SafetyGator

2014 Hurricane Preparedness Week – Day 7

Ed — Sat, 07 Jun 2014 04:01:47 +0000

Take Action!

The hurricane warning system is increasingly effective in providing warnings in time for people to move inland when hurricanes threaten. However, it is becoming more difficult to evacuate people from densely populated areas. Roads are easily overcrowded, particularly during summer tourist season. The problem is compounded by the complacency of people who do not understand the awesome power of the storm. Complacency and delayed action could result in needless loss of life and damage to property.

Before a Hurricane Strikes

Plan a safe evacuation route that will take you 20-50 miles inland. Contact your local emergency management office or Red Cross chapter and ask for the community preparedness plan.

Have disaster supplies on hand, including:

Flashlight and extra batteries
Portable battery-operated radio and extra batteries
First-aid kit
Emergency food and water
Nonelectric can opener
Essential medicines
Cash and credit cards
Sturdy shoes and a change of clothing
Copies of important papers, including bank accounts, insurance and household inventory records

Make sure your family goes over the family disaster plan. Make plans for protecting your house, especially the roof, windows and doors. Trim dead or weak branches from trees.

Check into flood insurance. Homeowners policies do not cover damage from flooding that often accompanies hurricanes. Call your local insurance agent for information or the National Flood Insurance Program at 800-720-1090.

When a Hurricane Watch or Warning Is Issued

Listen to radio or television for hurricane progress reports. Follow instructions if ordered to evacuate.

Check your emergency supplies. Store drinking water in clean bathtubs, jugs, bottles and cooking utensils.

Bring in outdoor objects such as lawn furniture, toys and garden tools; anchor objects that cannot be brought inside but that could be wind-tossed. Remove outdoor antennas, if possible.

Secure your home by installing hurricane shutters or precut plywood.

Turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest settings if not instructed by officials to turn off utilities.

Fuel your car. Review evacuation routes and gather your disaster supply kit in case you are instructed to evacuate.

Store valuables and personal papers in a waterproof container.

After a Hurricane

Return home only after authorities say it is safe to do so. Keep tuned to your local radio or tv station for recovery information.

Beware of downed or loose power lines. Report them immediately to the power company, police or fire department.

Enter your home with caution. Open windows and doors to ventilate or dry your home. Do not use candles or open flames in doors. Use a flashlight to inspect for damage.

Check for gas leaks. If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, quickly leave the building and leave the doors open. Call the gas company.

Look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or frayed wires, turn off electricity at the main fuse box. If you have to step in water to reach the electric box, call an electrician for advice.

Check for sewage and water-line damage. If you suspect there is such damage, call the water company. Do not drink or prepare food with tap water until notified it is safe to do so.

Take pictures of the damage for insurance claims and contact your service agent.

If Evacuation Is Necessary

If officials order evacuation, leave as soon as possible. Avoid flooded roads and watch for washed-out bridges.

Secure your home. Unplug appliances and turn off electricity and the main water valve. If time permits, elevate furniture to protect it from flooding or move it to a higher floor.

Take your pre-assembled emergency supplies and warm, protective clothing.

2014 Hurricane Preparedness Week – Day 6

Ed — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 04:01:46 +0000

Get a Plan!

Before a Hurricane

To prepare for a hurricane, you should take the following measures:

To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
Know your surroundings.
Learn the elevation level of your property and whether the land is flood-prone. This will help you know how your property will be affected when storm surge or tidal flooding are forecasted.
Identify levees and dams in your area and determine whether they pose a hazard to you.
Learn community hurricane evacuation routes and how to find higher ground. Determine where you would go and how you would get there if you needed to evacuate.

Make plans to secure your property:
Cover all of your home’s windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8” exterior grade or marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Another year-round option would be installation of laminated glass with impact-resistant glazing. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.
Install straps or additional clips to securely fasten your roof to the frame structure. This will reduce roof damage.
Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed so they are more wind resistant.
Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
Reinforce your garage doors; if wind enters a garage it can cause dangerous and expensive structural damage.
Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down.
Determine how and where to secure your boat.
Install a generator for emergencies.
If in a high-rise building, when high winds are present, be prepared to take shelter on a lower floor because wind conditions increase with height, and in a small interior room without windows. When flooding may be occuring, be prepared to take shelter on a floor safely above the flooding and wave effects.
Consider building a safe room.

Hurricanes cause heavy rains that can cause extensive flood damage in coastal and inland areas. Everyone is at risk and should consider flood insurance protection. Flood insurance is the only way to financially protect your property or business from flood damage. To learn more about your flooding risk and how to protect yourself and your business, visit the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (NFIP) Web site,www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419.

