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FEMA, in accordance with President Biden’s Jan. 21 memorandum to “Extend Federal Support to Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Increase Reimbursement and Other Assistance Provided to States,” and the Feb. 2 memorandum on “Maximizing Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” is processing Public Assistance projects at a 100% federal cost share for COVID-19 declarations. All eligible work, including emergency medical care, emergency feeding and at-risk sheltering covered under the Public Assistance program from Jan. 20, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021 is included under this guidance. The increase in funding helps reduce the financial burden of states, tribes and territories as they continue working to assist residents affected by COVID-19.
FEMA is retroactively reimbursing recipients of previously awarded COVID-19 Public Assistance projects to increase the federal funding from 75% to 100%. To minimize the administrative burden and expedite assistance for participants, the retroactive obligations will occur through automatic amendments.
The cost share adjustment applies only to Public Assistance grants for COVID-19 declarations. In order to ensure funding does not become an obstacle for life-saving activities, FEMA is prioritizing funding to enable ongoing or planned actions to address COVID-19 requests for actions that have already been completed and reimbursed at the 75% cost share. FEMA will continue this prioritization with vaccine projects receiving the highest priority.
Members of DHS’s Surge Capacity Force began deploying to support communities across the country affected by the coronavirus. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas activated the DHS Surge Capacity Force to augment FEMA’s response to support the needs of communities affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Surge Capacity Force is a voluntary program for federal employees within the department and other federal agencies that allows non-FEMA employees an opportunity to support disaster response efforts. These members leave their regular agency job to deploy for up to 45 days to a disaster location.
Surge Capacity Force members will receive training, personal protective equipment and operational briefings before arriving in communities to start assisting with the vaccination response. When in place, they'll perform administrative duties and work logistic issues to help deliver vaccines.
The program, first authorized by Congress as part of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, was designed to allow all DHS staff an opportunity to help communities and survivors following a large-scale disaster. The program was previously activated in 2012, when 1,100 non-FEMA DHS employees supported disaster response and recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and again in 2017 when more than 4,000 staff members assisted Americans impacted by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
There are currently more than 5,100 non-FEMA DHS personnel and 2,900 other federal agency personnel rostered to support the Surge Capacity Force. This is in addition to more than 20,000 FEMA employees dedicated to helping people before, during and after disasters.
To assist with informing the public on the latest COVID-19 information, FEMA updated the Coronavirus Rumor Control page. The page addresses common misconceptions and rumors concerning the ongoing pandemic. Additionally, the site provides ways to stop the spread of inaccurate information by:
- Encourage people to use information from trusted sources.
- Share information from trusted sources.
- Discourage others from sharing information from unverified sources.
To find trusted sources, look for information from official public health and safety authorities, the CDC COVID-19 website, state and local governments or health department websites.
Large sections of the United States are being impacted by extreme cold, snow, ice and high winds. FEMA is ready to respond to meet the needs of state, local and tribal governments. FEMA is actively coordinating with impacted states to address unmet needs.
Listen to state and local officials about warming centers as well as storm warnings and road conditions in your area. Heed advice about mask wearing and social distancing in any warming center or other public shelter.
While winter weather may be unavoidable, consider these tips to stay safe:
- Use a generator in a safe manner. Never use a generator indoors and without proper ventilation.
- Have adequate clothing and blankets to keep you warm in case you lose power.
- Include extra supplies for pets and services animals.
- Check on neighbors who might need assistance such as infants, children, older adults and people with disabilities.
Go to FEMA.gov or Ready.gov to receive additional information on staying safe and prepared during the winter months.
On Dec. 14, FEMA published a proposed rule titled "Cost of Assistance Estimates" in the disaster declaration process for the Public Assistance program. In order to comply with sections 1232 and 1239 of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA), FEMA proposed to revise the estimated cost of assistance disaster declaration factor that is used to evaluate a governor’s request for a major disaster under the Public Assistance program. The proposed revisions would more accurately assess states’ disaster response capabilities and comply with the DRRA requirement for FEMA to review and update its disaster declaration factors.
FEMA is extending the public comment period for this proposed rule and will hold a public meeting via web conference to solicit feedback on the rule. This meeting will help ensure all interested parties have sufficient opportunity to review and provide comments on the proposed changes.
This web conference will take place 1 - 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 24, 2021 and can be accessed via Zoom. An ASL interpreter and captioning will be provided for the call.
To register to make remarks during the meeting, send an email to FEMA-PA-Policy-Questions@fema.dhs.gov by noon ET on Feb. 23.
Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted until 11:59 pm ET on March 12 and must be submitted via the Federal Rulemaking Portal.
