|
On April 26, Secretary Mayorkas swore in Deanne Criswell as FEMA’s 12th Administrator and the first woman to serve in this role.
As FEMA’s Administrator, she is tasked with leading the nation through a comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation.
Administrator Criswell has more than 25 years of leadership experience in emergency management. At FEMA, she served as Federal Coordinating Officer and led one of our agency’s National Incident Management Teams. She previously worked as a firefighter for 21 years and as deputy fire chief at the Colorado Air National Guard. She most recently served as the head of New York City's Office of Emergency Management.
Administrator Criswell joins FEMA at a critical moment as the agency continues to coordinate COVID-19 vaccination efforts, support humanitarian efforts at the southern border and prepare for future disasters.
Two events are scheduled this month to explain how FEMA will reimburse eligible funeral expenses incurred on and after Jan. 20, 2020, for deaths related to COVID-19.
The Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will host a webinar from 2 – 3 p.m. ET April 29. During the webinar, FEMA’s Individual Assistance Deputy Division Director Matt Redding will explain how to apply for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance and discuss program myths and facts. Additional FEMA staff members will be on hand to answer questions from participants.
Register in advance using Adobe Connect. This webinar will offer captioning services. A recording of the webinar will be sent to all registered participants. For additional information on this webinar, contact partnerships@fema.dhs.gov.
To answer questions from disability stakeholders, FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination will discuss the Funeral Assistance program at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 28.
A FEMA panel of experts will share more about program policy, eligibility and accessible communications for people with disabilities to apply; and how to guard against fraud when filing an application.
FEMA program experts scheduled to speak include:
- Office of Disability Integration and Coordination Director Linda Mastandrea
- Recovery Directorate, Office of Response and Recovery Assistant Administrator Keith Turi
- COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Task Force Lead Nancy Casper
- Office of External Affairs Communications Access Specialist Gay Jones
- Fraud Investigations and Inspections Division Director Bill Wilson
To participate:
- Participant Phone Number: 1-888-394-8218
- Participant Passcode: 7731215
- Closed Captioning
-
RSVP for the event.
To view a full agenda and register for the event, visit: FEMA Holds Call for Disability Stakeholders on Funeral Assistance Program | FEMA.gov.
Visit FEMA.gov for additional information on the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance.
FEMA is seeking public comments on how the agency’s programs deal with climate change and underserved communities and populations.
Earlier this year, President Biden released three executive orders, 13985, 13990 and 14008, requiring agencies to assess existing programs and policies to determine the following:
- If agency programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups.
- If additional agency actions are required to bolster resilience to climate change.
- If agency programs, policies and activities address the disproportionately high and adverse climate-related impacts on disadvantaged communities.
To seek input, FEMA posted in the Federal Register a Request for Information that contains a list of questions. The answers will assist FEMA in identifying specific programs, regulations and/or policies that may benefit from modification, streamlining, expansion or repeal to better address climate change and underserved communities and populations.
With the increasing severity and number of large-scale disasters in recent years, that may in part be from climate change, it is essential to reevaluate the agency’s programs. These efforts may help to reduce unnecessary barriers to participation and effectiveness, to serve all communities, to increase equity and to promote preparedness and resilience.
FEMA encourages public responses to these questions and seeks any other data commenters have that may be relevant to these review efforts.
The type of feedback most useful to the agency identifies specific programs, regulations, information collections and/or policies that could benefit from reform. Additionally, feedback should refer to specific barriers to participation; address how to improve risk perception; offer actionable data; and specify viable alternatives to existing approaches that meet statutory obligations.
To help the public and stakeholders understand how to submit feedback, FEMA will be hosting a series of webinars to explain the executive orders and the request for information process. These webinars will also explain the type of information needed to respond appropriately and will be announced in the coming days.
Feedback on the executive orders will be open through June 21. Comments may be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Docket ID: FEMA-2021-0011.
FEMA Region 5 is hosting a roundtable to engage in a community discussion about how FEMA is working with other federal agencies to coordinate with state, tribal and territorial authorities, private sector partners and others to:
- Ensure vaccine equity for people with disabilities at the vaccination centers.
- Assist, augment and expedite vaccinations in the United States.
Date: Tuesday, May 11.
Time: 10 a.m. ET.
Register in advance on Zoom.
Bring your questions, concerns and suggestions about how our regional office, covering Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, can best serve the people with disabilities in your communities.
Sign language interpreters and CART captioning will be available. If you need a reasonable accommodation, make your request at least 48 hours before the event. For more information, contact Amy.Pifine@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA is offering a series of one-hour live virtual trainings to help you understand how to purchase in compliance with federal procurement rules using FEMA grant awards for responding to the coronavirus public health emergency.
The trainings are held every Tuesday and Thursday through May 6. The trainings can also serve as a refresher on new federal procurement rules that went into effect in November 2020.
