Youth Preparedness is a key focus for FEMA in creating a Culture of Preparedness in the U.S. In this episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable we’re joined by FEMA’s Branch Chief for Preparedness Programs, Allison Carlock, as she shares the importance of engaging youth to increase community preparedness. Allison will also share tips on how emergency managers can start a youth program in their own community.   

Learn how devastating and catastrophic EF 5 tornadoes severely impacted Joplin Missouri and Moore, Oklahoma. And how can you prepare for such a destructive tornado. 

EF 5 Tornadoes are the strongest storms on earth with winds more than 200 mph and in 1999 one tornado produced a record wind speed of 314 miles per hour as it was devastating Moore, Oklahoma.  To survive a tornado, you need to have a sturdy room in the lowest level of a secure home on a foundation. It is not recommended to try and out run a tornado, but the most devastating twisters can be life threatening if you are not in a secure shelter.  The last EF 5 tornado recorded in the U.S. hit Moore, Oklahoma in May, 2013.

On September 2, 1935, a disaster was unfolding in the Florida Keys as a category 5 hurricane with winds estimated near 185 mph made landfall on Long Key in Monroe County. As the storm’s center moved on shore, the barometric pressure was recorded at 892 millibars, the lowest on record in the U.S. The storm devastated the Keys and killed hundreds, including over 250 WWI veterans who were helping to build a new railroad across the Keys.

The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 remains the strongest on record to ever strike the United States with an estimated pressure of 982 millibars and winds over 185 miles per hour. The storm killed over 400 as it swept across the Florida Keys on Labor Day in 1935. Dr. Steve Lyons says we need a new way to classify the threats of hurricanes and hopes NOAA will retire the Saffir Simpson rating scale and instead use a threat scale based on each individual storm. 

In recent weeks, several major disasters have crippled the power grid infrastructure in several states. Tropical Storm Isaias, the Iowa derecho, and Hurricane Laura demonstrate how disasters can severely impact power systems and prolong the recovery period. In this episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable, we’ll visit Des Moines where a cluster of severe storms devastated Iowa and several neighboring states with hurricane force winds. Our guests include the Des Moines office of the National Weather Service and Iowa’s State Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. We’ll also hear from Georgia Power, and Tidal Basin’s Vice President of Preparedness, Resilience, and Emergency Management on preparing and mitigating for mass power outages.