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On August 9,
2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued the scheduled update for its 2017 hurricane season outlook.
Forecasters are now predicting a higher likelihood of an above-normal season,
and they increased the predicted number of named storms and major hurricanes.
The season has the potential to be extremely active, and could be the most active
since 2010.
Forecasters
now say there is a 60 percent chance of an above-normal season (compared to the
May prediction of 45 percent chance), with 14-19 named storms (increased from
the May predicted range of 11-17) and 2-5 major hurricanes (increased from the
May predicted range of 2-4). A prediction for 5-9 hurricanes remains unchanged
from the initial May outlook.
For hurricane preparedness tips, visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes.
The open application period began
on August 14 for two competitive Hazard Mitigation
Assistance grant programs. Eligible applicants including territories,
federally recognized tribes, states and local governments may apply for the
Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Flood
Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Pre-Disaster
Mitigation (PDM) grants at https://portal.fema.gov through 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on
November 14, 2017.
FMA grants are available to
implement measures to reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to structures
insured by the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). For FY 2017, $160 million is available,
including $70 million for community
flood mitigation activities that address flooding on a neighborhood level, such
as floodwater diversion and localized flood-control measures as well as advance
assistance for mitigation design and
development of community flood mitigation projects. The remainder of funds will be used for
mitigation planning, technical assistance and mitigating Severe Repetitive Loss
and Repetitive Loss structures, which include elevation, acquisition, and
relocation projects.
PDM grants are awarded for all-hazard mitigation planning and projects, such as
the construction of community and residential safe rooms for tornados, and wind
retrofits, which are enhancements made to strengthen the roof, walls and doors
of structures to minimize damage caused by high winds. This year, $90 million
is available, including $10 million for federally-recognized tribes. States, tribes, territories and the District of Columbia may apply for the statutory
allocation of up to $575,000 federal share. The remainder of funds will
be awarded on a competitive basis with an emphasis on mitigation activities
that complement the post-disaster funding available under the Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program and the flood mitigation funding from the FMA program.
FEMA congratulates the eight students who graduated from the National Emergency Management
Basic Academy on August 4, 2017. These students completed
the full Basic Academy curriculum which provides the basic knowledge and skills necessary to meet the unpredictable challenges in the field of emergency
management. Graduates included emergency management professionals from federal,
county and local governments, and education establishments.
FEMA’s National Emergency
Management Basic Academy is the entry-point for individuals pursuing a career
in emergency management. The Basic Academy offers the tools to develop
comprehensive foundational skills needed in emergency management. The Basic Academy also provides a
unique opportunity to build camaraderie, establish professional contacts,
and understand the roles, responsibilities, and legal boundaries associated
with emergency management.
The Basic Academy is the
first of a three-level Academy series in the Emergency Management Professional
Program (EMPP). The EMPP curriculum is designed to provide a lifetime of
learning for emergency management professionals. It includes three separate,
but closely threaded, training programs. The Basic Academy builds to the
Advanced Academy, a program to develop the next generation of emergency
management leaders who are trained in advanced concepts and issues, advanced
leadership and management, and critical thinking and problem solving. The
EMPP culminates in the Executive Academy, a program designed to challenge and
enhance the talents of the nation’s emergency management senior executives
through critical thinking, visionary strategic planning, challenging
conventional concepts, and negotiation and conflict resolution applied to
complex real-world problems.
Emergency management
professionals should visit www.training.fema.gov/empp for more
information about which academy best suits their needs.
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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