|
This week is National Hurricane Preparedness Week. It only takes one hurricane to change your life and your community. Hurricanes are one of nature's most powerful and destructive events that the nation faces, and the cause behind eight of the ten costliest disasters in U.S. history. Hurricanes are not just a coastal concern. High winds, heavy rainfall, tornadoes, and flooding can be felt hundreds of miles inland, potentially causing loss of life and catastrophic damage to property.
Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30. Now is the time to prepare, if you -- or a close family member -- live in an area prone to hurricanes or inland flooding. Make a family emergency communication plan. Don't forget to include your pets in your emergency preparedness planning. Identify an out of town emergency contact to coordinate information with family and friends. Keep an emergency kit where you spend time -- home, car, work. Download the FEMA app and set up local alerts for you or your loved ones. Practice your preparedness plans with a drill or exercise.
Visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes for more information about hurricane preparedness.
FEMA’s Emergency
Management Institute (EMI) is offering the Advanced Public Information Officer
(PIO) course, July 24-28, at the National Emergency Training Center in
Emmitsburg, Maryland. The course provides public information officers the
opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills for establishing, managing
and working in a joint information center (JIC). The training fosters an
environment where participants can apply advanced skills during a multi-day
functional exercise designed to test and enhance their ability
to analyze, coordinate, process, and create information in a fast-paced,
realistic environment.
Using interactive lectures
from subject matter experts and an intense functional exercise, the Advanced
PIO course teaches participants skills for use during escalating incidents,
including strategic communications and incident action planning, as it relates
to JIC operations.
Interested individuals should contact Phil Politano at Philip.Politano@fema.dhs.gov by June
9, 2017, to register for the course. For information on prerequisites and
course schedules go to http://training.femac.gov/programs/pio/.
Webinar on Cost Estimating Principles for Hazard Mitigation Assistance Application Programs
FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation
Assistance (HMA) division is hosting an hour-long webinar titled "Cost Estimating Principles for Hazard Mitigation Assistance Applications." The webinar will share cost estimating principles for the three HMA grant application programs: Pre-Disaster
Mitigation (PDM), Flood
Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program (HMGP).
The webinar will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, from 2-3 p.m. EDT. The call-in is 800-320-4330; PIN: 896047#. Presenters will
provide general principles for reviewing cost estimates for HMA projects, a
process for determining “reasonable costs” as part of the grant application
review, and a list of resources with detailed information and examples. Prior
to the meeting, participants are encouraged to test
their Adobe Connect connection.
EMI Offers Earthquake Virtual Tabletop Exercise
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute
(EMI) Virtual Tabletop Exercise (VTTX) program will offer an earthquake
scenario June 20-22, 2017.
The VTTX is designed to help emergency management professionals exercise their
response to the impact that a major earthquake has on their community. The VTTX
involves key personnel discussing simulated scenarios in an informal setting,
and can be used to assess plans, policies, training, and procedures during an
earthquake event.
Content for each session is the same for
all days and participants should only attend one session. The VTTX
occurs 12-4 p.m. EDT. To
participate, send an email to douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov
with a courtesy copy to fema-emi-iemb@fema.dhs.gov
or call 301-447-1381. The
application deadline is Friday, May 12, 2017. Additional information
is available at https://training.fema.gov/programs/emivttx.aspx.
Notice of Funding Opportunity: Fiscal Year 2016 Fire Prevention & Safety Grants Application Period
FEMA’s annual funding
opportunity for the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grants is now open. FP&S grants support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters
from fire and related hazards.
The application period for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 FP&S grants will close on Friday, May 19, 2017, at 5 p.m. EDT. A total of $34.5 million is available.
The primary
goal of these grants is to reduce injury and prevent fire-related deaths among
high-risk populations. In 2005, Congress reauthorized funding for FP&S, and
expanded the eligible uses of funds to include Firefighter Safety Research and
Development. For more information on fire prevention grants, visit www.fema.gov/fire-prevention-safety-grants.
Individual and Community Preparedness Awards Application Period
The
application period for the 2017 FEMA Individual and Community
Preparedness Awards is now open. The awards highlight innovative local
practices and achievements by
honoring individuals, organizations, and jurisdictions that have made
outstanding contributions toward strengthening their community to
prepare for,
respond to, recover from, and mitigate a disaster.
Emergency management is
most effective when the entire community is engaged and involved. Everyone,
including faith-based organizations, voluntary agencies, the private sector,
tribal organizations, youth, people with disabilities and others with access
and functional needs, and older adults make a difference in their
communities before, during, and after disasters.
To be considered for this year’s awards, all submissions must be received by
May 30, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. EDT, and must feature program
activities taking place between January 1, 2016, and May 30, 2017. Applications
are accessed online and should be submitted to fema-icp-awards@fema.dhs.gov. More information about the awards is available at www.ready.gov/preparedness-awards.
National Emergency Management Advanced Academy Applications
EMI is accepting
applications for the National
Emergency Management Advanced Academy. This program addresses
program management and oversight, effective communication, integrated
collaboration, and strategic thinking skills. The target audience is
mid-level managers who have a minimum of three years of experience in an
emergency management position to include government, non-profit, voluntary
organization, and private sector leaders who are responsible for emergency
management or homeland security.
The Advanced Academy
Program consists of four resident courses and is five days in length.
Classes begin in October, November, or December 2017 and are ideally taken
sequentially through September 2018. Applications
will be accepted until May 31, 2017, with selections in June and
announcements in July.
For more information,
contact fema-empp-advanced-academy@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA Seeks Comments on Nationwide Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on the National Flood Insurance Program
On April 7, FEMA published a Federal
Register notice to seek public comment on a draft Nationwide
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (NPEIS) about the
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). As required by the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FEMA developed this draft NPEIS to
examine the impacts of proposed improvements and modifications to the NFIP.
This draft NPEIS includes an evaluation of the potential impacts to the natural
and human environment associated with the NFIP at a programmatic level, as well
as an evaluation of impacts of alternative proposals to modify the NFIP.
The public comment
period is open for 60 days until June 6, 2017. Download a
copy of the draft NPEIS and provide
comments directly to FEMA via www.regulations.gov. Search for Docket ID FEMA-2012-0012.
In addition, public meetings
and webinars are scheduled by FEMA to allow the public an opportunity to
learn
more about the project and to provide comments on the NFIP draft NPEIS.
For a list of locations and webinar dates and times, visit www.fema.gov/programmatic-environmental-impact-statement.
|
