FEMA Bulletin Week of June 8, 2020

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FEMA BULLETIN

Week of June 8, 2020

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In this Edition:

Important Dates & Reminders

June 10

Webinar on COVID-19 Operational Guidance for Hurricane Season at 3 p.m. ET.


June 17

Feedback period for NIMS updates ends at 5 p.m.


June 26

Application period ends for High Hazard Potential Dam Grant.

FEMA Releases BEOC Guidance

FEMA released Business Emergency Operations Center (BEOC) Quick Start Guidance that provides state, local, tribal and territorial governments with foundational concepts for establishing a Business Emergency Operations Center (BEOC) to support their response and recovery operations for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Engagement and integration of businesses and other organizations is critical as communities work to implement reopening plans that align with the Guidelines for Opening Up America Again and are informed by available Community Mitigation guidance and guidance for businesses and workplaces

 

Establishing a BEOC provides a jurisdiction with a consistent integration point for private and public coordination for sustained response and recovery operations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with no requirement for physical contact. 

 

The BEOC helps facilitate a coordinated response and recovery with local businesses, industry and other private sector partners, as well as helping to manage risk from the COVID-19 pandemic. It can also facilitate remote coordination and assistance; information sharing and data analysis; community lifeline, supply chain and market stabilization; community health mitigation; economic response coordination; joint planning; and economic and community recovery.

 

Jurisdictions are encouraged to continue to foster community-based private-public partnerships and refine engagement based upon local needs. They can leverage existing business alliances, affinity groups and organizational structures (e.g. emergency support functions) to maximize life safety, economic security and community resilience.

 

For quick start resources and economic profile reports, visit the FEMA NBEOC webpage. For cross-sector business and infrastructure coordination, visit the updated National Response Framework FEMA webpage to learn more about the new emergency support function (ESF) #14. For COVID-19 guidance for businesses, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

at a glance

An at-a-glance view of the three steps to quick-start a BEOC, with additional detail for each step.


FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program Announces Allocation of $320 Million in Funds

This week, FEMA announced that the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board will allocate $320 million to cities and counties across the country. These funds will assist social service organizations dedicated to feeding, sheltering and providing supportive resources to the nation's hungry and homeless. The funds are used to supplement food, shelter, rent, mortgage and utility assistance programs for people with non-disaster related emergencies.

 

Of this funding, $200 million was appropriated by Congress as supplemental humanitarian funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Congress also appropriated $120 million in fiscal year 2019 annual funding.

 

The EFSP National Board qualifies local jurisdictions for annual funding allocations based on criteria such as population, unemployment and poverty levels. Local boards in qualifying jurisdictions decide which nonprofit and government agencies receive the allocated funds. The funds are then disbursed directly to the selected agencies by the National Board.

 

The EFSP National board is chaired by FEMA and includes the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, The Jewish Federations of North America, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, the Salvation Army and the United Way Worldwide. United Way Worldwide acts as the Secretariat and Fiscal Agent. More than $4.8 billion in federal aid has been disbursed through the EFSP to help communities over the past 38 years.  Visit the FEMA website for more information.


HURREVAC Webinar Series Begins June 22

Beginning June 22, there will be a five-day HURREVAC webinar series, that includes training sessions each day at 2 p.m. ET. HURREVAC is the decision support tool of the National Hurricane Program, administered by FEMA, the USACE and the NOAA National Hurricane Center. Sign up to participate in each day's live session, or visit the HURREVAC website to watch recordings of the sessions after they have ended.

 

  • June 22: Day 1 Registration
    Intro to web-based HURREVAC and general overview of the program.
  • June 23: Day 2 registration
    Wind forecast features and tools to support understanding of potential wind timing and intensity.
  • June 24: Day 3 registration
    Evacuation timing features and tools to support evacuation decisions.
  • June 25: Day 4 registration 
    Storm surge and other program tools.
  • June 26: Day 5 registration 
    Using HURREVAC to answer scenario-based questions.

 

Recordings of prior years' webinar sessions on HURREVAC are posted on the User Guides and Tutorials page. For more information visit the HURREVAC website.


FEMA Announces National Domestic Preparedness Consortium Funding

FEMA is releasing a Notice of Funding Opportunity for five of the Homeland Security National Training Program’s National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) members.

 

Approximately $79 million in 2020 grant funding will be available to eligible consortium members to provide training opportunities for emergency responders and community leaders throughout the nation.

 

Funding is divided into the pre-determined amounts:

 

  • Texas A&M University’s Texas Engineering Extension Service, National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center: $25 million.
  • Louisiana State University, National Center for Biomedical Research and Training: $22 million.
  • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center: $22 million.
  • Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Security and Emergency Response Training Center: $5 million.
  • University of Hawaii, National Disaster Preparedness Training Center: $5 million.

