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FEMA, in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology recently prepared a report for Congress, “Recommended Options for Improving the Built Environment for Post-Earthquake Reoccupancy and Functional Recovery Time (FEMA P-2090).”
The report recommends how to improve the speed of reoccupancy for buildings and infrastructure following an earthquake.
FEMA’s senior geophysicist, Mike Mahoney served on the report’s technical panel and worked with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help distribute and provide the report to Congress in January 2021.
Read more about the significant changes to improve disaster resilience in the American Society of Civil Engineer’s online publication.
Reauthorization of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program required the National Institute of Standards and Technology and FEMA to recommend options for improving critical infrastructure that reflect performance goals emphasizing post-earthquake reoccupancy and functional recovery time.
The recommendations in the report are:
- Develop a framework for post-earthquake reoccupancy and functional recovery objectives.
- Design new buildings to meet recovery-based objectives.
- Retrofit existing buildings to meet recovery-based objectives.
- Design, upgrade and maintain lifeline infrastructure systems to meet recovery-based objectives.
- Develop and implement pre-disaster recovery planning focused on recovery-based objectives.
- Provide education and outreach to enhance awareness and understanding of earthquake risk and recovery-based objectives.
- Facilitate access to financial resources needed to achieve recovery-based objectives.
Download a copy of the report on FEMA.gov.
FEMA’s National Integration Center published two search and rescue resource typing documents. These resource typing documents will facilitate the sharing of deployable resource types at all jurisdictional levels.
The positions include two search and rescue resource typing documents:
- Urban search and rescue incident support team.
- Fixed wing search team disaster reconnaissance.
Resource typing is a key component of the National Incident Management System and enables organizations from across the country to work together during incidents of all types and sizes. Implementing the national resource management principles across the nation is a fundamental part of building our national preparedness.
Resource typing definitions establish measurable standards of resource capabilities and performance levels of teams, equipment and units. National Incident Management System job titles and position qualifications establish standards and capabilities for personnel to manage all threats and hazards, regardless of incident type or size.
Throughout June, FEMA Region 10 will highlight community planning initiatives, mitigation projects and FEMA resources to learn more about available federal funding and efforts to support a community’s resilience. This initiative, coined Mitigation June, is an education campaign encouraging communities and individuals to understand their risk to natural hazards and to take long-term mitigation actions to decrease those risks.
Some studies show recovery after a disaster is more expensive then implementing pre-disaster mitigation efforts. According to the National Institute of Building Sciences, federal mitigation grants save $6 per $1 spent – exceeding building codes saves $4 per $1 spent. Effective mitigation to reduce human and financial consequences later includes analyzing, reducing and insuring against natural hazard risk.
To learn more about mitigation community stories, projects and community resilience, follow FEMA Region 10 using the hashtag #MitigationJune on Twitter and LinkedIn. Materials include infographics, FEMA grant funding opportunities for mitigation projects and community risk reduction strategies and safety demonstrations, including an unreinforced masonry project and tsunami evacuation tower.
To uphold FEMA’s core values of compassion, fairness, integrity and respect, it’s critical to deliver the agency’s programs and services in an equitable manner. One way FEMA can ensure equity is by making its training and resources accessible and effective for the nation’s diverse communities.
To accomplish this, FEMA’s Individual Community and Preparedness Division is making the Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs (OPEN) training available in Spanish and will offer more languages in the future.
OPEN provides the latest preparedness training for community-based organizations to help them continue operations and maintain services even during an emergency or disaster. These organizations strengthen the communities they serve – providing necessities such as food banks, childcare centers, shelters, houses of worship and small businesses.
When community-based organizations cannot operate after a disaster or emergency, those who rely on their services can be left vulnerable and the effects of the disaster can be magnified.
OPEN provides an overview of 10 preparedness actions community-based organizations can take before a disruption and helps these organizations develop disaster response plans. OPEN has both a self-guided online course for individuals and downloadable instructor-led materials for group training.
FEMA recommends that individuals complete the online course, then use the instructor-led materials to deliver the training to their colleagues and/or community members.
Please visit Ready.gov/open-training to take the course, download training and promotional materials, and watch short introductory videos to get started with your preparedness!
FEMA’s National Exercise Division recognized that exercise practitioners have struggled to adapt exercises to the unique challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic produced. The National Exercise Division collected and compiled lessons learned and best practices from across the whole community of exercise professionals related to two topics, virtual exercise best practices and safe exercise practices for in-person events.
The webinars will introduce the two new guides, providing stakeholders with an overview of the products and how to use and locate them.
FEMA will host three webinars for whole community exercise practitioners. The webinars will be held:
- 2 p.m. ET on June 14.
- 4 p.m. ET on June 16.
- 11 a.m. ET on June 17.
If you are unable to attend one of the webinars, a recorded webinar will be made available later on FEMA.gov. Each webinar will cover the same content.
Visit the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program webinar webpage to register.
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On June 1, FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness kicked off an extensive training effort specifically tailored for responders in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The center’s Caribbean Area Initiative will deliver 67 virtual course presentations to responders in the two territories. The initiative will include multiple course deliveries – in both English and Spanish – for various emergency medical response and infectious disease trainings.
