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September is National Preparedness Month (NPM), serving 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.
“Disasters can occur at any time and often without warning. We must do what we can to prepare ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our communities to stand strong against the next disaster. In my own home district in Pennsylvania, I have personally experienced the devastation and disruption that natural disasters like hurricanes, tropical storms, and floods leave in their wake. To be prepared, we must plan for the possibility of an emergency, and how we would survive without immediate supplies of food, water, or shelter. As Co-Chairman of National Preparedness Month, I challenge us all to develop, review, and practice emergency plans. This will help us prepare and ensure that our emergency kits are ready so our families, businesses, and communities are equipped to handle a disaster. Emergency preparedness plans and emergency kits help save lives, protect families, and strengthen communities. “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.”
-Representative
Lou Barletta, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and
Emergency Management
“When disaster hits, our communities must be ready to leap into action. That’s why National Preparedness Month is so important,” said U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs. “There’s so much we can do to prepare for disasters, and by preparing for the worst, we make sure our communities have adequate resources and training to carefully handle disasters and keep our communities as safe as possible. In the U.S. Senate, I’ve worked to make preparedness a priority. After a crude oil train derailed in Casselton, North Dakota in 2013, I introduced my RESPONSE Act—which has now passed in the U.S. Senate—to make sure first responders are prepared for incidents related to increased transport of energy by rail.”
-Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland Security
and Government Affairs, Subcommittee
on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management
“After a year where we’ve seen massive flooding and natural disasters, nobody knows better than Missourians the importance of being prepared for the unexpected. National Preparedness Month is an opportunity for all Americans to take a moment and reflect and plan with our families and friends for emergency situations. The invaluable preparation FEMA and other agencies do can save lives, and I’m glad to support these efforts and help spread their message to ensure that Missourians and families all across our country are secure, prepared and resilient.”
-Senator Claire McCaskill, Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
“As we observe National Preparedness Month this September, every American should take some time to make sure they're prepared for a broad range of emergencies. Whether it's an earthquake, a wildfire, a flood, a hurricane, a power outage, or a terrorist attack, there are important actions you can take to prepare yourself and your family. Subscribe to local alerts so you’ll know when disaster strikes. Build an emergency supply kit with food, water, batteries, first aid materials, and other necessities. Make a family disaster plan, so that you and your loved ones will know where to meet and how to communicate with each other when a crisis occurs. When danger approaches, simple steps like these can mean the difference between life and death. Visit www.ready.gov/september to start getting prepared today.”
-Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard, Ranking Member, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Homeland Security
With National Preparedness Month continuing through September, we encourage you to download the FEMA App to help you better organize your emergency supply kit, and keep track of what you've already added.
The FEMA App is free on the Apple App Store and on Google Play for Android.
The Technical Mapping Advisory Council (TMAC) is federal
advisory council with representatives from federal, state, local and private
organizations which is required to review the program outlined in Section 17 of
the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA).
The TMAC conducted a thorough review of the national
flood mapping program, with a focus on program structure, process, outputs, quality
management, and metrics. These findings have been affirmed by FEMA’s
administrator, who recently certified that FEMA’s national flood mapping
program produces technically credible flood hazard data in areas where FIRMs
are prepared or updated. The Administrator’s certification was presented to
Congress in writing with the Review Report that a national flood program is
implemented.
The
findings of the TMAC’s review are published in the 2016 National
Flood Mapping Program Review Report.
Graduates from the National Emergency Management Executive Academy
FEMA congratulates 30 students who graduated from the National Emergency Management
Executive Academy on September 15, 2016. The graduates represent emergency management professionals from state and local governments, federal government, private sector, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
Emergency management professionals may visit www.training.fema.gov/empp for more information about which
academy best suits their needs.
Higher Education Webinar in Emergency Management Education
FEMA’s Emergency
Management Institute (EMI) 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.
EMI Offers Advanced Public Information Officer Training
FEMA’s Emergency
Management Institute is offering the Advanced
Public Information Officer (PIO) course on November 28 – December 2, 2016. The course,
held at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland,
provides participants with the skills to establish, manage, and work in a joint
information center (JIC).
Students will practice
developing strategic messaging in support of incident action plans and manage a
JIC. Individuals who took the course prior to 2011 are eligible to retake the
training course since it was updated during the past two years.
The application deadline
is: October 14, 2016. If interested, contact Phil Politano,
Training Specialist - Course Manager, at Philip.Politano.fema.dhs.gov or (301)
447-1343. For information on prerequisites and course schedules, go to http://training.fema.gov/programs/pio/.
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.
Tribal Consultation to Update the FEMA 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.
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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