 

The Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted on Grants.gov. Consortium members must submit applications for the Homeland Security National Training Program not later than ­­July 3 on Grants.gov.


FEMA Releases Notice of Funding Opportunity for Homeland Security Continuing Training Grants

FEMA made $8 million in funding available to the Homeland Security National Training Program, Continuing Training Grants to qualified applicants that can help improve the nation’s ability to respond to and recover from all-hazards events.

 

The grant program develops and delivers innovative training programs that are national in scope and play an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System by supporting the building, sustainment and delivery of core capabilities essential to achieving a secure and resilient nation.

 

This program is administered by FEMA’s National Training and Education Division. FEMA continues to prioritize funding for tribal and rural preparedness training programs and may make awards in all or some of the following focus areas:

 

  • Housing
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Recovery
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management
  • Tribal and Rural Preparedness

 

There is no pre-determined number of awards. Funding is provided as cooperative agreements and awarded directly to the selected applicants. Grant applications are due no later than 5 p.m. ET on July 8. Submissions must be made through Grants.gov. To find the funding on grants.gov, go to the Basic Search Criteria and in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance box, enter 97.005 to find Continuing Training Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity. For more information visit the FEMA website.


FEMA Highlights Community Efforts

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, nonprofit and voluntary organizations work together with the federal, state, local and tribal governments and the private sector to address needs of those communities most affected. FEMA is highlighting stories from our partners that address needs of migrant families and workers and tribal population by providing food, protective equipment and safety guidance during the pandemic.

 

With the support of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), Catholic Charities agencies use creative methods to best serve refugee and migrant families while maintaining distance, including no-contact meetings. They are also involved in distributing food, offering shelter and providing health and wellness checks.

 

Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas set up a COVID-19 helpline to help individuals reach a Catholic Charities staff member to help with everything from filing taxes, arranging transportation to medical appointments or getting food assistance. An online chat tool was also developed to help individuals more easily request assistance. The charity is also providing both long and short term emergency support including providing food, housing and utility assistance through their Family Support Centers.

 

Through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing food to income-eligible households living on Indian reservations and to American Indian households residing in approved areas near reservations.

 

In addition, FEMA is helping tribes with food, personal protective equipment and testing capabilities. Through the American Logistics Aid Network, FEMA transported 5,000 gallons of hand sanitizers for tribes in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. FEMA also approved Direct Federal Assistance feeding requests for the Navajo Nation and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

 

Visit the FEMA Best Practices page to read more stories about communities making a difference.


Upcoming Deadlines and Reminders

FEMA Holds Webinar on COVID-19 Operational Guidance for Hurricane Season

FEMA released "COVID-19 Pandemic Operational Guidance for the 2020 Hurricane Season" to help emergency managers and public health officials best prepare for disasters, while continuing to respond to and recover from coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To expand awareness and understanding of the guidance, FEMA held a series of webinars. The last webinar will be held at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 10. Register on FEMA Adobe Connect.

 

Download the COVID-19 Pandemic Operational Guidance for the 2020 Hurricane Season on the FEMA website.

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FEMA Seeks Feedback on NIMS Update

FEMA is seeking public feedback for an update of the 2009 National Incident Management System (NIMS) Implementation Objectives for federal departments and agencies. National engagement provides an opportunity for interested parties to comment on the draft implementation objectives to ensure they are relevant for all implementing partners. The national engagement period will conclude at 5 p.m. ET on June 17. For more information on the webinars and to review the draft objectives, visit the FEMA website.

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FEMA Accepts Applications for High Hazard Potential Dam Grants

The application period is open for the Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dam Grant Program. The grant program provides technical, planning, design and construction assistance in the form of grants for the rehabilitation of eligible high hazard potential dams. Eligible applicants must be non-federal sponsors which include non-federal governments and non-profit organizations. Applicants can apply on Grants.gov by the June 26 deadline. For more information about the Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams Grant Program, visit the FEMA website.

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FEMA Accepts Applications for Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grants

FEMA released the Notice of Funding Opportunity for $10 million in funding for the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program. Changes to the 2020 funding include a program objective to address regional pandemic preparedness with specific focus on pandemic planning activities.

 

The application period closes 5 p.m. ET on July 15. Submissions must be made through Grants.gov. The funding notice and additional information is available on the FEMA website as well as on Grants.gov, under Assistance Listings Number 97.111.

 

Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program provides funding to eligible states and local governments to close known preparedness capability gaps, encourage innovative regional solutions to issues related to catastrophic incidents and build on existing regional preparedness efforts, including pandemic preparedness.