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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Each year, this national campaign increases awareness and celebrates the many, varied contributions of workers with disabilities.
The 2023 theme, “Advancing Equity and Access,” recognizes the vital role people with disabilities have in making the nation's workforce diverse and inclusive.
FEMA is committed to equal opportunity and diversity inclusion while accomplishing our mission of helping people before, during and after disasters. Throughout the month, we recognize and honor the more than 2,700 FEMA employees with disabilities who support our mission.
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.
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.
Read more about ways to participate in the Great ShakeOut by visiting the FEMA blog. You can also visit ShakeOut.org/dropcoverholdon for self-protective guidance and videos for individuals who face unique challenges during an earthquake. People with service animals can watch this 30-second video for additional guidance.
On Nov. 1 and 2, FEMA will host the Civil Rights Summit 4.0: Advancing Environmental Justice. This summit will lead the critical conversation on civil rights and environmental justice in disaster activities and programs at FEMA.
This year’s discussions will focus on the effects of environmental issues on protected groups and initiatives to incorporate and support environmental justice within emergency management. Organized by the Office of Equal Rights, the event will include presentations and panel discussions from FEMA leaders, experts from agencies across the federal government, representatives from nonprofit organizations and community leaders. These subject matter experts will discuss environmental justice initiatives and the impact of environmental justice issues on protected groups and intersectionality.
Continuous dialogue on civil rights is vital to FEMA’s efforts to address the needs of underserved communities more effectively. While progress has been made, there is more work to be done. The summit aims to foster collaborative dialogue that will identify actual and perceived biases affecting equal access to FEMA programs. The summit also aims to strengthen partnerships and provide next steps to move forward.
Gathering perspectives and feedback from civil rights partners, the public and FEMA’s workforce is critical so that FEMA can more effectively advance environmental justice before, during and after disasters.
Register here in advance to join the summit discussion!
FEMA announced $1.8 billion available for two grant programs designed to help communities increase their resilience to the effects of climate change, including increasingly frequent and extreme weather events.
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) annual grant program makes $1 billion available for projects that protect people and infrastructure from natural hazards and the effects of climate change. The Flood Mitigation Assistance program makes $800 million available for projects that mitigate flood risks facing homes and communities nationwide. The funding for these two programs has been greatly increased thanks to President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and this year, the landmark legislation will contribute more than $1 billion to these critical climate infrastructure and resilience programs.
As part of the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, the BRIC and Flood Mitigation Assistance programs aim to deliver 40% of their overall benefits to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, overburdened by pollution and underserved.
FEMA provides additional financial and technical support to help overburdened and underserved communities build resilience. This includes cost share adjustments and helps complete a Benefit-Cost Analysis for certain communities.
The agency is also expanding BRIC Direct Technical Assistance with a goal to add at least 80 more communities to the current 74 local jurisdictions nationwide.
The application period opens on Oct. 16. Eligible applicants must apply for funding using FEMA Grants Outcomes, FEMA’s grants management system. Applications must be submitted in the portal no later than 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 29, 2024. FEMA will not consider applications after this deadline. The application deadlines are for applicants only. Local governments should consult with their state, Tribal or territorial agency to confirm deadlines to submit sub-applications.
FEMA has planned three live webinars for government officials to learn more about preparing applications. Subjects will include technical and qualitative criteria, application pitfalls and repetitive loss properties.
Visit FEMA.gov for more information about Hazard Mitigation Assistance.
On Sept. 6, FEMA announced the first 483 Community Disaster Resilience Zones in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. FEMA used the National Risk Index and other tools to identify the census tracts across the country that are most at risk from the effects of natural hazards and climate change and most in need.
These designated zones will receive technical assistance and financial support for projects that will help communities build resilience to natural hazards.
Join FEMA in an upcoming informational webinar to learn more about the vision for the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act, the designation methodology, and future opportunities for partnership and investment.
The content is the same for both sessions.
To learn more about the initial designations in each state and the District of Columbia and to view an interactive map, visit this webpage. FEMA will announce additional designations for tribal nations and territories later this fall.
U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), in partnership with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), convened the U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control 2023 on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
This in-person and live-streamed event from the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Md., began with top leaders sharing research-based testimonies during roundtable listening sessions, followed by interactive audience discussions.
Key federal officials attending the summit included President Joe Biden (virtual), Homeland Security Advisor to the President Elizabeth Sherwood Randall (virtual), DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore Merrell, and Caitlin Durkovich, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor for Resilience and Response.
During the morning session, the audience heard key testimonies highlighting issues such as the impact of climate change on firefighting in the wildland-urban interface, how technology such as lithium batteries change firefighting and affect community safety, and the critical role of building codes and standards to fire safety, particular in urban settings. Other speakers discussed how fires and trauma affect firefighters' physical and mental health and the recruitment and retention challenges faced by career, volunteer and combination fire departments nationwide.
