DHS and FEMA Updates

Remembering and Recovering in Joplin, Missouri

Today marks one year since a tornado swept through Joplin, Missouri destroying some 7,500 buildings and claiming the lives of 161 people. In the year since the tornado, residents and volunteers have worked to support individuals and families recover from this devastating event and to rebuild a more resilient community. In fact, this past weekend President Obama delivered Joplin High School’s commencement address in a rebuilt school. And last week, members of Joplin city government and emergency management joined FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino at the Missouri Southern State University for his monthly FEMA Think Tank series call to discuss the ongoing recovery efforts and how to help communities prepare for disasters. As the nation celebrates the resiliency of this community and remembers all those affected, we hope the many news stories will serve as a reminder of the importance of getting your family, home, or business prepared before a disaster strikes. While we cannot control where or when tornadoes will occur, we can all take steps now to lessen their impact on our lives. For more on getting prepared before tornadoes or severe weather events, visit www.Ready.gov/tornadoes.

 

Vacations vs. Hurricanes

As the summer months approach, Americans across the country are beginning to plan for their annual vacations. Communities, particularly coastal towns and cities, are preparing for the influx of tourists flocking to beaches. Memorial Day Weekend generally marks the beginning of summer vacation season with millions of individuals travelling – especially by car. In addition to vacations, summer also brings the threat of hurricanes – which may trigger evacuations, flooding and other severe damage. Now is the time for Citizen Corps Councils and emergency management agencies to begin promoting hurricane awareness activities, particularly in advance of and during National Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 27 – June 2).

 

If travelling to a hurricane prone state – especially coastal states – this Memorial Day Weekend, or any time during the summer into the early fall, be sure to familiarize yourself with the emergency plans of the community in which you’re vacationing. All hotels and motels should have emergency plans in place for sheltering and/or evacuation – ask to see them upon check-in. Remember, hurricane hazards come in many forms, including storm surge, heavy rainfall, inland flooding, high winds, tornadoes and rip currents. If you’re driving, be sure to have emergency supplies in your car, such as, a flashlight, water and a first aid kit. Be mindful that coastal areas are prone to severe flooding – so know the evacuation routes in your vacation spot and always remember if you come upon a flooded roadway in your vehicle, Turn Around, Don’t Drown!

Finally, take a moment and review a recent hurricane preparedness webinar featuring presentations from a local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) leader in Connecticut and an emergency manager in Florida! You can also Pledge to Prepare by joining the National Preparedness Coalition where you can interact with colleagues across the country, share your experiences, and learn what they’re doing to keep their communities safe. With these tips in mind you’ll be sure to have a safe and fun summer vacation!

 

Become a Federal Champion of Community Preparedness

Do you have a passion for preparedness and the subject matter expertise to support FEMA’s mission for creating a more resilient nation? If so, FEMA wants you! FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) is seeking a program specialist to assist with individual and community preparedness efforts including implementing ICPD programs at a National, Regional, State and local level.

 

Click here for the full job announcement!

 

Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates

 

Celebrating Those Who Provide Emergency Medical Services!

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals provide their communities with the quick medical care and actions individuals need in times of emergency. Whether responding to home calls via ambulance or to the scene of a major incident, our EMS practitioners nationwide deserve our thanks during National EMS Week May 20 – 26.

 

A great way for individuals to celebrate EMS week and strengthen public health, emergency response and community resiliency efforts is to join the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), a proud partner of Citizen Corps. The MRC coordinates skills of practicing and retired physicians, nurses and other health professionals as well as other citizens interested in donating their time and expertise throughout the year as well as during local emergencies and other times of community need. The MRC program strengthens community resilience and helps build capacity for first responders through the use of volunteers.

 

Many EMS and public health agencies are represented in Citizen Corps Councils and, in fact, according to the most recent Citizen Corps Council Registration and Profile Data Report, nearly half of all Citizen Corps Councils in the United States (46 percent) support MRC efforts!

 

Thank you to those EMS practitioners who dedicate themselves to keeping us safe every day!

