Hazards Tips

Are You Fire Wise?

Many homes and buildings are adjacent to woodlands and parks, which provide beautiful views and peaceful settings.  But wildfire risk can be especially high in this “wildland-urban interface,” where the built environment blends with natural landscapes.
Viewer Tip: You can protect your home from wildfire by reducing the amount of flammable material between your home and a natural area. An easy way [...]

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Oklahoma Severe Weather Awareness

February 21-27 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Oklahoma.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Oklahoma, including tornadoes, flash floods and thunderstorms.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside will help ensure you and [...]

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Louisiana Severe Weather Awareness

February 21-27 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Louisiana.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Louisiana, including flash floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside will help ensure you [...]

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Arkansas Severe Weather Awareness

February 22-26 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Arkansas.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Arkansas, including flash floods, thunderstorms and tornadoes.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside will [...]

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Arizona Severe Weather Awareness

February 22-26 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Arizona.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Arizona, including flash floods, thunderstorms and damaging winds.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside [...]

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Alabama Severe Weather Awareness

February 22-26 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Alabama.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Alabama, including flash floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside [...]

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Texas Severe Weather Awareness

February 21-27 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Texas.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Texas, including flash floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside will help ensure you [...]

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National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month! A 2009 national survey by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) found that just over half of respondents have set aside emergency supplies at home, but less than half of survey respondents have a household emergency plan.
Viewer Tip: Are you prepared? Make sure you have the supplies and information you [...]

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Turn Around, Don’t Drown

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that more than half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into flood waters; the next highest percentage of deaths is from walking into or near flood waters.  Many people falsely believe that cars, trucks and SUVs are heavy enough to maintain contact with the road [...]

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Lightning Plan

Those who are involved in outdoor sports and recreational activities between the months of May and September can be exposed to the dangers of lightning.  The majority of injuries related to lightning occur over the summer, with 80 percent of injuries occurring between 10 am and 7 pm. 
Viewer Tip:  If you spend time outdoors, have a [...]

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Hail and High Water

This spring and summer have been especially difficult for farmers and gardeners in the Northeast due to the inordinate amount of water received, mainly in the form of rain. Several storms have brought heavy downpours with hail. At Garden in the Woods of Framingham, MA, one particularly damaging hail storm roared through just after the [...]

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Manic Mold

Mold spores are naturally present in the air at harmless concentrations, but with added moisture can grow to levels that spur allergies and asthma in susceptible individuals.  After heavy rains or when leaks or flooding dampen homes, dormant mold spores can grow expolsively and release enough new spores to sicken people.
Viewer Tip: It is impossible [...]

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Preparing for Hurricane Season

An average of 11 tropical storms develop each year over the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.  While many of those storms stay over the ocean without impacting the U.S., about five hurricanes will strike the U.S. Coastline from Texas to Maine in a given three-year period, with two being Category 3 (111-130 [...]

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Don’t Strike Out

The typical U.S. thunderstorm is about 15 miles in diameter and lasts 20-30 minutes. Although thunderstorms impact relatively small areas when compared to winter storms or hurricanes, they are still dangerous.  Thunderstorms can be accompanied by hail, strong winds and flash flooding; every thunderstorm is accompanied by lightning.  The National Weather Service reports that to [...]

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Dealing with Dust

Dust storms can make driving conditions difficult, but did you know that they can also affect your health?  When dust particles are inhaled, they can trigger asthma attacks and aggravate bronchitis and other lung diseases. Certain people are especially vulnerable to health impacts from dust particles – young children, the elderly, adults who exercise outside [...]

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Facing Floods

In 2007, floods occurred in every U.S. state, causing claims of nearly 600 million dollars. Flash floods – usually caused by sudden, heavy rainfall – can occur in just a few hours or less; rushing water from flash floods can move rocks and debris, and damage homes and buildings. 
Viewer Tip:  People who live in low-lying [...]

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Windy Weather Wipe-Outs

In the southwest, brown outs from blowing dust are not uncommon occurrences. New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Centers estimate that the average annual wind speed in the southwest is 17 to 18 miles per hour, although gusts can be much higher. Spring seems to bring about the greatest wind strengths and speeds.
Viewer Tip: Protect [...]

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Storm Barriers

Because of their structure, coral reefs provide shoreline wave protection from tropical storms and hurricanes. Several million people in the U.S. live in coastal communities near coral reefs.
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
(Source: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program: http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov. International Year of the Reef 2008: http://www.iyor.org/reefs/benefits.asp.)

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High-Risk Home?

Low relative humidity levels and cold, dry air can mean that wildfire risk is high.  In areas where homes “blend” with more natural landscapes – known as the “wildland-urban” interface – widlfire risk can be especially high.  Homes that are located in areas with a history of wildfire occurrence, a long dry season (more than [...]

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Weather and Geography

November 16-22 is the National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week.  This is a great time to remind your viewers about the close links between geography and weather with some well-known examples around the US:

Pacific Northwest: When winter-time temperature inversions occur in the Puget Sound Region, which sits in a “bowl” between the Olympic and Cascade [...]

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