September is recognized as National Preparedness Month (NPM) which
serves as a reminder that we all should take action to prepare, now and
throughout the year, for the types of emergencies that could affect us
where we live, work, and also where we visit. This year's theme is “Don’t Wait, Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today," with an emphasis on
preparedness for youth, older adults, and people with disabilities and
others with access and functional needs. For more information, including a social media toolkit, visit www.ready.gov/september.
Congressional Support for National Preparedness Month
FEMA appreciates the support of the Members of Congress who are serving as 2016 co-sponsors for National Preparedness Month. Throughout September, the FEMA Bulletin will feature statements from these members.
“My home state of Wisconsin has seen its share of natural
disasters, the latest just last month when disastrous floods hit. It is critically important for Americans to be prepared for a natural
disaster. As chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Committee, I am honored to serve as a congressional co-chair for the 13th
annual National Preparedness Month. This year’s National Preparedness Month
theme is, ‘Don’t Wait. Communicate: Make Your Emergency Plan Today.’ That is
vital advice, as disasters happen at a moment’s notice. It is imperative that
families think ahead by creating and reviewing emergency plans, building and
restocking emergency kits, and promoting awareness among friends and local
communities. Through effective preparation, we can do a better job of keeping
our communities and loved ones safe."
Senator Ron Johnson, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
“National Preparedness Month is an important reminder to people in
Delaware and across the country that we can’t simply wait for disaster to
strike. Every
one of us must take proactive steps to ensure that we are ready if and when a
disaster occurs. This past January, Delaware was hit by an historic winter
storm that threatened to flood entire towns. But thanks to years of
preparation for just this sort of event, we were able to stave off a very
serious threat to our communities. Working together, we can continue to improve
efforts to plan for and respond to potential disasters. National Preparedness
Month encourages all of us – families, community leaders, and state and local
governments – to share techniques and utilize the tools that can help save
homes, businesses, and lives. I encourage all Americans to mark National Preparedness
Month by staying informed, planning ahead, and being prepared.”
Senator Tom Carper, Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs
"Recently, my district and the surrounding areas dealt with unprecedented flooding. It was a stark reminder that a disaster can strike on any normal day. That’s why it is so important that we take steps now during National Preparedness Month to become prepared for any type of disaster. For example, having an emergency kit that has enough supplies for 72 hours and creating a reunification plan for your family are just some small and quick steps you can take this month to make your family more prepared.”
Representative
Michael McCaul, Chairman,
Committee on Homeland Security
“This
year, National Preparedness Month comes on the heels of devastating flooding in
Louisiana and crippling wildfires in the Western United States. The
response to these events – on the Federal, State, and local levels –
demonstrated that we are better prepared to respond to disaster than we were a
decade ago. Nevertheless, there is still more to be done. I urge
everyone – families, businesses, and individuals - to take a least one action
this month to make sure they are safer and better prepared to respond and
recover from disaster. If your business or family does not have an
emergency plan, make one. If you have an emergency plan but have never
practiced it, do a drill. The FEMA mobile app is also a valuable resource
for disaster information, weather alerts, and tips for staying safe.
Talking about preparedness is an important first step, but action is what makes
us more resilient.”
Representative
Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland
Security
The Additional 5 percent
Initiative is funding that has been set aside under the
Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program (HMGP) to help communities enhance
disaster resilience related to building codes, such as adopting the current
International Building Code® and improving a community’s Building Code
Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) score.
FEMA’s intention in supporting
the adoption and enforcement of building codes is to promote resilience by
using disaster-resistant practices. A building is considered disaster resistant
when it not only protects its occupants but can also be quickly repaired and
re-occupied because damage from natural disasters is minimized.
The Additional 5 percent
Initiative Fact Sheet provides recipients and subrecipients of HMGP funds
with additional information on how to implement the Additional 5 percent
Initiative as changed by the Fiscal Year 2015 Hazard Mitigation Assistance
Guidance.