 

Youth Preparedness Comes to Lansing, Michigan

On Tuesday, June 12, FEMA Region V and Citizen Corps will join the Michigan Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division in Lansing, Michigan for a day-long workshop about implementing youth preparedness in community-based organizations. This workshop is designed to provide the information necessary to start integrating youth preparedness into any organization’s existing youth offerings or to build a youth preparedness program from scratch.

 

Youth workshop attendees will receive live instruction and a “how-to” guide on key topics, including:

• Engaging Partners
• Identifying Curriculum
• Implementing Your Program
• Promoting Your Program
• Evaluating Your Program
• Sustaining Your Program

Throughout the day, attendees will also interact with and learn from experts who have developed and delivered some of the most successful youth preparedness programs in the country. Additionally, participants will collaborate with these experts and their fellow peers in a series of hands-on activities that will produce some of the tools and inputs needed to implement an effective program.

 

Please RSVP for this event by May 29

 

About this FEMA Workshop

DATE:             Tuesday, June 12, 2012

TIME:                         Registration begins at 8:30 AM, Workshop runs from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM EDT

LOCATION:    Michigan Technical Education Center on the West Campus of Lansing Community College (5708 Cornerstone Dr.)

RSVP:             Please contact the Michigan Citizen Corps via e-mail (emhsd-citizencorps@michigan.gov)

Please include your name, title, organization name, and phone number.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

For additional information about FEMA’s youth programs, please contact FEMA’s Youth Director, Regina Moran. If you are unable to attend the workshop, but still want to learn about youth preparedness, please visit FEMA’s Youth Preparedness page, which includes a Catalogue of Youth Preparedness Resources, Recommendations for Youth Preparedness and instructions on how to sign up for FEMA’s Children and Disasters email updates. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education has excellent resources, many of which can be found on their Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) website.

 

Lincoln, Illinois Prepares its Youth

Kudos to Lincoln, Illinois for bringing youth preparedness to its elementary school students! Students recently participated in a school evacuation drill hosted by the city’s police and fire departments as well as the county emergency management agency. “Being prepared and knowing what to do was the key theme…” as students learned how storms and other emergency situations may require them to move to safer shelter and to talk with their parents and families about what they should do and where they should go during an incident.

 

Citizen Corps and its Councils nationwide are committed to educating youth on the importance of being prepared. In fact, more than half (57 percent) of the country’s Citizen Corps Councils are represented by youth or youth-based organizations, according to the most recent Citizen Corps Council Registration and Profile Data Report. Recognizing the critical role young people can play in preparing their families and communities for disasters and emergency situations, a majority of Councils tailor their public messaging to support youth preparedness as well.

 

Learn more about how you can engage young people in your community and implement a youth preparedness program of your own!

 

Don’t Forget to Mark These Dates on Your Calendar!

• May 20 – 25: Association of State Floodplain Managers Conference, San Antonio, TX
• May 22 – 24: National Homeland Security Conference, Columbus, OH
• May 27 – June 2: National Hurricane Preparedness Week
• May 28: Memorial Day
• May 31: Expiration date for the National Flood Insurance Program
• June 1: Beginning of 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season
• June 3 – June 7: 15^th Annual Emergency Management Higher Education Conference, Emmitsburg, MD
• June 5: Monthly FEMA Preparedness Webinar (will provide link once ready)
• June 6: Chicago All Hazards – All Stakeholders Summit 2012, Chicago, IL
• June 7: Philadelphia All Hazards – All Stakeholders Summit 2012, Philadelphia, PA

Follow us on Twitter for more tips and recommendations! We want to hear your suggestions on how we can improve our communications to you, be sure to email us at citizencorps@dhs.gov.

Get Tech Ready

According to The American Red Cross, the internet – including online news sites and social media platforms – is the third most popular way for Americans to gather emergency information and let their loved ones know they are safe.

Through the use of everyday technology, individuals, families, responders and organizations can successfully prepare for, adapt to and recover from disruptions brought on by emergencies and/or disasters. With effective planning, it is possible to take advantage of technology before, during and after a crisis to communicate with loved ones and manage your financial affairs.

