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President Joseph R. Biden approved Kentucky’s request for major disaster declaration following the tornado outbreak on Dec. 10. The declaration authorizes federal assistance for disaster survivors in Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor and Warren counties.
The declaration was granted after FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited affected areas of Kentucky to see tornado destruction firsthand and meet with first responders and emergency management officials conducting operations throughout the state.
To learn more about how FEMA is responding to the tornado outbreak across the Midwest, visit FEMA.gov.
To build the FEMA our nation needs and deserves, FEMA released its "2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan."
The plan positions the agency to respond to a changing landscape in which the emergency management community must embrace its expanding role.
FEMA outlines a bold vision, with three ambitious goals designed to address key challenges the agency faces during a pivotal moment in the field of emergency management.
These goals include:
- Instill equity as a foundation of emergency management.
- Lead whole of community in climate resilience.
- Promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation.
 To read the full plan, visit FEMA.gov.
The winter holidays are a time for families and friends to get together. It’s fun to decorate for the winter holidays, but holiday decorations can increase your risk for a home fire. As you deck the halls this season, be fire smart.
Following a few simple tips can help make your holidays fire-safe:
- Water your live Christmas tree every day. A dry tree is a fire hazard. Trees too close to a heat source cause one in every four winter fires.
- Make sure you are using the right lights. Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.
- Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.
- Choose holiday decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
- Keep lit candles away from decorations and things that can burn. More than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles. Consider using flameless candles: they look very similar and are safer.
- Blow out lit candles and turn off all light strings and decorations when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Make sure your decorations don’t block windows and doors.
Download the winter holiday fires infographic to share with your community or use the social media cards on your social channels.
On Dec. 10, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell addressed the nation’s western governors at the Western Governors' Association 2021 Winter Meeting in Coronado, California.
Administrator Criswell’s speech focused on the need to advance climate resilience, the value of mitigation and preparedness, and our shared responsibility to equitably distribute resources and information.
Criswell outlined her strategic vision for the next five years at FEMA. FEMA will instill equity as a foundation of emergency management, lead the whole of community in climate resilience, and promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation. She noted that the agency will only be successful in these efforts insofar as it effectively collaborates with its state, local, territorial and tribal partners.
You can read Criswell’s full remarks on WestGov.org.
On Nov. 17, nearly 400 people attended the FEMA webinar, “Disaster Response and Disability: Approaches for Citizen Responders.”
FEMA created the livestreamed webinar for the public, with a particular focus on emergency managers and disability stakeholders from state, local, tribal and territorial governments; academia; and community and non-profit organizations, including Community Emergency Response Teams.
The webinar aimed to teach attendees effective approaches to increase inclusivity for individuals with access and functional needs and those with disabilities in disaster planning, response and recovery. Webinar presentations encourage participants to:
- Focus on the individual experience to proactively engage with individuals who have disabilities and access and functional needs, using plain language and not industry-jargon.
- Allow individuals to speak for themselves and their needs; do not make assumptions about capacity or agency.
- Engage fully with individuals with disabilities as both recipients and participants in disaster response, as increased inclusivity will strengthen the emergency management community.
Moderated by FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Division Director Aaron Levy, attendees heard presentations from:
- FEMA, Office of Disability Integration and Coordination Director, Linda Mastandrea.
- North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Community Emergency Response Team Program Manager Samantha Royster.
- Trident University International, Dr. Pattijean Hooper, Ph.D., CEM.
The webinar is now available for those who missed it and still wish to attend, to watch the webinar, visit https://fema.connectsolutions.com/pse3f33dbzza/.
If you have any questions, contact FEMA-Prepare@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA is now accepting abstracts for its next annual hazard mitigation partners workshop, “Building Whole Community Resilience: Partners, Capability and Capacity.”
The workshop will focus on building mitigation champions, driving community resiliency, providing technical assistance for grant programs and supporting overall mitigation.
Specific topic areas for discussion at the workshop include:
- Future conditions, including climate change and adaptation.
- Nature based solutions.
- Equity in hazard mitigation planning and projects.
- Building codes and standards.
- Capacity and capability building.
To submit an abstract for consideration:
- Email the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division, fema-2022hmworkshop@fema.dhs.gov.
- In the subject line, put, "2022 HM Partners Workshop Abstract Submission."
- In your email, provide a title for your abstract and a paragraph about your abstract.
Abstracts may be submitted until Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. FEMA will host the workshop May 2-5. The workshop offers both Hazard Mitigation Assistance and Floodplain Management tracks.
Visit the 2021 Hazard Mitigation Partners Workshop webpage to learn about topics covered at the last event. For questions or concerns on Hazard Mitigation Assistance program or the abstract submission process, contact FEMA-2022HMWorkshop@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA developed the “Are You Ready?” guide to help individuals and communities take simple steps to prepare before an emergency.
The popular guide asks, “Are you ready for a disaster?” It is currently available for download in English and Spanish. The Spanish print version can be pre-ordered from the FEMA warehouse. Upcoming guide translations include Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
Winter is a great time to download or order this guide. If you’re in an area prone to cold winter weather, the guide has tips to help you prepare yourself, your family and your community for a winter storm. Winter weather can also lead to extended power outages, so the guide provides tips on how to stay safe if your power goes out.
Live somewhere sunny and warm in the winter months? The guide provides best practices to inform preparedness decisions on dozens of disasters and hazards regardless of where you live.
Sharing the “Are You Ready” guide with your friends and family can help your community become more resilient no matter what this winter brings.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the deadline for submissions for the DHS Cooling Solutions Challenge has been extended to Feb. 24, 2022.
DHS first announced the prize competition in September 2021. The competition is the first of a new series of prize competitions focused on strengthening nationwide resilience to climate change. American innovators are encouraged to develop groundbreaking solutions for climate change-related hazards facing communities across our country. Winners will receive cash prizes from a total pool of $195,000 for their innovative solutions.
The cooling challenge is being led by DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate and FEMA. The challenge incentivizes American innovators to find new ways to protect people at risk of heat-related illness or death during extreme heat events or in connection with other disasters. Extreme heat is the nation’s leading cause of weather-related deaths, and as extreme heat disproportionately harms underserved communities, developing new and better ways to protect people on the hottest days will advance equity in disaster preparedness and response efforts.
DHS administers prize competitions using authority provided under the America COMPETES Act. Challenges are open to individuals who are over the age of 18 and are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents at the time of submission, as well as to U.S. entities that are incorporated in and whose primary place of business is in the United States. Federal entities or federal employees acting within the scope of their federal employment are not eligible to participate. Eligibility is subject to verification by DHS. This verification occurs before cash prizes are awarded.
Visit Challenge.gov for information about how to apply and to learn more.
FEMA Releases Architect Documents
FEMA is seeking public feedback on architect resource typing definition documents. This 30-day national engagement period will conclude at 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 17.
To provide comments on the draft document, complete the feedback form and submit the form to FEMA-NIMS@fema.dhs.gov.
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FEMA Continues to Accept Assistance to Firefighters Grants Applications
On Nov. 8, FEMA opened the application period for $414 million in funding available through the Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grants.
In addition, FEMA has released six documents to aid organizations applying for $414 million in funding available through the Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grants.
Additional information on the grant program, including deadlines, is available online at Assistance to Firefighters Grants | FEMA.gov. For questions, contact the Fire Grants Help Desk via email at firegrants@fema.dhs.gov.
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FEMA Extends Request for Information
FEMA published a notice in the Federal Register extending the public comment on the National Flood Insurance Program’s minimum floodplain management standards to Jan. 27, 2022, In addition, FEMA scheduled a public meeting at 3 p.m. ET on Dec. 15.
The 90-minute virtual public meeting will gather verbal feedback on the Request for Information. Anyone may register for the Dec. 15 meeting by visiting this Webex webpage; advance registration is required. Transcripts of previous public meetings are available in English and Spanish on FEMA.gov.
Registrants can indicate if they have an interest in providing a three-minute verbal comment during a meeting. Participants will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis to provide a verbal comment. Spanish language services will be provided for this meeting. Please follow the instructions on the webpage for submitting comments and contact the Regulations Help Desk if you have technical issues.
Written comments can be submitted to the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Docket ID: FEMA-2021-0024. With the extension of the comment period, the new closing date for comments is Jan.27, 2022.
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FEMA Now Accepting Volunteers for BRIC National Review Panel
FEMA is seeking volunteers to participate on the virtual national review panels for Fiscal Year 2021 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) subapplications.
The agency is accepting Expressions of Interest from until Jan. 14. Volunteers will leverage their experience and expertise during the review process to assess the degree to which subapplications meet the six BRIC qualitative evaluation criteria.
Those interested in serving on these panels, complete an Expression of Interest Form which can be found on the BRIC website. For more information and to review BRIC qualitative criteria, visit the BRIC webpage on FEMA.gov or email hma-ndi-bric-review@fema.dhs.gov.
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