2014 Hurricane Preparedness Week – Day 5

Ed — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 04:01:36 +0000

The Forecast Process

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is responsible for forecasting all tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins around North America. The NHC forecasts the track, intensity, size, and structure of tropical cyclones, storm surges, rainfall, and tornadoes associated with tropical cyclones, and the likelihood of tropical cyclone formation within 48 hours. The overall skill of these forecasts is shown in the section on Hurricane Forecast Model Accuracy. Once a tropical cyclone forms, NHC staff follows a set of procedures to generate a set of forecast products and then communicate those products outside of NHC every six hours. While the NHC forecast process is the focus here, other agencies responsible for tropical cyclone forecasting in other ocean basins [link to Hurricane Forecast Regions and Centers] follow similar procedures, but their procedures are tailored to the needs of their areas of responsibility and are guided by the observational, modeling, and forecast dissemination capabilities of those areas.

The next step in the forecast process involves analyzing all of the data gathered by the various observational platforms. The observations are examined, quality controlled, and then used to initialize a suite of hurricane forecast models, often referred to more generally as numerical prediction (NWP) models. These hurricane forecast models create objective, computer-generated predictions of a hurricane’s future track and intensity.

Results from hurricane forecast models (and ensembles generated from the individual models) are interpreted and then used as guidance to create official hurricane forecasts and warnings. Each model has a different way of representing atmospheric processes and will sometimes produce very different results. Therefore, forecasters must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each model’s output before producing their official forecast. To do this evaluation, the forecasters compare the forecast models’ results to the current and recent environmental observations. Hurricane forecasters then use their experience and judgment to decide how to use the individual and ensemble model guidance to produce the best possible forecast.

Tropical cyclone forecasts and warnings are coordinated between the national centers and local forecast offices to provide consistency, which is important when a tropical cyclone landfall is imminent. After the NHC issues a forecast, local NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) use the information to tailor their local forecasts. The NHC cannot produce forecasts tailored to the conditions at every location on the coast, so it is important to contact your local WFO for current and predicted local effects of a hurricane.

Information for local WFOs is provided to local and state emergency management, as well as the media. Emergency managers are the final decision makers in the forecast process. They are tasked with ordering evacuations, preparing the local community, and staging resources. For the general public, television, radio, the Internet, and NOAA weather radio are all outlets for important hurricane information.

2014 Hurricane Preparedness Week – Day 4

Ed — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 04:01:24 +0000

Inland Flooding

Coastal residents understand the dangers associated with hurricanes — heavy rainfall, high wind and storm surge can cause a host of problems. But did you know that the majority of hurricane-related deaths in the United States do not occur along the coast?

When these powerful storms move over land, they lose wind strength but continue to dump massive amounts of rain into streams, rivers and lakes — posing a serious threat of inland flooding. These floods account for more than 50 percent of hurricane-related deaths each year.

Hurricane Agnes in 1972 made landfall as a Cat 1 storm on the Florida panhandle and was quickly downgraded to a tropical storm. Unfortunately, Agnes collided with a low pressure system over the mid-Atlantic (which is the usual story with the big inland flooding cases) and heavy rains were the result. 122 people were killed in the floods that spread up and down the eastern US. Nearly 8 inches of rain fell in a short period of time across parts of West Virginia and total storm damages across several states topped $6 billion.

Before flood water rises, NOAA advises

The NOAA National Weather Service’s robust hydrology program helps protect the nation from the dangers of flooding by monitoring water levels in streams, rivers and lakes, and issuing forecasts and warnings to alert communities when floods threaten.

A major component of the hydrology program is a network of 13 River Forecast Centers spanning the country. These centers provide critical hydrologic information to meteorologists, community decision-makers, and partners in water resource management and flood planning so they can take action in their local communities.

Why is inland flooding from hurricanes such a threat?

More than 60 percent of U.S. hurricane deaths from 1970-1999 occurred in inland counties, with more than half of tropical hurricane deaths related to freshwater flooding. From what the past has shown, damage from inland flooding caused by these storms can often times run well into the billions of dollars — especially when a major metropolitan area is impacted.

By monitoring potential flooding disasters, the RFCs play a critical role in protecting lives and property during tropical events. Around 70 percent of all hurricanes that impact the U.S. make landfall in the Southeast River Forecast Center’s area of concern and are a major contributor to the total number of significant floods in the Southeast U.S.