FEMA Text Messages

Use your cell phone’s text messaging capability to receive text message updates from FEMA (standard message and data rates apply).

Here are basic commands to get started:

• To signup to receive monthly preparedness tips: text PREPARE to 43362 (4FEMA)
• To unsubscribe (at any time): text STOP to 43362 (4FEMA)

• Stay Connected

• Get Organized

• Emergency Resources

• More Information

Social media has become such an integral part of our lives that emergency responders are now turning to Twitter and Facebook to gain valuable information during natural disasters or crises.

In fact, according to Wendy Harman, the director of social strategy for the American Red Cross, Tweets and Facebook updates travel faster than earthquakes themselves. During the 2011 earthquake in DC, individuals were reading tweets about the tremors before they were event felt.

In Forbes, Harman explains that the growing reliance on social media has pushed relief organizations like the Red Cross to begin monitoring public reports in an effort to respond more quickly and efficiently. More specifically, the Red Cross, working in conjunction with Dell, is building a Digital Operations Center that will allow the relief agency to respond to tweets.

“The command center’s analytics will give us a holistic view of a crisis situation and social conversations that yield information we can relay to decision-makers,” Harman writes. “It also allows us to smoothly scale with digital volunteers to respond to people in real time and inspire community action.”

The Red Cross’s increasing focus on social media comes as part of a broader societal shift in online communications. Based on a survey the relief agency conducted, nearly one-third of the United States used social media to alert family and friends that they were safe. In addition, 80 percent of those surveyed said emergency response organizations should regularly monitor social media platforms and nearly one-third expected action to result from their online requests.

In addition, Harman said the Internet is now the third most popular way for people to gather emergency information with 18 percent specifically using Facebook for this purpose.

In closing, Harman pushed other relief organizations to begin harnessing the power of social media.

“We encourage our peer organizations to take similar steps to incorporate social media into their response efforts,” she wrote.

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=5587836745384206364&gid=95914&type=member&item=102303995&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homelandsecuritynewswire.com%2Fdr20120320-the-red-cross-emergency-response-and-twitter&urlhash=idXz&goback=.gde_95914_member_102303995

Press Release 

 

FEMA AND NOAA PROMOTE

 

NATIONAL FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK 2012

 

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are once again partnering for National Flood Safety Awareness Week, March 12 -16.  This is a time for individuals, families, businesses and communities to understand their risk for flooding and take precautions to protect their families and homes in the event of flooding. 

 

“Floods can happen at any time, anywhere across the United States, which means we all need to be prepared now,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.  “There are simple steps everyone can take to prepare for flooding, such as developing a family emergency plan, having an emergency supply kit and protecting your home or business from flooding by obtaining a flood insurance policy.”

 

Floods are one of the most common hazards in the United States, however not all floods are alike. Floods typically occur when too much rain falls or snow melts too quickly. While some floods develop slowly, flash floods develop suddenly.  Hurricanes can bring flooding to areas far inland from where they first hit the coast, as we witnessed last year from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. And chunks of ice from a thawing river can block its normal flow and force water out of its banks.   

 

Yet there are simple steps citizens can take today to reduce their risk to all types of floods.  Flood Safety Awareness Week is an excellent time for individuals and communities to understand their flood risk and implement precautions to mitigate the threat to life and property.

 

“Flooding is the leading cause of severe weather-related deaths in the U.S., and this is especially tragic since many are preventable.  Of the nearly 100 flood-related fatalities each year, most occur as people attempt to drive on flooded roads.  In many cases, the water is either too deep or moving too fast for drivers to maintain control of their vehicle, and in extreme cases the roadway may be washed away entirely,” said Jack Hayes, director, NOAA’s National Weather Service, which produces an array of flood outlooks and forecasts, including watches and life-saving warnings. “Remember, if confronted with a water-covered road follow National Weather Service advice: Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”

 

NOAA will issue the 2012 U.S. Spring Outlook and flood assessment on March 15.

