Hurricane Prepardeness

Hi All, 

As you might have guessed, hurricane season is in full swing now.  

And Senator Kemp Hannon sent an email out with a list of key contact numbers, phone numbers, and important websites for citizens to take note of.  The full text of the email with the information is below.  Finally, here is a link to Senator Hannon's website.

It is quite a handy resource - you can easily print it and keep it on a cabinet in the kitchen or just keep it in a 'reference' folder in the house so you can easily find it when needed. 

Regards, 

Stu 

  

Dear Friend,

How ready are you? Hurricane season is here.  Hurricane Sandy made landfall here just five years ago. Here are some safety tips and resources for storms and to encourage you to get prepared now. While peak hurricane season just began in August it can last until October. The KEY to hurricane and tropical storm safety is to always be prepared BEFORE the storm hits.

Always have an emergency supply kit.

At a minimum, have at least a 3-day supply of food and water,(allow for 1 gallon of water per person, per day), a week supply of all medicines, a first aid kit, flashlight, a battery-powered radio, charged cell phone, extra batteries, copies of important documents such as insurance policies, deeds, property records, insurance cards and immunization records (also store important documents in a safe and dry place, such as a sealed plastic bag or a safety deposit box away from your home), emergency contact information in your family emergency plan, and supplies for your children and pets. Perhaps most importantly, have a supply of extra cash (in the event of power failure, many ATMs won’t work, and even those that do may be out of money).

Evacuation.

Depending upon severity you may be asked to evacuate. If possible, first try to seek refuge with a friend or family member who lives away from the affected area, but there are hurricane shelters available in Nassau County (a link to those follows). If you have a pet, be sure to see if it can be accommodated at a shelter.

Emergency Contact Numbers:

• PSEG: 1-800-490-0025 (Customer Assistance Center) https://www.psegliny.com
• PSEG Emergency # (24/7) 1-800-490-0075 (Electric Service Problem Line)
• National Grid 1-800-490-0045 (Gas Emergency Line)
• National Grid Online (Long Island customers): http://www2.nationalgridus.com/index_li.jsp

Other Important Telephone Numbers:

• Nassau County Office of Emergency Management: 516-573-0636
• NYS Emergency Management Office (LI Region): 631-952-6322
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): 1-800-621-3362(FEMA)
• American Red Cross (Nassau County):  516-747-3500

Other Important Websites:

• FEMA: www.fema.gov
• NYS Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services: www.dhses.ny.gov

• National Hurricane Center:  http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

• Be Ready Long Island: http://www.bereadyli.org/
• Pet Emergency Preparedness: https://www.ready.gov/animals
• Family Evacuation: https://www.ready.gov/evacuating-yourself-and-your-family
• Nassau County Emergency Notification Signup:     www.nassaucountyny.gov/2920/Emergency-Notification-Sign-Up
• “Smart 911” (create a free safety profile for household): www.Smart911.com
• National Flood Insurance Program: www.floodsmart.gov

Information on Mass Transit Service:

• MTA/LIRR online: www.mta.info
• LIRR 24-hour travel information center: 718-217-5477
• MTA NYC Transit travel information: 718-330-1234

Real-Time Traffic Conditions:

• NYSDOT 511 service: Dial “511”
• NYSDOT 511 online: www.511ny.org

Weather/Storm Information:

• National Weather Service (New York):  www.weather.gov/okx/
• National Weather Service Tropical Weather: www.weather.gov/okx/tropical

If you’re ready now, and take steps ahead of time to safeguard your family and home, you can minimize any disruptions from future storms.  Much improvement has been done since Hurricanes Sandy & Irene, but the key to storm survival is; your preparation!

Sincerely,

KEMP HANNON

Cleveland Indians and Baseball Streaks

Hi All,

If you didn't know this you can be forgiven - unless you live in Cleveland or Ohio that is!

Did you know that the Cleveland Indians - yes, the Indians - have a streak going? No, not a one, or two, or even three game winning streak. 

How about a 22 game winning streak.  That means that if the Indians played a game a day - they haven't lost a game in over 3 weeks!

Click here for an article from the NYTimes about the streak.

And here from NPR - WNYC Radio about last nights' game - which went into extra innings. But they still won!  USAToday covered the game as well - and so did probably every major newspaper in America - but I wanted to cover two of the larger newspapers....

