 As we start the new year, this is a great time to explore the 2022 – 2026 FEMA Strategic Plan and think about how you can incorporate these goals into your daily work.
Developed with input from FEMA employees and external partners, the plan outlines a bold vision and three ambitious goals to address key challenges we face.
The plan also ensures success for our agency, the emergency management community and those we serve.
This week, FEMA Weekly will focus on Goal 1: Instill Equity as a Foundation of Emergency Management.
Equity is critical to FEMA’s ability to serve the needs of diverse communities. Diversity, equity and inclusion cannot be optional; they must be core components of how the agency conducts itself internally and executes its mission.
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Learn More About Goal 1 During Equity Day
All FEMA employees are encouraged to join the town hall style Equity Day from 10:50 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 13.
The event is an opportunity to bring the entire FEMA workforce together to understand what equity means for the agency, and how the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan will help us inspire equality, inclusivity and diversity both at FEMA and for those we serve.
During the event, you will hear from leaders from across FEMA about the agency’s ongoing and upcoming efforts to integrate equity into our workforce, practices and communication.
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Over the last year, the FEMA blog has covered a wide range of topics including vaccination efforts, mitigation funding, preparing for hurricane season, the 20th anniversary of September 11 and more. Here are the top five most read blogs this year.
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FEMA Expands Efforts to Distribute Vaccinations Published on Jan. 29, this blog post discussed the agency’s early vaccination efforts. At the time, we obligated $1 billion to our partners across the country for critical supplies and staffing needs. This was just the beginning of our major vaccination efforts.
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 President Biden proclaimed January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Every year, millions of men, women and children are trafficked around the world — including here in the United States.
While anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, this crime disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minorities, women, girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, vulnerable migrants and other historically marginalized and underserved communities.
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January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month!
Do your part by completing the FEMA Human Trafficking Awareness training for fiscal year 2022. The annually required course consists of one module with six lessons, a FEMA Indicator Challenge and a post-assessment. The training can be completed in FEKC.
The DHS Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign designed to educate the public, law enforcement and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and to appropriately respond to possible cases.
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Please join us in celebration of the life and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The 2022 observance will be held from 2 – 3 p.m. ET on Jan. 18.
Our keynote speaker for this event will be the newly appointed Deputy Administrator, Erik Hooks. Also speaking will be representatives from the African American FEMA Employee Resource Group, the Office of Equal Rights and the National Service Alumni FEMA Employee Resource Group.
The theme of this event is “The Urgency of Creating a Beloved Community: Advancing Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in FEMA.” This theme builds on our agency’s core values of compassion, fairness, integrity and respect, and highlights the first goal of the agency’s strategic plan, “instilling equity as a foundation of emergency management.”
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On Dec. 22, 2021, President Biden authorized an average 2.7% pay increase, effective Jan. 2, 2022, for federal employees under the General Schedule pay system.
The Office Personnel Management has posted the new 2022 pay tables on their website. FEMA Stafford Act employees, including all Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery employees and reservists, have been approved for an equivalent average 2.7% pay increase.
The Office of Component Chief Human Capital Officer posted the 2022 Stafford Act Pay Tables on the OCCHCO SharePoint site.
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 The Awards Review Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Administrator's Awards for the period covering Jan. 1 – Dec.31, 2021.
The committee will accept nominations for awards until 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 4, 2022.
The FEMA Administrator’s Awards recognize and honor employee achievements that exhibit outstanding contributions to FEMA’s mission, strategic plan and core values.
The Awards Review Committee will make award recommendations to the Administrator for individuals and teams who have demonstrated performance “above and beyond” their normal work in support of the FEMA mission.
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As the second-year mark for the earthquakes in Puerto Rico approaches, FEMA staff on the island reflect on the progress that has been made toward recovery.
So far, FEMA has obligated over $481 million for more than 470 Public Assistance projects throughout 14 municipalities. Also, $2.3 million under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program was approved to better prepare the municipalities for future disasters.
During 2021, Puerto Rico staff at the Joint Recovery Office completed all site inspections for the disaster. As a result, over $179 million has been obligated so far for permanent work. This includes funds for public buildings and equipment, over $4.3 million for parks and recreational areas and nearly $661,000 for roads and bridges.
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The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC) is honored to announce the graduation of two Mount Weather Police Officers, Officer Edward Langschwager and Officer Dillon Cook, from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP) in Glynco, Georgia.
The graduation ceremony was held at the FLETC on Dec. 14 for Police Officers completing the UPTP, a program that teaches the necessary skills to perform in Federal law enforcement positions.
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The language we choose to use as an agency reflects FEMA’s core values: compassion, fairness, integrity and respect.
To create a compelling narrative about FEMA and its programs, we want to be sure that the language we’re using reflects these values in an inclusive and respectful way.
Integrity: Our messages should be transparent and honest.
