Information on the Chilean Earthquake and Tsunami Warnings

Cross-posted from The White House Blog.

The President made the following statement on the earthquake in Chile and preparations for a possible tsunami that could reach American shores later today:

Good morning, everybody. Earlier today, a devastating earthquake struck the nation of Chile, affecting millions of people. This catastrophic event was followed by multiple aftershocks, and has prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean. Earlier today, I was briefed by my national security team on the steps that we're taking to protect our own people, and to stand with our Chilean friends.

Early indications are that hundreds of lives have been lost in Chile, and the damage is severe. On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the Chilean people. The United States stands ready to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts, and we have resources that are positioned to deploy should the Chilean government ask for our help. Chile is a close friend and partner of the United States, and I've reached out to President Bachelet to let her know that we will be there for her should the Chilean people need assistance, and our hearts go out to the families who may have lost loved ones.

We're also preparing for a tsunami that could reach American shores later today, particularly in Hawaii, American Samoa, and Guam. A tsunami warning is in place, and people have been alerted to evacuate coastal areas. I urge citizens to listen closely to the instructions of local officials, who will have the full support of the federal government as they prepare for a potential tsunami, and recover from any damage that may be caused.

I also urge our citizens along the West Coast to be prepared as well, as there may be dangerous waves and currents throughout the day. Again, the most important thing that you can do is to carefully heed the instructions of your state and local officials.

Once again, we've been reminded of the awful devastation that can come at a moment’s notice. We can't control nature, but we can and must be prepared for disaster when it strikes. In the hours ahead, we'll continue to take every step possible to prepare our shores and protect our citizens. And we will stand with the people of Chile as they recovery from this terrible tragedy.

Thank you very much, everybody.

We will post video shortly.

Tsunami warnings are in affect for Hawaii, N. Marianas, American Samoa, Marshall and Solomon Islands. A tsunami advisory is in effect along the west coast of the United States and Alaska. More information can be found at the National Weather Center's website.

FEMA continues to monitor the situation, and through Region IX in California, is in contact with the State of Hawaii, and recommends that individuals follow the advice of local officials. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate is monitoring the situation from FEMA Headquarters in Washington, DC and released the following statement:

FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security are closely monitoring the situation, and officials are in close contact with the State of Hawaii and the U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean that could be impacted by a potential tsunami. FEMA stands ready to assist should a request for assistance be made, and does have pre-deployed assets in Hawaii, including food, water, generators and other resources. We urge all individuals to follow the direction provided by local officials.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been briefed and is monitoring developments from Vancouver, where she is serving as the lead of the US Delegation at the Olympics.

More information and resources:

• The National Weather Center's Tsunami.gov.
• General Information on Tsumani preparedness as well as a tool to determine if your address is in a tsunami evacuation zone.
• In Hawaii, citizens can go to http://www.scd.state.hi.us/ for the latest news and information. Additionally, the States of California, Washington, and Oregon have similar sites on their web pages dedicated to this.
• If you are U.S citizen looking for a loved one in Chile, please contact State's Consular Affairs Bureau on 1-888-407-4747. Further guidance is on its website.
• A "person finder" has also been published to help find individuals in affected area in Chile – this resource is not maintained by the US government.

Robert Gibbs is White House Press Secretary

En Espanol

Whether it’s age, walk of life, ethnicity or nationality—everyone is at risk. Department of Homeland Security has a responsibility to ensure that every community has equal access to our messages during a disaster, and that every individual can find public information during a crisis.

Today, Secretary Janet Napolitano applauded FEMA’s redesigned Spanish-language website. Located at http://www.fema.gov/espanol, the newly redesigned site helps fulfill Secretary Napolitano’s commitment to openness and accessibility in our efforts to build a culture of readiness and resilience across the nation.

The redesigned site provides easier access to and expanded information about current disasters, preparedness, and a Spanish-language version of FEMA’s National Emergency Family Registry and Locator systems at www.disasterassistance.gov/espanol – a site to help family members locate each other during a crisis.

We spent September talking about what to do before something happens. Now we need to ask the question, “¿Estan Preparados?”

Check out the new site, and tell your friends and loved ones.

Prepare yourself...for this video

We promised yesterday that we'd post video of the Secretary's preparedness and resiliency speech. Check it out below.

The full transcript is also available.

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"Be Prepared"

Secretary Napolitano was was joined by Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Kathy Cloninger at Scotchtown Hills Elementary School in Laurel, MD this afternoon to debut a new Girl Scout preparedness patch. The preparedness patch program, developed by the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ,was designed to help Girl Scouts and their families interact and engage on the issue of personal preparedness.

Some of the activities required to achieve the patch include:

• Identifying and preparing for potential emergencies
• Learning about local alerts and warning systems
• Engaging in community service

The Secretary remarked:

“This new preparedness patch will increase citizen preparedness and enhance our country’s readiness for disasters,” said Secretary Napolitano. “As a former Girl Scout, I know the ‘Be Prepared’ motto well—and I look forward to working with the Girl Scouts to spread the preparedness message to all of our nation’s citizens.”

