FEMA Bulletin Week of July 29, 2019

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FEMA BULLETIN

July 29, 2019

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In this Edition:

Important Dates & Reminders

August 1

Tribal outreach and consultation webinar at
2 p.m. ET


August 7

Webinar on Hurricane Michael Recovery Advisories at Noon.

FEMA Releases 2019 National Threat Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment

FEMA released the latest national Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), which is the process to identify catastrophic threats and hazards, and associated consequences and the capabilities the nation needs to address those hazards.

 

FEMA designed the THIRA methodology to support collaboration between state and local governments, federal agencies, and other emergency management entities. The new National THIRA relies on this same methodology to provide a holistic depiction of the nation's readiness on all hazards, at all level of government. This common assessment will allow FEMA and other federal agencies to track progress over time and provide concrete answers in specific, measurable terms to the question: “How prepared is the nation?”

 

The 2019 National Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA): Overview and Methodology is available on FEMA website.


FEMA Tribal Outreach and Consultation Period on Disaster Recovery Reform Act

This month, FEMA initiated an outreach and consultation period for specific provisions about the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA). At various points during implementation of this law, FEMA is seeking comments from federally-recognized Indian tribes to further DRRA implementation.

 

Signed into law by the President on October 5, 2018, the DRRA provides FEMA the opportunity to implement comprehensive emergency management reforms. These reforms acknowledge a shared responsibility for disaster response and recovery, aim to reduce the complexity of FEMA, and build preparedness and readiness capacity for the next catastrophic event. 

 

FEMA will consult and coordinate with tribes on these DRRA provisions in several ways, which may include face-to-face meetings, conference calls, and FEMA Adobe Connect webinars. 

 

The following webinar is for federally-recognized tribes to learn about and comment on DRRA Section 1234: Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC).  

    •  
    • •   Aug. 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. ET
    •  
    • Register for the FEMA Adobe Connect here. Audio for the webinar is available through telephone dial-in: 1-800-320-4330; PIN 338559#

 

FEMA has identified a list of DRRA provisions for tribal consultation, which are summarized on the FEMA Website.  Questions and comments for this session as well as the other DRRA provisions can be submitted to tribalconsultation@fema.dhs.gov

 

Additional information on the DRRA can be found on the FEMA Website.


FEMA Congratulates Graduates of Tribal-Hosted Advanced Academy

On June 28, 33 students graduated from FEMA's National Emergency Management Advanced Academy hosted by California’s Blue Lake Rancheria. This course was the first tribal-hosted delivery of the Advanced Academy.

 

The Advanced Academy is one of three distinct, competency-linked, academies in the Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP). The program focuses on providing knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by emergency managers. The EMPP embodies a whole community-centric approach addressing the challenges faced by today’s emergency managers, whether they are new to the field or have many years of experience.

 

Graduates represented emergency management professionals from five different tribal nations: Blue Lake Rancheria, Buena Vista Rancheria, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Yurok Tribe, Tolowa Dee’ni Nation and Susanville Indian Rancheria. Other graduates included representatives from state and local governments, private sector, first responders, and academic institutions.

 

For more information on NEMAA, visit the Emergency Management Institute FEMA website.

 

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Upcoming Deadlines and Reminders

 

FEMA Hosts Webinar on Hurricane Michael Recovery Advisories

 

FEMA scheduled webinars to discuss recently-released Hurricane Michael Recovery Advisories. These Recovery Advisories assist various stakeholders in rebuilding more resiliently by providing design and construction guidance to help minimize damage from future storm events. The webinars are free and available to anyone interested in the topics and content. 

 

•  Aug. 7 from Noon to 1:45 p.m. ET

•  Aug. 15 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. ET

 

Each webinar will be divided into two sessions and participants must register for each:

 

•  Session 1: Successfully Retrofitting Buildings for Wind Resistance; suggested attendees include: building owners and operators, design professionals, contractors, and entities that fund retrofits. 

 

•  Session 2:  Best Practices for Minimizing Wind and Water Infiltration Damage; suggested attendees include: building owners, operators, and managers; design professionals; building officials; contractors; and municipal building, and planning officials.

 

Register for the webinar here.  Any questions about this webinar, please contact the FEMA Building Science Helpline at FEMA-Buildingsciencehelp@fema.dhs.gov.

 


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FEMA Releases PrepTalk: Building a Mission-Driven Culture

Today, FEMA released Chief Brian Fennesy’s PrepTalk: “Building a Mission-Driven Culture”. In his PrepTalk, Chief Fennessy shares the values of a Mission-Driven Culture and the importance of intent-based leadership in emergency management.

 

Fennessy is Fire Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority in California. He also serves as the representative for the nine Western Division FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Task Force Sponsoring Agency Chiefs, is vice-chair of the California Fire Chiefs Association Metro Chiefs, and vice-chair of the FIRESCOPE Board of Directors.

 

His PrepTalk video and additional resources are available on the FEMA website. Additional PrepTalks from the April 2019 symposium in Santa Rosa, Calif. will be released in the coming months.

 

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.