- Write plainly, without relying on jargon or platitudes.
- Explain reasoning, acknowledge concerns and describe next steps.
- Respond to requests for accommodations in a timely manner.
- FEMA staff may encounter disaster survivors who have a language barrier or limited English proficiency.
- Avoid making assumptions regarding which language a disaster survivor may or may not speak.
- Use the "I Speak" Poster (dhs.gov) and allow the visitor to identify the language they speak and request an interpreter.
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The Recovery Directorate is excited to announce that the Public Assistance (PA) Division’s new organizational structure is expected to be implemented in Spring 2022.
PA requested to restructure its organization in June 2020 to successfully implement the PA National Delivery Model and recent legislative changes.
This new structure is designed to support an increased program workload as well as the surge of about 2,900 new PA staff who were hired over the past eight years.
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It’s critical that FEMA uses taxpayer money in the most efficient, cost effective way. This includes ensuring that the funds the agency provides to disaster survivors and grant recipients are used correctly.
Unfortunately, there are instances of using FEMA funds for personal gain or other illegal uses. FEMA is committed to preventing fraud, waste and abuse in financial assistance programs, other FEMA Grant Programs and the National Flood Insurance Program.
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The Headspace app is a new resource FEMA is providing its employees. The aim is that by taking care of ourselves, we can take care of the mission!
This app provides unlimited access to hundreds of tools, such as guided meditations, animations, articles and videos on topics such as getting better sleep, improving your focus and coping with anxious thoughts. This kind of support can lessen the stress and strain that comes with working in our often unpredictable, fast-paced environment.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved a biweekly premium pay cap waiver for applicable employees who perform authorized overtime for the below identified event. The biweekly waiver applies only to work performed in connection with the specific event and its aftermath and is limited to the following timeframe:
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Event: Southwest Border Migration Surge
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Timeframe: Jan. 3, 2021 (Pay Period 01) – Dec. 31, 2021 (Pay Period 26).
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The Office of the Chief Information Office is excited to announce FEMA implementation of Microsoft OneDrive, which enables your files to be saved and accessed from all FEMA devices.
The transition to OneDrive means that FEMA will retire the use of “home drives” (commonly referred to as M:, H:, U:, or Z: and your user name).
All employees, including contractors are responsible for saving appropriate files from their home drive to OneDrive on or before Jan. 31. Contracting Officer Representatives, please forward this information to your contractors.
Please note these deadlines:
- Users cannot save files to Home Drives after Jan. 1.
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Note: At this time, OneDrive will replace Home Drives as the primary location to save files. However, you will still be able to transfer or delete home drive files.
- FEMA will disable access and visibility to Home Drives on Feb. 1.
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Note: Your home drive will be removed after Jan. 31 and your files will not be retrievable.
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The deadline to update your iPad and iPhone is Jan. 13. This update has been successfully tested and approved for use on FEMA mobile devices.
If you have questions about this update, please feel free to send them to FEMA-OCIO-Mobile-Compliance.
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2021 marked a year of change and revealed the changemakers inside each of us. On behalf of the CFC chair and co-chair, thank you for the generosity you have all shown so far!
Each new year brings a clean slate and an opportunity to making our communities a better place for all. The 2021 Combined Federal Campaign pledge period closes on Jan. 15, but there’s still time to seize this moment to be a changemaker and leave a lasting impact.
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Cidra, Puerto Rico: Mr. Osprey, getting ready to go out on a fishing trip! This is his favorite perch on Lago de Cidra because it affords him a complete, uninterrupted view of the lake, increasing his chances of a successful hunt. Look at his talons, truly a masterpiece of evolution. Anything that falls trap to those claws, will surely not escape. Look at those great, big eyes, providing him a clear view of the underwater prey below. Admire those great, big wings, adapted to give him maximum lift from the water with his prey. A magnificent bird no doubt.
Ospreys migrate to Puerto Rico during winter to gorge on delicious Caribbean fish. This was one of the places I got to visit for birding during the pandemic, and to my surprise, I met some other folks who were also enjoying birding that day, all of us taking the proper precautions, using our masks, and distancing. It was weird but very entertaining. Birding is an activity that can be practiced, safely and can be enjoyed by anyone and it provides the recreation we all need during this difficult time. It provides that healing connection with nature.
Submitted by Carlos Alfredo Ortiz Carmona, Infrastructure Division Directorate, Public Assistance, PDMG – Public Building Section
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What hurricane caused $70 billion in damage, affected 24 states and is one of the largest Atlantic hurricanes on record, with tropical-storm-force winds that spanned 1,150 miles?
- Hurricane Hugo.
- Hurricane Michael.
- Hurricane Harvey.
- Hurricane Sandy.
Find the correct answer.
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I have a few observations and a suggestion I would like to bring to the RAB’s attention; however, I do not want to have my name attached to them - Is there a way for me to send in my ideas anonymously?
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