 

FEMA and NOAA will provide the public with key information related to flood hazards, and ways to protect yourself and your property each day of National Flood Safety Awareness week.  Read http://blog.fema.gov/ throughout the week to stay informed and to get involved.  Additional resources can be accessed online at the Flood Awareness Landing Page.

 

For more information on flood safety tips and information, visit www.ready.gov.  For information on how to obtain a flood insurance policy, visit www.floodsmart.gov.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

 

U.S. News – Disaster volunteers, please curb your enthusiasm!.

In the wake of every U.S. disaster there is an influx of people who want to help, and the situation in the Midwest and Southeast after last week’s deadly tornadoes is no exception. But to many of the early arrivals who parachute in to help, disaster relief experts have a message: yes please, but not so fast.

For the first few days after Friday’s twisters devastated large swathes of the Midwest and southeastern U.S., the Indiana Department of Homeland Security was strongly discouraging ad hoc volunteers as well as gawkers who flocked to the scene.

“We had people driving through looking… immediately after it happened and it was a significant problem,” said Denise Derrer, public information officer for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. The dangers of downed power lines, debris and gas leaks meant that they needed to rely on trained emergency workers, and not worry about other people dropping in to help.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Posted by Homeland Security Blog Team at 12:08 PM

Congress has now passed the final Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FY 2012 budget and it isn’t pretty for state and local homeland security grant programs. Congress appeared to split the difference by adopting the House’s method of turning multiple homeland security programs into a single block to be allocated by the Secretary, while providing more funding as per the Senate to this overall process.

In total, the budget provides $2,374,681,000 for all state and local grants of which $350 million will go for Emergency Management Performance Grants (EMPG) and $675 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG). Both the EMPG and AFG are funded in separate budget accounts from the state and local homeland security grants, which are funded at $1,349,681,000. This includes $50 million for the border security grant Operation Stonegarden, no less than $100 million for “areas at the highest threat of terrorist attack” and 6.8% or $9,177,830 for FEMA management and administration leaving $958,822,170 for the rest.

The remaining $958,822,170 is funded as a block to cover the Urban Areas Security Initiative, (UASI), State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), Transit Security Grant program (TSGP), Port Security Grant program (PSGP), Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS), Citizen Corps program (CCP), etc. at the discretion of the Secretary. More on that below.

Why the Cuts?

The $1,108,822,170 in FY 2012 funding for Stonegarden, high threat areas and all the other homeland security grant programs represents a massive $846,177,830 cut from equivalent programs in FY 2011, which also saw major reductions compared to FY 2010. The basis for these cuts in the eyes of Congress is simple: A lack of quantifiable metrics that measure the additional capability produced by the grants and the perceived slow drawdown of grant funds by recipients. While both issues are surmountable, the federal, state and local homeland security community that benefits from these programs is getting low on time to do so.

Threat versus Risk

Given the funding methodology used by Congress, grant recipients do not have a specific funding amount at this time except for the $50 million for Operation Stonegarden and the no less than $100 million for “areas at the highest threat of a terrorist attack.” While it is reasonable to assume this $100 million may serve as a baseline for the UASI program that is not assured given the ambiguity in the statutory language, which does not specify the UASI program for this funding.

The ambiguity is further complicated in the law’s exclusive use of the word “threat” as opposed to “risk” or the three elements of risk – threat, vulnerability and consequence. In this regard, the law seems to be at odds with itself whereby in the opening sentence of the state and local programs section it reads that grants “shall be distributed according to threat, vulnerability and consequence,” i.e., risk, but later reads that the $100 million carve out will be distributed based on “threat.” Is this simply a typo or something else? Why does this matter?

Threat is an element of risk but not the whole picture and it is risk that is used to allocate UASI funding. When accounting for threat in these matters, it is based largely on intelligence and actual plots aimed at specific cities or other targets and looks very closely at the likelihood of an attack accounting for both the intent and capability of the terrorists. A threat based analysis would not include the vulnerability of the specific target and other potential targets or the consequences of a successful attack against the target or other potential targets, which, if very low on both counts, would drive the overall risk score down. This is especially true since in year’s past under DHS’s risk based allocation formula, vulnerability and consequence have accounted for 70% of the grant allocation formula with threat accounting for 30%.