The Secretary also took the opportunity to announce a new partnership between the department's Citizen Corps and the Girl Scouts to advance community preparedness nationwide. The two organizations will work together to encourage young women to become community leaders in emergency management and response fields and to raise public awareness about personal preparedness, training and community service opportunities.

The Secretary also participated in President Obama’s My Education, My Future initiative while at the school, by visiting students and listening to the President’s remarks encouraging them to work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their education.

Check out the Citizen Corps website for more information about preparing your community for all hazards, and ready.gov for information about preparing your family.

Be Ready

Secretary Napolitano was in New York today to introduce a series of new public service advertisement (PSAs) produced for the Ready Campaign. The Ready Campaign's mission is to inform and educate the public on how to best prepare for a major disaster, emphasizing three basic steps every American can take:

1. Put together an emergency supply kit.
2. Make a family emergency plan.
3. Get informed about the types of emergencies that could take place in their communities and appropriate responses.

The Secretary delivered remarks during the press conference:

“Preparedness is a shared responsibility that begins with the American people,” said Secretary Napolitano. “These public service advertisements highlight the simple steps everyone can take to prepare for disasters, enhancing the safety and security of our country.”

Secretary Napolitano unveiled the new PSAs at an event in New York City’s Times Square, joined by New York City Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler, New York City Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno, American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern, American Red Cross of Greater New York CEO Theresa Bischoff and Ad Council President and CEO Peggy Conlon.

You can watch the new PSAs by clicking the picture below:

National Preparedness Month

Check out the Secretary's White House Blog post from this morning about National Preparedness Month.

Building a Ready and Resilient Nation

Today marks the beginning of National Preparedness Month, an opportunity for our nation’s families and communities to discuss their plans if they were faced with an emergency.

Protecting the United States from threats like terrorism, natural disasters, and infectious diseases is a shared responsibility and everyone has an important role to play.

This effort starts in our own communities. By talking to your neighbors, friends and family about citizen preparedness – during September and beyond – we can build a culture where shared responsibility for preventing and responding to emergencies is every bit as common as planning for retirement or keeping your car and home in good repair.

For more information about emergency planning, visit www.ready.gov or the Spanish-language site, www.listo.gov.

Individuals can also help by learning a skill like CPR, or volunteering in their community through a local Citizen Corps council.

We look forward to sharing additional ideas and information here, and at DHS.gov throughout the month of September to help all Americans become better prepared for – and more resilient to – emergencies of all kinds.

Janet Napolitano
Secretary

Secretary in New Orleans

Secretary Napolitano was in New Orleans yesterday to announce more than $32 million in funding for the rebuilding of four educational buildings at the Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO). The $32 million will be used to replace SUNO’s Old Science, New Science, Multipurpose and Clark education buildings--all damaged beyond repair during Hurricane Katrina.

“Expediting the recovery process for local communities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita continues to be a top priority for the Department,” said Secretary Napolitano. “These public assistance funds represent our commitment to helping residents of the Gulf Coast rebuild as quickly and effectively as possible.”

Secretary Napolitano made the announcement during a visit to SUNO, where she was joined by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate and Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding Janet Woodka to discuss Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts with federal, state and local partners.

“Today’s announcement is one more example of the great strides FEMA’s Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office has made in expediting assistance to New Orleans and Louisiana,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “Under the guidance of the President and Secretary Napolitano, FEMA’s Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office director Tony Russell and his team have worked closely with the state on rebuilding and recovery projects such as SUNO, and we look forward to continuing and strengthening this important partnership.”

In the seven months since Secretary Napolitano was sworn in, FEMA has obligated more than $895 million in public assistance funds for Louisiana recovery—including more than $404 million for education, $130 million for public works, $49 million for public safety and protection, $54 million for health care, $217 million for public infrastructure and $40 million for debris removal.

“This is an example of what can be done when federal agencies, the state, and local officials come together as partners,” said Woodka. “The Administration is committed to continuing to work with all those who have a stake in moving New Orleans and the Gulf Coast forward.”

Fugate Roundtable Video

For those who missed it, check out the video from earlier this week of FEMA Adminstrator Fugate's roundtable discussion on community service and preparedness. The discussion centered on the President's United We Serve initiative, and took place at a Denver fire house.

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Visit Serve.gov for more information on how to get involved. jxmkp7t2sb

"United We Serve" Roundtable Wrap Up

This afternoon, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate sat down at a firehouse in Denver and talked with some local first responders and volunteers about the President's new call to service, United We Serve. Administrator Fugate was joined by Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, and five Colorado first responders. The group discussed what drew them to service, and how others can respond to the President's call.

The video is available at DHSon.tv, and we urge you to watch. We can't necessarily predict when a natural disaster, or terrorism, or another event will affect our daily lives, but it's up to us to stand up and be ready.

While Administrator Fugate was in Denver, Secretary Napolitano was in Orlando, participating in a volunteer project with FEMA's Citizen Corps and Deputy Secretary Lute will be in New York this evening to lead a citizenship class. More on those later. For now, what is United We Serve?

