In accordance with Executive Order 13777,
“Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,” the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) formed a Regulatory Reform Task Force. The Task Force is reviewing existing regulations, policies, and
information collections across the Department.
To inform this review, FEMA is seeking
public input on regulations, policies, and information collections that may be
appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification. FEMA requests commenters
be as specific as possible in their remarks. Preferred details would include how,
for example, a particular regulation, policy or information collection, imposes
costs that exceed benefits or is otherwise unnecessary or ineffective.
Public comments may be made until August 14,
2017, at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID FEMA-2017-0023.
One year ago torrential
rains devastated Louisiana communities and tens of thousands of homes and
businesses. A presidential disaster declaration made federal help available to
individuals and businesses in 22 parishes, and to state and parish government
agencies and certain private nonprofits in 26 parishes.
Since then, the state of
Louisiana and survivors of the flooding received $5 billion in federal disaster
assistance for recovery and rebuilding. This includes FEMA disaster assistance
of $772 million to help more than 83,000 households; more than $436 million to
the state of Louisiana to reimburse parish and state government agencies and
private nonprofits for eligible emergency response activities and
infrastructure projects; and $2.4 billion paid out for more than 29,600
National Flood Insurance Program claims. More than $2.4 million in disaster unemployment
assistance went to workers whose employment was affected by the flood.
FEMA, the state, parishes,
volunteer agencies, and other federal recovery partners continue to coordinate
solutions to overcome many recovery challenges after the August 2016 flood.
Louisiana communities created long-term recovery committees comprised of
nonprofit groups and FEMA liaisons to create recovery solutions and fill in
gaps. More than 200 private sector entities in Louisiana coordinated
with FEMA to provide information to more than 625,000 people, such as how to
apply for FEMA assistance and tips on rebuilding safer, stronger and smarter.
To learn more about the
Louisiana Flood Recovery, visit www.fema.gov/archive/disaster/4277 or http://gohsep.la.gov/.
FEMA hosted more than
30 non-profit organizations at its headquarters for Voluntary
Organization Partnership Day to promote and recognize the services that voluntary,
community and faith-based organizations provide to disaster survivors. Throughout the day, dozens of voluntary organizations from across the
country and groups from within FEMA participated in an exhibit showcase, open
to the public, to provide a forum for FEMA and its whole community partners,
enhancing mutual understanding of disaster assistance resources and
capabilities.
Participants had the opportunity to meet with FEMA subject matter experts to
improve communication, raise disaster awareness, and enhance education.
Discussion panels focused around the mission and capabilities of voluntary
organizations and highlighted how FEMA integrates with them to prepare for,
mitigate against, respond to, and recover from disasters.
Panel discussions spanned several areas, to include disaster case
management, hazard mitigation, individual assistance, housing, individual and
community preparedness, disability integration and coordination, philanthropic
engagement, public assistance, and transitional shelter assistance.
FEMA Administrator Brock Long speaks at the start of Voluntary Organization Partnership Day July 26. The event, hosted by FEMA, promoted and recognized the services voluntary, community and faith-based organizations provide to disaster survivors. Photo: Raymond Piper (FEMA).
FEMA Region VII
and U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) recently hosted a
first-of-its-kind housing workshop in Kansas City. The workshop brought
together 70 members from academia, non-profits, private sector, and city,
county, state and federal government from Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri,
Oklahoma, and Illinois to engage in strategic planning for all phases of housing
recovery – short-term, intermediate and long-term. Both the Community Planning
and Capacity Building (CPCB) and Housing Recovery Support
Functions (RSF) benefit from this type of event that highlights the
intersection of local planning and capacity with other aspects of disaster
recovery.
Participants
tackled issues of short-term, interim, and long-term housing. There was
emphasis on state-led disaster housing task forces, community-level disaster
housing task forces, noting that existing structures may be adapted to a
broader purpose. The greater demand for local permitting and inspections
received a lot of attention, as well as the restoration of wrap-around services
and available employment. Participants proposed community-based planning to
ensure that all stakeholders – individuals, families, business owners,
faith-based/civic organizations, nonprofits, schools, local governments, and
others – can recover more effectively by considering the others’ needs and
interests and coordinating their efforts in pursuit of common vision and goals.
The participants
reported on a range of permanent housing solutions: rapid-rebuild and
shelter-at-home models, mixed-income and mixed-use development, property/lot
swaps, innovative zoning and non-traditional housing options, developer and
landlord incentives, public-private development partnerships, income waivers
for affordable housing, local recovery fund management, and workforce
development/recovery jobs programs.
FEMA Region VII
and the CPCB RSF look forward to building upon this initial housing workshop
and collaborating with the whole community of stakeholders to improve disaster
recovery efforts regionally and nationwide. For more information about Recovery Support Functions, visit www.fema.gov/recovery-support-functions.
FEMA’s
Office of Chief Counsel’s (OCC) Procurement Disaster Assistance Team (PDAT)
informs agency stakeholders and grantees about procurement law practices. On
August 17, 2017, OCC's PDAT will conduct a free training designed
exclusively for attorneys focused on federal disaster response and recovery.
