LINCOLN, Neb. — Hourly television reports with maps boldly tracking the weather’s movements and scary NOAA radio warnings—especially during stormy periods like Nebraskans went through recently-are all things that get kids interested in the weather.

Madison, Wis. — Community Education Outreach (CEO) teams wind up their series of location visits to county fairs, home improvement stores, and hardware stores that provide flood-recovery advice and distribute repair and rebuilding information on August 10, disaster officials announced.

Madison, Wis. — The application deadline has been extended from Wednesday, Aug. 13 toMonday, September 15 for damages caused by storms and flooding from June 5 to July 24.Residents and business owners now have an additional 33 days to apply for federal and state disaster assistance grants and low interest disaster loans.

MADISON, Wis. — After a disaster, often times scam artists will try to take advantage of those impacted. Officials in several Midwestern states have issued warnings about telephone finagling and door-to-door con artists. Their advice: Guard your personal information. If you suspect somebody is not on the up and up, hang up the phone or close the door. Then call the police.

Planning is an essential homeland security activity. It requires policies, procedures, and tools that support the decision makers and planners who make up the emergency planning community.

BILOXI, Miss. — As Mississippi heads into the height of the 2008 hurricane season, federal and state officials encourage people to stay tuned to their weather radio. Buying a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio now could be a wise and affordable investment in a family’s safety if severe weather threatens. A few extra dollars could buy a few extra minutes for a family to get out of harm’s way.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved grants for the state of Iowa totaling $350,855 for a program to help reach out to tornado and flood victims coping with disaster-related stress.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the release of the interim Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101: Producing Emergency Plans: A Guide for All-Hazard Operations Planning for State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal Governments.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — More than $9.7 million in federal disaster assistance grants and loans has been approved so far by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Illinois residents who suffered damages and losses during the severe storms and flooding beginning June 1 and continuing through July 22.