The Disaster Center

April 30, 2024
New Significant Incidents/ Ongoing Ops:
• Severe Weather – FEMA Regions VI & VII

Hazard Monitoring:
• Severe Thunderstorms – Central Plains to the Upper Mississippi Valley
• Heavy Rain/Flash Flooding – Southern and Central Plains

Disaster Declaration Activity:
• No new declaration activity

January 25, 2024 ---We have published several of the January 6th Reports and advertised them on Amazon. Today we were informed that these reports are no longer being allowed to be advertised. The books banned from Amazon Advertising are:
FINAL REPORT Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol Volume One

Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol Volume Two

Report of the Select Committee January 6th House Committee Report: Introductory Material to the Final Report of the Select Committee -- Executive Summary

The reason for banning advertising is that the individual these reports are about is running for President.

For now they are still being allowed to be sold on Amazon.

FEMA Daily Situation Report -- Current

Consumer Alerts from the Federal Trade Commission
If someone you care about paid a scammer, here’s how to help
By Jennifer Leach

January 12, 2024 -- IRS Free File now available; free service through IRS.gov available for millions of taxpayers in: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington state, and Wyoming.
Printed instructions for:1040 Individual Income Tax Return 2023: includes instructions and forms for 1040/1040SR, and Schedule 1, 2 and 3, A, B, C, D, E, F, H, J, R, SE, and 8812 available on Amazon
January 9, 2024 ---What goes on in the shadows: FTC action againsUt data broker sheds light on unfair and deceptive sale of consumer location data.

October 12, 2023 -Your tenant background check shouldn’t have mistakes!

Before you rent an apartment, read about your rights

If you think a landlord or property manager violated your rights, report it to the FTC.

October 26, 2023 -- UNDRR Report --2023 Global Survey on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters

July 18, 2023 --Joining forces to help stop scam calls
Today, the FTC and its federal and state law enforcement partners announced Operation Stop Scam Calls, the latest joint effort in the fight against illegal robocalls. Today’s announcement outlines the enforcement actions to stop multiple dishonest telemarketers, the companies that hire them, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers that supply the technology for telemarketers to make millions of scam robocalls. Learn more at FTC.gov/calls

You should never wire money or send money using platforms to: the

    Anyone claiming your account is compromised
    Anyone asking you to send money to yourself
    Anyone who claims to be from a government agency
    Any stranger, no matter what reason they give
    A telemarketer trying to sell you something
    Unauthorized, unverified cryptocurrency sites or salespeople

November 3, 2022 - State's Flood Risk Disclosure Practices

Several states have mandated multiple flood risk disclosures as part of their laws and/or disclosure forms. As illustrated in dark blue five states (Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Delaware) have the most flood risk disclosure requirements. According to FEMA, fifteen States, including Florida, do not have any state mandated flood disclosure requirement.
Hurricane Fiona: Make your donations count
By Cristina Miranda
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
September 23, 2022
Hurricane Fiona hit the southern part of Puerto Rico hard leaving the island in the dark, flooded, and without running water. And once again, islanders are coping and cleaning up. As with any severe weather disaster, you may be considering a charitable donation to help the people and communities in Puerto Rico that were affected. A bit of research and planning before you donate will ensure that your money goes to organizations that are helping Puerto Rico recover from this disaster and not scammers.

Here’s advice on donating wisely and avoiding charity scams:

Donate to charities you know and trust with a proven track record with dealing with disasters.

If you get a request to donate on social media, research the organization yourself before you give. Don’t assume that charity messages posted on social media are legitimate. Check out the charity on the Better Business Bureau's (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, or Candid. If the message was from a friend, ask them if they know the organization themselves.

Be cautious about giving to individuals on crowdfunding sites. If considering crowdfunding, it’s safest to give to someone you personally know and trust, and to review the platform’s policies and procedures. Keep in mind that while some crowdfunding sites take measures to vet postings for help after a disaster, others don’t.

If someone wants donations in cash, by gift card, by wiring money or cryptocurrency, don’t do it. Pay by credit card, which offers more protections.

When texting to donate, confirm the number with the source before you donate. The charge will show up on your mobile phone bill, but donations are not immediate.

You can find this information and more at ftc.gov/charity. Looking for information to help prepare for, deal with, and recover from a natural disaster or severe weather event? Visit ftc.gov/weatheremergencies.

August 21, 2022 ---Digital money movement fraud on the rise. A scammer can contact you requesting payment through a Wire Transfer --these methods allow money to be sent quickly, and the funds are often hard to trace and recover.
You should never wire money or send money to:
    * Anyone who claims to be from a government agency
    * Any stranger, no matter what reason they give
    * A telemarketer trying to sell you something
    * Anyone claiming your account is compromised
    * Unauthorized, unverified cryptocurrency sites or salespeople
    * Anyone asking you to send money to yourself

A kindle version of the Supreme Court Ruling in: “NY RIFLE & PISTOL Assoc. Inc v. BRUEN, of NY State Police” is available as an Amazon Kindle Book and as a paperback.

August14, 2022 --FTC.
FTC lawsuit reminds businesses: CAN-SPAM means CAN’T spam
Can't "unsubscribe" from unwanted email? Tell the FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov

To join the National Do Not Call Registry, go to www.donotcall.gov or call 1 (888) 382-1222.

FEMA Daily Situation Report Current

To volunteer or donate to a National VOAD member organization

FEMA has tools to help people. It also has a poor history of maintaining link addresses, which is why we don't have many links to FEMA's site. Let us know is these links stop working. Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) Locator -- FEMA App. Download it for free from the App Store or GooglePlay.-- If you are located in the area of a declared Major Disaster you can register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362. Operators are multilingual and calls are answered seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT.

