Weekly Watch Nov. 14: Topics for the emergency management community

Nov. 16 is GIS Day, a day to celebrate GIS (geographic information system) technology. GIS is more than just a map on the wall; it’s a way to present information geographically and paint a picture of what’s happening within a specific area. Incidents like ice storms, severe flooding, earthquakes, winter storms and wildfires don’t stop at jurisdictional boundaries. The utility of GIS allows us to track important information and display it in a way that helps our response partners make informed decisions.

Through my years at OEM, I’ve seen GIS advance from a single application to an entire environment of sharing information and displaying key data in focused applications and story maps. These solutions help describe the impacts to our communities during disasters and integrate our partners in capturing this data on a single platform. Specific tools we’ve built have assisted our local and tribal communities in providing greater situational awareness and common information sharing. These solutions are also of value for public awareness.

Since 2017, we’ve utilized a statewide evacuation layer service to depict areas under evacuation from fire activity and other hazards. It all started with the solar eclipse that year and a desire to have a unified way to share it with partners and the public. Since then, this data has been utilized by local emergency management websites and posted to social media and news agencies. This past year, we’ve had over 95 million views of that data! We also hit a record this year with nearly 10 million views for just one day during fire season. We’ve also seen our products used in national news, with CNN featuring our fires dashboard to share key information about impacts to communities affected by this year’s wildfires.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done, with specific highlights including our statewide evacuation layer service, unified damage assessment reporting tools, animal sheltering data tracking, and story maps during and post-disaster. These initiatives have provided our response community with critical information that helps our ability to respond when the going gets tough.

For those interested in learning more about OEM’s GIS program, please check out OEM's hub site.

Best,

Daniel Stoelb
OEM GIS Program Coordinator

The Nov. 30 deadline is approaching for completion of the 2022 Capability Assessment and the 2022 NIMS Assessment. These annual assessments allow OEM to collect data on the implementation of NIMS across the state and the capability gaps that local, tribal and state agencies have in Oregon. This data is analyzed and used identify and close gaps in capabilities through grants, training, exercise and planning efforts.  Please reach out to Sarah Puls at sarah.puls@oem.oregon.gov with any questions, issues or feedback on the Capability Assessment.

The USGS has released a compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics. The StoryMap outlines several available geologic, paleoseismic, geophysical and instrumental datasets along the Cascadia subduction zone. An ArcGIS online map and downloadable map package includes both raster images and shapefiles; many of the shapefiles contain links to immediately downloadable data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts a serious spread of flu this year and is already reporting an early spike in cases in several states. When seasonal illnesses increase, the number of healthy donors tends to decrease, leaving the state's blood supply vulnerable to a potential shortage over the holidays. Paired with busy holiday schedules, seasonal illnesses may make it harder to collect the blood hospital patients require this winter. Donors − especially those with type O blood and those giving platelets − can help bolster the blood supply now by making an appointment to give in the coming weeks. There is no waiting period to donate blood or platelets after receiving a flu shot. Encourage community members to schedule appointments at RedCrossBlood.org and BloodworksNW.org.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small nonfarm businesses in 29 Oregon counties* of a Dec. 8 deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. The low-interest loan may be used to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought that began Feb. 8, 2022. Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage. Learn more at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov.

*Baker, Benton, Clackamas, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco and Wheeler. 

The Natural Hazards Center and FEMA are hosting a webinar titled, Resilience for All: How Recent FEMA Program Changes Can Expand Access in Underserved Communities from 10-11 a.m. on Nov. 15. FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division Data Analytics Section Chief Jody Springer will discuss a new methodology for assessing cost-effectiveness in the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) programs. Click here to learn more and register.

Climate change represents the single most significant policy challenge in the 21st century. It's a multifaceted and global threat to society that affects a range of concerns, from the environment and food security to health and economic inequality. Recognizing the urgency of the threat, Mathematica, a research and data analytics consultancy, recently established a climate change practice to help develop innovative and sustainable solutions that meet ambitious reduction goals for carbon dioxide emissions while helping vulnerable communities become more resilient. The newest episode of Mathematica’s On the Evidence podcast features Mathematica's Vice President for Climate Change Tulika Narayan discussing how data and evidence can help confront the climate crisis and mitigate its manifold impacts on society.

FEMA’s Emergency Manager Exchange (EMX) program will bring four public servants from non-federal governmental offices or programs to work at FEMA for a four to six-month paid work exchange in 2023. The staff exchange will be fully reciprocal; when the participating government organization sends their employee to work at FEMA, a full-time FEMA employee will be sent to support that non-federal government office or program in return. The EMX program provides FEMA and its partners a new way to collaborate in support of emergency management priorities. Both organizations benefit as they develop important program direction, share diverse and dedicated workforces and consider solutions for the future of emergency management. Position descriptions and nomination instructions are available at FEMA Emergency Manager Exchange. Nominations will be accepted through Nov. 30.

CISA is observing Infrastructure Security Month throughout November. This year’s theme is Infrastructure Security is National Security: Drive Down Risk, Build Resilience. Critical infrastructure spans everything from healthcare, water and education to chemical, transportation systems, energy and much more. Keeping the nation’s critical infrastructure secure is a foundation of national security. Throughout November, CISA will be bringing the world of infrastructure security and resilience to life with interviews and blogs featuring CISA staff and external industry partners, as well as other activities. Visit CISA’s Infrastructure Security Month web page for more information and resources.

FEMA's National Continuous Improvement Guidance provides an approach to conduct consistent and rigorous continuous improvement activities before, during and after real-world incidents. The document is intended for the whole community, including state, local, tribal and territorial partners; nongovernmental organizations; the private sector; and other organizations with emergency management functions. The information in the guidance is presented in several customized views tailored to an organization’s maturity level and experience with continuous improvement activities.

FEMA is hosting a series of webinars to provide an overview of the guidance and discuss revisions based on feedback from the national engagement period held earlier this year. The webinars will take place from 1-4 p.m. on Nov. 17, featuring the Deputy Coordinator of Harris County, Texas, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management; from 8-11 a.m. on Dec. 2 (Spanish-speaking session), featuring the Lead Continuity Analyst and the Continuous Improvement Coordinator of the FEMA Region 2, Puerto Rico Caribbean Area Office; and from 7-10 a.m. on Dec. 13, featuring the Deputy Director of the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Click here to download the National Continuous Improvement Guidance.

Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO) coordinators Laura Hall and Angela Carkner have been working with partners in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, and elsewhere in the nation to create a new national workgroup that addresses language and disability access concerns in emergency alert and warning systems. The group is called Language & Accessibility for Alert & Warning Workgroup (LAAWW). The group meets monthly and welcomes all. Learn more by emailing Laura.Hall@portlandoregon.gov.

Oregon Health Authority is seeking applications from behavioral health care workers who qualify under the Oregon Behavioral Health Loan Repayment program. The program provides tax-free grants to supplement the behavioral health workforce in underrepresented and underserved areas of Oregon who provide behavioral health services to their communities. Applicants must be currently employed in behavioral health care. Learn more and apply at Oregon Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program. Applications close Jan. 3, 2023.