This effort builds on training conducted in Puerto Rico in 2018 and 2019, following hurricanes Irma and Maria. More than 1,000 Puerto Rico responders participated in these trainings that helped prepare the commonwealth’s public health and healthcare workers for future disasters.
Puerto Rico is home to about 3.5 million people, while the U.S. Virgin Islands is home to a little more than 100,000 people.
This month marks the 20th anniversary of FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The program, which also includes Staffing for Adequate Emergency Response and Fire Prevention and Safety grants, was authorized by Congress to provide federal funding directly to local fire departments and emergency organizations.
Since its inception, Assistance to Firefighters Grant program provides resources to help firefighters and first responders obtain the equipment and training necessary to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.
Over the past 20 years, the program has provided more than 79,000 awards totaling more than $12 billion.
This month, we’ll feature more coverage of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant anniversary both here and on FEMA’s social media accounts.
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FEMA posted in the Federal Register a Request for Information to assist in identifying programs, regulations and policies for addressing climate change and equity for underserved populations. The feedback will assist FEMA in identifying specific action that will better address climate change and underserved communities and populations. The comment period has been extended through July 21.
FEMA encourages public comment on sixteen questions and seeks any other data that commenters believe are relevant to the agency’s review efforts. FEMA will host two webinars to collect verbal comments on the Request for Information.
Participants must register and may indicate interest in providing a comment in the registration link. The webinar is limited to 1000 participants and we encourage the public to attend. Please note verbal comments will be limited to 3 minutes.
Comments can be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Docket ID: FEMA-2021-0011. Please follow the instructions on the page and contact the Regulations.gov Help Desk if you have technical issues.
For additional information on the request for information, visit FEMA.gov.
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Funding for Regional Preparedness Grants Now Available
FEMA released the funding notice for the fiscal year 2021 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program. The application period will close at 5 p.m. ET on July 16.
Applicants are encouraged to consider the needs of underserved and socially vulnerable populations and to involve representatives from the affected communities in the proposed project to ensure their needs are sufficiently addressed.
Awards will be made on a competitive basis to applicants who present an ability to successfully meet the requirements described in the funding notice.
For additional information and to review the notice of funding opportunity, visit FEMA.gov. Applicant submissions must be made on grants.gov.
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FEMA Seeks Feedback for Resource Typing
The FEMA National Integration Center is seeking public feedback on six resource typing documents. The 30-day national engagement period will conclude at 5 p.m. ET on June 10.
The national engagement period provides an opportunity for interested parties to comment on the draft document to ensure that it is relevant for all implementing partners.
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 June 10.
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FEMA Offers Planning Support for Disaster Response and Recovery
The emergency management community has been operating in a pandemic environment for over a year. FEMA released the "COVID-19 Pandemic Operational Guidance: All Hazards Incidents Response and Recovery."
The document was designed to help emergency managers plan for disaster response and recovery, while adhering to public health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The guidance serves as a tool for governments, outlining guidance related to new priorities that have arisen in recent months.
FEMA is offering a series of webinars focused on the guidance throughout the month of June:
- Webinar 2 – 3 p.m. ET, June 8
https://fema.connectsolutions.com/cpog_webinar2/event/registration.html
- Webinar 3 – 11 a.m. ET, June 10
https://fema.connectsolutions.com/cpog_webinar3/event/registration.html
- Webinar 4 – 7 p.m. ET, June 16
https://fema.connectsolutions.com/cpog_webinar4/event/registration.html
- Webinar 5 – 1 p.m. ET, June 17
https://fema.connectsolutions.com/cpog_webinar5/event/registration.html
To sign up for a webinar, simply click on the registration link associated with the preferred date of attendance.
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FEMA Announces Funding Opportunity for High-Hazard Dams
FEMA announced $12 million in funding is available for non-federal dams to reduce dam risk, increase community preparedness and provide flood protection.
The annual funding is part of the Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams grant program for fiscal year 2021. The application period will close June 25.
In a state or territory with an enacted dam safety program, the state administrative agency, or an equivalent state agency, is eligible to apply for the grant. Each eligible state may submit only one grant application. Eligible subrecipients, including local governments and nonprofit organizations, are encouraged to review the notice of funding opportunity announcement on Grants.gov.
Email the Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams grant program with comments or questions. For more information about the grant or general program information, visit the Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams grant program or the National Dam Safety Program webpages on FEMA.gov.
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HURREVAC Training for Emergency Managers
Starting June 7, FEMA's National Hurricane Program will host a five-day HURREVAC training for emergency managers. HURREVAC is a free web-based decision-support tool that assists emergency managers by providing information, visualizations and tools to inform hurricane response decisions in advance of a threatening storm.
Learning how to use HURREVAC can help emergency managers make tough evacuation decisions when a hurricane threatens. In addition to operational decision-making, HURREVAC can be used for training, exercises and hurricane preparedness and planning efforts.
Interested emergency managers can register now for this annual HURREVAC webinar series.
To register, visit the 2021 HURREVAC Webinar Series page.
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