The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges everyone to ensure their families, homes and businesses are prepared for the risks associated with hurricanes and tropical storms. Individuals and families are encouraged to have a family communications plan and make a kit with essential items like non-perishable food, bottled water, spare batteries, a can opener, and specialty items like medical prescriptions and spare eyeglasses and don’t forget your pet’s food. Property owners should also review their insurance coverage with their agent – including flood insurance – to ensure they’ll be adequately protected in the event of a storm.

As hurricane season approaches, FEMA is coordinating with state and local officials to ensure that all communities along the coast and hurricane-prone areas are prepared to respond. Even as long-term recovery efforts continue from Hurricanes Isaac and Sandy in 2012, now is the time to prepare for this year’s approaching hurricane season. As hurricanes and tropical storms move inland, the high winds and storm surge are often accompanied by torrential rains that increase the likelihood of flooding.

Flood Insurance

Flood insurance policyholders who live in areas far from traditional hurricane country saw the impacts of Hurricane Sandy last year. Floods are the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States and everyone is at risk. Typically, there’s a 30-day waiting period – from date of purchase – before your policy goes into effect. That means now is the best time to buy flood insurance.

Flood insurance is available through approximately 85 insurance companies in more than 22,000 participating communities nationwide and is available to homeowners, renters, condo owners/renters, and commercial owners/renters. Costs vary depending on how much insurance is purchased, what it covers, and the property’s flood risk. Individuals can learn more about their flood risk and flood insurance options by visiting floodsmart.gov or calling 800-427-2419.

Preparedness

To learn what you can do to prepare for hurricane season and pledge to prepare, visit ready.gov/hurricanes. You can access the mobile version of the website at m.fema.gov, making it easier to access critical information regarding emergency preparedness and what to do before and after a disaster from your smartphone and tablet. You are encouraged to download the FEMA smartphone app which contains disaster safety tips, interactive lists for storing your emergency kit and emergency meeting location information, and a map with open shelters and open FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs). The app is free to download through your smartphone provider’s app store.

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About the National Capital Region
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states and the District of Columbia. This website and the efforts of the region's communicators and public information officers will focus on regional collaboration between the region's homeland security partners to achieve a safe and secure National Capital Region.

In the aftermath of this week’s explosions at the Boston Marathon and the reported Ricin-tainted mail to elected officials, you may be wondering what you can do to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones. Officials in the National Capital Region encourage residents to take three simple steps:

1. Stay Informed
2. Be Vigilant
3. Prepare

Stay Informed

There is no information of any specific threats to the National Capital Region at this time.  Here are numerous ways to ensure timely receipt when there is emergency information disseminated:

• - Visit Capitalert.gov to register for emergency alerts from your local jurisdiction. If you live in one place and work in another, be sure to sign up for alerts from both localities. You’ll be able to get alerts delivered to your email account(s) and as text messages to your cellphone.
• - Check your local jurisdictions’ website; sign up for email news alerts or RSS feeds.
• - Add links to the mobile versions of websites to your smartphone – for example, your locality, FEMA, the American Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Weather Service.
• - Follow social media sites for your local government, such as Twitter and Facebook.
• - Add apps to your smartphone. Many jurisdictions have their own apps, as well as the American Red Cross and FEMA.
• - Bookmark www.CapitalRegionUpdates.gov for regional news and information, weather reports and links to valuable preparedness and response resources.

Be Vigilant

Always be aware of your surroundings – from your workplace to your neighborhood to a mall to public transportation. Remember, “If you see something, say something.” 

Write down or save the hotline phone number to report suspicious activities. If you cannot easily locate someone in uniform, call one of the following numbers:

• - Washington, D.C.: 202-962-2121
• - Maryland: 1-800-492-TIPS (8477)
• - Virginia: 1-877-4VA-TIPS (482-8477)

For imminent threats, call 9-1-1.

You can also submit information through online forms through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the District of Columbia Police Department, Maryland State Police or Virginia’s Fusion Center.

Prepare

Mobile devices are an important way to stay informed and connected before, during and after an emergency. Here are some tips to prepare yourself and your mobile device; more information is online:

• - Communicate with friends and family via text, email, Twitter, Facebook and other social media. Texting takes less bandwidth than phone calls and is often the best way to get through to each other in an emergency.
• - Make sure your mobile phone has an electric charger, inverter or solar charger.
• - If you lose power, you can charge your cellphone in your car. Just be sure your car is in a well-ventilated place (remove it from the garage) and do not go to your car until any danger has passed. You can also listen to your car radio for important news alerts.
• - If you do not have a cellphone, keep a prepaid phone card to use if needed during or after a disaster.
• - Save important phone numbers to your phone.
• - Prepare a family contact sheet. This should include at least one out-of-town contact that may be better able to reach family members in an emergency.

You should also prepare simple plans such as a Family Communications Plan and emergency contact cards for your children. Virginia residents can also create a family emergency plan or a business emergency plan at ReadyNoVa.org.

