The word is out. Mr. Max Mayfield will be our 2015 National Weatherperson of the Year, so it's time to start the celebrating. Post your tributes on the National Weatherperson’s Day Facebook page, and stay tuned for the many ways we will honor Max and his remarkable career in meteorology and disaster resilience leadership.

One of the many ways we will celebrate National Weatherperson’s Day is the StormStruck Sweepstakes that will open on February 4. The sweepstakes is offered in honor of all meteorologists and weathercasters for their role is educating the public about how to best protect families and homes from severe weather.

One winner will receive a three night grand prize vacation package for four people at Walt Disney World® Resort including:

• Room accommodations consisting of one (1) standard room with a maximum of four (4) persons at a Walt Disney World® Resort moderate hotel for three (3) nights
• Four (4) round trip coach airfares between the gateway U.S. major airport nearest the winner’s residence and the Orlando International Airport
• Roundtrip ground transportation for (four) 4 between the Orlando International Airport and the Walt Disney World® Resort via Disney’s Magical Express® service
• Four (4) 4-Day Magic Your Way Base Tickets
• One (1) Disney Gift Card with a value of five hundred dollars $500

Visit the StormStruck Facebook page for additional details.

Following widespread interest in the FEMA QuakeSmart Community Resilience Program for Small Businesses and Organizations (QuakeSmart), FLASH is now offering a new online version of the earthquake damage prevention workshops. During 2014, more than 125 companies participated in the program, and the online offering will make it available to those who cannot attend in-person. The QuakeSmart program helps businesses identify earthquake risk; develop a plan; and take action to protect employees, protect customers and mitigate earthquake losses that cause business interruption. 

QuakeSmart Summit Workshops are now slated for St. Louis, Missouri on February 6 and Yuma, Arizona on March 26. The day-long program is free, but requires registration. The activites will include a program overview followed by hands-on demonstrations, and businesses who participate and complete the program are eligible for recognition. For more information about the workshops or the QuakeSmart program, email barbara@flash.org or visit quakesmartcommunity.org.

FLASH and FEMA are supporting the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s public outreach efforts through creation of a new video for homeowners with information on how well-built homes can withstand both earthquakes and high-winds. Virginia is one of many states in the U.S. with an earthquake hazard that is not widely known, even though the 2011 Mineral Virginia earthquake is to date known as the most widely felt in U.S. history. The video reminds homeowners that building with a continuous load path will help protect them and their home from more common wind events as well as earthquakes that can and do happen in Virginia. 

In the video, Louisa County School Superintendent Dr. Deborah Pettit describes her experience during the 2011 Mineral earthquake that destroyed the County High School. VDEM Hazard Mitigation Program Manager Matthew Wall describes the mitigation options. Stay tuned to the FLASH YouTube channel for the release of this new video.

The Great Winter Weather Party is back with FLASH, Legacy Partners KOHLER Generators and State Farm helping families make winter weather mitigation understandable, easy and fun too. This year’s campaign includes tips for home insulation and power outage, promotion of the volunteer Snow Angel program, and the ever-popular KOHLER Generator sweepstakes where one lucky family will win a fully-automatic 8-kilowatt KOHLER home generator (model 8RESVL) which can power home systems, including appliances, electronics, heating/cooling, lights, refrigerators, sump pumps, security alarms, and more when the power goes out.

Get prepared today by joining the Great Winter Weather Party.

The application process for FLASH Scholarships in the areas of social science, risk management, construction and engineering processes, building codes, concrete systems, electrical generation, and meteorology as they relate to resilience and recovery from natural disasters is open now through April 15, 2015.

The following partners are pleased to offer the following $1,500 scholarships to eligible master and doctorate-degree students for 2015/2016 academic year:

• FLASH Social Science Scholarship
• International Code Council Scholarship
• KOHLER Generators
• Simpson Strong-Tie® Structural Engineering & Construction Scholarship
• State Farm® Financial Services Scholarship
• The Home Depot Scholarship
• The Portland Cement Association Scholarship

For additional information, visit the FLASH Scholarship webpage.

SVP of Engineering and Technical Programs Tim Smail presented at the Best Practices Research Alliance Annual Meeting in Charleston, SC on November 13 as part of a session titled “Extreme Homebuilding – The Emerging Need for Resiliency.”

“One of the roles of the Alliance in the construction industry is to give builders a heads-up on where building trends and codes are headed, ” said Elizabeth Scott, Director of the Alliance. “We believe that as severe weather events become more frequent, and as populations increase in areas prone to high winds and floods, resiliency is going to become a significant measuring stick for future buyers.”

The Alliance is the housing industry’s collaborative think tank for builders, representing more than 75 of the top builders in the U.S.

FLASH Partners are taking the resilience message on the road again in 2015 with a busy outreach schedule that includes the International Builders Show, World of Concrete, QuakeSmart Summits, National Weatherperson’s Day, National Hurricane Conference and more. Add your special event to the FLASH calendar by email to Sarah@flash.org today.