Make a prepared weighted statement. The appropriate steps to take in preparing for and implementing short-term in-place sheltering depend entirely on the emergency situation. For instance, during a tornado warning you should go to an underground room, if such a room is available. During a chemical release, on the other hand, you should seek shelter in a room above ground level. Because of these differences, short-term in-place shelter is described in the chapters dealing with specific hazards. See the chapters on “Thunderstorms” and “Hazardous Materials Incidents” for more information.

The basic principle of public disaster communications is not to gloss over the event, and to do all the talk as soon as possible. The remainder of this chapter describes steps you should take to prepare for long-term in-place sheltering and for staying in a mass care shelter if you evacuate. If the process of communication during the crisis is postponed, then control of events is lost. News first release should contain at least the answers to the questions of “When and what had happened?”, “What was the supposed cause?,” and “Who is in charge of dealing with the problem?” Speaker of the company must have a prepared statements for external audiences. In-place sheltering may either be short-term, such as going to a safe room for a fairly short period while a tornado warning is in effect or while a chemical cloud passes.

It may also be longer-term, as when you stay in your home for several days without electricity or water services following a winter storm. We also use the term “shelter” for Mass Care facilities that provide a place to stay along with food and water to people who evacuate following a disaster.

The survey asked new ideas on the importance of having an experience "on the other side" of treatment before and during the professional work of mental health care.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Log-PR (Press Release) – Aug 25, 2009 – Goodtherapy.org (http://www.goodtherapy.org/) is an international directory of about 5,000 therapists operating in line for about 2 years now. In a recent survey conducted through an electronic questionnaire distributed to approximately 4350 members therapist, he was asked whether respondents favor licensing programs of states that require professionals to participate in psychotherapy as clients. A very high 85% of respondents said they would in fact support such measures, and several of them have expressed their desire to help facilitate and promote an initiative to convince the licensing of State to adopt the idea.On the other hand, 11% of respondents did not agree with this response and negative, while only 3.9% gave a vague answer choosing "it depends". "Although the investigation was not very scientific with only 13% of responses, it was an effort to assess the scope of this positive change in the requirements of state licensure, said Noah Rubinstein, LMFT is the Executive Director to GoodTherapy.org. "One of the basic and much-vaunted principles of psychotherapy in good health, the idea that therapy for professionals in mental health care should be available encouraged and used may be relatively new on the scene, but it can quickly become de rigueur for an increasing number of professionals to show their support. "After the announcement of the results of the investigation, the site has hosted a long discussion the issue, in which the majority of readers warmly welcomed the idea and expressed their interest to help put the issue to a wider audience.Some join the discussion have added their own twists on the possibilities to require that licensed therapists, counselors and other professionals in mental health to receive their therapy, including ideas on the obligation to make a part of the post-graduates, and develop a program to encourage widespread rather than a strict license conditions. In the coming months, further developments in this initiative will undoubtedly arise as more professionals consider the benefits for both therapists and their clients – the proposed requirement and contribute their own thoughts and resources to the project. It should be noted here that GoodTherapy.org is a staunch supporter of non-pathologizing psychotherapy and all members agree with this position before being allowed membership.So this bias could have skewed the results slightly and there is clearly room for further investigations on a wider scale.About GoodTherapy.org: Created in 2007 by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Noah Rubinstein and supported by a network of therapists who offer all collaborative and non-pathologizing therapy, GoodTherapy.org is an online hub for clients, therapists and anyone interested in the positive, effective and meaningful mental health care. The site recently reached a monthly output of more than 120,000 unique visitors….

Source: Survey Reveals 85% of Therapists Advocate Being a Psychotherapy Client as a State Licensure Required

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is actively considering a proposal that would allow for a reduction in the outstanding mortgage debt of homeowners in Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Financial Times reported on Tuesday http://radiologydegreeonline.net/radiology-diagnosing-efficiency/.

The plan under review by the Federal Housing Finance Agency would call for the mortgage financing companies to allow bankrupt homeowners who owe more on their housing debt than their homes are worth to pay zero per cent interest for five years, the report said.

Participation in the debt reduction program would be subject to approval by bankruptcy judges, the FT said.

Details of the proposal were laid out in a letter to Congress dated Monday, the newspaper reported.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, combined with the Federal Housing Administration support, about 90 percent of all U.S. mortgages.

An FHFA spokeswoman confirmed the proposal to assist underwater homeowners was under discussion, but declined to provide additional details, the FT said.

But the White House said the proposal was not under consideration.

"While we continue to talk to the FHFA and other market participants about ways to help borrowers and support the housing market, the administration is not at this time considering this particular idea," White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage told FT.

Spokesmen for the White House and FHFA were not immediately available for comment on the FT report late on Tuesday.

(Reporting By JoAnne Allen; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Regulator considers mortgage debt reduction for bankrupt: report

WASHINGTON – The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to a record 3.91 percent this week, the third time this year that rates have hit new lows.

Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average on the 30-year home loan fell from 3.94 percent the previous week. The 3.91 percent rate is the lowest average for long-term fixed mortgages on records dating to the 1950s

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage was unchanged this week at 3.21 percent. That’s also a record.

Low rates offer a historic opportunity for those who can afford to buy a home or refinance. But many Americans either can’t take advantage of the rates or have already done so.

Rates have been below 5 percent for all but two weeks in 2011. Even so, this year is shaping up to be one of the worst ever for home sales.

Rates could fall further still. Many economists think the yield on the 10-year Treasury note could creep lower in 2012. Long-term mortgage rates tend to track the 10-year Treasury yield.

Should the Federal Reserve launch a new program of bond purchases in the coming months to try to help the economy, it could further drive down mortgage rates.

Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, has said that despite the super-low loan rates, foreclosures and falling home values have created obstacles for would-be buyers.

But builders could see more interest from buyers in the coming months if mortgage rates stay low. The low rates contributed to a modest 2-point increase in builder sentiment in the latest National Association of Home Builders survey released this month, said Yelena Shulyatyeva, an analyst at BNP Paribas. Those rates, coupled with falling prices, could draw more people into the market, she said.

Sales of previously occupied homes are just slightly ahead of last year’s dismal sales figures. New-home sales appear headed for their worst year on records going back half a century.

Mortgage applications fell about 2.6 percent last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Refinancing fell 1.6 percent. And loan applications to buy homes fell nearly 5 percent. Over the past four weeks, the level of mortgage applications has been relatively unchanged.

Some lenders have reported an increase in applications through the Obama administration’s refinancing program. That program was broadened in October to allow up to 1 million more homeowners lower their mortgage payments. But the MBA said such government-assisted loans account for just a small portion of refinancing.

High unemployment and scant wage gains have made it harder for many people to qualify for loans. Many Americans don’t want to sink money into a home that they fear could lose value over the next few years.

To calculate the average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday of each week. The average rates don’t include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

The average fee for the 30-year loan fell to 0.7 from 0.8; the average on the 15-year fixed mortgage was unchanged at 0.8.

For the five-year adjustable loan, the average rate fell to 2.85 percent from 2.86 percent. The average on the one-year adjustable loan declined to 2.77 percent from 2.81 percent.

The average fees on the five- and one-year adjustable-rate loans were unchanged at 0.6.

Average 30-year mortgage rate a record 3.91 pct.

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