Clarifying the Additional 5
percent Initiative Resources is a
companion document to the Fact Sheet highlighting where to find more
information on resilient building practices.
Graduates of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
FEMA congratulates 19 students who graduated from the National
Emergency Management Advanced Academy on August 26, 2016 at the Virginia Department
of Emergency Management. Graduates represented emergency management
professionals from across the Commonwealth.
The
Commonwealth of Virginia is the first state or commonwealth to host the Advanced
Academy program at their “home” location. This allows the host to select
the audience consisting of students with at least three years of experience in
an emergency management position from across various jurisdictions, agencies
and offices. Until now, the Advanced Academy program was delivered by the
Emergency Management Institute solely in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This
Virginia-based delivery demonstrates the opportunity and flexibility other
states, commonwealths, and territories have at their disposal to deliver the Advanced
Academy program at their site.
FEMA’s National Emergency Management Advanced Academy is
designed for 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 mid-manager 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 a program to develop the next generation of emergency managers who
are trained in advanced concepts and issues, management, strategic/critical
thinking, and problem solving. Emergency management professionals should
visit www.training.fema.gov/empp for more
information about which academy best suits their needs.
On August 30, 2016, FEMA
announced the projects identified for further review to receive funding for the
Flood
Mitigation Assistance (FMA) or Pre-Disaster
Mitigation (PDM) programs this fiscal year. This competitive grant
funding is provided to states, tribes, territories, and local governments for
eligible mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to reduce
disaster losses and protect life and property from future disaster damage.
This year’s selections of
projects include the following:
•
FMA
planning and project: 148
sub-applications received from 24 applicants: 8 planning, 108 projects, 8
technical assistance and 24 applicant management costs for $198 million
•
PDM planning, project and management costs: 336 sub-applications received from 72
applicants: 208 planning, 81 projects and 47 associated management costs for $89.5
million; including,
•
PDM Tribal set-aside: 21
planning, 1 project and 4 management costs from 22 tribes for $3.2 million.
Since the grant
application period closed in mid-June, FEMA reviewed each submission to ensure
eligibility, cost effectiveness, technical feasibility and alignment with the
agency’s identified priorities to reduce the impacts of disasters. For each
competitive grant, these funding priorities are listed in a Notification of
Funding Opportunity at Grants.gov.
FEMA will not send initial
notification letters to each applicant regarding their application status
however, applicants can review the status of an application.
• Pre-Disaster
Mitigation
• Flood
Mitigation Assistance
FEMA will be working
with applicants to conduct programmatic reviews of the selected subapplications
before making a final decision for funding. For additional information or any
questions, grant applicants can contact their FEMA Regional Office. More
information about Hazard Mitigation Assistance is available at www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.
Higher Education Webinar in Emergency Management Education
FEMA’s Emergency
Management Institute Higher Education Program is hosting a webinar, "The
Role of Research in Emergency Management Education: Current Status and Future
Directions," September 28, 2016 from 3 - 4 p.m. EDT. The webinar
highlights research issues in emergency management higher education programs.
Presenters include:
• Deborah J. Persell, Ph.D.,
RN, APN, Director, Regional Center for Disaster Preparedness Education College
of Nursing and Health Professions Arkansas State University
• Jessica Jensen, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Management Co-Director, Center for
Emergency Management Education and Research, North Dakota State University
Register using the event
registration link. Contact Wendy Walsh at wendy.walsh@fema.dhs.gov for
more information.
Seeking Public Comments for Federal Flood Risk Management Guide
FEMA is
seeking comments from all stakeholders regarding the Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking and supplementary Policy 078-3,
“Guidance for Implementing the Federal Flood Risk Management
Standard (FFRMS).” The proposed rule would amend the definition of a
floodplain, incorporate various approaches to establish a higher vertical
elevation, and expand corresponding horizontal floodplain for FEMA federally
funded projects. Where possible, it would direct natural systems,
ecosystem processes, and nature-based approaches to be used when developing
alternatives to locating Federal actions in the floodplain.
