Crisis Management
Quick, Concise & … Flawed? Truth & Lies In The Twittersphere
June 17, 2013 11:19 pm | by Jonna Mayberry, Editor | Blogs | Comments“A little birdie told me” has taken on a whole new meaning since Twitter first launched in 2006. A decade later, Twitter has emerged as a multifaceted social media machine, as users post and share everything from pictures of their lunch to life-saving advice. In this fast-paced world, a tweet is the epitome of efficiency, but that efficiency — while advantageous — presents its own set of problems.
Hoboken, NJ Embraces Electric Grid Pilot Program
June 16, 2013 6:21 pm | News | CommentsThe city of Hoboken has agreed to be the guinea pig for a federal and state program to fortify its electrical system against storms like Superstorm Sandy. Mayor Dawn Zimmer announced the agreement Thursday with the federal Department of Energy, state Board of Public Utilities, PSE&G and Sandia National Laboratories.
Internet-Beaming Balloons Could Keep Cities Connected After Disasters
June 16, 2013 5:56 pm | by MARTHA MENDOZA & NICK PERRY,Associated Press | News | CommentsGoogle is launching Internet-beaming antennas into the stratosphere aboard giant, jellyfish-shaped balloons with the lofty goal of getting the entire planet online. Eighteen months in the works, the top-secret project was announced Saturday in New Zealand, where up to 50 volunteer households are already beginning to receive the Internet via translucent helium balloons that sail by on the wind 12 miles above Earth.
Global Warming Debate Focuses On Resilience Rather Than Avoidance
June 16, 2013 5:41 pm | by SETH BORENSTEIN,AP Science Writer | News | CommentsAfter years of losing the fight against rising global emissions of heat-trapping gases, governments around the world are emphasizing what a U.N. Foundation scientific report calls "managing the unavoidable." In 2012, weather disasters — not necessarily all tied to climate change — caused $110 billion in damage to the United States, which was the second highest total since 1980.
FEMA Denies Aid To Texas For Blast
June 12, 2013 4:53 pm | by RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI,Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is refusing to provide additional money to help rebuild the small Texas town where a deadly fertilizer plant explosion leveled numerous homes and a school, and killed 15 people. The decision likely means less money to pay for public repairs to roads, sewer lines, pipes and a school that was destroyed.
SunGard Availability Services Introduces Weather Alert System
June 12, 2013 4:20 pm | News | CommentsSunGard Availability Services released its new Weather Alert System, which informs Recovery Services customers of severe storms and natural disasters and allows them to declare an alert with one simple click. SunGard Availability Services is leveraging real-time data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and using big data analytics to keep its customers abreast of threatening storms and other natural disasters.
One-Fourth Of NYC Could Be Flood Zone By 2050s
June 11, 2013 8:32 am | by JENNIFER PELTZ,Associated Press | News | CommentsThe projections paint an unsettling picture of New York's future: a city where by the 2050s, 800,000 people could be living in a flood zone that would cover a quarter of the land, and there could be as many 90-degree days as is now normal for Birmingham, Ala.
Santa Monica College Reopens After Deadly Shooting
June 10, 2013 11:44 am | by TAMI ABDOLLAH,Associated Press | News | CommentsSanta Monica College reopened under extra security Monday except for the library, where police shot and killed a heavily armed gunman after a rampage that left five people dead. Counselors were on hand and a candlelight vigil was planned for Monday evening in front of the library.
Deadly OK Tornado Widest On Record, Rare EF5
June 7, 2013 4:42 pm | by SEAN MURPHY,Associated Press | News | CommentsThe deadly tornado that plowed through an area near Oklahoma City was even larger and more powerful than previously estimated — a record 2.6 miles wide with winds that reached nearly 300 mph, just shy of the strongest winds ever measured.
Tropical Storm Andrea Zipping Up The East Coast
June 7, 2013 4:27 pm | by EMERY P. DALESIO & MICHAEL BIESECKER,Associated Press | News | CommentsAfter bringing rains, heavy winds and even tornadoes to parts of Florida, TropicalStorm Andrea moved quickly across south Georgia and was leaving the Carolinas waterlogged on Friday while sparing the area any serious damage.
Hospital Struggles To Open After Sandy
June 7, 2013 4:11 pm | by FRANK ELTMAN,Associated Press | News | CommentsOfficials at the last hospital still closed because of damage from Superstorm Sandy are no longer predicting when they will be able to reopen. The Long Beach Medical Center, located on a waterfront channel just east of New York City, suffered heavy flooding damage in the October storm, requiring at least $56 million in repairs, hospital officials said.
WSN Releases Risk Management Solutions Through ArcGIS Online
June 7, 2013 4:07 pm | News | CommentsEsri announces that Wall Street Network (WSN) has released the first of a dozen risk management solutions, based on ArcGIS Online, called XtremeGIS. XtremeGIS provides access to information including global tropical cyclone event and forecast data from AccuWeather, satellite imagery from i-cubed, and WSN's knowledge management software.