This training event offers
an attorney-only space where attendees are able to ask questions and discuss
issues, strategies, and best practices for disaster response and recovery
efforts. This one-day event will be held on August 17, 2017, in Atlanta,
Georgia, at the FEMA Region IV offices. The training will include two four-hour
sessions – a morning FEMA 101 for Lawyers training, and an afternoon on federal
procurement standards. Please see the PDAT
website, under the “Upcoming Events” dropdown box, for details.
PDAT
is comprised of FEMA attorneys who develop and provide procurement training and
guidance materials to local, state, tribal, territorial, and private non-profit
officials and governments awarded federal grants as they recover from disaster.
PDATs also deploy to active federal disasters and provide localized
support, where needed.
Disclaimer: PDAT provides guidance about procurements
under federal grants. PDAT’s
informational website, and the materials posted on it, should not be
considered legal advice.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute
(EMI) is hosting a series of “One Link, One Bridge, Many Voices” e-forums from 3-4 p.m. ET. E-forums
are one hour moderated, webinar discussions that provide an opportunity for EMI
and the emergency management community to discuss matters of interest on
national preparedness training. The forums showcase community partners and
peers, sharing their experiences in panel format that offers opportunities to
provide technical assistance in training management by facilitating
peer-to-peer sharing of best practices.
On August 9, the e-forum topic will be "The Emergency Management Professional
Program: Bringing the Whole Community Together." This
e-forum highlights the Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) which
is comprised of the National Emergency Management Basic, Advanced, and Executive
Academies. FEMA Regional Training Managers Tom Akins (Region VII)
and James Taylor (Region VIII), and Stacie Imuta, Training and Exercise
Specialist (Region X), will share how they developed progressive training and
education systems through the Basic and Advanced Academies.
Additional
August e-forums:
- August 16: Public
Information Officers: Training Builds Capacity We Are Proud Of
- August 23:
Improving Local Recovery: Training as a Success Maker
- August 30: State
Training Officer and State Administrative Agent Training Point of Contact:
Working Together Achieves Better Outcomes
Participation link: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/emieforums
Conference
call-in: 800-320-4330, PIN 107622
Questions:
https://training.fema.gov/contactus/sendcomment.aspx
E-forums
on Adobe Connect are mobile device accessible. Click here for
more information. Participation
does not require pre-registration.
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This September, National Preparedness Month (NPM) will focus on
planning, with an overarching theme “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You
Can."
We should all take action
to prepare. We are all able to help our family, friends, and neighbors in our
community by preparing ahead, training how to respond during an emergency, and knowing
what to do when disaster strikes — where we live, work, and visit. The
goal of NPM is to increase the overall number of individuals, families, and
communities that engage in preparedness actions at home, work, business,
school, and place of worship.
Each week has
an individual focus:
- Week
1 is Make a Plan for Yourself, Family, and Friends.
- Week 2 is Plan to Help Your Neighbor and Community.
- Week
3 is Practice and Build Out Your Plans.
- Week 4 is Get
Involved! Be a Part of Something Larger.
Want
to be a part of it all? Use the hashtags #NatlPrep and #PlanAhead on social
media next month to show off what you do to recognize the month! Get ideas for
how you could get involved at ready.gov/september.
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Apply for the 2018 National Emergency Management Executive Academy
FEMA’s
EMI is now accepting application packages for the 2018 National
Emergency Management Executive Academy.
Ideally,
candidates will have experience as senior executives of major emergency
management organizations, served on major commissions and task
forces, or be
responsible for decisions that have a significant effect on homeland
security
and emergency management policies.
Applications will be
accepted through August 15, 2017. For more information on the Executive Academy and
the application and selection process, visit www.training.fema.gov/EMPP/executive.asp.
Comments Needed for Draft Policy on Floodplain Development
FEMA
prepared a draft policy for FEMA staff and communities participating in the
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to update guidance for participating communities on satisfying NFIP floodplain development permit requirements, and
to address questions about floodplain permitting of development activities
occurring in the FEMA designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). Through
this policy, a community can ensure compliance with NFIP and local floodplain
management regulations, while potentially reducing the administrative burden
associated with permitting certain types of low-to-no impact development in the
floodplain.
This
guidance does not intend to address other permits associated with building
codes, or other federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial permits, and only
applies to floodplain development permitting requirements to enroll in, and
maintain eligibility for, the NFIP. The draft policy is available for review on FEMA’s
website at: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/131010,
and the public is invited to provide comment and input via FEMA-Floodplain-Management-Division@fema.dhs.gov
until August 23, 2017.
FEMA Tribal Outreach and Consultation Period on FEMA Tribal Consultation Policy
FEMA initiated a 90-day outreach and consultation period
from June 1 to August 29, 2017, to seek input from federally recognized Indian
tribal governments on the update of FEMA's Tribal Consultation
Policy. First issued in 2014, the policy acknowledges the agency’s
nation-to-nation relationship with tribal governments. The policy also guides how FEMA
engages tribal governments in regular and meaningful consultation and
collaboration on policy and actions that have tribal implications.
Tribal officials can submit
comments on the FEMA Tribal Consultation until August 29, 2017,
through:
- E-mail to tribalconsultation@fema.dhs.gov, or
- Mail to ATTN: Margeau Valteau, Office of External Affairs,
DHS/FEMA, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472-3191.
Visit FEMA’s Tribal Affairs
web page for more information on the tribal consultation period for this
policy.
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