We've been working on updating the State disaster pages. Here they are, a work in progress:
Alabama -- Alaska -- Arizona -- Arkansas -- California -- Colorado -- Connecticut -- Delaware -- Florida -- Georgia -- Hawaii -- Idaho -- Illinois -- Indiana -- Iowa -- Kansas -- Kentucky -- Louisiana -- Maine -- Maryland -- Massachusetts -- Michigan -- Minnesota -- Mississippi -- Missouri -- Montana -- Nebraska -- Nevada -- New Hampshire -- New Jersey -- New Mexico -- New York -- North Carolina -- North Dakota -- Ohio -- Oklahoma -- Oregon -- Pennsylvania -- Rhode Island -- South Carolina -- South Dakota -- Tennessee -- Texas -- Utah -- Vermont -- Virginia -- Washington -- West Virginia -- Wisconsin -- Wyoming
If you have any suggestions about how it can be improved, please send an email to host@disastercenter.com

Ready Rating: A FREE Service from the American Red Cross
The Red Cross, Salvation Army and other volunteer organizations move resources into position so as to be able to respond to disasters. Please consider a donation to the Red Cross You can text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation or call 1-800 RED CROSS
There are several ways you can donate to the Salvation Army . By phone: Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY By text: Text “GIVE” to 80888. Also, consider volunteering or donating with Disaster Relief Agencies and Nongovernment Organizations.
Red Cross -- After a disaster, letting your family and friends know that you are safe and well can bring your loved ones great peace of mind. This website is designed to help make that communication easier.

FBI's "Tips on Avoiding Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes"

If you want to suggest a link, please post to host@disastercenter.com

The people affected will not lack clothing for long and more will be donated than will ever be used. It will end up in the local landfill, because there is no place to store it. If you are going to collect clothing have a garage sale with the proceeds going to the victims. Be responsible, if you collect money get proof that it was donated and make evidence available to those who gave. Consider volunteering or donating with Disaster Relief Agencies and Nongovernment Organizations.
WHO's CRED is reporting that in 2010 a total of 385 natural disasters killed more than 297,000 people worldwide, affected over 217.0 million others and caused US$ 123.9 billion of economic damages. Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2010: (PDF 4.2 MB) The Numbers and Trends. Brussels: CRED; 2011-Guha-Sapir D, Vos F, Below R, with Ponserre S.

NIST Offering Free Access to Standards for First Responders

There is only one weather authority in the United States, and that's the National Weather Service For emergency information consult with your local NWS office or your local emergency management agency. If you want to suggest a link, please post to host@disastercenter.com

SaferProducts.gov: A New World for Consumers, Businesses, and Researchers -- This is a site that the US Chamber of Commerce wants the government to shut down. Take a Look...

The Disaster Center supports the UN's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. "One million safe schools and hospitals campaign" [PDF 3.28 MB] guidance note [PDF 2.04 MB]
Schools and hospitals are a great place to start building a world wide disaster mitigation movement.

HealthCare.gov --- CuidadosDeSalud.gov

How to get a free credit report:
Online: www.annualcreditreport.com
Call toll free: (877) 322-8228
Write: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281

The Disaster Center hosts a Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages
The CDC has recently come out with its Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse Guide and announced a forthcoming video contest. The idea that all these efforts are concerned with is that you and your family be prepared for disasters. In our estimation the most important disaster readiness tool is a common contact person outside of the disaster area. Someone who, if conditions are so bad that household members can't go home, that you might move in with. After disasters most people do not stay in shelters. They are sheltered by relatives and friends. So what we are saying is that the greatest tool after a disaster is a friend; get one; be one.
The Red Cross has created a teaching guide -- Children in disasters- Games and guidelines to engage youth in risk reduction

A new National Science Foundation study has found that: Drought may threaten much of globe within decades - NSF

A study released by researchers at Iowa State University calculated costs of five major crimes, and found that each murder generated societal costs of $17.25 million

States: 10 Leading Causes of Death
Vital Records: Locate your States' sources for Birth, Death, Marriage, and Divorce Records

National Radar Mosaic Sectors

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September 19, 2011 -- We have added the FBI's 2010 State Uniform Crime Reports to our State data which now covers from 1960 to 2010, 50 years of crime statistics.

CBS News: Is Extreme Weather a Result of Global Warming?
NASA Earth Observery Image of the Day: Arctic Oscillation Chills North America, Warms Arctic

The National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) has replaced the color codes of the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS). The new alert system is currently active, active alerts are also available on Twitter and Facebook

Established 14 years ago, the Disaster Center site has gone through a number of evolutions. A big part of this work has provided coverage for disasters affecting the United States. Big stories were Hurricane Dennis, Rita, Katrina, Wilma, Floyd, Mitch, Bret and many others. One of the most linked to areas on the web site has been our graphics. The most popular of these Hurricane Floyd as it approached the US coast. Current and Historic Atlantic Tropical Storms and Hurricanes

Our work of mitigating disasters involves the preparation for them, responding to them, and recovering from them. In an ideal world we would be working on ways to mitigate risk

SBA Disaster Recovery Loans 1-800-659-2955 -- SBA makes loans to home owners and business after Major disasters
HUD may provide disaster recovery assistance.


7-Day Total Precipitation	Surface Analysis Loop	Graphical Forecasts	National Forecast	National Radar	National Satellite

Aerosol Optical Depth	Aerosol Size	Carbon Monoxide	Land Surface Temperature
Chlorophyll	Cloud Fraction	Fire	Net Radiation
Land Surface Temp. Anomaly	Sea Surface Temperature	Net Primary Productivity	Sea Surface Temp. Anomaly
Snow Cover	Water Vapor	Total Rainfall	Vegetation