Mail Handling Information

For businesses and organizations in the region that operate internal mail facilities or clearinghouses, the U.S. Postal Service has guidance online for handling suspicious mail or packages. The Department of Homeland Security also has online an extensive guide, “Best Practices for Safe Mail Handling.” Among the guidance:

• - Train workers to recognize and handle a suspicious piece of mail.
• - Identify a single point of contact to open mail.
• - Screen all incoming mail.
• - Do not open mail in an unauthorized area.
• - Establish procedures for isolating a suspicious package.
• - Conduct training sessions for mail room, security and management personnel.
• - Conduct unannounced tests for mail center personnel.
• - Have appropriate protective wear available for mail handler’s use, such as gloves, masks and protective glasses.
• - Know the phone number, location, time and response ability of the local HAZMAT team.

More information is online in the best practices guide and the USPS document.

Stay Informed, Be Vigilant, Prepare

This week’s events should remind us all that emergencies can and do occur at any time and in any location. The best thing to do to ensure your safety is to take these simple actions – stay informed, be vigilant and prepare – NOW!

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About the National Capital Region
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states and the District of Columbia. This website and the efforts of the region's communicators and public information officers will focus on regional collaboration between the region's homeland security partners to achieve a safe and secure National Capital Region.

In their latest report, the Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Atmospheric Science anticipates that the 2013 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have enhanced activity compared with the 1981-2010 climatology. The tropical Atlantic has anomalously warmed over the past several months and it appears that the chances of an El Niño event this summer and fall are unlikely.

The forecast anticipates an above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean.

Information obtained through March 2013 indicates that the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season will have more activity than the median 1981-2010 season. They estimate that 2013 will have about 9 hurricanes (median is 6.5), 18 named storms (median is 12.0), 95 named storm days (median is 60.1), 40 hurricane days (median is 21.3), 4 major (Category 3-4-5) hurricanes (median is 2.0) and 9 major hurricane days (median is 3.9).

The probability of U.S. major hurricane landfall is estimated to be about 140 percent of the long-period average. We expect Atlantic basin Net Tropical Cyclone (NTC) activity in 2013 to be approximately 175 percent of the long-term average.

"We issue these forecasts to satisfy the curiosity of the general public and to bring attention to the hurricane problem," the report noted.

"There is a general interest in knowing what the odds are for an active or inactive season. One must remember that our forecasts are based on the premise that those global oceanic and atmospheric conditions which preceded comparatively active or inactive hurricane seasons in the past provide meaningful information about similar trends in future seasons. This is not always true for individual seasons. It is also important that the reader appreciate that these seasonal forecasts are based on statistical schemes which, owing to their intrinsically probabilistic nature, will fail in some years."

This forecast (PDF) as well as past forecasts and verifications are available online at http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/Forecasts.

This is the 30th year in which the CSU Tropical Meteorology Project has made forecasts of the upcoming season’s Atlantic basin hurricane activity.

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About the National Capital Region
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states and the District of Columbia. This website and the efforts of the region's communicators and public information officers will focus on regional collaboration between the region's homeland security partners to achieve a safe and secure National Capital Region.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect from noon until 8 p.m. today, Wednesday, April 3, for most of the National Capital Region. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels will create explosive fire growth potential.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for relative humidity of 20-25 percent; Northwest winds 15-20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph; and fuel moisture between 5-8 percent. The combination of gusty winds and dry fuels will promote the rapid spread of any uncontrolled fires.

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warnings are issued by National Weather Service fire weather forecasters to alert forecast users to an ongoing or imminent critical fire weather pattern. The warning product alerts land management agencies to the potential for widespread new ignitions or control problems with existing fires, both of which could pose a threat to life and property. It is issued when it is an on-going event or the fire weather forecaster has a high degree of confidence that Red Flag criteria will occur within 48 hours of issuance.

Red Flag criteria is based on local area vegetation characteristics, local climatology, select weather criteria and/or any combination of critical weather and fuel moisture forecasts. In some states, dry lightning and unstable air are criteria.

Learn about wildfires from Ready.gov.

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About the National Capital Region
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states and the District of Columbia. This website and the efforts of the region's communicators and public information officers will focus on regional collaboration between the region's homeland security partners to achieve a safe and secure National Capital Region.

Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the United States. Recently there have been more frequent severe weather events, like Hurricane Sandy that ravaged the East Coast. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) manages the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which provides flood insurance policies that give millions of Americans a defense against flooding. But flood insurance policies are only one component of the program and just part of the protection that the NFIP provides to individuals and the American public.

Anyone living in an NFIP participating community can purchase an NFIP flood insurance policy. It is up to the community to decide to enter the NFIP program for the benefit of its citizens.  When joining the program, the community agrees to assess flood risks and to establish floodplain management ordinances. As a result, residents can buy federally-backed flood insurance policies. You can find out if your community participates in the NFIP by reviewing the Community Status Book, available at fema.gov/cis/nation.

“By participating in the NFIP, communities take great strides to make everyone in the community more resilient to flooding” said FEMA Region III Administrator MaryAnn Tierney. “Not only does it make the community stronger, but it opens up a lot of resources to everyone in the community; it’s a huge step to preparing for flooding.”

