UPDATE: 2010 Huricane Soothsayers ...

"Hurricane Season" starts June 1st ...


May 27, 2010:
An “active to extremely active” hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center – a division of the National Weather Service. MORE INFO

Previously...

The Tropical Meteorology Project at the Colorado State University predicts that the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be "above-average" and produce eight hurricanes, four of them major. MORE INFO

Another forecaster, AccuWeather sees a potentially "extreme" hurricane season this year with five hurricanes, two or three of them major, expected to strike the U.S. coast, forming out of an expected 16 to 18 tropical storms, almost all of them in the western Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico. MORE INFO



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HAZUS-MH MR4 Patch 2 Release Notes

HAZUS-MH MR4 Patch 2 has been released.

The HAZUS-MH MR4 Patch 2 Release Notes and the HAZUS-MH MR4 Patch 2 are available from the FEMA site, CLICK HERE ...

Free Basic HAZUS-MH training ...

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) has announced that it is offering Basic HAZUS-MH (L313: Basic HAZUS ) training at Valparaiso University in northern Indiana from Tuesday, September 7 to Thursday, September 9, 2010.

This course is funded by IDHS and is free to all participants. However, seating is limited so you are encouraged to sign-up early if you are certain of your ability to attend. Please note that each participant is responsible for any travel related costs that they incur.

MORE INFO...

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New HAZUS Help system ...

Updated May 6, 2010



FEMA is updating the HAZUS Help system ... transitioning over to using the ManageEngine ServiceDesk, a commercial web-based help desk software package to manage things.

FEMA has prepared 3 Flyers describing the new HAZUS Help Desk and Technical Support System, Click Here ...

To use the new HAZUS Help system you will need to FIRST establish a user name and password. To register, send an email to: helpdesk@support.hazus.us or call 1-877-283-8789 .

On-line entry to the new HAZUS Help Desk is at https://support.hazus.us.

It is unfortunate that this registration process is needed but this is how the ManageEngine ServiceDesk tracks users and help requests.

No doubt FEMA’s intentions are good but experience has shown that just updating to new help-desk tracking software will not solve anything unless the underlying HAZUS Help system is also updated … time will tell.

HAZUS.org has confirmed that the Registration process is working and is easy to use and the user interface of the ManageEngine ServiceDesk appears to be straightforward, at least at first glace.


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Quake-Catcher Network

Quake-Catcher Network is a collaborative initiative for developing the world's largest, low-cost strong-motion seismic network by utilizing sensors in and attached to internet-connected computers.

With your help, the Quake-Catcher Network can provide better understanding of earthquakes, give early warning to schools, emergency response systems, and others. The Quake-Catcher Network also provides educational software designed to help teach about earthquakes and earthquake hazards. MORE INFO

Quake-Catcher Network in the news ... Computers Map, Track Earthquakes Using Motion Sensors