The Federal Emergency Management Agency

Imagine tearing open that large present under the Christmas tree with your name on it and finding inside... a fire extinguisher. Or a foldable ladder. Or a smoke alarm in that smaller box. Those, plus a home disaster kit including food, water and prescription medications for 72 hours, or a first aid certification course are just some of the gifts that the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is suggesting Americans give their loved ones this holiday season. "Giving a gift of a fire extinguisher might not be the first thing that springs to mind, but for the guy who has everything, it might ... Read Full Story

The lead US federal disaster agency is hoping to both inform and gather information through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, its top official said Wednesday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), sharply criticized for its slow response to events like the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, is trying to make sure people are better prepared for disasters, said administrator Craig Fugate. Fugate, who took over the job six months ago, has been emphasizing high-tech methods to communicate with the public. FEMA was among the first federal agencies to open a Facebook page, and Fugate writes Twitter messages under the name "craigatfema." "In a disaster, ... Read Full Story

A federal jury on Thursday rejected a New Orleans family's assertions that the government-issued trailer they lived in after Hurricane Katrina exposed them to dangerous fumes, in the first of several trials that could lead to hundreds of similar claims being resolved. Five men and three women decided that a trailer made by Gulf Stream Coach Inc. and occupied by Alana Alexander and her 12-year-old son, Christopher Cooper, was not "unreasonably dangerous" in its construction. One juror saying the plaintiffs' attorneys never had the "smoking gun" that proved their case. The jury also concluded that Fluor Enterprises Inc., which had a contract to install ... Read Full Story

FEMA And The FCC Announce Adoption Of Standards For Wireless Carriers To Receive And Deliver Emergency Alerts Via Mobile Devices As part of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), the nation's next generation of emergency alert and warning networks, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced the adoption of the design specifications for the development of a gateway interface that will enable wireless carriers to provide its customers with timely and accurate emergency alerts and warnings via their cell phones and other mobile devices. Bottom line: IPAWS intended to provide emergency ... Read Full Story

Jury selection has begun in the first trial over whether victims of hurricanes Rita and Katrina were exposed to potentially dangerous fumes while living in government-issued trailers. Jurors were being screened Monday for the lawsuit against trailer maker Gulf Stream Coach Inc. The lawsuit was filed by New Orleans resident Alana Alexander and her son, Christopher Cooper. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency won't be on trial. Judge Kurt Engelhardt ruled last month that a two-year statute of limitations bars Cooper's claims against the government. Lawyers say they plan to appeal that ruling. Hundreds of residents claim FEMA trailers exposed residents to high levels ... Read Full Story