[Read entire article HERE]

2014 Hurricane Preparedness Week – Day 3

Ed — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 04:01:44 +0000

Wind

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. This scale estimates potential property damage. Hurricanes reaching Category 3 and higher are considered major hurricanes because of their potential for significant loss of life and damage. Category 1 and 2 storms are still dangerous, however, and require preventative measures. In the western North Pacific, the term “super typhoon” is used for tropical cyclones with sustained winds exceeding 150 mph.

Category	Sustained Winds	Types of Damage Due to Hurricane Winds
1	74-95 mph 64-82 kt 119-153 km/h	Very dangerous winds will produce some damage: Well-constructed frame homes could have damage to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches of trees will snap and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled. Extensive damage to power lines and poles likely will result in power outages that could last a few to several days.
2	96-110 mph 83-95 kt 154-177 km/h	Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage: Well-constructed frame homes could sustain major roof and siding damage. Many shallowly rooted trees will be snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads. Near-total power loss is expected with outages that could last from several days to weeks.
3 (major)	111-129 mph 96-112 kt 178-208 km/h	Devastating damage will occur: Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends. Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads. Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes.
4 (major)	130-156 mph 113-136 kt 209-251 km/h	Catastrophic damage will occur: Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.
5 (major)	157 mph or higher 137 kt or higher 252 km/h or higher	Catastrophic damage will occur: A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

2014 Hurricane Preparedness Week – Day 2

Ed — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 04:01:29 +0000

Storm Surge

[via Claire Taylor, The Advertiser ]

When a hurricane forms, the National Hurricane Center uses computer models to forecast its potential path and landfall, and assigns it a category number based on the strength of its winds.

Left out of the equation is the potential risk of storm surge flooding, which doesn’t necessarily correlate with the wind speed.

That’s changing this hurricane season. With each storm, the National Hurricane Center will generate interactive maps residents can use to predict how much storm surge flooding their communities might see.

“One of the biggest misnomers was people would try to correlate a Category 4 storm with a certain amount of storm surge,” said James Brinkley, storm surge operations manager with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Hurricane Charley was a Category 4 hurricane when it struck western Florida in 2004, carrying an 8-foot surge, Brinkley said. Hurricane Ike in 2008 was only a Category 2 hurricane, but it generated a 16-foot surge that flooded much of the Louisiana and Texas coast.

Here’s how storm surge works: A hurricane’s winds pushes the ocean water toward the coast. When the surge arrives at the same time as the incoming tide, the water piles even higher.

Many variables contribute to the size of a storm surge, including the forward speed and direction of the storm, the shape of the coastline, the underwater topography, the size of the storm, and the presence of rivers, bays and inlets, he said.

“Surge in Louisiana is not the same as surge in Florida or in the Northeast,” said Jonathan Brazzell, a hydrologist with NOAA and the National Weather Service in Lake Charles. “There are totally different land forms and topography.”

Some areas along the Gulf Coast, especially Louisiana and Mississippi, are particularly vulnerable to storm surge because the ocean floor gradually deepens offshore.

The new storm surge maps will be generated when a hurricane watch or warning is issued, typically 48 hours before the onset of tropical storm-force winds, Brinkley said. The maps will be updated every six hours in conjunction with the hurricane center’s advisory packages because small variations in wind and direction can cause significant changes to storm surge, he said.

The interactive maps will use different colors indicating varying depths of water to help residents prepare for the storm surge, Brazzell said.

“You can zoom in and find your community — not your specific house — and determine how much threat you can expect” from storm surge, Brinkley said.

“That’s a plausible worst-case scenario,” Brazzell said. “There’s still a 10 percent chance that value will be exceeded.”

[Click here for entire article]

2014 Hurricane Preparedness Week – Day 1

Ed — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 19:12:05 +0000

Hurricane Basics

[via Accuweather.com]

While it’s no secret that hurricanes are dangerous and can cause serious destruction, a hurricane’s specific composition is less commonly known.

From a hurricane’s warm core to spiral bands, examine the following infographic to learn the basic components behind one of the most powerful forces of Mother Nature.

2014 Hurricane Preparedness Week

Ed — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 19:03:16 +0000

Sunday, June 1, marks the start of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season.

In an effort to raise awareness and prevention efforts for the season, which lasts through Nov. 30, the National Hurricane Center has declared this week Hurricane Preparedness Week.

[via NHC]:

History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster.

Hurricane hazards come in many forms, including storm surge, heavy rainfall, inland flooding, high winds, tornadoes, and rip currents. The National Weather Service is responsible for protecting life and property through issuance of timely watches and warnings, but it is essential that your family be ready before a storm approaches. Furthermore, mariners should be aware of special safety precautions when confronted with a hurricane.

