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From April 30 through May 11, FEMA is engaged in the National Level Exercise (NLE) 2018. This event brings
together more than 250 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial
governments, private industry, and non-governmental and community organizations
to test their emergency response to a simulated major incident.
The NLE 2018 scenario
involves a hurricane that makes landfall in the Mid-Atlantic region near
Hampton Roads, VA. The exercise presents an important opportunity to take coordinated
and inclusive protective actions prior to landfall using
established plans, policies, and procedures, as well as incorporate lessons
learned from 2017, as NLE 2018 is helping us prepare for the upcoming 2018
Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Threats from hurricanes
include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding,
rip currents, and tornadoes. The heavy wind can cause damage or destroy homes,
buildings, and roads, as well as cause power, water, and gas outages. The impact
from hurricanes can extend from the coast to several hundred miles inland. If
you live in an area vulnerable to hurricanes, it is important to understand
your risk and develop a preparedness plan. NLE 2018 provides multiple
ways for individuals, communities, tribes, non-profit organizations, and the
private sector to prepare for a hurricane and play in the exercise.
Here are a few easy steps
to become better prepared:
- Download
the FEMA App to get alerts and warnings about weather conditions.
- Create
and test a Family Communications Plan.
- Document and insure your property to ensure that you will have the necessary
financial resources to help you repair, rebuild, or replace whatever is
damaged.
- Learn about purchasing flood insurance.
- Strengthen your financial preparedness by collecting and securing personal
financial, insurance, medical, and other records.
- Get
trained because you could be the one to help others until help arrives.
- Join
the FEMA National Business Emergency Operations Center.
NLE 2018 is the result of a year-long
planning effort and tests FEMA, the interagency and our partners' capabilities to
prepare for, respond to, and recover from a catastrophic hurricane scenario.
The historic 2017 hurricane season provided many lessons, which have been
incorporated into exercise play enabling FEMA and the whole community to test
new procedures and overall readiness for the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
FEMA cannot do this alone –
we are partnering with the state of Delaware, District of Columbia, state of
Maryland, commonwealth of Pennsylvania, commonwealth of Virginia, and state of
West Virginia, along with numerous federal agencies, private sector, and
nonprofit organizations to ensure the whole community is prepared.
By congressional mandate, the National Level Exercise represents the
culmination of the two-year National Exercise Program cycle, and is designed to educate and prepare participants for
potential catastrophic events. For more information, visit
www.FEMA.gov/nle. Follow the exercise at
#HurricaneExercise2018.
May is National Building Safety Month (BSM), a public awareness campaign designed to help
individuals, families and businesses, understand what it takes to create safe
and sustainable structures. This year’s overall theme is Building
Codes Save Lives. Each week in
May, we will highlight a different component of building safety. Week one focuses on “Partnering
with Code Officials to Build Stronger, Safer Communities.”
Building regulation in the
United States began to take shape in the late 1800s, when major cities began
adopting and enforcing building codes in response to large fires in densely
populated urban areas. The primary intent of early building codes was to reduce
fire risk, but over time the scope broadened and building codes evolved to
address other risks. Today, building codes are sets of regulations that address
structural integrity, fire resistance, safe exits, lighting, ventilation and
construction materials. They specify the minimum requirements to safeguard the
health, safety, and general welfare of building occupants.
For more information
about hazard-resistant provisions for code officials, visit https://www.fema.gov/building-code-resources.
Learn how you can participate in Building Safety
Month by visiting the International Code Council’s Building Safety Month week one page.
The 2018
Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins June 1. The U.S. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and FEMA invite you to participate in a hurricane preparedness webinar. On Tuesday, May 8, learn innovations in
preparedness that you can implement in your community. Participants will hear
from local and national leaders. Attendees can engage one another in a
conversation with the goal of building resilience for the coming hurricane
season.
