United States Marine Safety Institute

Improving our marine environment through action & education

United States Marine Safety Institute

A Florida Public 501c3 Non Profit Organization

Copyright © Scott Steele. All rights reserved.

RESOLVE TO GET INVOLVED

 
Dear Friends and family of U.S. Search and Rescue and the U.S. Marine Safety Institute


Recently we were tallying the damages from a record period of weather and climate-related disasters: a triple whammy of major hurricanes, including Hurricanes Maria and Irma, and several huge wildfires and floods. All told it was the most expensive period for disasters in US history. Extreme weather hit us even harder this year, taking hundreds of lives and tens of thousands of homes and livelihoods.


2018 brought us Hurricanes Florence and Michael, which struck the Florida panhandle in October, and the Camp Fire, California’s deadliest and most destructive fire on record. 

While our area was spared the originally forecasted catastrophic devastation, there are still many lessons to be learned on hurricane preparedness, response, and recovery. The nation has taken great steps to provide training and education to the general population to ensure a “Whole Community” approach. Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it calls for the involvement of everyone — not just we professionals and the government — in preparedness efforts. By working together, everyone can help keep the nation safe from harm and help keep it resilient when struck by hazards, such as natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and pandemics. How can you help increase your County’s resilience against disasters?

Get trained. Take a free online independent study course through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (http://training.fema.gov/emi.aspx) and gain more knowledge to help your community become more prepared. Education and training is a priceless gift to anyone who wants to learn about how government, nonprofits, and the public prepares for and recovers from disasters. These classes are open to everyone – even the general public. Want to learn about preparing for animals in a disaster? * Helping children? ** Protecting your small business? *** Become a weather spotter! **** From GIS to ICS, there’s a class for that. Or take an in-person training class with emergency management.*****

 Get involved. Offer help to your neighbors and friends in need. Create a carpool club for your neighbors who are unable to drive themselves to doctor’s appointments or to the grocery store. Remember those neighbors will need help with finding hurricane evacuation transportation, too. Create a community network to help your neighborhood put up and take down hurricane shutters or help each other pick up vegetative debris after a storm. Encourage folks to register for the Manatee County Code RED emergency notification system to get notified about weather emergencies ******. Volunteer with any one of many Community Organizations Active in Disasters *******. Our local service groups provide critical social services to our most vulnerable residents. There are dozens of local organizations where you can make a measurable difference in the lives of residents and visitors. Increasing our day-to-day resiliency will create a safer and more prepared community in the face of any emergency event.

 
IS-10.a: Animals in Disasters: Awareness and Preparedness

http://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-10.a

 ** IS-366.a: Planning for the Needs of Children in Disasters

http://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-366.a

 *** IS-394.a: Protecting Your Home or Small Business From Disaster http://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-394.a

**** NWS Tampa Bay Skywarn Program

http://www.weather.gov/tbw/skywarn

 ***** State Emergency Response Team Training Resources and Activity Center (SERT-TRAC) http://trac.floridadisaster.org/trac/trainingcalendar.aspx

****** CodeRED Weather Warnings
http://www.mymanatee.org/home/government/departments/utilities/code_red_sign_up.html


******* Volunteer Florida

http://www.volunteerflorida.org/emergency-management/