e-CYREN Blog

News Release FEMA ENCOURAGES AMERICANS TO START PREPARING FOR WINTER WEATHER NOAA Annual Winter Outlook Released Today Forecasts "Winter of Extremes" for U.S. WASHINGTON - Today, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its 2010 U.S.

Calling on President to develop national strategy on children and disasters The 2010 Report to the President and Congress issued last week by the National Commission on Children and Disasters cited “persistent gaps in disaster preparedness for children since Hurricane Katrina five years ago.” The Commission’s report called for the development of a national strategy for children in disasters to ensure children are protected before, during and after an emergency.” The report comes on the heels of another new report, America Remains Unprepared, from Save the Children that showed states along the East Coast in the path of a potential hurricane are not fully prepared to protect children during major and possibly catastrophic disasters. The report reveals that millions of children are vulnerable should a disaster strike the region. “Children are 25 percent of our nation’s population but they are neglected when it comes to disaster management,” said Mark Shriver,...

CYJ Enterprises and BDPA Detroit Encourages Americans to Get Ready during National Preparedness Month (NPM) Seventh annual NPM helps Americans take steps toward becoming prepared

Detroit, MI –CYJ Enterprises and BDPA Detroit is proud to be participating in the seventh annual National Preparedness Month (NPM) in September. Sponsored by FEMA’s Ready Campaign, NPM is a nationwide effort encouraging individuals, families, businesses, and communities to work together and take action to prepare for emergencies.

This year, NPM focuses on encouraging all Americans to take active steps toward getting involved and becoming prepared for emergency situations. Preparedness is everyone’s...

On Home Smoke Alarms and Residential Fire Sprinklers

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) today launched an effort to encourage everyone to install and maintain home smoke alarms and, if possible, sprinklers. More than 3,000 people die in home fires each year, and the majority of them have no working smoke alarm. To prevent these deaths, the USFA, a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sponsoring the nationwide Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign, which emphasizes that “Smoke Alarms Save Lives.” “The U.S. Fire Administration tracks fatal home fires every day, and it is tragic to see how many deaths are linked to homes without working smoke alarms,” said Kelvin J. Cochran, U.S. Fire Administrator. “The USFA is committed to preventing the loss of life and we want residents and fire fighters...

At the time, it all seemed surreal. As I left work, on August 14, 20003, around 4:00 PM, I realized that the radio station I always listen to was not broadcasting, but I really didn’t think much of it until I tried other stations. None were working, and I immediately go onto the freeway home; oblivious to the traffic signals not working. Once I exited the freeway, I immediately realized something was wrong (the car radio still wasn’t working), and now there was traffic chaos because the signals were out. I tried my cell phone, which did not work (Cingular was my carrier then), so I used a pay phone and got through to my office. I was informed that there was a blackout across the state and that the hospital (where I work) was on generator power. A thirty-five minute trip home took me three hours, but I was able to buy a cold beverage because I had cash money, which came in handy at a gas station where the pumps and cash register were disabled. After arriving home, I realized there was no hot water, and that my decision to get rid of my land line telephone was a big mistake. However, I did find my battery operated radio and a couple candles. It was a long, dark night and the blackness of normal darkness was somewhat unsettling; we’re so use to artificial light. During the early hours of morning (4:00 AM) I learned that my hospital pager still worked, and they were trying to reach me. With no land line or operable cell phone, I left home in total darkness and went to a nearby hospital to use their land line phone. I learned a valuable lesson about redundant communications during this ordeal. What lessons did I learn from this event? There were a few, which are worth sharing....