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FEMA is awarding $56 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through the 2023 Fiscal Year Next Generation Warning System Grant Program.
Funded through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, this program focuses on improving and upgrading the public alert and warning system that provides timely and effective warnings to people across the nation. It will help public stations, especially those covering rural areas and underserved communities, to upgrade to the latest broadcast technology standards that enable advanced dissemination of emergency alert messages to people.
Specifically, the Next Generation Warning System Grant Program seeks to:
- Enhance capacity of local broadcast stations to receive, broadcast, and redistribute emergency alert messages from the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) using the IPAWS Specification for Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).
- Improve technology infrastructure to ensure local public broadcast stations can launch new, enhanced broadcast services, that improve and expand the distribution of public alerts and warnings.
- Expand the distribution of emergency alert messages from IPAWS to fill gaps in alert and warning delivery to people in underserved areas.
More information can be found at Next Generation Warning System Grant Program | FEMA.gov.
FEMA has provided financial guidance that reflects the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Consumer Price Index adjustment of certain indicators for the Individual Assistance and Public Assistance programs for all disasters declared on or after Oct. 1, 2023.
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act prescribes that FEMA must adjust these limits annually. FEMA bases the adjustments on an increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor released the information on Sept. 13.
For any single emergency or major disaster declared on or after Oct. 1, 2023:
- Maximum amount of Individuals and Households Program (IHP) financial assistance for Housing Assistance is: $42,500.
- Maximum amount of Individuals and Households Program (IHP) financial assistance for Other Needs Assistance is: $42,500.
- Maximum amount for Small Project Grants under the Public Assistance Program: $1,037,000.
- Minimum amount that can be approved for any Project Worksheet under the Public Assistance Program: $3,900.
- Statewide per capita impact indicator: $1.84.
- Countywide per capita impact indicator: $4.60.
The increases remain in effect for the next 12 months. For additional information on current and past Consumer Price Index adjustments to Individual and Public Assistance indicators and thresholds, please visit https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public/applicants/per-capita-impact-indicator.
FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced the application process is now open for the $18.2 million available through the Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program (TCGP) to help tribal governments address cybersecurity risks and threats. With the release of a Notice of Funding Opportunity, applicants have 90 days to apply for a grant, which can be used to fund new or existing cybersecurity programs.
The cyber grant program is an innovative program established by the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to help address the unique challenges tribal governments face when defending against cyber threats. Digital threats affecting Native American and Alaska Native tribes are increasing and becoming more complex, and tribal sovereignty creates unique cybersecurity challenges for these groups who often lack or can’t easily access the resources to address them.
Like the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP), which was announced last month, this program is another example of a unified approach across DHS, in which a FEMA-administered program leverages CISA’s capabilities to accomplish the Department’s goal of increasing tribal cyber defenses.
The TCGP, along with the SLCGP, are innovative programs established by the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to help address the unique challenges state, territorial and tribal governments face when defending against cyber threats. Similar to the SLCGP, the TCGP will fund efforts to establish critical governance frameworks for tribes to address cyber threats and vulnerabilities, identify key vulnerabilities and evaluate needed capabilities, implement measures to mitigate the threats, and develop a 21st-century cyber workforce across local communities. CISA will support these efforts with a suite of available resources, including state cybersecurity coordinators and cybersecurity advisors.
The grants will significantly improve national resilience to cyber threats by giving tribal governments much-needed resources to address network security and take steps to protect against cybersecurity risks to help them strengthen their communities.
For more information and helpful resources on the Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program, visit Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program | FEMA.gov.
FEMA Region 8 Administrator Nancy Dragani and Deputy Regional Administrator Katherine Fox joined FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell at the National Advisory Council meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, from September 26-28.
The council consists of members appointed by Administrator Criswell, who advise her on all aspects of emergency management. Some of the recommendations that the NAC considered this week include the need to improve mental and behavioral health services for responders and emergency managers, a proposal to study the lessons learned from recovery grant programs, and the importance of continuing FEMA’s role in building nationwide climate resilience.
A topic of focus throughout the week was Utah’s significant risk of a major earthquake along the Wasatch Fault. Of great concern is the high number of unreinforced masonry buildings, mostly built before 1975. Without retrofits, during even a moderate earthquake event, these buildings are subject to collapse, toppling everything in their path. Most injuries and deaths expected in a Wasatch fault earthquake are linked to these unreinforced masonry buildings.
To better understand the earthquake risk and what communities are doing to address the threat, NAC members consulted experts about and viewed points of interest along the Wasatch Fault line. Council members also learned how the University of Utah and the Salt Lake Valley community are working to address the challenges of seismic risks by monitoring faults, retrofitting buildings, and building to higher standards to strengthen Utah with greater seismic resilience.
 From left to right: Director, Office of Emergency Management Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Jeffrey Hansen (NAC 2023 Chair); Director, Emergency Management Solutions Esri, Carrie Speranza (NAC 2024 Chair); FEMA Administrator, Deanne Criswell; and Vice President (Ret.) Field of Operations National Fire Protection Association, Donald Bliss (NAC 2024 Vice Chair), at the National Advisory Council meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, from Sept. 26-28.
 National Advisory Council (NAC) members meet in Salt Lake City to finalize 2023 recommendations to the Administrator Criswell. The NAC also spent time to better understand the earthquake risk and what communities are doing to address the threat.
FEMA’s National Integration Center (NIC) develops tools and guidance to assist communities in tackling unique preparedness challenges, especially through National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidance and tools. NIMS provides stakeholders across the whole community with the shared vocabulary, systems, and processes to successfully deliver the capabilities described in the National Preparedness System. NIMS defines operational systems that guide how personnel work together during incidents.
To better understand how stakeholders engage with NIMS processes, resources, and tools, the NIC will distribute the NIMS Resource Management Survey. Starting this year, FEMA will release the survey biannually. To participate, please visit https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/web/nims-toolkit/nims-survey.
The topics covered in the survey include the National Qualification System, mutual aid, resource typing and deployment, emergency operations center (EOC) skillsets, and more. We are especially interested in stakeholder feedback from regional partners, states, local partners, tribes, territories, non-profit organizations, the private sector, faith-based organizations and associations.
By providing input, stakeholders can inform future updates to the NIMS processes, resources, and tools they use daily. The survey is open now through the end of December or until 1,000 responses are received. At the beginning of 2024, an NIMS survey will be offered biannually for a 45-day period between April and June and again between dates in November and December.
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Webinar on Financial Resilience Before, During and After Disasters
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.
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FEMA Hosts Webinar on How to Develop an Incident After-Action Report
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.
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Are You Ready to ShakeOut? FEMA is!
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.
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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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FEMA Publishes a Proposed Rule for Public Comment on the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard
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.
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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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