disasters

Feds@Work: Americorps Team Crucial To Joplin Tornado Recovery

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Homeland Security medal , director of Disaster Services for the Corporation for National and Community Service, and her AmeriCorps team.

Within hours after the nation’s deadliest tornado in nearly 60 years ripped through Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people and destroying some 7,000 homes and businesses, the first team of AmeriCorps members arrived on the scene to lend a helping hand. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 28, 2012 at 1:00 PM

How Social Media Is Being Used By Agencies To Prepare For And Respond To Disasters

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This article was adapted from a blog post from the IBM Center of The Business of Government.

In the month of August, the East Coast was hit with two natural disasters, one foreseen, Hurricane Irene, and one without notice, the August 23rd earthquake. Though one primary form of established media failed-phone service during the earthquake was interrupted for many, if not most-both government agencies and individual citizens used social media to learn about what was happening and to communicate while each emergency progressed. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 21, 2011 at 10:53 AM