|
FEMA’s first Hazard Mitigation
Program was implemented in 1988 when the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief Act was amended to provide grants to
communities after a Presidentially-declared disaster. The Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program supports the cost-effective measures during
recovery that minimize the risk of loss in future disasters. Over the years,
the Hazard Mitigation Program expanded with Congressional appropriations to
offer additional competitive grant programs.
FEMA’s mitigation grants
reduce overall risk to a community’s residents and structures as well as reduce
reliance on federal funding. The program’s goals are to provide a long-term
solution to a natural hazard and ensure that the potential savings must be more
than the cost of implementing the mitigation project in a community. Today,
more than $15 billion dollars in mitigation grants help local communities,
states, tribes and territories across the country to reduce disaster losses and
protect life and property from future disaster costs.
Over the next few weeks,
FEMA will be highlighting ways that promote the partnership and commitment to
support communities and build a more resilient nation. Visit the FEMA blog to see a timeline of important milestones about mitigation. A FEMA
employee that has been with the program since it began also shares her
reflections in a blog post.
In addition, there is a data visualization online resource which shows a
summary of the mitigation projects funded for the last 30 years. The data
includes the amount of funds obligated and the number of mitigation projects
for each of the programs. It can be viewed by county, state, FEMA region or
Congressional District.
FEMA is hosting a webinar
for tribal partners to learn more about the draft National
Mitigation Investment Strategy (NMIS). The NMIS drafting team will
provide a brief overview of the NMIS and ask FEMA tribal partners to share
their ideas about how to make mitigation investment more mainstream.
The draft NMIS makes
a series of recommendations, organized by six desired outcomes which – if met –
could result in a nation better equipped for, and less vulnerable to, natural
hazards. The draft Investment Strategy provides a national approach to
investments in mitigation activities and risk management across federal, state,
local, territorial, and tribal government and the private and non-profit
sectors. Comments on the draft will be accepted through March 11, 2018, either
through email to fema-nmis@fema.dhs.gov
or through IdeaScale.
Webinar
information
Date: March 9, 2018
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Access
instructions:
Audio conference
line: 800-320-4330 PIN: 866936#
Adobe weblink: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/nmis/
Test your Adobe
Connect connection prior to the meeting at https://fema.connectsolutions.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
FEMA, in partnership with organizations that
collectively represent the emergency management profession, today released the
fourth video presentation from the inaugural PrepTalks Symposium, Dr. Robert
Chen’s “Who’s at Risk? Rapid Mapping of Potential Hazards.”
In his PrepTalk,
Dr. Chen outlines the different ways data
mapping can be used to help emergency managers identify those at risk before,
during and after a disaster. He demonstrates how geospatial data combined with
socioeconomic data gives emergency managers, the news media, and the public a
better understanding of what the risk is and the potential associated effects
of disasters. He is the Director of the
Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), a unit of
Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Dr. Chen also manages the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Socioeconomic Data and Applications
Center (SEDAC), part of NASA’s network of Earth Science Data Centers.
Dr. Chen’s
presentation, a discussion guide, and additional reference materials are available at www.fema.gov/preptalks. This is the fourth video of eight being produced from the
PrepTalks Symposium held in Washington, D.C. in January. The next PrepTalks Symposium is tentatively scheduled for fall of 2018.
Upcoming PrepTalk video
topics include land use planning for community resilience and
disaster risk in developing countries. The next PrepTalks video is currently
scheduled for release later in March.
PrepTalks are a
partnership between FEMA, the International Association of Emergency Managers,
the National Emergency Management Association, the National Homeland Security
Consortium, and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and
Security.
Put
your community on the road to resilience with the Roadmap to Resilience course
(E426) from FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. This
three-day course will be conducted May 21-23, 2018. The course will help
communities build a whole community approach to disaster resilience by teaching
principles, themes, and pathways for action, and other promising emergency
management practices uncovered by local leaders across the nation.
Participants
will develop a plan of implementation in their own community, receive the tools
and knowledge to establish a community coalition, and learn to encourage local
leaders to augment resilience within the unique circumstances of their
community.
