FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) tomorrow, Oct. 4.
The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all WEA-compatible cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.
The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for this national test to minimize confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test.
The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11.
The WEA portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks. The WEA test will be administered via a code sent to cell phones.
All wireless phones should receive the message only once. The following can be expected from the nationwide WEA test:
- Beginning at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and in a geographic area where the wireless provider participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message.
- For consumers, the message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
- Phones with the main menu set to Spanish will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
- Similar to when your phone receives an Amber Alert, the WEA alert tone is only played when the alert is initially received by the phone and stops as soon as the user clicks a button.
- If a phone is off before the test alert is sent and not turned back on until after the WEA test message expires, the phone will not get the test message.
WEA alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies through IPAWS to participating wireless providers, which deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas. To help ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.
The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.
On Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m. (local time) millions of people will “Drop, Cover and Hold On” in the annual Great ShakeOut, the world's largest earthquake drill ever! FEMA is reaching out to encourage your active participation in this event as earthquakes can strike anywhere, anytime, whether you're at home, school or elsewhere.
Register and find out how to participate. We encourage everyone to register as an individual or as an organization. For additional updates and helpful information, you can also opt to receive Great ShakeOut text updates from FEMA by texting "ShakeOut" to 43362.
The general guidance for most earthquake situations is to:
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DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and reduces your chances of being hit by falling or flying objects.
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COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand, then if a table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath for shelter – or crawl next to a wall.
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HOLD ON until the shaking stops and be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts.
Visit ShakeOut.org/dropcoverholdon for self-protective guidance and videos for many situations, including for people with a mobility disability.
Together, we can accomplish one of our overarching homeland security missions by strengthening preparedness and resilience.
FEMA is eager to hear from and work with Tribal Nations as it plans to update its Tribal Mitigation Planning Policy.
As a first step, FEMA is holding consultations with Tribal leaders and their designees. The next Tribal policy consultation is at 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 5.
Register online for the virtual event here.
FEMA’s Tribal Mitigation Planning Policy was last updated in 2017. It outlines what Tribal mitigation plans must include to receive FEMA approval.
Here’s the timeline for the update:
Hazard mitigation plans identify natural hazard risks and long-term strategies to reduce these risks. Tribal governments—like state, local, and territorial governments—must have a FEMA-approved plan to be eligible for some types of funding.
FEMA funds are available for Tribal governments to make or update hazard mitigation plans.
As of June 30, 2023, 241 Tribal governments had current hazard mitigation plans. Tribes can work with FEMA and partners on a nation-to-nation basis to build hazard mitigation plans.
Tribal plans can be made for a single Tribe, or they can be multi-jurisdictional. Single plans apply to and are made by one Tribal government. Multi-jurisdictional plans may be made by two or more Tribal governments. They may also be for a group of local governments that includes one or more Tribes.
See FEMA’s Tribal Policy Update webpage to learn more.
FEMA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register for revisions to its floodplain management regulations at Title 44 Part 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands.
This is a 60-day public comment period open from Oct. 2 – Dec. 1, 2023. The proposed revisions fully implement the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS). The FFRMS increases the resilience of federally funded projects by incorporating anticipated changes in future flood risk into certain federally funded projects to ensure that those projects last as long as intended.
The FFRMS applies only to federally funded actions involving new construction, substantial improvement or repairs to substantial damage. FFRMS also applies to hazard mitigation projects involving structure elevation, dry floodproofing and mitigation reconstruction.
Since August 2021, FEMA has partially implemented the FFRMS. Partial implementation relies on existing regulations to reduce flood risk, increasing minimum flood elevation requirements for structures in areas already subject to flood risk minimization requirements, but not horizontally expanding those areas.
FEMA's Continuous Improvement Technical Assistance Program (CITAP) will host a webinar on how to develop after-action reports (AARs) for real-world incidents, from 2-3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 18. This webinar will emphasize approaches for completing incident after-action reviews outlined in FEMA’s National Continuous Improvement Guidance.
AARs remain the most common continuous improvement product in emergency management. During this webinar, FEMA will equip participants with a systematic after-action approach for identifying and building on strengths and potential best practices and addressing areas for improvement. The webinar will also review resources focused on developing AARs that available on the CITAP’s website on the FEMA Preparedness Toolkit.
The webinar is designed for of state, local, tribal and territorial partners, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and other entities involved in emergency management functions engaged in continuous improvement efforts.
