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On April 2, 2015, Homeland
Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the release of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015
preparedness grants allocations totaling more than $1.6 billion. Preparedness grants assist states, urban
areas, tribal and territorial governments, non-profit agencies, the private
sector, and transportation authorities to strengthen the nation’s ability
to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from terrorist
attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies in support of the National Preparedness Goal and the National Preparedness System.
The FY 2015 grants
focus on the nation’s highest risk areas, including urban areas that continue to face the most
significant threats. The administration remains committed to strengthening the
security and resilience of the United States through systematic preparation for
the threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the nation. Together
with previous grant funding awarded since 2002, DHS has awarded over $40 billion
nationally.
Awards made to the states and urban areas for the Homeland Security
Grant Program (HSGP) carry pass-through requirements. Pass through is defined as an obligation on
the part of the State Administrative Agency (SAA) to make funds available to
local units of government, combinations of local units, tribal governments, or
other specific groups or organizations. The SAA must obligate at least 80 percent of the funds awarded under
State Homeland Security (SHSP) Program and the Urban Area Security Grant
Initiative (UASI) to local or Tribal units of government.
Per the Homeland
Security Act of 2002, as amended, DHS/FEMA is required to ensure that at least
25 percent of grant funding appropriated for HSGP and the Tribal Homeland
Security Grant Program are used for law enforcement terrorism prevention
activities (LETPA). DHS/FEMA meets
this requirement, in part, by requiring all SHSP and UASI recipients to ensure
that at least 25 percent of the combined HSGP funds allocated under SHSP and
UASI are dedicated towards LETPA. This 25
percent can be from SHSP, UASI, or both. The 25
percent LETPA allocation is in addition to the 80 percent pass-through
requirement to local units of government and tribes.
The periods of
performance for the 2015 preparedness grants allocations were increased from
two years to three years for all FY 2015 grant programs (except the Emergency
Management Performance Grants and the Assistance to Firefighters Grants). The allocations released today include the
following:
Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)—provides for more than $1 billion for states and urban areas to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of
terrorism and other threats.
- State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)—provides $402 million to support the
implementation of the National Preparedness System to build and strengthen
preparedness capabilities at all levels.
- Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)—provides $587 million to enhance regional preparedness and
capabilities in 28 high-threat, high-density areas.
- Operation Stonegarden (OPSG)—provides
$55 million to
enhance cooperation and coordination among local, tribal,
territorial, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies to jointly
enhance security along the United States land and water borders where
there are ongoing Customs and Border Protection missions.
Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG)
Program—provides over $350 million to assist local, tribal,
territorial, and state governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazards
emergency management capabilities. (released May 25, 2015)
Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP)—provides $10 million to eligible tribal
nations to implement preparedness initiatives to help strengthen the nation
against risk associated with potential terrorist attacks and other hazards.
Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)—provides $13 million to support target
hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofit organizations
that are at high risk of a terrorist attack and located within one of the 28 FY
2015 UASI-eligible urban areas.
Intercity Passenger Rail - Amtrak (IPR) Program—provides $10 million to
protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public
from acts of terrorism and increase the resilience of the Amtrak rail system.
Port
Security Grant Program (PSGP)—provides $100 million to help protect critical
port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness, improve
port-wide maritime security risk management, and maintain or reestablish maritime
security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency
capabilities.
Transit
Security Grant Program (TSGP)—provides
more than $87 million to owners and
operators of transit systems to protect critical surface transportation and the
traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of
transit infrastructure.
Intercity
Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP)—provides $3 million to assist operators of fixed-route
intercity and charter bus services within high-threat urban areas to
protect bus systems and the traveling public from acts of terrorism, major
disasters and other emergencies.
Further information on DHS’s preparedness grant
programs is available at www.dhs.gov and www.fema.gov/grants.
FEMA announced the sixth public
meeting of the Technical Mapping Advisory Council (TMAC), scheduled for August
4-5, 2015, in Reston, Virginia. The
public meeting will be held in the
auditorium of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) headquarters building
located at 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, Virginia 20192 on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and
Wednesday, August 5, 2015, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Savings
Time (EDT).
On August 4, 2015, the TMAC members will present, discuss and refine draft narrative and recommendations to be incorporated in the 2015 Annual Report and Future Conditions Report, due in October 2015. In addition, the TMAC members will identify and coordinate next steps of TMAC report development.
A public comment period will be held on August 4, 2015, from
4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and again on August 5, 2015, from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m.
Those interested in speaking during the public comment period must contact FEMA
by email at FEMA-TMAC@fema.dhs.gov or
by calling 202-646-3432 to register as a speaker by July 29, 2015.