Regardless of how DHS interprets the meaning of “threat”, in the end, the Secretary could append the $100 million “threat” funding to any UASI allocation resulting in a slightly different allocation formula for the $100 million, but with it operating under the same grant guidance as the UASI’s “risk” based funding. The result is a distinction as to how funding is allocated to urban areas on the front end by DHS with no difference on how the funding is used by the urban areas on the back end.

Does Every Program Get Funded?

The short answer is probably not, but it is far from clear. The FY 2012 budget law opens with the following language on state and local homeland security grant programs:

“For grants, contracts, cooperative agreements and other activities, $1,349,681,000, which shall be distributed, according to threat, vulnerability and consequence, at the discretion of the Secretary based on the following authorities:”

The law goes on to list 12 different grant programs and their authorizing statutes relative to the term “authorities.” The answer to the question of whether each of the 12 programs listed must be funded turns on a few key issues – whether the “based on the following authorities” language is a requirement that every listed program be funded or whether it simply means once the Secretary makes up her mind on whether to fund a program she must do so pursuant to that program’s authorizing language. In addition, and related, whether the Secretary’s discretion under the law applies only to the use of risk data in distributing the funds among and within programs or whether it also applies to determining which programs actually get funded in the first place.

On both counts the law is vague and the Conference Report is silent.  However, it would seem clear that programs not listed among the 12, such as the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) cannot be funded in FY 2012 since there is no authority in the law for the Secretary to allocate funding to that program.

Given the ambiguous nature of the language, the Secretary could probably go either way in her decision, but the broad interpretation of her discretion would be the more practical one. In fact, several of the 12 programs listed were not funded by Congress in FY 2011 (BZPP and IECGP) and it would seem odd to now require their funding at some minimum level in a year where overall funding has been further drastically cut.

Moreover, linking the words “shall be distributed” with “based on the following authorities” into a requirement for funding of all listed programs would undercut the Secretary’s discretion in allocating funding and stretch the meaning of the words when in fact Congress could have easily inserted language that required the Secretary to fund each listed program based on a risk analysis. Congress did not do that. Instead, it gave the Secretary discretion to be informed by risk, and when implemented, to be governed by the laws covering the execution of the programs that do get funded.  Specifically, the opening language first requires that the funding be distributed among grant recipients according to risk, but then caveats that requirement by granting the Secretary discretion over which programs may be funded, but then requires that if they are funded, the programs must be funded based upon the authorizing language in the law (“authorities) relative to that program.

This last point raises an interesting question relative to the SHSP program regardless of which interpretation is used. The SHSP is authorized pursuant to 6 U.S.C. 605 in which the statute has language referring to all states being eligible to apply for funding and a minimum level of funding for each state. Thus, if the Secretary opens the door and provides any funding under SHSP, will the Secretary have to apply a minimum level of funding to each state as a percentage of the total amount she decides to allocate to the SHSP program as required by 6 U.S.C. 605? The answer appears to be “yes” since the authority to allocate SHSP funding comes with that requirement.

What is clear is that even if every program listed must be funded, the Secretary has the discretion over how much to fund each program even if that discretion is augmented by a required risk analysis. Otherwise, Congress would have simply allocated funding per program itself. Therefore, in theory, the Secretary could fund any one program at $1 or $500 million so long as there was enough money to meet each program’s requirements, and the risk analysis was used to support the outcome.

There are likely many other brain twisters lurking in the law as Congress has fundamentally changed these programs and cut overall funding at the same time and left the tough decisions concerning what it means and how to implement it to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Date: December 14, 2011

No.: HQ-11-236

Contact: FEMA News Desk, (202) 646-3272

WASHINGTON – As 2011 – one of the most active years for disasters in recent history – comes to a close and Americans get ready to ring in a new year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is encouraging all Americans to Resolve to be Ready in the by making a new year’s resolution to be prepared for emergencies.

