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Secretary Napolitano’s Calls to State and
Local Leaders in Eastern Areas Impacted by Winter
Storms February 10, 2010
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today called state and local leaders from the east coast region impacted by the current snow storm—relaying the Department's continued support and underscoring the importance of ongoing partnerships between local first responders and the federal government. "We are continuing to monitor this winter storm closely and are in frequent communication with our state and local partners across the impacted region," said Secretary Napolitano. "I urge all residents to heed the warnings of local officials and prioritize safety by staying off the roads unless absolutely necessary. This is a team effort and we will continue to work with our partners as the storm develops and the recovery process begins." Secretary Napolitano today spoke with Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, and Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty. These calls come in addition to the frequent communication between DHS and the impacted states regarding winter weather over the past few weeks, and Secretary Napolitano will continue contacting additional Mayors and Governors as the storm progresses. The Department's National Operations Center continues to operate around the clock to monitor weather developments and communicate their impact in real-time to federal, state, local and tribal partners. At the request of local governments, FEMA has also deployed state liaison officers to the emergency operation centers in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. DHS also remains in contact with other potentially impacted states across the Northeast. Visit http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/winter.html
to learn more about winter weather
preparedness.
Individuals and decision-makers across widely diverse sectors – from
agriculture to energy to transportation – increasingly are asking NOAA for
information about climate change in order to make the best choices for
their families, communities and businesses. To meet the rising tide of
these requests, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced the
intent to create a NOAA Climate Service line office dedicated to bringing
together the agency’s strong climate science and service delivery
capabilities.
American Forces Press
Service
Officials said Guard personnel are expected to remain on duty through Feb. 9 in support of one of the worst blizzards in the history of the national capital region. “This is our job, and this is what we do,” said Army Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, commanding general of the D.C. Guard Joint Force Headquarters. “We have always answered the call for help from the District of Columbia at a moment’s notice, and our people have done a tremendous job in supporting emergency missions during this historic blizzard.” D.C. National Guard personnel were needed to drive a dozen Humvees to Metro Police precincts throughout the city today, and they proved to be invaluable as the storm worsened and roadways became impassable. In addition to the Humvees, support personnel were stationed at the district’s armory and at the D.C. Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency, which was the hub of the city’s response to the storm. (From a District of Columbia National Guard news release.)
Just as you wouldn't want your car's gas tank to leak, engineers don't want a satellite to leak fuel. So, a team of engineers performed propulsion system pressurization and leak checks before fueling GOES-P. Those preparations were completed on January 22. The GOES-P spacecraft was moved to the fueling stand and the team began fueling the spacecraft. The oxidizer was successfully loaded on January 28. Like a fire needs oxygen to burn, the spacecraft fuel needs the oxidizer to ignite in space, where there is no air. . The fuel was successfully loaded on January 30. After carefully lifting and moving the fueled spacecraft, the team successfully mounted GOES P on top of the Delta IV Payload Attach Fitting (PAF). This was completed on February 1. The PAF is a conical shape structure that the spacecraft mounts onto inside the launch vehicle. The spacecraft rides on the PAF until it separates at approximately 22 thousand miles above the Earth's surface. The launch vehicle continues processing on stand and the United Launch Alliance (ULA) is working off the technical issues that remain. The team is working towards a March 1 launch date. GOES-P is the latest Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The Delta IV rocket will be launched
by United Launch Alliance for Boeing Launch Services under an FAA
commercial license. Launch is targeted for no earlier than March
1.