To attend the webinar, register in advance by visiting the event page on FEMA.gov and click the "Register Now" button. If an issue arises while registering or logging in, please contact the FEMA CITAP Team at FEMA-CITAP@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA will host a webinar at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in celebration of 2023 FEMA Partnerships Reimagined.
The webinar, “Financial Resilience Before, During and After Disasters,” is part of a series that celebrates the power of collaborative relationships in emergency management. The webinar will provide an opportunity for FEMA, private sector, academia and nonprofit partners to engage with each other and enhance their mutual understanding of disaster assistance resources, capabilities and mechanisms supporting financial resilience.
The webinar is co-hosted by FEMA’s Voluntary Agency Liaisons and by the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and will cover:
Register in advance on ZOOM and use the passcode “FEMAVAL” for access once the webinar begins. Closed captioning information will be provided at a later date.
List of Panelists include:
- Victoria Salinas, Associate Administrator, FEMA Resilience Directorate
- Colt Hagmaier, Assistant Administrator, FEMA Recovery Directorate
- Marcus Coleman, Director, DHS Center of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
- Brock Long, Former Administrator, FEMA, and Executive Chairman, Hagerty
- Jin Huang, Professor of Social Work, Saint Louis University
- Kirstin Trusko, Co-Founder, Payment as a Lifeline
- Kate Bulger, Vice President of Business Development, Money Management International
- Marlon Trone, Senior Director of Disaster Programs, Operation HOPE
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DHS Announces Additional $374.9M in Funding to Boost State and Local Cybersecurity
DHS announced the availability of $374.9 million in grant funding for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program. Award recipients may use the funding for a wide range of cybersecurity improvements and capabilities, including cybersecurity planning and exercising, hiring cyber personnel and improving their services that citizens rely on daily.
The program is jointly administered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and FEMA. CISA provides expertise and guidance on cybersecurity issues while FEMA manages the grant award and allocation process.
State and local governments have until Oct. 6 to apply for this FY23 grant opportunity. For more information and helpful resources on the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, visit FEMA's webpage: State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program | FEMA.gov.
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Comment Period Open for Fire Management Assistance Grant Program Data Collection
The recent wildfires across the nation underscore the importance of FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) Program, which aims to help mitigate, manage and control fires in public or private forests or grasslands that could potentially cause a level of damage that would lead to a major disaster. FMAG application forms are now available online to streamline processes for states, local and tribal governments in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
FEMA is requesting public comment on the updated FMAG application forms by Oct. 10. Comments are requested to evaluate the necessity of the proposed data collection, assess the accuracy of the agency’s estimated burden of the proposed information collection, enhance the quality of the information and minimize the burden of the data collection for those who are to respond. All comments must only be submitted at regulations.gov under Docket ID FEMA-2023-0019 and will be posted publicly without change, including any personal information that is provided.
Please send any inquiries on the FMAG comment period to Antonio Jones, FMAG Program Manager, at (540) 326–1928 or fema-recovery-pa-policy@fema.dhs.gov.
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Kentucky Residential and Community Saferoom Training for Registered Design Professionals
FEMA will host a free virtual saferoom training on Thursday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET for registered design professionals. Specifically, the training will provide an overview of Part B of the recently updated FEMA P-361 Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safety Rooms, Fourth Edition (2021).
FEMA P-361 presents updated and refined criteria for how to design and construct a safe room that provides near-absolute protection from wind and wind-borne debris for occupants. The focus on Part B of the FEMA P-361 publication consists of eight chapters. Each chapter directly corresponds to the latest changes referenced in the 2020 update to the consensus standard from the International Code Council® (ICC®) and the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA®). This is the ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters (ICC 500).
You can register at this link.
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Safeguard Cultural Heritage Training for Emergency Managers
In partnership between FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, a training opportunity is open to emergency managers to increase their knowledge of the concerns and priorities of cultural stewards to preserve cultural heritage and artifacts. The Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART) is offered and delivered by the Heritage Emergency National Task Force.
This training will be held at the Smithsonian Institution from December 4-8. Participants will be selected from cultural heritage organizations and first responder and emergency management agencies from all states, District of Columbia, territories or federally recognized tribes. FEMA and Smithsonian Institution staff are ineligible to apply. The four-day training is free to all participants.
To register and for additional details about incidental expenses and travel costs for each participant, visit the FEMA event listing. For complete information about the HEART program and the application process, visit the HEART training page.
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