as-coa.org

July 08, 2013

Registration: 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Presentation and Discussion: 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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submitted by Michael Kraft

communities.firstresponder.gov

Lessons Learned: Social Media and Hurricane Sandy
(39 PAGE .pdf FILE)

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Less oxygen dissolved in the water is often referred to as a dead zone? (in red above) because most marine life either dies, or, if they are mobile such as fish, leave the area. / NOAA

marcoislandflorida.com - USA Today - by Dan Vergano - June 19, 2013

Environmental biologists foresee a record-size “dead zone” for the Gulf of Mexico this summer, a New Jersey-sized patch of water deadly to marine life, federal officials announced. 

Seen every year off the Texas and Louisiana coasts, the zone forms largely because of fertilizer runoff from the Corn Belt flowing down the Mississippi, where the nutrients spur the growth of the algal blooms that remove oxygen from the water in the Gulf. The especially large size this year of the predicted zone, perhaps 8,500 square miles, appears to be tied to Midwestern floods that washed more nutrients into the river.

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homelandsecuritynewswire.com - June 25, 2013

STUDY - Increased stray gas abundance in a subset of drinking water wells near Marcellus shale gas extraction
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/06/19/1221635110

Homeowners living within one kilometer of shale gas wells appear to be at higher risk of having their drinking water contaminated by stray gases, according to a new Duke University-led study.

Duke scientists analyzed 141 drinking water samples from private water wells across northeastern Pennsylvania’s gas-rich Marcellus shale basin. Their study documented not only higher methane concentrations in drinking water within a kilometer of shale gas drilling — which past studies have shown — but higher ethane and propane concentrations as well.

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newsy.com - by Matt Moreno - June 20, 2013

http://www.newsy.com/videos/farm-bill-fails-in-house-due-to-food-stamp-cuts/

fema.gov

SFI recently released Toward More Resilient Futures: Putting Foresight Into Practice, a document highlighting the value and utility of thinking strategically about the future. The aim of this highly visual document is to help bridge the gap between the theory and practice of strategic foresight. We want our readers to explore the future by immersing themselves in the big issues driving change and to discover real world examples of how individuals and organizations are taking forward-leaning action to enhance disaster resilience.

While SFI’s earlier work centered on a deep analysis of future needs, Toward More Resilient Futures is more practical in focus. The document spotlights competing viewpoints for how recent trends in the economy, environment, technology and security may affect government and disaster management in the near future. It also highlights projects, individuals, and organizations that are pushing the bounds of current thinking and action around emergency management.

mashable.com - May 21st, 2013 - Zoe Fox

Nearly one million people are affected by natural disasters each year. In the U.S. alone, some 400 people die from disasters that cost the economy $17.6 billion. Helping respond to these cataclysmic events, social media is now a go-to tool for those effected by disasters.

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Image: People work on a GMO protest sign.

treehugger.com - June 13th, 2013 - Margaret Badore

Yesterday, Maine's state senate easily passed a bill that may one day mandate the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms. The law passed 35-0, but before labels are required, five consecutive states must also pass labeling laws.

For Maine, that means the GMO labeling will only go into effect if New Hampshire, the only state with which it shares a border, passes a similar law.

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Photo - Eckerd (Fla.) College Emergency Response Team

submitted by Samuel Bendett

emergencymgmt.com - by Lauren Katims - May 8, 2013

When disaster strikes on or near a college campus, local first responders don’t always have the staff or resources to help immediately — especially when the campus is as big as a small city.

That’s why thousands of students, faculty and staff on campuses nationwide are being certified to help.

Campus Community Emergency Response Teams (C-CERT) are modeled after the national Community Emergency Response Team program, which educates civilians about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills like fire safety, search and rescue, team organization and basic medical operations.

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ops.fhwa.dot.gov

Executive Summary

Almost 5 years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered Louisiana and Texas, respectively, public officials remain focused on the Nation's ability to safely evacuate large numbers of people. As a part of the Fiscal Year 2010 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) appropriations (Public Law 111-117), the U.S. Congress requested the DOT, in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to: