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FEMA is taking significant steps to improve the NFIP claims process and customer experience. FEMA will be at various open house events and venues in
Houston, Texas, on June 2, 4 and 5, 2018, to provide Hurricane Harvey survivors with information and resources to help them
navigate the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims process. The first event will take place at the Houston/Galveston
Extreme Weather Ready Expo on
June 2.
FEMA remains committed to ensuring policyholders receive every dollar
they are due based on the coverage in their policy and the flood damage that
occurred. The NFIP has free resources survivors may use to support resolution of their claims, allowing them to recover more quickly from a flood. FEMA is concerned that many policyholders are not aware
of these resources and instead turn to for-profit lawyers who typically can be
paid $1 of every $3 of their flood settlement. As the deadline nears for
policyholders to prove their loss to their insurer, FEMA urges them to
take advantage of this opportunity to meet face-to-face with our claims
experts.
FEMA has already paid Hurricane Harvey survivors
more than $8.7 billion to assist them with their recovery process. If new damage
or the actual costs of repairs is more than what they received, FEMA wants policyholders to act now and contact their flood insurance carrier to request
an additional payment. Additional
information will be advertised locally and in coordination with Region VI staff
and partners.
 FEMA’s own Andy Neal (and team) from the National Flood
Insurance Program was chosen as one of the 27 finalists for the Management
Excellence Category of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal (the
“Sammie"). On this episode of the FEMA Podcast, we talk with Andy Neal about the
process of diversifying the NFIP’s risk through reinsurance, and what the
Sammie nomination has meant for his program.
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.
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Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center say the Atlantic could see
another above-normal hurricane season this year. For the upcoming Atlantic
hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November 30, forecasters predict a 35 percent chance of an above-normal season, a 40
percent chance of a near-normal season, and a 25 percent chance of a
below-normal season for the upcoming hurricane season.
NOAA’s forecasters predict a 70-percent likelihood of 10 to
16 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 5 to 9 could
become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 1 to 4 major
hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). An
average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which 6 become
hurricanes, including 3 major hurricanes.
FEMA reminds residents that they should do
their part to prepare for hurricanes by making a family emergency communication plan that includes
pets, and to download the FEMA app for local alerts and warnings. Check your insurance coverage and know if you have flood and wind protection. For more information, visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes.
On May 25, 2018, FEMA
published a Federal Register notice of the Record of
Decision (ROD) for the final National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP) Nationwide Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
(NPEIS). Through this decision, FEMA is announcing intent to implement the preferred alternative
from the NFIP’s final Nationwide Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
(NPEIS). For additional information about the program modifications, visit www.fema.gov/programmatic-environmental-impact-statement.
As required by the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FEMA completed the final NPEIS to
examine the impacts of proposed improvements and modifications to the NFIP. FEMA's revisions and responses to comments received during the process are included in the final NPEIS (Appendix M). The NFIP proposed
modifications are needed to implement the legislative requirements of Biggert-Waters
Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) and the Homeowner
Flood Insurance
Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA), and to demonstrate compliance
with the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Today, more than 22,000
communities participate in the NFIP, with over 5 million NFIP policies in
effect, providing over $1.2 trillion in insurance coverage. The NFIP
serves as the foundation for national efforts to reduce property loss from flood disasters.
The ROD and final NPEIS are
available for public viewing and download at www.fema.gov/programmatic-environmental-impact-statement.
May 31,
2018, is National Dam Safety Awareness Day, a day to raise awareness of dams in
communities, help residents and stakeholders understand the responsibilities of
local governments and dam owners, and learn how to reduce potential risks
associated with high hazard dams. National
Dam Safety Awareness Day was created to commemorate the failure of the South Fork Dam in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in
1889. The dam failure resulted in the loss of more than 2,200 lives and remains
the worst dam failure in U.S. history.
Many
dams provide important benefits to our communities. Due to a number of
catastrophic dam failures in the past few decades, today, there is increased
attention to dam safety and how we can reduce the risks that some dams pose.
In
2017 alone, there were several high profile incidents involving dam safety
including:
- A potential failure of the emergency spillway of the
Oroville Dam in Oroville, California, that caused the emergency evacuation of
about 188,000 residents.
- Record-breaking rainfall from Hurricane Harvey that tested the
Addicks and Barker reservoirs in Houston, Texas.
- The weakening Guajataca Dam in
Quebradillas, Puerto Rico that threatened more than 70,000 residents in two
nearby towns after heavy rainfall from Hurricane Maria.
For more
than 30 years, the federal government has worked to protect Americans from dam
failure through the National Dam Safety Program (NDSP). The NDSP is a partnership of the
states, federal agencies, and other stakeholders to encourage and promote the
establishment and maintenance of effective federal and state dam safety
programs to reduce the risks to human life, property, and the environment from
dam related hazards.
While dams
provide many benefits to communities, such as storage of drinking water and
improvement of wildlife habitats, they can also pose a significant flood risk
if they fail. Dam safety is a shared responsibility and everyone is encouraged
to know their risk, know their role, and to take action.
For additional information on dam safety, please
visit FEMA’s
Dam Safety page
for an overview
on National Dam Safety Awareness Day and the National Dam Safety Program.
Each week of National
Building Safety Month casts the spotlight on a different component of building
safety. This week, the focus is “Improving Education and Training Standards for a Safer
Tomorrow.”
When entering a house or building, there is an expectation that it was
properly constructed by certified professionals in accordance with local
building codes. With major advancements
in building technology and frequent discoveries of new methods for solving
age-old problems, the building industry, like other industries, is constantly
evolving. For building safety professionals, education and training are
important aspects of professional development.
To help meet the demand for
educated building professionals, FEMA offers a variety of training
opportunities. The National
Preparedness Online Course Catalog, provides a searchable,
integrated catalog on courses offered or managed by FEMA’s Center for Domestic
Preparedness, Emergency Management Institute, and National Training and
Education Division.
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.
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.
Apply to the Master Public Information Officer Program at FEMA's Emergency Management Institute
FEMA Emergency Management Institute's (EMI) Master Public Information Officer Program 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.
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