According to the U.S. Census 2010 website, they began delivery of printed census forms to every resident in the United States on March 1, 2010. The only way to complete the census is by filling in the form using pen and ink; in some instances, census takers will be visiting households to complete the form face-to-face. It is important to understand that the U.S. Census Bureau will not, under any circumstances, be providing an online option to complete the 2010 census form.

The Census Bureau does NOT conduct the 2010 Census via the Internet

The Census Bureau does not send emails about participating in the 2010 Census

The Census Bureau never:

-        Asks for your full social security number

-        Asks for money or a donation

-        Sends requests on behalf of a political party

-        Requests PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

You are encouraged to take the following measures to protect yourself from scammers:

- Review available information about the 2010 U.S. Census on the website.

- Familiarize yourself with what information the U.S. Census Bureau is collecting on the census form.

- Do not follow unsolicited web links of attachments in email messages.

- Refer to the Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf) document for more information on avoiding email scams.

- Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks document for more information on social engineering attacks.

You can help the victims of countless crises, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation by mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at  1-800-REDCROSS  1-800-REDCROSS or  1-800-257-7575  1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org.

 
Emergency Management and Response
Information Sharing and Analysis Center
(EMR-ISAC)
INFOGRAM 49-09    December 17, 2009

Suspicious Holiday Cards, Letters, and Packages

During this holiday season, it is reasonable to expect that some Emergency Service Sector (ESS) departments and agencies may receive cards, letters, and packages recognizing the service and sacrifices of local emergency responders.  Unfortunately, the possibility exists that the season’s greetings could contain explosives, chemicals, or biological agents.  Although there is no known threat against ESS organizations, the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) shares the following typical characteristics of mail and packages that should trigger suspicion:

·         Sent by an unexpected or an unknown person or source.
·         Contain no return address or an address that cannot be verified as legitimate.
·         Have protruding wires or aluminum foil, strange odors or stains.
·         Show a city or state in the postmark that does not match the return address.
·         Are of unusual weight given their size, or are lopsided or oddly shaped.
·         Marked with threatening language.
·         Labeled in an inappropriate or unusual manner.
·         Include excessive postage or packaging material, such as masking tape and string.
·         Contain misspellings or common words.
·         Addressed to someone no longer with the organization or used other outdated information.
·         Titled incorrectly or without a name.
·         Are not addressed to a specific person.
·         Have hand-written or poorly typed addresses.

See the following web sites for additional information about suspicious mail:

·        Federal Bureau of Investigation
·        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PDF, 241 Kb)

Here in Florida we're expecting record or near record high temperatures today. But for much of the US, winter weather presents a significant current hazard.

Winter weather too often catches people unprepared. Researchers say that 70 percent of the fatalities related to ice and snow occur in automobiles, and about 25 percent of all winter related fatalities are people that are caught off guard, out in the storm.

Being aware of the hazards and informed about conditions for your area goes a long way in keeping you safe!

Some simple winter weather tips:

• Stay indoors during a storm.
• If you must go outside, layers of clothing will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat. Wear gloves or mittens and a hat to prevent loss of body heat. Cover your mouth to protect your lungs.
• Walk carefully on snowy, icy sidewalks.
• If you shovel snow, be extremely careful. It is physically strenuous work. Take frequent breaks. Avoid overexertion – heart attacks from shoveling heavy snow are a leading cause of deaths during winter.
• Avoid traveling by car, but if you must, keep the gas tank full for emergency use and to keep your fuel line from freezing. Let someone know your destination, the route you are taking, and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.
• If you do get stuck, stay with your car. Do not try to walk to safety. Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna for rescuers to see. Start the car and use the heater for about ten minutes every hour. Keep the exhaust pipe clear so fumes don’t back up in the car. Leave the overhead light on when the engine is running so you can be seen. As you sit, move your arms and legs to keep blood circulating and stay warm. Keep one window open to let in air.
• After the storm, avoid driving until conditions have improved. Listen to local radio and television stations for updates. Help a neighbor who may require special assistance, especially families with infants, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

 

The Atlantic is quiet again. So back to "normal" business of all hazards, all the time.

We're busy with pandemic plans, hazard mitigation plans, and various planning efforts.  We'll be posting some interesting items related to mitigation planning over the next few weeks.

Stay safe.....

October 4th, 2009 -  Tonite the NHC is watching a "low potential" area 1200 miles east of the Windward Islands. It is a broad area of showers and thunderstorms that is showing some signs of organization. This is worth watching but will likely pose no threat to land.

There is a "Code Red" system 300 miles East-Northeast of the Azores. Yes....the Azores. This system is showing tropical characteristics and is getting very organized. Obviously this system is well north of the typical tropical storm region. We can expect tropical storm warnings from this sometime tonight and a path to the Northeast-East. No threat to the US but the coasts of Spain, Portugal, the UK and France might see some impacts. 

October 2nd, 2009 - Here it is October 2nd and the tropics are quiet. Given the current conditions, formation of anything in unlikely.

Meanwhile, 27 states reported geographically widespread influenza activity for the week that ended Sep 26. Virtually all flu cases being seen are of the H1N1 type.

Here it is September 21st, 2009. Today the Atlantic Basin is quiet. Though there is a fair amount of energy we have no areas of real concern. And Dr Klotzbach and Dr Gray at Colorado State University expect  "reduced amounts (70 percent or less) of activity relative to climatology"thru October 4th. We'll hope it stays that way. 

On the H1N1 flu (swine flu) front, we're seeing more flu like cases for this time of year than normal. In some areas, 911 call and local EMS are showing a large increase in calls and many hospitals report higher than usual ER room visits. In addition to an increase in the number of flu cases, we're also seeing that H1N1 impacts a different age bracket. This is hitting children and young adults and some schools around the country have reported as much as a 50% absentee rate in some classrooms.

The good news, of course, is that H1N1 still does not seem to be all that serious and vaccines are ready for distribution. If you are an emergency responder, be sure to get your shot when available!

We'll have more on H1N1 coming....

1700 As expected with the 5pm NHC update, Fred is dead. No deep convection...Fred is now just a remnant low. No significant change for the two watch areas. We'll see how those look over the next 24 hours....

0800 We're now on the downside of the hurricane season and there is still a lot of energy in the Atlantic. Fred, now a tropical storm, is nearly stationary with 45mph winds about 645 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Fred is pretty sheared apart and his low level circulation is exposed. The forecast shows continuing shear and moderate water temperatures. Fred should be a remnant low within 36 hours.

We are watching an area in the GOM that is slowly organizing. It is likely too close to land for any real development. Also a system has just emerged off the African Coast that is being watched for development. More on these as they continue to develop.

It's been 8 years since America awoke to terror. On September 11th 2001, a few minutes before 9am in New York City on a beautiful early fall day I became a survivor, witness and responder to a horrific event. And on that day, I lost dozens of friends and colleagues on the airplanes, in the towers and at the Pentagon.

The sights, sounds, and smells of that day are with me still....burned into my soul. Those of us who were there, who felt the smoke in our lungs, who smelled the terror in the air will never forget.  We simply cannot. The emotions of that day are with me and lie below the surface to remind me of that day.

But 8 years later, it is too easy for America to forget. And to some degree, we all must move on. But to forget what happened that day and to forget the sacrifice of brave heroes on that day is to forget who we are as Americans.

 

 

testing the autotweet code from http://ntb-group.com/blog

 

now when the blog is updated....we'll automatically Tweet as well!