As a recent report by the National Climatic Data Center highlights, 2011 has seen more billion-dollar natural disasters than any year on record. This year alone, the U.S. experienced its first hurricane landfall since 2008, the most deadly series of tornadoes since the 1950s, significant earthquakes and severe flooding – hazards that impacted every region of the country. All of these events have served as important reminders that disasters can strike anytime, anywhere, and being prepared is one of the most effective things we can do to protect our homes, businesses and loved ones.

 Today, FEMA kicked off its annual campaign, Resolve to be Ready in 2012, which urges Americans to make preparedness a priority during the holiday season by making a new year’s resolution to be ready for disasters or by thinking about preparedness tools for last minute gift ideas.

“One of the most important lessons we can take away from this year is that disasters can impact all of us, no matter what part of the country we live in,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “While we can’t control where or when they might hit, we can take steps in advance to prepare for them – efforts that can go a long way toward protecting our families, homes and business. Resolving to be Ready in 2012 could be the most important pledge you make this year.”

By making a resolution to take a few simple steps in advance, Americans can minimize the impact of an emergency on their families, homes or businesses. To take the pledge, visit www.ready.gov/resolve or www.listo.gov, which includes free information, checklists, and guidelines about how to put together a kit, make a plan, and stay informed.

Resolve to be Ready in 2012 is a nationwide effort to increase awareness and encourage individuals, families, businesses, and communities to take action and prepare for emergencies in the New Year. This effort is led by FEMA’s Ready Campaign in partnership with Citizen Corps and The Advertising Council. For more information, visit Ready.gov and CitizenCorps.gov or follow the campaign on Twitter using the hashtags #ready2012 and #resolve.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Join us Tuesday, November 8th to learn how the recently released National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) provides a more inclusive, collaborative and comprehensive approach to addressing disaster recovery issues and challenges. The NDRF defines how we will work together as a nation to best meet the disaster recovery needs of individuals, families, communities, and states.

The NDRF is based on the principle that all emergency management partners, including the private sector, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, and individual citizens, as well as local, state, tribal and federal government agencies, have a role to play in the recovery process.  In catastrophic scenarios, leveraging Whole Community resources to meet the needs of disaster impacted communities is essential.  If you have a role in disaster recovery operations, you don’t want to miss this!

To join this free webinar on Tuesday November 8th at 1:50 p.m. EDT, click here. We ask that you register fifteen minutes prior to the start time.

October 28, 2011

Help Us Spread the Word – On November 9, “This is Just a Test”

Over the past few months, we have written on this blog about the upcoming nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, which is now less than two weeks away. The test will take place on Wednesday, November 9th at 2:00 pm eastern standard time, and will be the first time this system, which is often tested and used by officials at the local level, will be tested across the entire country.

The national Emergency Alert System is an alert and warning system can be activated by the President, if needed, to provide information to the American public during emergencies. NOAA’s National Weather Service, governors, and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system to issue more localized emergency alerts. The test is an important exercise in ensuring that the system is effective in communicating critical information to the public in the event of a real national emergency. It is a critical communications tool that can provide alerts, warning and information rapidly across multiple television and radio platforms.

Our top priority is to make sure that all members of the public know that this test is coming up – and that it is just a test. For most of us, this test will look and sound very similar to the local tests of the Emergency Alert System that we often see on TV or hear on the radio.

But as we always say here at FEMA, we’re just part of the team – and we’re counting on all of you to help us spread the word in your communities, with your co-coworkers, neighbors, friends and loved ones.

To help do that, we have put together a couple of videos you can use to help explain what this test is and what people can expect:

We’ve been actively engaged with our partners at the Federal Communications Commission, our state, tribal, territorial and local partners, the broadcast community, and other key stakeholders in getting ready for this test. We hope that you will help us spread the word about the Emergency Alert System test by sharing these videos on your websites – or with your communities.

http://blog.fema.gov/2011/10/help-us-spread-word-on-november-9-this.html

Copy the above code or embed the video from our YouTube channel.

You can read our blog post when we first announced the EAS Test and visit the FCC website for more information about the test, including additional answers to some frequently asked questions.