The idea is simple: Get involved. Get involved now. Make change, and preparedness, and recovery real in your community. This summer, the President is urging all of us to visit http://www.serve.gov/ to find service opportunities in our communities. Serve.gov provides volunteer opportunities around the country, connects Americans to local charities and non-profits, and allows people to create their own service events and invite their friends and neighbors to join in.

Remember that the work doesn't end this summer.

"...I hope you will continue the service-work you begin this summer for the rest of your life. Because America's new foundation will be built one community at a time -- and it starts with you."

- President Barack Obama

Visit Serve.gov today to get started.

Live Webcast: United We Serve

Join us today at 1 PM EDT for a live webcast at http://www.dhson.tv/.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate will host a roundtable discussion at a Denver, CO firehouse with local firefighters and community volunteers. The discussion will help kick off President Obama's United We Serve initiative, an unprecedented nationwide call to community service. Find out what it's all about, and what you can do in your community. Watch the event as it happens at http://www.dhson.tv/.

Preparedness Grants in Focus

Yesterday, we took a broad view on how this year’s preparedness grants are being allocated. It’s a lot of money, but what does it mean for communities across the country? Let’s take a look at where some of this money is going, and how our state and local partners are planning to use it. This is a snapshot of just a few recipients, with highlights of some local news on each set of grants.

Straight to the numbers:

Buffalo: $5.5 million will go to Buffalo and the surrounding areas as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative program. This is a 10 percent increase from the previous year. More from Empire State News.

Oklahoma: $14 million to Oklahoma. $4.4 million specifically for Oklahoma City and $2.2 million for Tulsa. More from the Oklahoman.

Syracuse: $2 million will go to Syracuse specifically for antiterrorism. More from News10Now TV.

San Diego: $16.2 million for preparedness and antiterrorism. More from KPBS-TV.

New York non-profits: “Sixty-one non-profit organizations throughout the city will receive more than $4 million. The money will fund security measures at targeted institutions, namely yeshivas and synagogues. Under the grant program, organizations will receive up to $75,000 that can be used to train security personnel and purchase security cameras.” More from NY-1 TV, New York.

Tampa Bay: $8 million dollars for antiterrorism. More from The St. Petersburg Times and The Tampa Tribune.

Jersey City-Newark: $41 million dollars focusing on “first responders and safety programs.” More from The Jersey Journal.

Tennessee: $20.3 million to be distributed across Tennessee’s 11 Homeland Security Districts. More from The Chattanoogan.


Toledo: $2.2 million for preparedness and security initiatives. More from WTVG-TV.

Preparedness Grants

This afternoon, Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Fugate made an announcement on the nearly $1.8 billion in FEMA preparedness grants being issued to states, urban areas, tribes, and non-profits. The grants are designed to help our state and local partners prepare for natural disasters and guard against terrorism. We can't necessarily predict when one of these events will befall a city or a community, but as the Secretary noted today, fear is not an appropriate response to terrorism, and we cannot be complacent when thinking about natural disasters. We must encourage our nation's communities to put preparedness first when faced with these issues.

This year, the department conducted unprecedented outreach efforts to our state and local partners, ensuring that every grant dollar is invested in smart, sustainable programs. The department undertook this aggressive strategy because those state and local partners have the biggest stake in this process. Simply put, they have the ground level insight on where the threats are, and how best to prepare for and guard against them.

Now, nearly $1.8 billion is no small number, so how do we split the funding, and where does it go? Check out the breakdowns:

$1.7 billion to the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) will be split between:

• The State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)—$861.1 million will build and strengthen preparedness capabilities at all levels through planning, equipment, and readiness activities.
• The Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)—$798.6 million will enhance urban preparedness capabilities in 62 high-threat, high-density areas. The seven highest risk areas (Tier 1) were allocated approximately $439 million, or 55 percent of available funds, while the remaining areas (Tier 2) will receive the remaining approximately $359 million.
• The Metropolitan Medical Response System Program (MMRS)—$39.8 million, divided evenly among 124 MMRS jurisdictions, will improve regional mass casualty incident preparedness and response capabilities.
• The Citizen Corps Program (CCP)—$14.6 million will bring community and government leaders together to engage citizens in community preparedness, response and recovery activities.

The State Homeland Security Program Tribal (SHSP Tribal) will allocate $1.7 million for eligible tribal applicants to implement preparedness initiatives.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) will allocate $15 million to support target-hardening activities at non-profit organizations at high risk of a terrorist attack.

The Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) will allocate $34 million to enhance catastrophic incident preparedness in selected high-risk urban areas and support technical assistance funding in FY 2009. RCPGP supports coordination of regional planning for catastrophic events.

Every community is touched by these issues, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that the process is fair and inclusive. We’ve listened to our partners, we’re dedicated to supporting programs that show success, and we’ve streamlined the process to make it more efficient. As the Secretary said herself,

“These grants provide direct support for regional preparedness, urban security and medical response efforts in communities across the country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The new grants management initiative launched this year will generate better value for every grant dollar while strengthening our nation’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from all disasters.

Let us know if you have some real-world examples of how your community or organization is using a preparedness grant.