Now Is The Time To Buy Flood Insurance
In the wake of the National Weather Service announcement, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with its state partners at Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEMD), are encouraging Iowans to purchase flood insurance now to protect their property from flood damage. “State and federal disaster grants, even when they’re available, are intended to help people start their recovery, not to replace entire households,” said Kay Phillips, who is the Director FEMA’s Iowa Recovery Office. “That’s why flood insurance is so important. It’s the best financial protection you can buy.” Flood insurance is available to homeowners, renters, condo owners/renters, and business owners/renters in communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). “If you are considering purchasing flood insurance, I’d urge you not to delay,” said Iowa’s State Coordinating Officer Patrick J. Hall. “With the excessive snowfall this winter and with spring right around the corner, Iowans could be facing flooding in the very near future.” Generally, there is a 30-day waiting period for flood insurance to become effective once the full premium has been paid. The waiting period is waived when obtaining, increasing, extending or renewing a federally backed loan for a property. In cases where a property has been reclassified as high-risk because of a Flood Insurance Rate Map revision (now in a floodplain when prior to the revision, it was not), the waiting period is reduced to one day. Costs vary depending on how much insurance is purchased, what it covers and the property's flood risk. The good news is that for many, flood insurance doesn’t have to break the bank. Affordable rates are available throughout most of Iowa – even for many who were flooded recently for the first time in 2008. The cheapest flood insurance is known as a Preferred-Risk Policy, which provides coverage for anyone outside of a Special Flood Hazard Area. These policies have low rates because they cover structures that are in low- to moderate-risk areas. Under a Preferred Risk Policy, flood insurance for a house with a basement that is in a low- to moderate-risk area would cost about $287 annually ($100,000 insurance on house; $40,000 on contents). A policy for a house in a Special Flood Hazard Area would cost approximately $1,577 to provide $100,000 in coverage on the structure and $50,000 in contents. So if you’re looking to buy flood insurance for the first
time, here’s what you need to know: To find an agent or to learn more about flood insurance,
call the NFIP at 888-435-6637 or go online to www.floodsmart.gov.
A NASA Satellite Look at the Cape Verde
Islands and the Region’s Hurricane Relevance Last month, the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer, or MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured a
peaceful looking satellite image of the Cape Verde Islands. As quiet as
they appear in the winter, they were active in the summer of 2006 when
NASA conducted an airborne hurricane field campaign nearby. That's because
the Cape Verde Islands region is important in the formation of some
Atlantic Ocean hurricanes.
Scott Braun, research meteorologist at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. said, "A particular focus in this
experiment was the role of the warm, dry, and dusty Saharan Air Layer
(SAL), which some studies have suggested may play a role in storm
formation and evolution. There is considerable debate as to whether the
SAL acts to aid or prevent storm formation and intensification, and the
NAMMA data, combined with a wide variety of NASA satellite products,
should help us to address key science questions regarding the SAL’s
role."
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago located in the Macaronesia ecoregion of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa, opposite Mauritania and Senegal. It is slightly more than 4,000 km² (1,540 square miles) in area with an estimated population of over 500,000. The capital of Cape Verde is Praia. The previously uninhabited islands were discovered in the 15th century and colonized by the Portuguese. They attained independence from Portugal in 1975. The average Atlantic Hurricane season brings with it approximately two Cape Verde hurricanes. These hurricanes are usually the most intense and the biggest storms of the season because they develop so far to the east and can travel over a large area of warm, open ocean waters that help power them. There are also no land forms in the way to slow tropical cyclones if they form near the Cape Verde Islands. Cape Verde tropical cyclones also tend to be the longest-lived storms, because of the huge area of open ocean they have to move through. Some have even moved into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Dean (2007), one of the strongest landfalling hurricanes in the Atlantic, formed just west of the Islands around Aug. 13, moved into the Caribbean on Aug. 17, and made landfall in Belize as a category 5 storm on Aug. 21. Hurricane Ivan (2004) formed southwest of the Islands on Sept. 3, 2004, moved into the Caribbean on Sept. 8 as a category 4 storm, and into the Gulf of Mexico on Sept. 14 as a category 5 storm. Ivan weakened somewhat to cat 4 intensity by landfall. The Atlantic Ocean hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30
Check your local fuel prices.
Make National Voice Your Home Page Missing Children
Code Amber News Service (CANS) issued this Missing Endangered person Alert after the girl disappeared from her bedroom some time after 3 AM Tuesday morning in Satsuma. Satsuma is approximately 75 miles east of Gainsville. Haleigh Cummings a white female, 3 feet tall, weighs 39 pounds and has blond hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear. There are no suspects in this case at this time. However, due to the circumstances of the child's disappearance an abduction is strongly suspected. There is no suspect vehicle at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call the Putnam County Sheriff's office at (386) 329-0808 or dial 911. Download free video of missing Florida child Haleigh Cummings Email this alert to a friend in the area.
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