One of the cornerstones of the NFIP is the flood mapping program. FEMA works with states and local communities to conduct studies on flood risks and develop maps that show the level of risk for that area, called Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). These FIRMs have useful information that can help communities plan development.  The area that has the highest risk of flooding is the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), commonly called the floodplain. The SFHA has a one percent chance of being flooded in any given year. Because of the greater risk, premiums for flood insurance policies for properties in the SFHA are greater than for those for properties outside of it.

Equally important to knowing the risks of flooding is having a plan to address those risks. This is the role of floodplain management. Local communities must comply with minimum national standards established by FEMA, but are free to develop stricter codes and ordinances if they want to. Key elements of floodplain management include building codes for construction in the floodplain and limitations on development in high risk areas. Floodplain management is an ongoing process, with communities continually reassessing their needs as new data becomes available and the flood risk for areas change.

The NFIP brings all levels of government together with insurers and private citizens to protect against the threat of flooding. Federally sponsored flood maps and locally developed floodplain regulations give property owners the picture of their risk and ensure building practices are in place to minimize that risk. As a property owner, purchasing a flood insurance policy is a measure you can take to further protect yourself. To find out more about your individual risk contact your local floodplain administrator. For more information on flood insurance policies or to find an agent, visit floodsmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419.

Source: FEMA

* This week, March 18-22 is Flood Safety Awareness Week.

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About the National Capital Region
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states and the District of Columbia. This website and the efforts of the region's communicators and public information officers will focus on regional collaboration between the region's homeland security partners to achieve a safe and secure National Capital Region.

Every year, more than 3,000 people die in home fires in the United States; most of whom are in homes without a working smoke alarm. To prevent these deaths, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sponsoring a nationwide Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign designed to raise awareness about how working, properly installed smoke alarms can lower a person’s chances of dying in a fire.

The USFA’s Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign is aimed at encouraging Americans to practice fire safety by 1) installing and maintaining smoke alarms and residential fire sprinklers, which can help save the lives of residents and fire fighters, 2) practicing fire escape plans, and 3) performing a home safety walk-through to remove fire hazards from the home. Install. Inspect. Protect. also recognizes firefighters and stresses the fact that the children of firefighters want their fathers and mothers to come home safely. The campaign is promoting fire safety through a free Campaign Toolkit disc; educational materials; print, radio and television PSAs; children’s materials, community organization-sponsored events and a consumer-friendly campaign Web site.

When both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers are present in a home, the risk of dying in a fire is reduced by 82 percent, when compared to a residence without either. According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2003-2006, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

The USFA offers a few helpful tips on smoke alarms and sprinklers:

• o Place properly installed and maintained smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
• o Get smoke alarms that can sound fast. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends that every residence and place where people sleep be equipped with both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.
• o Test smoke alarms monthly and change alkaline batteries at least once every year, or as instructed. You can use a date you already know, like your birthday or when you change your clocks as a reminder.
• o If possible, install residential fire sprinklers in your home.
• o Avoid painting or covering the fire sprinkler, because that will affect the sensitivity to heat.

For more information on the Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign and other fire prevention information, please visit www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms. Remember to Install. Inspect. Protect…Smoke Alarms Save Lives.

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About the National Capital Region
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states and the District of Columbia. This website and the efforts of the region's communicators and public information officers will focus on regional collaboration between the region's homeland security partners to achieve a safe and secure National Capital Region.

Ready.gov offers the following safety tips to get through this winter storm on Wednesday, March 6:

• - Stay indoors during the storm.
• - Walk carefully on snowy, icy, walkways.
• - Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. Overexertion can bring on a heart attack—a major cause of death in the winter. If you must shovel snow, stretch before going outside.
• - Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.
• - Watch for signs of frostbite. These include loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes, and the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, get medical help immediately.
• - Watch for signs of hypothermia. These include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion. If symptoms of hypothermia are detected, get the victim to a warm location, remove wet clothing, warm the center of the body first and give warm, non-alcoholic beverages if the victim is conscious. Get medical help as soon as possible.
• - Drive only if it is absolutely necessary. If you must drive: travel in the day; don’t travel alone; keep others informed of your schedule; stay on main roads and avoid back road shortcuts.
• - Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.
• - If the pipes freeze, remove any insulation or layers of newspapers and wrap pipes in rags. Completely open all faucets and pour hot water over the pipes, starting where they were most exposed to the cold (or where the cold was most likely to penetrate).
• - Maintain ventilation when using kerosene heaters to avoid build-up of toxic fumes. Refuel kerosene heaters outside and keep them at least three feet from flammable objects.
• - Conserve fuel, if necessary, by keeping your residence cooler than normal. Temporarily close off heat to some rooms.
• - If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55ºF.

Learn more at Ready.gov.

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About the National Capital Region
The National Capital Region (NCR) is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states and the District of Columbia. This website and the efforts of the region's communicators and public information officers will focus on regional collaboration between the region's homeland security partners to achieve a safe and secure National Capital Region.