Title: Helping Your
Community Get Ready for Hurricanes: Innovations from the Field
Adobe Connect: https://icpd.adobeconnect.com/hurricaneinnovate1/event/registration.html
Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Time: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. EDT
The webinar
will feature:
- Lauren Stienstra, HERricane Project Lead, Department of
Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management, Arlington County,
VA
- Leslie Chapman-Henderson, President and CEO, Federal
Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH)
- Cheryl Nelson, TV host, Broadcast Meteorologist,
natural disaster preparedness expert and National Disaster Preparedness
Training Center (NDPTC) Instructor
- Marcus Coleman, DHS Center for Faith Based and
Neighborhood Partnerships, FEMA
- Matthew Lyttle, Individual and Community Preparedness
Division, FEMA
Please register
to receive a recording of this webinar.
- Be sure to test
your Adobe Connect connection
prior to the meeting.
- This webinar will offer
captioning.
For more information, please contact
FEMA-Prepare@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is sponsoring
a four-day course, "Retrofitting Flood-Prone Residential Buildings Course (E0279)" on May 14-17, 2018, in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The course is designed to provide engineering
and economic guidance to architects, engineers, and local code enforcement
officials in retrofitting existing one- to four-family residential structures
situated in flood-prone areas. The retrofitting measures presented are
creative, practical, compliant with applicable floodplain regulations, and
satisfactory to most homeowners.
The course will cover the concepts of flood-proofing and
retrofitting, regulatory framework, design parameters, benefit-cost analysis,
and technical feasibility considerations. Participants will complete a design
activity on a real-life case study. It will also include a computer laboratory
session with hands-on exercises using the FEMA benefit-cost analysis program
modules.
To Apply: Complete a FEMA Form 119-25-1, General Admissions
Application, with student signature and signature of supervisor or sponsoring
agency official. Mail, scan, or fax the application to:
NETC Admissions
Office (Room I-216)
National
Emergency Training Center
16825 South
Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD
21727-8998
Phone: (301)
447-1035
Fax: (301) 447-1658
Email: netcadmissions@fema.dhs.gov
For more information, visit the online course catalog.
Kathleen Fox, FEMA Acting Deputy Administrator for Protection and
Preparedness, led a FEMA delegation to Mexico City for a two-day workshop on alert
and warning systems, national risk assessment methodologies, and emergency
management training and education on April 25-26, 2018.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) will partner with
Mexico’s National Emergency Management School to collaborate on emergency
management training with support from USNORTHCOM. This collaboration between
the United States and Mexico directly supports two of FEMA’s strategic goals: Build
a Culture of Preparedness and Ready the Nation for Catastrophic Disasters.
The Working Group’s next meeting will be held at EMI in
Emmitsburg, Maryland.
 Members of the U.S./Mexico Binational Working Group at their meeting in Mexico City, Mexico on April 25, 2018.
FEMA Seeks Feedback on National Incident Management System Resource Management Documents
FEMA’s National
Integration Center released for public feedback a number of National Incident
Management System Resource Management component documents
that will enhance interoperability and the effectiveness of mutual aid. This
National Engagement Period will conclude at 5 p.m. EDT on May 9, 2018.
The National Engagement Period provides an opportunity for interested parties
to comment on newly developed supplemental guidance.
Apply for National Emergency Management Advanced and Executive Academies
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is accepting applications until May 15, 2018 for the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy and the National Emergency Management Executive Academy.
For more information and to apply for the Advanced Academy, go to https://training.fema.gov/empp/applytoadvancedacademy.aspx or contact fema-empp-advanced-academy@fema.dhs.gov. For the Executive Academy, go to https://training.fema.gov/empp/applytoexecutiveacademy.aspx or contact fema-empp-executive-academy@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA Seeks Comments on Individual Assistance Policy and Program Guide
FEMA
posted the draft Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide (IAPPG)
for public comment. The IAPPG will provide a single comprehensive
reference document for all FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) programs. The comment period will close on June 7, 2018. FEMA
will then adjudicate comments and finalize the document. Once finalized, the
IAPPG will replace the Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance
(IHPUG) from September 2016, and all stand-alone IA policies.
Please visit www.fema.gov/individual-assistance-program-and-policy-guide to
review and provide comments on the draft IAPPG.
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