When FEMA federally funded
projects involve more than one federal agency, FEMA would use the Unified
Federal Review (UFR) to
coordinate application of the FFRMS to those projects. The UFR Process also
recognizes the important role of federal agencies, localities, states, tribes,
and the general public in environmental and historic preservation reviews.
The major provisions of
this rule would affect FEMA-funded new construction and substantial repair
projects for individuals and communities, including some projects done in
the aftermath of a disaster for state, local, tribal governments, private
non-profits, and stakeholders. However, this rule does not directly
affect the availability or price of flood insurance.
Comments may be submitted
through October 21, 2016 using one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking
Portal: www.regulations.gov. Search
for the notice in Docket ID
FEMA-2015-0006. When submitting comments, indicate the section and reasoning
for each comment.
• Mail/Hand
Delivery/Courier: Regulatory
Affairs Division, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
8NE-1604, 500 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20472-3100
• Viewing
comments and documents: For access to the docket to read
background documents or comments received, go to the Federal e-Rulemaking
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
• Background documents and
submitted comments may also be inspected at the Office of Chief Counsel,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street, SW., 8NE, Washington, DC
20472-3100.
All submissions will be
posted to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov and will
include any personal information provided. Individuals who submit comments
should read the Privacy
Act.
FEMA Begins Tribal Consultation to Update Tribal Policy
FEMA is updating its
Tribal Policy that guides how the agency implements a framework for
nation-to-nation relations with federally recognized tribal governments,
recognizing tribal sovereignty, self-governance, and our trust responsibility
consistent with applicable authorities. This updated policy will supersede the current
FEMA
Tribal Policy, issued in 2013, which expires on December 30, 2016. The goal
is to update the policy to reflect current authorities, address key policy
questions, and improve the Agency’s nation-to-nation relationship with tribal
governments to ensure we work together to build, sustain, and improve every
tribal governments’ capacity to prepare for, protect against, respond to,
recover from, and mitigate against all hazards.
This consultation period
will facilitate tribal leaders’ or their designee’s feedback during the policy
update process. FEMA will engage officials through face-to-face meetings, national
and regional association conferences, conference calls, and webinars to seek
input on questions highlighted in the FEMA
Tribal Policy: Key Concepts document. Tribal officials’
suggestions and comments will inform further development and refinement of
FEMA’s Tribal Policy.
Tribal officials can
submit comments on the FEMA
Tribal Policy until October 28, 2016, through:
• E-mail to tribalconsultation@fema.dhs.gov, or
• Mail to ATTN: Margeau
Valteau, Office of External Affairs (OEA), DHS/FEMA, 500 C Street SW,
Washington, DC 20472-3605.
Visit FEMA’s Tribal
Affairs web page for more information on the tribal consultation period
for this policy and to view the Key Concepts document.
Draft Disaster Resilience Indicators Concept Deadline Extended
The deadline has been
extended until December 15, 2016, to submit inputs and feedback to the
Mitigation Federal Leadership Group (MitFLG) Disaster Resilience Indicators
Subcommittee’s “Draft
Interagency Concept for Community Resilience Indicators and National-Level
Progress Measures." Stakeholders can submit comments and feedback to FEMA-CommunityResilience@fema.dhs.gov.
In response to broad
public interest in identifying key factors of community resilience nationwide,
FEMA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and federal
partners in the MitFLG Disaster Resilience Indicators Subcommittee released the
draft white paper in June 2016. This white paper is intended to start a
broad conversation among public- and private-sector stakeholders on ways to
best define and track improvements in community resilience capacity across 28
key indicator categories.
The document is the
result of a year-long effort to identify potential indicators of community
resilience capacity building that align with the Mitigation and Recovery Core
Capabilities under the National Preparedness Goal. Learn more details
about this initiative through FEMA and NOAA partnership here.
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