Those not attending who wish to submit written comments can do so in the following
ways:
- Online at the Federal eRulemaking Portal
- Email to FEMA-RULES@fema.dhs.gov and
cc: FEMA-TMAC@fema.dhs.gov
- Mail to Regulatory Affairs Division, Office of Chief Counsel,
FEMA, 500 C St SW, Room 8NE, Washington, DC 20472-3100.
All submissions received must include the words “Federal
Emergency Management Agency” and docket number, FEMA-2014-0022. Comments
received will be posted at www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information provided.
For those planning to attend in person and for additional
information on facilities or services for individuals with disabilities or to
request special assistance at the meeting, contact FEMA at FEMA-TMAC@fema.dhs.gov. Attendees
must contact FEMA and register by July 29, 2015 to
receive important information on the meeting location. More
information on the TMAC meeting is available online and at
www.fema.gov/TMAC.
The Ad Council and FEMA announced the launch of a new public service
advertisement (PSA) to raise awareness about the importance of being prepared
for emergencies. While the PSA targets all communities, "We Prepare Every Day,"
is the first in a series of videos that aim to deliver a strong preparedness
message by showing people with disabilities taking charge to prepare themselves
and their families for emergencies.
The PSA provides equal access to all
viewers and includes open captioning, a certified deaf interpreter, and audio description for viewers who are blind or
have low vision. The
launch of the PSA coincides with the 25th anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 2015. The ADA prohibits
discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for people with disabilities in
employment, state and local government services, public accommodations,
commercial facilities, transportation and telecommunications. The ADA guarantees
the civil rights of more than 56 million Americans.
The new PSA emphasizes the Ready
Campaign’s four building blocks of preparedness - Build a Kit, Make a Plan, Be
Informed and Get Involved. FEMA’s Ready campaign in partnership with the
Ad Council has generated more than 87 million unique visitors to the
campaign’s website www.ready.gov since
its launch in 2003. Through the Ad Council, to date, the Ready campaign has
received more than $1.1 billion in donated media.
For more information on how to make a family emergency communication plan, building
a disaster supply kit, or to learn how to get involved in community
preparedness, please visit www.ready.gov/myplan. The PSA was created pro-bono by
Free
Range Studios,
and will be available for download from FEMA’s media library.
On Monday, July 27, FEMA participated in the annual Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) Day on the Hill along with the other DHS components.
FEMA programs with representatives in attendance included Congressional
Affairs, National Continuity Programs (NCP), Integrated Public Alert and
Warning System (IPAWS), Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS), Urban Search
and Rescue (US&R), Rad Responder, Public Assistance (PA), and the Ready
Campaign.
The event was held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Cannon House Caucus Room, and had the
largest attendance by Hill staffers compared to previous years’ events.
Chairman Michael McCaul with the House Committee on Homeland Security stopped
by the FEMA table and enjoyed a visit with the US&R dogs, Angus and Pippin.
As part of the celebrations for the
25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), FEMA's
Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) and Integrated Public
Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) took part in a range of
activities hosted on the terrace of the Smithsonian National
American History Museum on July 24-26. ODIC and IPAWS,
along with the Federal Communications Commission, Convo Communications, and
iCanConnect, demonstrated assistive technologies and distributed
informational materials about accessible communications.
FEMA congratulates 22
students who graduated from the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy
on July 23, 2015, at the Emergency Management Institute on the campus of the National Emergency
Training Center. Graduates represented
emergency management professionals from federal, state and local government.
FEMA’s
National Emergency Management Advanced Academy is designed for emerging leaders and mid-level
managers seeking to advance their skills, and provides the
strategic-level training and education essential for emergency management
professionals to effectively design and lead cutting-edge programs. Students learn skills critical to performing leadership
responsibilities such as program management and oversight, effective
communication at all levels, integrated collaboration, and strategic
thinking. The Advanced Academy provides
students the opportunity to demonstrate their critical thinking ability through
a guided research project.
The Advanced Academy is
the second of a three-level Academy series in the Emergency Management
Professional Program (EMPP). The EMPP
curriculum is designed to guide and educate emergency management professionals
as they progress through their careers, providing a lifetime of learning for
emergency management professionals. The EMPP includes three separate, but
closely threaded, training programs; building from the Basic Academy; to the
National Emergency Management Advanced Academy, and culminating in the National
Emergency Management Executive Academy.