Download the Tropical Cyclone Preparedness Guide (PDF) or follow the links for more information. But remember, this is only a guide. The first and most important thing anyone should do when facing a hurricane threat is to use common sense.

National Hurricane Preparedness Week 2014 runs from May 25th through May 31st.

FBI Issues New Warning on Old Malware: Beta Bot

Ed — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 22:42:38 +0000

“The FBI is aware of a new type of malware known as Beta Bot,” it warns in an Internet Crime Complaint Center intelligence note. In reality Beta Bot has been operating since at least March; but is clearly now sufficiently active to come to the FBI’s attention.

Beta Bot is used by criminals, says the intelligence note, “to target financial institutions, e-commerce sites, online payment platforms, and social networking sites to steal sensitive data such as log-in credentials and financial information.” It also blocks access to security websites and disables anti-virus programs.

A more detailed analysis of the bot was, however, published by Germany’s G Data back in May. It said it had found Beta Bot advertised on an underground market for sale at less than €500. G Data describes most of the features of the bot (“different DOS-attack methods, remote connection abilities, form grabbers and other information stealing capabilities”) as fairly standard; but highlights two specific features: the use of social engineering to trick the user into elevating the bot’s system privileges; and the claimed ability to disable “nearly 30 security programs).

Different processes run with different privileges. A process with low privileges must have user permission to alter a process with high privileges (known as privilege elevation). Security products, such as anti-virus, run at the highest possible level because they operate deeply within the operating system. So, for Beta Bot to disrupt the user’s security defenses, it must similarly be running at the highest level of privilege.

The malware uses social engineering to achieve this. It usurps the Windows User Account Control (UAC) dialog box, which pops up asking the user if he will allow the ‘Windows Command Processor’ to make changes. The problem here, as Michele Daryanani demonstrated in a paper titled Desensitizing the User: A Study of the Efficacy of Warning Messages, is that users frequently click through such warnings without paying sufficient attention.

But Beta Bot has another trick for the more cautious user. Before the UAC box appears, a ‘Critical Disk Error’ warning appears, suggesting that a corrupted folder needs to be restored. The subsequent UAC box is consequently expected and likely accepted; but what it actually does is escalate Beta Bot’s priveleges to the level needed to block the anti-virus programs. If it succeeds in doing that, of course, the user has an infection that is difficult to find and remove.

The FBI’s advice is to cleanse an infected system with a brand new anti-malware installation. “Download the latest anti-virus updates or a whole new anti-virus program onto an uninfected computer, save it to a USB drive and load and run it on the infected computer. It is advisable to subsequently re-format the USB drive to remove any traces of the malware.”

[ED: Its a good idea to complete this step now, before any infection occurs, unless you have available a second computer that you are certain is not/cannot be infected. There is certain to be copycat trojans/malware based on the same social engineering methods to deactivate installed AV programs, and being prepared keeps you a step ahead!]

FBI: “Beta Bot” malware kills your anti-virus and steals data (community.spiceworks.com)
FBI warns “Beta Bot” malware can kill your anti-virus programs, steal data (aconservativeedge.wordpress.com)
FBI Warning Users About Beta Bot Malware (threatpost.com)

IS-907: Active Shooter: What You Can Do

Ed — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 14:54:57 +0000

Interactive Web Based Course

An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and other populated area. In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly.

All employees can help prevent and prepare for potential active shooter situations. This course provides guidance to individuals, including managers and employees, so that they can prepare to respond to an active shooter situation.

This course is not written for law enforcement officers, but for non-law enforcement employees. The material may provide law enforcement officers information on recommended actions for non-law enforcement employees to take should they be confronted with an active shooter situation.

Course Objectives:

Upon completing this course, the participant will be able to:

Describe actions to take when confronted with an active shooter and responding law enforcement officials.
Recognize potential workplace violence indicators.
Describe actions to take to prevent and prepare for potential active shooter incidents.
Describe how to manage the consequences of an active shooter incident.

Primary Audience: All individuals, including managers and employees.

Prerequisites: None

CEUs: 0.1

Course Length: 1 hour (Self Paced)

Access the free online course HERE.

RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. Surviving an Active Shooter Event (safetygator.wordpress.com)
Law Enforcement Agencies, Volunteers Take Part In NJ ‘Active Shooter’ Drill (newyork.cbslocal.com)
Local authorities train with Homeland Security, FBI for active-shooter scenarios (wisn.com)
Olympic College hosting Homeland Security training exercise active shooter on campus scenario (portorchardindependent.com)