 From left: Chief Donna Black, International Association of Fire Chiefs; retired Chief Kevin Quinn, National Volunteer Fire Council; General President Ed Kelly, International Association of Fire Fighters; retired Chief Ernie Mitchell, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation; Dr. Steve Kerber, UL Fire Safety Research Institute; Victor Stagnaro, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation; U.S Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore Merrell; FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell; and Caitlin Durkovich, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor for Resilience and Response, gathered at the 9/11 Memorial at the National Emergency Training Center for the U.S. Fire Administrator's Summit on Fire Prevention and Control 2023, Tuesday, Oct. 10.
FEMA’s National Integration Center published three Unmanned Aircraft Systems resource typing documents. This includes a Pilot in Command position, a Technical Specialist–Unmanned Aircraft System position and an Unmanned Aircraft System Team.
FEMA assembled a stakeholder group comprised of subject-matter experts from federal, state, local and non-governmental entities to review the existing resource types. These efforts resulted in updates to the existing positions and teams incorporating the latest best practices in Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
These resource typing documents enhance the interoperability and effectiveness of mutual aid by establishing baseline qualifications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems NIMS-typed teams and personnel. This facilitates the sharing of deployable resources at all jurisdictional levels.
These Unmanned Aircraft Systems resource types can be accessed in the Resource Typing Library Tool.
FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate offers guidance on eligible costs under certain grant programs during periods of civil unrest. FEMA’s programs operate under varied statutory provisions that have different allowability and eligibility requirements; however, the potential to reprogram funds for limited purposes may exist under the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) and the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program.
Requests to reprogram HSGP or EMPG funds, or questions regarding the eligibility, allowability, and reprogramming of FEMA grant program funds to support response capability during periods of civil unrest, should be directed to your FEMA Regional Program Analyst or Headquarters Preparedness Officer.
FEMA helps people before, during, and after their worst days. To do this, we ensure our work meets the need of all communities and individuals we serve by removing barriers so they can access our programs. A critical part of this work is ensuring the civil rights of those we serve in all the work we do, from grants to disaster relief.
On Sept. 28, DHS and FEMA advanced these efforts by publishing the fact sheet: Protecting Individuals from Discrimination Based on Actual or Perceived Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics. This new resource describes Title VI protections for individuals all faith traditions, such as people who identify as Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Hindu or Buddhist.
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act applies to all programs and activities supported by federal financial assistance. These protections are wide-ranging and provide important tools to prevent and curb discrimination and prohibit certain forms of antisemitic, Islamophobic, and related forms of discrimination and bias.
This historic interagency effort expands our commitment to further protect the civil rights of faith-based communities. It is part of the DHS initiative to implement the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism and clarifies that Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits forms of antisemitic, Islamophobic and related forms of discrimination and bias in federally funded programs and activities.
For more information, visit DHS.gov.
Oct. 13 was International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. This year’s theme, Fighting Inequality for a Resilient Future, underscores the importance of engaging the whole community in disaster planning. Learn how to take action by visiting United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction at UNDRR.org.
By 2030, with current climate projections, the world will face approximately 560 disasters per year. This year alone, the United States has faced over 23 disasters that have cost over $1 billion each. In this environment, is vital that all communities have what they need to prepare for and respond to disasters.
“We must ensure that marginalized, vulnerable and under-resourced communities have equal access to the tools they need to prepare for emergencies,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “At FEMA, we are focused on reducing barriers and increasing opportunities so everyone, regardless of their race, their age, gender or zip code, can get help when they need it.”
The first goal of FEMA’s strategic plan is to instill equity as a foundation of emergency management. Proactively prioritizing actions that advance equity for communities and identifying groups that have historically been underserved or disproportionately affected by disaster is critical for their resilience. FEMA has made strides towards achieving this goal, including simplifying our Individual Assistance application process, committing to ensuring 40% of benefits of pre-disaster grant programs go to underserved communities and launching public service preparedness campaigns focused on historically marginalized communities.
While our agency is proud of these accomplishments, more work is still needed to combat inequality and make our communities resilient.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has made the first of its sub-awards from the $56 million in funding FEMA provided on Sept. 29 under the fiscal year 2023 Next Generation Warning System Grant Program.
Mississippi Public Broadcasting and Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida, received more than $386,000 combined to upgrade their equipment to provide enhanced emergency alerting.
The 2023 Next Generation Warning 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.
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.
After-action reports 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 after-action reports that are 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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Kentucky Residential and Community Saferoom Training for Registered Design Professionals
FEMA will host a free virtual saferoom training from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 25, 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 apply 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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