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Disasters and emergencies happen often with little or no warning – whether it is a fire in your house or a massive hurricane, the unexpected can take a toll on your financial planning.
Being financially prepared helps people to bounce back much more quickly from a disaster, yet research by the Federal Reserve shows that about 40 percent of Americans don’t have money to cover basic needs for more than three months.
FEMA encourages the nation to be involved in creating a culture of preparedness, which includes financial preparedness. We are pleased to partner with the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education® (AFCPE®) to improve financial preparedness for individuals and families.
During America Saves Week, please join AFCPE® and FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division from 1 to 2 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 27 to learn about the importance of financial preparedness for emergencies and the best ways to prepare.
How to Join the Webinar:
• Register by using this link.
• Make sure to test your Adobe Connect before the meeting.
• To learn more, contact FEMA-Prepare@fema.dhs.gov.
Disclaimer: This webinar and announcement do not constitute or imply an endorsement by FEMA of AFCPE® or “America Saves Week,” or any of their products or services.
The National Inventory of Dams (NID) is a congressionally authorized database documenting dams in the United States and its territories. It is maintained and published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and, in collaboration with FEMA, aims to obtain more accurate and complete information about dams. The NID is now available for public download.
Historically, the NID has been published every two years. Starting in 2019, the NID will be updated annually.
The NID consists of dams meeting at least one of the following criteria:
• High hazard potential classification - loss of human life is likely if the dam fails.
• Significant hazard potential classification - no probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities or impact other concerns.
• Equal to or exceed 25 feet in height and exceed 15 acre-feet in storage.
• Equal to or exceed 50 acre-feet storage and exceed 6 feet in height.
Data collection has been focused on the most reliable data sources, from the many federal and state government dam construction and regulation offices. In most cases, dams within the NID criteria are regulated (e.g., construction permit, inspection, and/or enforcement) by federal or state agencies, who have basic information on the dams within their jurisdiction.
To access and download the database visit: http://nid.usace.army.mil. For further information on the National Inventory of Dams visit: https://www.fema.gov/2018-national-inventory-dams.
FEMA’s National Exercise Division released new Exercise Starter Kits to provide tools for state, local, tribal, territorial, non-governmental, and private sector partners to conduct table top exercises.
Exercises are a key component in “Building a Culture of Preparedness,” empowering communities and individuals to become more resilient against the threats and hazards that Americans face.
The new Exercise Starter Kits contain a situation manual, facilitator guide and briefing slides with scene-setting videos. Each kit includes sample scenarios and discussion questions that can be tailored to specific threats, as well as jurisdiction or organization specific resources, operational plans, and procedures to support desired exercise objectives.
The kits are structured around scenario modules to support a four to six-hour tabletop exercise for four to 50 participants. Tabletop exercises with higher complexity can be constructed by incorporating additional components to drive a more technical and quickly evolving scenario.
The new Exercise Starter Kits are designed to examine the nine Principal’s Strategic Priorities that guide the 2019-2020 National Exercise Program Cycle: Operational Coordination and Communications, Cybersecurity, Stabilization and Restoration of Critical Lifelines, National Security Emergencies, Public Health Emergencies, Community recovery and Economic Resilience, Mass Care and Housing, Continuity, and School Safety and Security. For more information on the NEP, visit https://www.fema.gov/NEP.
The Exercise Starter Kits are available at: https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/web/em-toolkits and require an approved Preptoolkit account. Stakeholders can register by creating a username and password for system access. For more information on how to register, visit https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/user-guide and select Registration and Sign-In.
Last April, FEMA created a pilot program offering free training of local emergency managers to improve the capabilities of Puerto Rico Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration staff. The trainings were designed to help emergency managers better respond to a wide range of events including hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.
This program cultivates a solid emergency management team for the Government of Puerto Rico through theoretical and hands-on training, consistent with the Incident Command System, which provides orderly, systematic planning and uses a common, flexible management structure to effectively manage incidents.
Future trainings include American Sign Language courses taught by “Movimiento para el Alcance de Vida Independiente,” a local nonprofit that promotes independence, equality and empowerment for people with disabilities. This training will be essential in ensuring disaster response workers can communicate and understand the needs of people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
A course called "Train-the-Trainer” is scheduled to take place later this year and will teach Puerto Rico Bureau of Emergency Management how to educate other local emergency managers to identify training needs and manage training activities in Puerto Rico.
For more information on the Hurricane María recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4339.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is accepting applications from March 1– May 31, 2019, for the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy and the National Emergency Management Executive Academy.
The Advanced Academy addresses program management and oversight, effective communication, integrated collaboration, and strategic thinking skills. The target audience is mid-level managers who have a minimum of three years of experience in an emergency management position to include government, non-profit, voluntary organization, and private sector leaders.
The program consists of four resident courses conducted at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Md. Classes begin in October 2019 and are ideally taken sequentially through September 2020.
The curriculum enhances strategic leadership and critical thinking for emergency management senior executives from all levels of government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Ideally, candidates will have experience as senior executives of major emergency management organizations, have served on major commissions and task forces, or be responsible for decisions that have a significant effect on homeland security and emergency management policies.
The academy engages, challenges, and enhances the talents of emergency management executives through critical thinking, visionary strategic planning, and negotiation and conflict resolution when applied to complex real-world problems. The Executive Academy consists of four resident sessions and a student capstone team project.
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’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) hosts “One Link, One Bridge, Many Voices” e-Forums from 3 to 4 p.m. EST each Wednesday.
In these one-hour, moderated webinar panel discussions, EMI and the emergency management community discuss matters of interest related to emergency management and national preparedness.
During the forums, participants share their experiences in an informal exchange of ideas. EMI e-Forums are free of charge and available to anyone who wishes to participate.
March EMI e-Forums include:
• March 6: “Applying to Become a FEMA Reservist in Training.”
• March 13: “Chat with EMI Deputy Superintendent Mike Sharon.”
• March 20: “Women’s Herstory Month 2019: Celebrating Contributions of Women to the field of Emergency Management.”
• March 27: “Tribal Training Partnerships in Arizona.”
How to participate in the e-Forums:
• Use this link: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/emieforums; with conference call-in: 800-320-4330, PIN 107622.
• Additional questions can be sent to: FEMA-EMI-eforums@fema.dhs.gov.
Today, FEMA posted Brooke Buddemeier’s PrepTalk “Saving Lives After a Nuclear Detonation,” the fifth PrepTalk release from the Sept. 6, 2018 symposium. 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.
In his PrepTalk, Buddemeier discusses the importance of sheltering after a nuclear detonation and provides emergency managers with tools to help citizens, responders, and city officials get ready.
Buddemeier is a certified health physicist in the Global Security Directorate of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, providing technical leadership to deliver supporting science for radiological and nuclear terrorism risk assessments and response planning. His PrepTalk, a discussion guide, and additional resources are available on FEMA’s website at www.fema.gov/preptalks/buddemeier.
Additional PrepTalks from the Sept. 6 symposium held in Washington, D.C. will be released in the coming months.
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