The William Kellibrew Foundation advocates SAFETY FIRST. Please ensure that your emergency kit is prepared and that you have taken necessary steps to avoid flooding.

If you are in an evacuation area and the storm has arrived or is near, please "Stay in." says Administrator Craig Fugate, FEMA. 

Over 800,000 have lost power so far, five deaths have been reported in the news from fallen trees and structures in North Carolina and Virginia, parts of I-95 are closed, over five states have emergency declarations and evacuations are in effect for several states and areas along the east coast. As the WKF monitors Hurricane Irene, we are grateful for the preparedness from local, tribal, state and federal efforts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Department of Homeland Security) held a teleconference call with leaders across states and Washington, D.C. along the path of Hurricane Irene. 

Leading the call was FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and joining him was National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read and leaders from the Red Cross.  The purpose of this call was to provide an update on the latest track of Hurricane Irene and highlight federal resources and plans to support state, tribal and local efforts before, during, and after Hurricane Irene.

I was able to ask Administrator Fugate about how to prepare for any problems resulting from the recent earthquake that hit the east coast and what should residents do to avoid danger.

In response, leadership from the Red Cross mentioned that shelters throughout the D.C./MD and Virginia that sustained damage will not be used for emergency shelters.

Go to fema.gov and ready.gov for more information on how to prepare for disasters including earthquakes.

FEMA encourages everyone, regardless of whether they live in a hurricane-prone area, to take steps to ensure their families, homes and businesses are prepared for a possible emergency.  As a reminder, the month of September is designated as National Preparedness Month (NPM). This serves as an opportunity to encourage Americans to be prepared for disasters or emergencies in their homes, businesses, and communities. Individuals and families can learn about events and activities, and groups can register to become a NPM Coalition Member by visiting http://community.fema.gov.  NPM is sponsored by the Ready Campaign in partnership with Citizen Corps and The Ad Council.

Follow FEMA online at http://blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at 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.

"Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst." President Barack Obama