If you are a baseball fan, Wikipedia has an interesting page titled 'List of Major League Baseball Longest Winning Streaks'. 

Finally, click on this link from MLB.com to visit the Cleveland Indians' homepage.  You'll find lots of stories, statistics, articles, rosters, videos, scores, a community of like-minded Indian fans and schedules on the site.  Its a veritable encyclopedia of Cleveland Indian history! 

Enjoy the site and the links.  And how can you NOT cheer on a team with a 22 game winning streak!  Go Indians!

Regards,
Stu

Equifax Hack and Protecting Your Privacy and Help

Hi All,

As you might have heard by now, Equifax got hacked in late July 2017.  It was only a few days ago that they revealed that the company got hacked. Click on the following bunch of articles and links (10 of them in fact!) from various sources to learn more about the data breach.  Hope this helps!

Regards,
Stu

FTC - Equifax Data Breach: What to Do?

Get Your Annual - Free - Credit Report

FTC - Consider Placing a Credit Freeze on Your  Credit Report

FTC - All About Credit Scores 

USAToday - How to Freeze Your Credit? 

CBS News - video - How to Protect Yourself Against the Equifax Credit Breach

NYTimes -  Equifax's Instructions Are Confusing. Here's What to Do Now.

NYTimes -  After Equifax Breach - Here's Your Next Worry: Weak PINs

NYTimes - Equifax - Bowing to Public Pressure, Drops Credit Freeze Fees

NYTimes - Equifax Hack Exposes Regulatory Gaps, Leaving Consumers Vulnerable

USASpending.gov

Hi All,

Government spending isn't as glamorous a subject as movie stars or the latest scandal on a soap opera.  But it is so relevant to our life that it may as well be as important. 

After finding out about the website USASpending.gov I knew that I wanted to blog about it.

USASpending.gov is a result of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act.  Users of the site can find the following types of information on USASpending.gov: "All the data on prime recipient transactions is submiyted by the federal agencies making federal contract, grant, loan, and other financial assistance awards. Agencies are required to submit data within 30 days of making the award or after making a modification or amendment to an award. The exception is the Department of Defense which delays its submission by 90 days to protect operations. The data on sub-awards is provided by the prime recipients.  ​

The charts, graphs, and maps display data from October 1, 2008.  All data prior to September 30, 2008 can be downloaded.   For more information on the data displayed on USAspending.gov, the data sources, and the timing for refreshing the site, go to About the Data.

An example of the information available will make it more interesting and more understandable.

I did a search for 'navy seals' on the site.  The results summary lists the total number of transactions, total prime recipient transaction amount, total sub-aware transaction amount,  the number of contracts, the number grants, the number of loans and the amount of financial assistance.

Under the topics listed above is a table with the 36 transactions.  Clicking on the first one (ACS Cable Systems, LLC) yields contact information and even more information on transactions, total funds awarded and more. Under the search results, users can click on the Award ID to get more information about the transaction details.  Also in the table (which can be sorted by various columns) users can find the award amount, award type, awarding agency, funding agency and the role of the recipient.

Finally, note that in the Fall 2017 USASpending.gov will be releasing a new version of the site.  The new site will continue to provide data on federal awards as well as include data on agency expenditures. For a preview, go to this link from USASpending.gov.

I hope the site enables you to find out what the government is exactly spending its money on!  Hopefully transparency is more than just a catch-phrase - USASpending.gov might help that come to fruition!

Regards,
Stu 

National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Hi All,

Today is 9/11.  The 16th anniversary of the attacks on the United States.  With that said, here is some information on an educational, historical, relevant and timely website: the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. For some background on 9/11 and the history and some context of the events, click on this link from Wikipedia.

The site has a very well-written 'About Us' page.  Here is some of the page: "Through commemoration, exhibitions and educational programs, The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a nonprofit in New York City, remembers and honors the 2,983 people killed in the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993, as well as those who risked their lives to save others and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath of the attacks."

The 9/11 Museum & Memorial site has links for Visitors, a link to the Memorial, a link to the Museum, a link for Teaching/Learning, how to get involved and a link for visitors to the site to Donate
 
Finally, if you want to contact the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, click on this link. Its the Contact Us page on the website. 

Regards,
Stu