The Basic Academy is a program
that offers the tools to develop comprehensive
foundational skills needed in emergency management. The Advanced Academy
is a program to develop the next generation of emergency management leaders who
are trained in advanced concepts and issues, advanced leadership and
management, and critical thinking and problem solving. The
Executive Academy is a program designed to challenge and enhance
the talents of the nation’s emergency management senior executives through
critical thinking, visionary strategic planning, challenging
conventional concepts, and negotiation and conflict resolution applied
to complex, real-world problems. Emergency
management professionals should visit www.training.fema.gov/empp
for more information about which academy best suits their
needs.
Congratulations, graduates!
FEMA's Emergency
Management Institute (EMI) conducts a monthly series of Virtual Tabletop
Exercises (VTTX) using a video teleconference platform to reach community-based
training audiences around the country and provide a virtual forum for disaster
training. The VTTX programs are designed for a community-based group of at
least ten or more personnel from local or state emergency management
organizations with representatives from other disciplines such as public
safety, public works, public health, health care, government, administrative,
communications, military, private sector, non-governmental, and other whole
community partners. Participants must have an appropriate site equipped with
video teleconference capability that can access FEMA.
EMI will conduct VTTX
programs between August and September 2015 on a variety of subjects:
- August 25-27, 2015:
Building Collapse Focused
- September 1-3, 2015:
Public Health Infectious Disease (written and hosted by the CDC)
To apply for a VTTX
event, submit an email request to participate in the exercise to Doug Kahn at douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov or call
301-447-7645. The deadline for applying to participate in a VTTX is four weeks
prior to the start date.
FEMA announced the release of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Homeland Security National Training
Program (HSNTP) Continuing Training Grants (CTG) program with a total
$11,521,000 available for awards in four focus areas.
This highly competitive program attracts on average 80 applicants from
state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, along with eligible
non-profit organizations to include colleges and universities. In 2014,
88 eligible organizations competed and six HSNTP/CTG awards were made.
Information on the 2014 awards can be found online.
FY 2015 HSNTP/CTG applications are due no later than August 10,
2015 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Submissions must be made through www.grants.gov.
FEMA announced $180 million
in funding available through two Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant
programs: Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM).
These two grant programs assist state, local, tribal, and territorial
governments in strengthening our nation’s ability to reduce the potential cost of natural disasters to communities
and their citizens.
Both HMA FY 2015 Funding Opportunity Announcements can be
found at www.grants.gov. Eligible applicants must apply for funding through
the Mitigation eGrants system on the FEMA Grants Portal accessible at https://portal.fema.gov. All applications must be submitted no
later than August 28,
2015 at 3 p.m. EDT.
FEMA's HMA grant programs
provide states, local governments, tribes, and territories funding for eligible
mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to reduce disaster
losses and protect life and property from future disaster damages. Further
information on these grant programs is available at www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.
FEMA is
reminding National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders, who filed a
claim as a result of Hurricane Sandy, that they have 60 days to register to
have their claim files reviewed if they believe their claims were underpaid. FEMA set a Sept. 15, 2015 as the last
day for policyholders to register.
FEMA is committed to ensuring every NFIP
policyholder who filed a claim as a result of Hurricane Sandy receives every
dollar they are due under their policy. The NFIP established a process for Hurricane Sandy survivors to have their
claims reviewed. Where warranted, additional
payments will be made to those policyholders. FEMA sent letters to approximately
142,000 NFIP policyholders who filed claims resulting from Hurricane Sandy,
offering them an opportunity to have their files reviewed. To date, more than
8,900 policyholders have joined the process.
To be eligible for the review, policyholders must
have experienced flood damage between October 27, 2012 and November 6, 2012 as a
result of Hurricane Sandy. Policyholders can call the NFIP’s Hurricane Sandy
claims center at 1-866-337-4262 to request a review. Alternately, policyholders can go online to www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-nfip-claims to download a form requesting a review.
The downloaded form may be filled out and emailed to FEMA-sandyclaimsreview@fema.dhs.gov
to start the review process. For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or
have a speech disability using 711 or VRS, please call 866-337-4262. For
individuals using a TTY, please call 800-462-7585 to begin the review
process. Before contacting the claim center, policyholders are asked to
have their flood insurance carrier name and policy number at hand.
FEMA will request the policyholder’s claim file from
their insurance company and forward it to the NFIP review office within two
business days. Files will be assigned to a highly skilled, NFIP-certified
adjuster who will serve as a caseworker for the insured. The entire process
should take less than 90 days. Caseworkers will contact policyholders to guide
them through the review process. Additionally, there
are several nonprofit service providers ready to offer free advice and answer
questions policyholders may have. A list of these advocacy groups can be found
on the claims review website at www.fema.gov/sandyclaims.
Policyholders who have already registered for the
Hurricane Sandy claims review do not need to take any additional action and can
expect to be contacted by their caseworker.
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