Residents of flooded Texas area begin clean up | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Residents of flooded Texas area begin clean up | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "MARBLE FALLS, Texas — More rain fell Thursday in Central and North Texas, where evacuations were under way and residents were bracing for more of the constant downpours that have claimed 11 lives in the past 11 days.

Officials reported calls for dozens of high-water rescues in San Antonio, and hundreds of people were being ordered to leave their homes near the bloated Brazos River in North Texas. Brownwood officials passed out sandbags to residents as a precaution. Forty-four of the state's 254 counties were under flood warnings until 2 a.m. Friday as rains continued to move across portions of the state."

SunHerald.com : FEMA beefed up, improved, officer says

SunHerald.com : FEMA beefed up, improved, officer says: "FEMA officials have made many changessince Katrina, Russo said.

'The success or failure of these changes depends on our relationship with you,' he said. 'It's no secret that all disasters are local. The people in this room will always be first-responders, but it is our job to support you.'

R. David Paulison, the director of FEMA, reviewed all the agency's policies and developed priorities after Katrina, Russo said. The agency has hired more employees to work with local governments to identify problems so they can be fixed before a disaster.

Agency workers also have improved the way resources are distributed after a disaster.

Russo said it took an event like Katrina to make FEMA understand its flaws and know what changes were needed.

'We didn't have the policies in place to deal with that type of event,' he said. 'Now we're ready to move things faster and people faster. You really are the partners for us.'"

FEMA hijacks Midwest broadcast signals with mistaken presidential alert - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

FEMA hijacks Midwest broadcast signals with mistaken presidential alert - On Deadline - USATODAY.com: "A FEMA spokeswoman tells the paper that this 'unintentional disruption' occurred after a new piece of equipment in Springfield, Ill., picked up test signals that were being sent between Cleveland and Richmond, Va. WLS-TV expands on this explanation: 'The federal emergency management agency is adapting satellites to handle emergency messages, and a government contractor Tuesday was testing it for Illinois, except he used active codes to send the message.'

The Congressional Research Service has a report on the emergency alert system."

St. Helena Star .::. CommunityFeatures

St. Helena Star .::. CommunityFeatures: "Neighborhood Watch, disaster preparedness finally join forces


Thursday, June 28, 2007 12:27 AM PDT

After months of preparation, St. Helena’s Neighborhood Watch program is finally operating in conjunction with disaster preparedness, a related program that trains residents to be ready for an emergency such as an earthquake."

: "Residents from local subdivision assist rescuers in disaster preparation
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Rick Thomford was watching a disaster unfold in his Barrow County neighborhood.
There in the streets of Beringer Pointe subdivision, emergency personnel were helping people with cuts and bruises. Emergency vehicles waited to provide more care for other victims. "

Journal Newspapers Online: Volunteers will ‘CERTainly’ help during crises

Journal Newspapers Online: Volunteers will ‘CERTainly’ help during crises: "Volunteers will ‘CERTainly’ help during crises"

George Vaughn was training his dog not to spook with the Coast Guard helo hovering overhead. Reports were that his dog stood ramrod straight.

Study results of Java tsunami killed 600 persons | Huliq: Breaking News: "Study results of Java tsunami killed 600 persons

Though categorized as magnitude 7.8, the earthquake could scarcely be felt by beachgoers that afternoon. A low tide and wind-driven waves disguised the signs of receding water, so when the tsunami struck, it caught even lifeguards by surprise. That contributed to the death toll of more than 600 persons in Java, Indonesia.

“The general assumption was that if you were near the coast where the earthquake took place, you would feel it and be able to run to higher ground,” said Hermann Fritz, first author of a new Geophysical Research Letters paper about the July 17, 2006 tsunami. “This event caught people by surprise and showed that it’s not always that simple.”"

abc7.com: L.A. County Tests Tsunami Alarm Systems in Marina Del Rey

abc7.com: L.A. County Tests Tsunami Alarm Systems in Marina Del Rey: "To Lieutenant Nelson and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, the 130 decibel bursts are music to their ears. He's part of the county's efforts to install tsunami alarm sirens in low laying Marina del Rey, a move spurred in part by images from the Indonesian tsunami, though these alarms would be used for any type of emergency."

.: Corvallis Gazette-Times: News - Top Story

.: Corvallis Gazette-Times: News - Top Story: "The study hopes to determine the size of a potential tsunami in Seaside and whether it would be better to run for the hills or get to an upper floor of a beachfront hotel.

Scientists believe a large tsunami — a 35-foot-high wall of water rushing over the beach in Seaside — could be caused by a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake just offshore.

Researchers know that one occurred on Jan. 26, 1700. Such an event today would be similar to the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, which several people survived through “vertical evacuation” — taking refuge on the second story of a hotel or bar."

'Tsunami warning' causes chaos: World: News: News24: "'Tsunami warning' causes chaos
04/06/2007 09:54 - (SA)
Nothing works like having experienced the real thing RT


Banda Aceh - A tsunami warning siren went off accidentally in Indonesia's Aceh province on Monday, causing residents to flee their homes and run to higher ground, officials said."