Hazus-MH 2.0 Released

Hazus-MH 2.0 Released Tuesday, May 31, 2011

We are pleased to announce that Hazus-MH 2.0 is now available!  The 2.0 release includes many improvements to the usability and functionality of the software including, but not limited to:

• A new coastal storm surge modeling capability integrating two industry standard models (SLOSH and SWAN), which now allows Hazus to predict the physical and economic impacts of hurricane scenarios on coastal flood regions. In addition to estimating the separate impacts of coastal flooding and high winds, the coastal surge scenario methodology also estimates the combined economic losses to the general building stock in a manner that avoids double counting of flood and wind losses.
• With Hazus-MH 2.0, the CDMS tool has been integrated with Hazus.  CDMS will no longer be handled as a distinct product requiring users to obtain and install it separately.  It will automatically be added when installing Hazus, thus making it easier for users to take advantage of the tool’s data management capabilities.
• Hazus-MH 2.0 is now compatible with ArcGIS 10.0 Service Pack 1.

To Order Hazus-MH 2.0

Order the latest version of Hazus-MH 2.0 free-of-charge on-line by visiting the FEMA Map Service Center (MSC) Web Store at http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEzNjkxNDAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTM2OTE0MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2MzMyODkmZW1haWxpZD1zZHN3YXplZUBlYXJ0aGxpbmsubmV0JnVzZXJpZD1zZHN3YXplZUBlYXJ0aGxpbmsubmV0JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://msc.fema.gov/.  For more information about how to set-up your account with the MSC and place your order please refer to the Ordering Hazus-MH 2.0 Flyer.

Joplin, MO Tornado Disaster Imagery by Surdex

Approximately 36 hours after a tornado struck Joplin, MO, on May 26th, 2011, the Surdex Corporation flew and produced 3” resolution imagery for use by the public and responders. While this an excellent example of a corporation leaning forward for the public good, lets hope this type of immediate data collection becomes a routine (funded) response practice in the years going forward (on call, preplanned mission), rather than something that is slowed down by administrative hurdles in the aftermath of a disaster.

See the links below: 

JavaViewer:

http://cpat.surdex.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/ImageServices/JoplinMOTornadoDamage/ImageServer?f=jsapi

Services info:

http://cpat.surdex.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/ImageServices/JoplinMOTornadoDamage/ImageServer

arcgis.com:

http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?url=http%3a%2f%2fcpat.surdex.com%2fArcGIS%2frest%2fservices%2fImageServices%2fJoplinMOTornadoDamage%2fImageServer&source=sd

Trainee Mistakes Address, Fire Destroys Homes

From Dispatch Magazine On-Line

"Trainee Mistakes Address, Fire Destroys Homes

May 11, 2011 at 2:19 pm

A miscommunication between a 911 caller and a York County (Penn.) dispatcher in training led to an eight-minute response delay, and resulted in three row homes being destroyed by fire. Fire officials believe the fire could have been confined to the kitchen of the original caller if her call had been promptly handled, and if the calltaker had correctly verified the woman’s address. Instead, Gloria Diaz properly gave her address as “622 Wallace Street” in York. But the unnamed dispatcher believed she said, “622 Water St.,” which is in Wrightsville. The calltaker asked Diaz if she lived in York City or York Township, and Diaz only answered only, “Yes.” After other questions, the calltaker asked Diaz if she lived in Wrightsville, and she said, “Yes.” Fire units were then dispatched to the Wrightsville location. Within two minutes neighbors pulled a fire alarm box outside the actual location of the fire, and fire units were then dispatched to the correct Wallace St. address. County officials said Diaz was using an older cellular phone, so there was no location information displayed to the calltaker. Read more about the mix-up here."

ArcGIS 10 for Emergency Managers

ArcGIS 10 for Emergency Managers
Location: Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana
Dates: Tuesday, June 21 to Thursday, June 23, 2011
Times: 8:30 to 4:30 pm each day

Cost: FREE

This hands-on introductory course is designed to empower emergency managers, planners, engineers, public safety professionals, and others with the skills needed to visualize and analyze information related to disaster mitigation, response, recovery, and risk management using ArcGIS 10 Desktop.  While examples reference in this course pertain primarily to emergency management, the skills learned apply to anyone that is using ArcGIS to support their projects.
The course develops a solid foundation of important skills for new ArcGIS Desktop users. Topics covered include tools and concepts related to creating effective maps, creating and manipulating tabular and geographic data; investigating data by constructing effective questions, and understanding and managing coordinate systems and projections. The course also equips participants with a working knowledge of many ArcGIS Desktop tools that support the analysis of data.  The class concludes with a group exercise in which students apply the skills that they have learned to work with data that represents a community of their choice.

Participants in this course will receive a certificate from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that meets the requirements for the Hazus Trained Professional certificate.  Information about this program is available at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/hz_training09.shtm.
This course is funded by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.   Therefore, there is no cost for participation in the course.  However,  participants are responsible for any travel expenses incurred as a result of attending.

Questions about course content can be directed to the course instructor, Kevin Mickey, at 317.371.4479 or kmickey@iupui.edu.  You can register for the course at http://www.polis.iupui.edu/Training/default.aspx?CourseID=2689.
Prerequisites: None

President Declares A Major Disaster For Minnesota 

Release Date: May 10, 2011
Release Number: HQ-11-074
» More Information on Minnesota Severe Storms and Flooding
» En Español
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to Minnesota to supplement the state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding beginning on March 16, 2011, and continuing.
Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Clay, Grant, Lac qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lyon, McLeod, Nicollet, Redwood, Renville, Scott, Sibley, Stevens, Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine counties.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Paul J. Ricciuti has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.  Ricciuti said that additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=http://www.twitter.com/fema, http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=http://www.facebook.com/fema, and http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=http://www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=http://www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications. 
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 10-May-2011 21:33:14