This
course is intended for community stakeholders interested in disaster
resilience, as well as junior emergency management professionals with less than three years of experience who support or implement inclusive emergency management,
community disaster planning, preparedness activities, and community outreach at
the state, local tribal, and territorial levels.
To register, submit a completed General Admission Application, FEMA Form 119-25-1
to your State Training Officer.
For more information about this course
please contact Andy Burrows at Andrew.burrows@fema.dhs.gov or Paul Benyeda at Paul.Benyeda@fema.dhs.gov. Visit training.fema.gov
to learn about additional FEMA training and
education opportunities management and community preparedness. Admissions are
ongoing.
FEMA recently listed a Federal Register Notice
for public comments about information collection. In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning the
process of property acquisition and relocation for open space as part of FEMA's
mitigation grant programs, monitoring requirements after a receiving a grant,
and a direct grant to property owners for acquisition and demolition of severe
repetitive loss structures. Comments may be submitted through the Federal
Register at www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-03949 until April 30, 2018.
Notice of Funding Opportunity: Fiscal Year 2017 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) 2017 FP&S grants will close on Friday, March 16, 2018, at 5 p.m. ET.
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.
FEMA Seeks Applicants for Youth Preparedness Council
FEMA is seeking applicants for the Youth
Preparedness Council, which brings together teens from across the country who
are interested and engaged in community preparedness. Council members are
selected based on their dedication to public service, their efforts in making a
difference in their communities, and their potential to expand their impact as
national leaders for preparedness. Students in 8th through 11th grade are
eligible to apply.
Youth interested in applying
to the Council must submit a completed application form, provide two letters of
recommendation, and academic records. All applications and supporting materials
must be received no later than March 18, 2018, 11:59 p.m. PT in
order to be eligible. New council members will be announced in May 2018.
To access the application materials, read about the current Council
members, and for more general information about the Youth Preparedness Council
visit www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness-council.
FEMA Seeks Applicants for National Advisory Council
FEMA requests that qualified individuals who are interested in serving
on the FEMA National
Advisory Council (NAC) submit an application to be considered for
appointment. FEMA is now accepting
applications for open positions in the following discipline areas:
- Elected
Local Government Official (one representative appointment)
- Elected
State Government Official (one representative appointment)
- Emergency
Management Field (one representative appointment)
- Emergency
Response Providers, which includes fire, law enforcement, hazardous
materials response, emergency medical services, and organizations representing
emergency response providers (two representative appointments)
- Communications
Expert, an expert in communications infrastructure, public safety and
first responder communications systems and networks, and/or broadcast,
cable, satellite, wireless, or wireline services and networks (one Special
Government Employee, or SGE)
- Cybersecurity
Expert, an expert in protecting and defending information and
communications systems from damage, unauthorized use or modification, or
exploitation, (one SGE)
- In-Patient
Medical Provider, a provider of medical care to patients admitted to a
healthcare facility, such as a hospital or skilled nursing facility (one
SGE)
- Administrator
Selections (up to two SGE appointments)
All appointments are for
three-year terms beginning in September 2018. Applications must be received on
or before March 18, 2018.
Detailed instructions on how to
apply can be found at www.fema.gov/membership-applications.
2018 National Preparedness Symposium Promoting Whole Community Preparedness Through Unity of Effort
FEMA's Emergency
Management Institute (EMI) will host the 2018 National Preparedness Symposium
from May 21-24. The symposium provides federal, state, tribal, territorial, and
nongovernmental training and exercise officials the opportunity to discuss
current and future training and exercise programs and to share case studies,
lessons-learned, and smart practices. The theme is “promoting whole community
preparedness through unity of effort,” with a focus on promoting a culture of
preparedness in America.
The event will be held at
the National Emergency Training Center, 16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727-8998. Applications for registration must be received by
April 9, 2018. To apply and for more information, visit https://training.fema.gov/nationalpreparednesssymposium/
or contact the EMI National Training Liaison Dan Lubman at daniel.lubman@fema.dhs.gov.
|