Application Period Closing for Fire Prevention and Safety Grants
The funding notice has been released for $35.5 million to support the 2020 Fire Prevention and Safety Grants. These grants are part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants which support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards. The application period for the program closes at 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 26.
The notice of funding opportunity is available at www.grants.gov. For more information on the Fire Prevention and Safety grants, go to FEMA.gov.
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FEMA Seeks Feedback for Typing Documents
The FEMA National Integration Center is seeking public feedback on resource typing definitions. The 30-day national engagement period will conclude at 5 p.m. ET on March 2.
These resource typing documents will facilitate the sharing of deployable resource types at all jurisdictional levels. To provide comments on the drafts, complete the feedback form on FEMA.gov and submit the form to fema-nims@fema.dhs.gov no later than 5 p.m. ET on March 2, 2021.
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FEMA Accepting Spring Nominations for Exercise Assistance
The FEMA National Exercise Division is now accepting Spring 2021 exercise assistance nominations to the National Exercise Program. Spring nomination submissions are due by April 1 and decisions will be sent by May 3.
Instructions for how to submit a nomination are on the National Exercise Program website.
FEMA is hosting 60-minute webinars for state, local, tribal, territorial and other whole community partners to discuss the nomination process. The webinar will also cover National Exercise Program supporting activities for conducting exercises in a pandemic environment. The webinar will also cover approved 2021-2022 Principals’ Strategic Priorities. The dates for the webinars are:
- Webinar: 4 p.m. ET Feb. 25.
- Webinar: 2 p.m. ET March 11.
To register for the webinars, visit the National Exercise Program webinar page. For questions, send an email to the National Exercise Division.
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FEMA Accepts Applications for Youth Preparedness Council
FEMA is currently accepting Youth Preparedness Council applications. The application period is currently open and closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on March 7. To learn more about the Youth Preparedness Council and application requirements, visit Ready.gov.
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FEMA Announces Application Period Open for Firefighters Grants
The application period is underway for $355 million in funding available through the Fiscal Year 2021 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants. These grants enhance the ability of recipients to attain and maintain fire department staffing and to assure that their communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.
The SAFER application period closes at 5 p.m. ET on March 12. The notice of funding opportunity and technical assistance documents for this program are available at www.grants.gov and on FEMA.gov.
Fire departments or other applicants requiring assistance can call the Fire Grants Help Desk at (866) 274-0960 or send an email to firegrants@fema.dhs.gov. The Fire Grants Help Desk is open 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET, Monday – Friday.
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FEMA Seeks to Grow its Workforce
FEMA is hosting and participating in free hiring events. Eligible applicants are encouraged to join an event to explore federal career opportunities.
FEMA Presents: Breaking Barriers – Women in Leadership
See a list of upcoming hiring events and learn more by visiting our FEMA Careers web page.
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Sign-Up to Make a Difference With FEMA
The FEMA and AmeriCorps partnership program, FEMA Corps, is seeking talented and enthusiastic adults between 18 – 26 years old to serve the country before, during and after disasters.
FEMA Corps is a volunteer service program to give young adults the chance to be exposed to and work in the field of emergency management. Over the course of 12 months, FEMA Corps works to assist communities prepare for and respond to disasters. Members will travel across the country to assist in FEMA’s mission. Many FEMA Corps alumni go on to become professionals at FEMA and other levels of government.
Applications are now open for the summer class of FEMA Corps and will close on April 1 for team lead positions and will close April 15 for corps member positions.
Go to AmeriCorps.gov or FEMA.gov to learn more. For questions, contact fema-corps-program@fema.dhs.gov.
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FEMA Holds Stakeholder Call on Vaccine Equity for People with Disabilities
FEMA is working with state, local, tribal and territorial partners and the CDC to ensure equitable access for all populations including people with disabilities. The agency has regional disability integration specialists in each of FEMA’s 10 regions and is deploying disability integration advisors and civil rights advisors to support regional leadership as needs are identified.
Join the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination call from 1 -2 p.m. ET on Feb. 24 to learn more about the vaccination centers and how FEMA is working with our federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners to ensure vaccine equity for people with disabilities.
- Call: 888-254-3590
- Participant Passcode: 2459603
Scheduled speakers include:
- Acting Administrator Robert Fenton.
- FEMA Vaccine Task Force Lead Chad Gorman.
- FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination Director Linda Mastandrea.
- FEMA Office of Equal Rights Director Jo Linda Johnson.
- CDC Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Dr. Karen Remley.
A confirmed agenda and presentation materials will be sent to registered participants prior to the call.
At the start time of the event, please log in to the closed captioning. Space for this event is limited, so reservations are requested. Please RSVP using the online form.
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