emergency management

You may have heard the term “narrowbanding” and you may know that it has something to do with the radio communications systems used in your community. This article will provide the information you need to comply with a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate that will affect two-way radio communications systems, including those used by state, county and local governments. Effective January 1, 2013, all radio systems operating on frequencies between 150 and 512 Megahertz (MHz) must employ “narrowband” emissions.

The late August visit from Tropical Storm Irene wrought particularly harsh impacts on a few New Hampshire communities but, for the most part, left much of the state relatively unharmed. Reported estimates for statewide damage to roadways totaled more than 150 state roads and approximately 475 local roads.

By Stephan W. Hamilton

When the July 2008 tornado ripped through the Granite State, it left a scar across the landscape that measured 50 miles. State and local officials charged with recovery efforts were confronted with a challenge: how to place a dollar amount on the collective damage in order to apply for federal disaster relief.

By Meghan McPherson

Energy assurance-as opposed to energy emergency response-is increasingly recognized not only as an important component of the nation's energy emergency planning, but also as a more comprehensive approach intended to:

In the post 9/11 era, municipalities have renewed their focus on local emergency management duties. Disasters may result from acts of nature, or from the negligent or intentional acts of people. Emergency management is the process of planning for an incident, taking steps to prevent the occurrence of the incident if possible, responding to an incident should one occur, followed by efforts to recover from the negative impacts upon persons, property and economic activities caused by the incident.

As this article is being written in early September, the traditional flu season in the Southern Hemisphere is coming to close and international public health experts are closely tracking circulation of the H1N1 (swine) flu virus. Three key findings from these activities were included in an August 28, 2009 situation report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus is the predominant influenza virus in circulation worldwide.

In recent years, we have been bombarded by almost daily reports of potential pandemics, natural disasters and concerns about terrorist attacks. These events range from local to statewide, national to global. The size of the emergency can dictate how many layers of government agencies will be involved. In almost all cases, however, local government will be the first to respond.

As this article is written, the lights have only recently come back on following the most devastating ice storm event in New Hampshire history. Starting on December 11, 2008, two inches of precipitation fell as freezing rain over a large portion of the state. Nearly everything was coated with ice, sometimes as much as an inch thick. The effect on the electric and telephone utilities was immediate and catastrophic. As noted by Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH):

Helping families stay warm and safe this winter is a priority for everyone in the State of New Hampshire. One way of helping vulnerable citizens during extremely cold weather and/or loss of heat is through the provision of temporary shelters—either warming stations or overnight shelters. Opening a temporary shelter or warming station is a decision made at the local community level.

According to a Nationwide Plan Review conducted in spring 2006, states still fall short in emergency planning for and with individuals with special needs. This was reiterated in the national assessment of the country’s catastrophic planning capabilities conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and issued June 2006.