|
On May 21, Secretary of Homeland
Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced the release of Fiscal Year (FY) 2018
Notices of Funding Opportunity for eight U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) preparedness grant programs
totaling more than $1.6 billion. The grant programs provide funding to
state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as transportation
authorities, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, to improve the
nation’s readiness in preventing, protecting against, responding to, recovering
from and mitigating terrorist attacks, major disasters and other
emergencies. The grants reflect the Department’s focus on funding for
programs that address our nation’s immediate security needs and ensure public
safety in our communities.
The FY 2018 grant guidance will
continue to focus on the nation’s highest risk areas, including urban areas
that face the most significant threats. For FY 2018, the Urban Area
Security Initiative (UASI) will enhance regional preparedness and capabilities
by funding 32 high-threat, high-density urban areas. This represents
Congressional intent to limit FY 2018 UASI funding to those Urban Areas that
represent up to 85 percent of the nationwide risk, as stated in the Explanatory
Statement accompanying the Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. No. 115-141).
Consistent with previous grant
guidance, dedicated funding is provided for law enforcement and terrorism
prevention throughout the country to prepare for, prevent and respond to
pre-operational activity and other crimes that are precursors or indicators of
terrorist activity.
Grant recipients are encouraged to use grant funding to maintain and
sustain current critical core capabilities through investments in training and
exercises, updates to current planning and procedures, and lifecycle
replacement of equipment. New capabilities that are built using homeland
security grant funding must be deployable if needed to support regional and
national efforts. All capabilities being built or sustained must have a
clear linkage to the core capabilities in the National Preparedness Goal.
All
preparedness Notices of Funding Opportunities can be found at www.grants.gov. Final
submissions must be made through the Non-Disaster (ND) Grants system located at
https://portal.fema.gov. Further
information on DHS’s preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and www.fema.gov/grants.
 On this
week’s episode of the FEMA Podcast, National Atmospheric and Oceanic
Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane
Center (NHC) Director, Ken Graham, joins the Podcast while in
Montgomery, Alabama, at one of
the annual Hurricane Awareness Tour stops. He discusses some of the
things the NHC learned from the 2017 hurricane season and how the center
is
working to provide better information to save lives and property.
The FEMA Podcast is a new audio program series available to anyone
interested in learning more about the Agency, hearing about innovation
in the field of emergency management, and listening to stories about
communities and individuals recovering after disasters. The FEMA Podcast is available on Apple iTunes
to stream or download. Approximately 20 to 30 minutes in length, the
podcast will be updated with a new episode on a weekly basis. By
subscribing, new episodes will automatically update on a listener's
device. For more information, visit www.fema.gov/podcast.
|
Each week of National
Building Safety Month casts the spotlight on a different component of building
safety. This week the focus is on “Safeguarding Our Water.” Clean water
is the world’s most precious commodity. The World Health Organization estimates
that 844 million people lack basic access to clean drinking water, which
includes several U.S. communities. FEMA provides pre-disaster mitigation grants
to communities for the safeguarding of critical infrastructure such as water
treatment plants.
Building,
plumbing, and green codes help guard against flood and drought conditions and
protect this precious commodity for future generations. Communities can apply for Hazard Mitigation Assistance for projects related to aquifer storage and recovery
facilities, floodplain and stream
restoration, flood diversion and storage, and green infrastructure methods, to
ensure a safe and plentiful supply of water. All of these programs help
communities reduce risks associated with the impacts of storms and other
hazards. Through proper
construction, conservation and safe disposal methods, building code officials
learn from experience about how to resolve challenging situations affecting our
water supply. A video is available online to learn more about an aquifer project in
Salinas, Puerto Rico.
FEMA’s
Building Science Branch takes a lead role in developing
state-of-the-art publications, guidance materials, tools, training, technical
bulletins, and recovery advisories that incorporate the most up-to-date
building codes. For more information on National Building Safety Month, visit
the International Code Council’s Building
Safety Month webpage.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Faith and Opportunity
Initiatives and FEMA invite you a webinar on Wednesday, May 23.
This webinar will feature promising practices for faith-based and community
organizations to engage in disaster preparedness activities and receive
information on FEMA’s Non-Profit Security Grant.
Title:
Protecting Your
Organization: Resources, Partners and Tips to Help Keep Your Office, House of
Worship, or Community Center Safe
Date:
Wednesday,
May 23, 2018
Time:
2
– 3 p.m. ET
How
to Join the Webinar:
- Please register
for the event using the Adobe Connect
registration
web link.
- Be sure to test your Adobe
Connect connection
prior to the meeting.
- This webinar will
offer captioning.
Please
register to receive a recording
of the webinar.
For more information, please contact FEMA-Prepare@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA Emergency Management Institute's (EMI) Master Public Information Officer Program (MPIOP) is a
three-course series designed to prepare public information officers for an
expanded role in delivering public information and warning using a strategic
whole community approach.
The course is open to full time public information officers
with a minimum of five years of experience
and who have a demonstrated sphere of influence capable of advancing the
relevance of whole community external affairs. For more information go to: https://training.fema.gov/programs/pio/masterpio.aspx#E0389,
or send an email to FEMA-Master_PIO_Program@FEMA.DHS.GOV. The application deadline is June 30, 2018. For instructions how to apply for the program, go
to the Training
Bulletin.
Working in a collaborative environment, students will
enhance their public information and external affairs skills through case study, analyzing management theories and concepts, and developing and designing of processes and
reports. MPIOP participants will evaluate leadership, group dynamics,
and explore best practices of joint information centers by monitoring student
activity. The skills MPIOP participants gain reinforce qualities needed to lead
whole community public information and external affairs programs. Participants
will contribute to the public information body of knowledge through the completion
of a special project. Research papers from former participants are available online.
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.
Apply to the National Emergency Management Advanced and Executive Academies
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is accepting applications until June 8, 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.
|
