A new way to follow the TVA coal ash spill 

A site called "NationalIncidents.com" is now offering aggregated coverage of the TVA coal ash spill, as well as a Twitter feed called "TVASpill."

NationalIncidents.com describes itself as, "...a primary source of actionable information for incidents nationwide, including natural disasters such as hurricanes, forest fires, floods and pandemics plus response to other asymmetric incidents including terrorism and civil unrest." 

Other aggregators and feeds they offer cover the Athens riots, the Gaza air strikes, the Guinea coup (which I didn't even know about), and the "U.S. Inauguration Security Watch."

"The merger demonstrates the Governor's ongoing commitment to an all-hazards preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation approach," Henry Renteria, director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services said in a statement.

The Philadelphia division of Clear Channel Outdoor, in conjunction with the city, tested eight new digital billboards posting emergency preparedness messages along major roadways Tuesday. Reading “Emergency - Testing! Good Morning Philadelphia. Tune to local news stations,” the billboard messages were displayed for 10 minutes at 11 a.m. As a free public service gesture, Clear Channel agreed to post messages on the city’s behalf, in the event of an emergency.

New study shows states remiss in communicating emergency plans to public.

Nearly half of US states either have no state-level emergency plan or do not provide it readily to the public, according to a new study by George Mason University Professor of Communications Carl Botan.

The study, titled "Using Sense-Making and Co-orientation to Rank Strategic Public Communication in State Emergency Operations Plans," graded and ranked the state emergency operations plans of the 50 US states and the District of Columbia on their communication components. HSToday.us obtained a copy of the study, which will be officially presented at the National Communication Association annual conference in San Diego on Nov. 22.

One of the primary functions of strategic emergency public communication is to help publics make well informed choices in chaotic situations by helping reducing their uncertainty...

"While most Americans will have access to some important state-level information during emergencies, many may not. When minutes may make the difference between life and death in an emergency situation, the population should not have to waste precious time looking for answers or who to turn to," he added, “If folks are unsure about or even completely ignorant of what their state’s emergency plan is the evidence shows what they’ll do is make emergency decisions based on myths or rumors generated by similarly uninformed people.”

CNN has hired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore as an Emergency Preparedness Contributor for all shows. Honore is best known for his role as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

"Everyone needs to be prepared for unexpected and uncontrollable events, and CNN is an ideal platform to inform and educate," said Honore in a press release, which you can read after the jump.

Many local emergency management officials deliver important emergency alerts, notifications and updates during a major crisis or emergency via an e-mail/text-message alert system. Contact your local Office of Emergency Management to see if they use an alert system.

Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.

It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas.

But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.

After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one.

Warning that Hurricane Gustav is the "mother of all storms," Mayor Ray Nagin late Saturday ordered a mandatory evacuation of the West Bank of New Orleans for 8 a.m. Sunday and the east bank for noon.  "We want 100 percent evacuation," Nagin said. "It has the potential to impact every area of this metropolitan area."