FEMA Bulletin Week of August 24, 2021

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FEMA BULLETIN

Week of August 24, 2021

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In this Edition:

Important Dates & Reminders

Aug. 26

Comment period ends for NQS position documents at 5 p.m. ET.


Aug. 26

Preparedness call for people with disabilities at 2 p.m. ET.

FEMA Offers Exercise Assistance to Stakeholders

 

FEMA is accepting requests for exercise support through the National Exercise Program. State, local, tribal and territorial jurisdictions can request no-cost assistance for exercise design, development, conduct and evaluation to validate capabilities across all mission areas.

 

FEMA is hosting webinars for all interested governments and other community partners on the exercise support process.

 

Please visit the webinar webpage to register. The webinar dates are:

  • Webinar 1: 1 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.
  • Webinar 2: 2 p.m. ET on Sept.7.
  • Webinar 3: 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 15.
  • Webinar 4: 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 23.
  • Webinar 5: 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 1.

 

Fall 2021 requests for support are due no later than Nov. 1. To submit a request for exercise support, download the nomination form, then email the completed form with any supporting documentation to NEP@fema.dhs.gov. Awardees will be notified by Dec. 10. FEMA will hold additional exercise support rounds in the spring and fall of 2022.

 

For questions, contact FEMA at NEP@fema.dhs.gov.


FEMA Revises Regulation Governing Public Assistance Appeals Process

 

On Aug. 16, FEMA published a final rule in the Federal Register which revises regulations to implement the new right of arbitration as part of the agency’s Public Assistance appeals process. Arbitration was authorized by the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA).

 

To be eligible for Section 423 arbitration, a Public Assistance applicant’s request must meet all three of the following conditions:

  • The dispute arises from a major disaster declared after Jan. 1, 2016.
  • The disputed amount exceeds $500,000 (or $100,000 if the applicant is in a rural area, defined as areas with a population of less than 200,000 and outside of an urbanized area).
  • The applicant properly submitted a first appeal of FEMA’s determination to their regional administrator for their FEMA region and has either received an appeal decision that is not yet FEMA’s final agency determination or has not received an appeal decision 180 calendar days from FEMA’s receipt of the appeal request.

 

The regulation revision includes changes to the PA appeals process as well.  For disasters declared on or after Jan. 1, 2022, applicants and recipients must submit appeals electronically and FEMA will no longer accept hard copy first or second appeal submissions.  FEMA will also issue appeal responses electronically.

 

The regulation requires that applicants submit appeals within 60 days from the date of FEMA’s determination (rather than the date it receives notice of the determination as is current practice); grantees will have 120 days from the date of FEMA’s determination to submit an applicant’s appeal along with its recommendation. The new regulation also requires that second appeals be submitted directly to FEMA headquarters, rather than the Regional Administrator. 


FEMA Seeks Public Feedback on Community Rating System

 

FEMA published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comment on the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System. Public comment will be accepted through Sept. 22 via the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Docket ID: FEMA-2021-0021.

 

This notice is to better align understanding of flood risk and flood risk approaches and to incentivize communities to manage and lower their flood risk. 

 

FEMA posted in the Federal Register a request for information to gather public comment about ways the agency could consider modifying, streamlining and innovating to improve the Community Rating System. These efforts aim to help FEMA ensure that the program includes necessary, properly tailored and up-to-date requirements that effectively achieve the goals of:

  • Reducing and avoiding flood damage to property.
  • Supporting the insurance aspects of the National Flood Insurance Program.
  • Encouraging a comprehensive approach to floodplain management.

 

The Community Rating System is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements in the National Flood Insurance Program. The agency is evaluating the Community Rating System’s potential to ongoing support of, state, local, tribal and territorial community goals and needs around floodplain management. 

 

FEMA will host a series of virtual public meetings to explain the process and how to provide information for public comment. Anyone interested may register online via Zoom. Visit FEMA.gov for more information. 

 

Follow the instructions in the Federal Register for submitting comments and contact the Regulations.gov Help Desk if you have technical issues.


FEMA Awards Nearly $110M in Firefighters Grants

 

FEMA has awarded nearly $110 million from the fiscal year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program. This trio of grants provides critically needed resources to equip and train emergency personnel, enhances efficiencies and supports community resilience around the nation.

 

Almost $10 million went out in the first round of allocation announcements for the fiscal year 2021 Staffing for Adequate Emergency Response (SAFER) and Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) programs. SAFER helps fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to increase or maintain the number of trained firefighters available in their communities. FP&S support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards. 

 

Recent fiscal year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grants awards also pushed that total to nearly $100 million awarded for that program. This funding helps meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical service organizations.

 

FEMA will continue to make awards this summer until the more than $700 million appropriated in fiscal year 2021 for these programs has been distributed.

 

Over the past 20 years, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program has provided recipients with more than 79,000 individual awards, totaling more than $12 billion.


Upcoming Deadlines and Reminders

FEMA Seeks Public Feedback on NQS Position

 

FEMA is seeking public feedback for the "National Qualification System’s Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program Incident and Exercise Evaluator" position documents. This national engagement period will conclude at 5 p.m. ET on Aug. 26.

 

FEMA worked alongside state, local, tribal and territorial partners to draft and refine the documents. These documents will help intergovernmental partners define evaluators for radiological emergency preparedness program incidents and exercises.

 

To provide comments on the draft, complete the feedback form and submit the form to FEMA-NIMS@fema.dhs.gov.

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FEMA Announces Funding Opportunities for BRIC and FMA Grant Programs

 

FEMA posted funding notices for two hazard mitigation grant programs for $1.16 billion. 

 

The Flood Mitigation Assistance and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities provides funds to states, local communities, tribes and territories for eligible mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to build a culture of preparedness. These programs fund projects that invest in a more resilient nation, reduce disaster suffering and avoid future disaster costs.

 

The application period opens on Sept. 30 and the funding notices are available on Grants.gov.

 

Eligible applicants must apply for funding using FEMA Grants Outcomes, the agency’s grants management system. Submit applications in FEMA Grants Outcome Portal no later than 3 p.m. ET on Jan. 28, 2022. Applications received by FEMA after this deadline will not be considered for funding.

 

Interested applicants should contact their hazard mitigation officer for more information. For more information visit FEMA.gov.

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FEMA Holds Preparedness Call for People with Disabilities

 

Join FEMA at 2 p.m. ET on Aug. 26 to get tips, tools and resources for people with disabilities that you can share with your communities during National Preparedness Month in September. 

 

Now is a great time for people with disabilities to get informed on preparedness, make a personal preparedness plan, build an emergency kit and be involved in community preparedness. Learn about the new preparedness resources from FEMA to share with your communities and hear how some of our experts with disabilities prepare for disasters. 

 

To attend this Office of Disability Integration and Coordination stakeholder call, dial (800) 263-0877 using the participant passcode:1667315. Registration is requested. Closed captioning will be provided via Captionedtext.com using event #4869949.

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NPM

National Preparedness Month Calendar Now Available

 

September is National Preparedness Month. Managed by FEMA’s Ready Campaign, in association with the Ad Council, the month is observed to encourage everyone to take steps to prepare for disasters that could at any time.

 

This year’s theme, “Prepare to Protect,” highlights how preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.

 

Throughout the month, Ready.gov/September will feature weekly themes that highlight basic preparedness activities that every everyone can do.  

 

Help us, help others encourage our friends and family to prepare for disasters and emergencies today. Together, let’s prepare to protect. For free, easy to use social media content, and more information, visit:  Ready.gov/September.

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