A full schedule of the trainings is available on FEMA’s website, which also includes resources on purchasing during emergency or exigent circumstances.
On April 5, FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute reopened its gates to students after 13 months. The institute’s superintendent, Dr. Jeff Stern, along with officials from the National Emergency Training Center management operations and support services, welcomed students with the latest in COVID-safe testing and sanitation procedures across the campus.
The reopening serves as a wonderful bookend to the upcoming 70 anniversary celebration of the Emergency Management Institute on April 30. Due to COVID restrictions on public gatherings, Dr. Stern recorded a video for future publication on the institute’s website and social media channels, showcasing its rich history and future.
The theme for the anniversary is, “70 Years of Training Those Who Serve Our Nation.” Events throughout the year will include memories from past students, instructors and superintendents, as well as a glimpse into the institute’s future vision. Planning continues for the celebration with more details to be announced.
Send an email to FEMA-EMI-social-media@fema.dhs.gov to share a story about how the Emergency Management Institute has impacted your training.
FEMA released the fifth edition of FEMA P-320 (2021), “Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building or Installing a Safe Room for Your Home.” This edition updates and refines criteria for how to design and construct a safe room for a one- or two-family dwelling that provides near-absolute protection from wind and wind-borne debris for occupants.
Updates from the International Code Council, the National Storm Shelter Association and the “ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters,” (ICC 500) are included in this fifth edition. Prescriptive safe room designs that meet FEMA criteria for one- and two-family dwellings are also included as a part of this publication for multiple material options.
The FEMA P-320 resource along with its design plans, can be downloaded from FEMA’s Safe Room Resources webpage. To learn more about FEMA’s Safe Room Program, visit FEMA.gov.
FEMA released updates to the National Incident Management System Implementation Objectives for Federal Departments and Agencies. The updates reflect the feedback provided by emergency management stakeholders in 2020.
The updates ensure the objectives are consistent with the Third Edition of the National Incident Management System. The third edition retains the concepts and principles from the 2008 and 2004 versions of National Incident Management System while reflecting changes to laws, policies and best practices. In addition, the third edition provides additional information on the roles of off-scene incident personnel such as senior leaders and emergency operations center personnel.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5, Management of Domestic Incidents, requires all federal departments and agencies to formally adopt and maintain the National Incident Management System and use it in their individual domestic incident management activities. Since the release of the presidential directive, FEMA has engaged its federal stakeholders to identify implementation objectives necessary to enhance incident management throughout federal departments and agencies, including their sub-component organizations.
FEMA has developed indicators for each implementation objective. These indicators are tools to assist federal emergency management stakeholders in meeting new implementation objectives; serving as actionable activities that jurisdictions can use to demonstrate implementation of the National Incident Management System.
National Hurricane Program to Host Online Training
To prepare for the 2021 hurricane season, the National Hurricane Program is offering a three-day online training. The training will cover hurricane hazards, hurricane forecast products, forecast uncertainty and informed decision-making. Classes are available to anyone who has, or can obtain, a HURREVAC account.
The training will be from:
- 1 to 4 p.m. ET on May 4 - 6.
Register in advance for the webinar and provide your occupational details.
|
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
FEMA Hosts Exercise Starter Kit Webinars
FEMA’s National Exercise Division has developed exercise starter kits with sample documents to assist organizations in planning and conducting tabletop exercises aligning with the updated National Exercise Program 2021-2022 Principal's Strategic Priorities.
FEMA will host webinars for whole community exercise practitioners. The webinars will introduce the new exercise starter kits, providing stakeholders with an overview of the kits along with how to use them. The webinars are scheduled for:
- 7 p.m. ET, May 4.
- Noon ET, May 12.
- 5 p.m. ET, May 20.
- 1 p.m. ET, May 28.
- 9 a.m. ET, June 7.
Each webinar will present the same content, and a recording will be made available later on FEMA.gov. Visit the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program Webinar webpage to register.
|
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
"Next Generation of Resilience" Student Showcase
The Resilient Nation Partnership Network will host the “Next Generation of Resilience” Student Showcase on April 28. During the first student showcase, four students will present their work and research supporting the priorities of the group.
All student work will also be featured in the May edition of the Resilient Nation Roundup newsletter. Partners, resilience professionals and students nationwide are invited to attend this 90-minute event. Participants can provide feedback, ask questions and engage in thoughtful dialogue across diverse resilience disciplines. There will be time at the conclusion of the presentations to network and discuss work experience, career paths and resume building, along with general questions across the resilience sector.
Register through Eventbrite to attend the student showcase. For questions or additional information, email FEMA-ResilientNation@fema.dhs.gov or visit the Resilient Nation Partnership Network webpage on FEMA.gov.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
|
