Emergency Management

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with seven technology organizations to provide state, local, tribal and territorial governments with technology resources during a disaster to expedite response and recovery. Cisco Systems, Google, Humanity Road, Information Technology Disaster Resource Center, Intel, Joint Communications Task Force and Microsoft have joined FEMA’s new Tech Corps program – a nationwide network of skilled, trained technology volunteers who can address critical technology gaps during a disaster.

People canoe through floodwaters in Houston on Saturday, May 30.  Torrential rains have given Texas the wettest month on record, according to Texas A&M climatologists.  In all, 37.3 trillion gallons of water have fallen over the state in May, the National Weather Service said.

cnn.com - by Kevin Conlon - June 14, 2015

(CNN) For portions of rain-battered Texas, the warnings issued by the National Weather Service on Sunday must have seemed like a cruel joke: a tropical storm that is potentially forming in the Gulf of Mexico is headed straight for them.

"Through Wednesday, widespread rainfall totals could easily average 6 to 8 inches with some amounts exceeding 10 inches," read the ominous forecast issued by the weather service office in Houston. "This will obviously lead to a dangerous flood situation."

Local officials sounded even more alarmed, calling the event "possibly catastrophic."

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NEW YORK TIMES By GARDINER HARRIS               May 4, 2015

NEW WORK TIMES                                            April 27, 2015

Here is a list of some of the groups soliciting donations for relief efforts in Nepal:

American Jewish World Service: ajws.org

AmeriCares: americares.org

The Salvation Army: salvationarmyusa.org

International Medical Corps: internationalmedicalcorps.org

Handicap International: handicap-international.us