part of your family.

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For more information on how you can put together your pet preparedness kit, check out this free FEMA Ready.Gov link on pet preparedness.

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For those wondering, Kacy is a rescue dog. Best. Dog. Ever.

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Special thanks to my dog Kacy for helping out in today’s preparedness post. #woof

@rusnivek

Planning alternate travel routes to avoid adverse weather #NatlPrep #Prepared2014

Mowing this week down as we are almost to the middle of the second week in 2014 National Preparedness Month!

“Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare”

Terriffic Tuesdays are here!

This week’s theme is consistent with FEMA’s National Preparedness Campaign: Know How To plan for specific needs before a Disaster.

#9: When planning alternate routes for work or evacuation, factor in adverse weather conditions #NatlPrep #Prepared2014

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By carefully planning your routes, you can prepare you and your family for adverse weather before it rolls in. Additionally, the use of your NOAA NWS Weather Radio to avoid bad weather will help you safely navigate to your destination in a timely fashion. Consider printing out maps w/ clearly defined routes for everyone in your family.

You do NOT want to mess with Mother Nature – so plan your routes accordingly and drive them often so you aren’t surprised by major/minor construction. Make sure you and your family are safe!

“Planning is everything.” – US President Dwight D Eisenhower.

@rusnivek

It’s a sign alright #Hurricane #Iselle

This is NOT a good evacuation plan.

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Plan for routes that will be clogged with traffic.

Have your Family Communications Plan ready for everyone in your immediate family.

And don’t forget to hydrate.

Hope my Hawaii friends and family have prepared for Hurricane Iselle’s arrival today.

@rusnivek