Council Airs Proposals To Handle Storms Better
June 7, 2013 3:45 pm | by JENNIFER PELTZ,Associated Press | News | CommentsAfter months of mulling New York City's response to Superstorm Sandy, lawmakers proposed Wednesday to require backup generators for traffic lights, a system to track everyone in shelters for people with medical problems and other changes in emergency response.
Flooded Alaska Town Looking To Dispose Of Bad Meat
June 3, 2013 4:32 pm | News | CommentsOfficials in Galena, Alaska, faced a unique concern after the remote village was hit by flooding and power outages — that spoiled meat at residents' homes would start attracting bears. The road to the community's dump is washed out, so officials have come up with a plan to fly the bad meat to the disposal site by helicopter.
Gas Stations Get Money To Pump If Power Fails
June 3, 2013 1:43 pm | News | CommentsNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says federal relief money will help gasoline stations pay for electrical wiring to use generators that would keep gas flowing during power outages. The $17 million in federal aid is part of the state's relief package for Superstorm Sandy which hammered New York City and its suburbs including Long Island last fall.
Situation In Flood-Hit German City 'Dramatic'
June 3, 2013 12:08 pm | by MATTHIAS SCHRADER,Associated Press | News | CommentsSwollen rivers gushed into the old section of Passau in southeast Germany on Monday, as water rose in the city to levels not seen in more than five centuries. The city was one of the worst hit by flooding that has spread across a large area of central Europe following heavy rainfall in recent days. At least eight people were reported to have died and nine were missing due to floods in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Reality Catches Up With Sci-Fi In Storm Drones
June 3, 2013 9:49 am | by JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS,Associated Press | News | CommentsAt the time it premiered, the film "Twister" put forth a fantastical science fiction idea: Release probes into a storm in order to figure out which tornadoes could develop into killers. It's no longer fiction. Oklahoma State University researchers are designing and building sleek, Kevlar-reinforced unmanned aircraft — or drones — to fly directly into the worst storms.
Evacuate:Sandy Survivors Speak Out
May 31, 2013 9:23 am | by FEMA | Videos | CommentsWhen Hurricane Sandy threatened the East Coast, disaster officials and first responders notified residents of mandatory evacuation orders. Survivors of the storm agree that common sense and good citizenship call for compliance in such circumstances.
Hurricane Season Facts & Advice From Agility Recovery
May 31, 2013 9:04 am | by Agility Recovery | News | CommentsJune 1 is the official start to the Northeast’s Hurricane Season and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predict a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms for 2013, of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes, including 3 to 6 major hurricanes.
Outage Forces Refinery To Evacuate 1,000
May 30, 2013 4:33 pm | News | CommentsAuthorities say a Southern California oil refinery was evacuated after a poweroutage caused an automatic system reset that sent up a huge flare of smoke and flame from a burn-off pipe. Torrance fire Capt. Steve Deuel says the Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery momentarily lost power at around 9:20 a.m. Thursday.
AER & HSB To Develop Tech Tool To Forecast Blackouts
May 29, 2013 11:19 am | News | CommentsAtmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) and The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company (HSB) announced a strategic alliance that will provide a technology and services solution to comprehensively understand and assess blackout risk in the United States. The technology will be used by insurers and reinsurers, commercial and industrial firms, and other businesses.
Rentsys Recovery Services Reaches Milestone For Number Of Bank & Credit Union Branches Served
May 29, 2013 11:00 am | News | CommentsRentsys Recovery Services, a provider of comprehensive disaster recovery solutions for banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders and other organizations, announced it now provides more than 1,900 contracted locations with recovery services, with banking, financial and insurance providers making up the largest percentage.
Train Derailment Near Baltimore Damages Businesses, Closes Streets
May 29, 2013 9:47 am | by BEN NUCKOLS,Associated Press | News | CommentsA CSX freight train crashed into a trash truck, derailed and caught fire Tuesday in a Baltimore suburb, setting off an explosion that rattled homes at least a half-mile away and sent a plume of smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.
Tweet Warned Officials Before Deadly Mudslide
May 29, 2013 9:32 am | by MARK STEVENSON,Associated Press | News | CommentsMexican authorities acknowledged Tuesday that a motorist tweeted them a warning about an impending mudslide on one of the nation's busiest highways hours before a huge slide swallowed two cars, killed seven people and blocked the roadway.
Can Tornado Alley Become Safer? Yes, Within Limits
May 28, 2013 9:17 am | by SHARON COHEN,AP National Writer | News | CommentsIn the wind-swept prairie called Tornado Alley, the scene is eerily familiar: Homes smashed to splinters. Trees and telephone poles snapped like twigs. Piles of bricks, overturned cars and dazed survivors sifting through rubble in search of a precious photo or heirloom. A town in ruins.
