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This week, we commemorate FEMA’s 45th year of helping people before, during and after disasters. As the agency observes this anniversary, we honor the dedication of our workforce and continue our commitment to shaping an agency ready to meet our country’s needs in an ever-evolving disaster landscape.
“For 45 years, FEMA employees have served on the front lines to help people in their greatest time of need,” said Administrator Criswell. “Our employees are the heartbeat of our agency. Together, we’re building a more resilient nation by mitigating disasters and improving how we help people on their worst day. As our agency continues to grow and adapt to the needs of our country, I also challenge my team to keep leaning forward, improving our existing programs, harnessing new technology and positioning ourselves for the increasing frequency and severity of disasters. I am proud of our agency’s service to our nation, for our role is more important now than ever before.”
FEMA was established by President Jimmy Carter through an executive order signed on April 1, 1979. He charged the agency with the dual mission of civil defense and disaster response and recovery. His dedication and legacy of public service continues to guide our workforce.
Over the last 45 years our all-hazards agency has responded to thousands of disasters. Through billions of dollars in grants and trainings, we’ve also worked diligently to prepare our nation for disasters and mitigate their effects. You can learn more about FEMA in our anniversary video.
Though our agency continues to evolve and adapt, we remain as committed to serving people facing disasters as we were when President Carter founded our agency 45 years ago.
FEMA announced the updated edition of the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Flood Insurance Manual effective April 1.
The updated manual is available online on Current Flood Insurance Manuals | FEMA.gov. FEMA’s regular updates to the Flood Insurance Manual reflect an ongoing effort to deliver clear guidance in an easy-to-understand format.
The updated edition of the Flood Insurance Manual keeps flood insurance coverage the same as the terms and conditions of the Standard Flood Insurance Policy. The guidance in this edition reflects the NFIP’s existing underwriting requirements and its current rating methodology.
The April 2024 edition incorporates revisions provided to NFIP insurers through the Write Your Own Bulletin W-23014 dated Oct. 2, 2023. NFIP Program changes and updated guidance are effective today on April 1 to clarify guidance in the Oct. 1, 2022, edition of the Flood Insurance Manual.
FEMA’s goal is to make NFIP products and processes easy to understand, to enable insurance professionals to provide policyholders with consistent and reliable service. Together, we can close the flood insurance gap and reduce needless disaster suffering one policy at a time.
Visit the April 2024 NFIP Flood Insurance Manual Guidance Updates (floodsmart.gov) to learn more.
As of the start of this year, AMBER Alerts sent over FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warnings System (IPAWS) directly resulted in the successful recovery of 180 children nationwide. Law enforcement sends these location-specific alerts over IPAWS during serious child-abduction cases to engage the community in safely recovering the child.
IPAWS is our national system for local alerting used by authorized federal, state, local, Tribal Nation and territorial alerting authorities to send emergency messages to their community. Since 2013, IPAWS has played a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness and reach of AMBER Alerts by allowing those alerts to be broadcast to cellular phones across the country via Wireless Emergency Alerts.
By leveraging the reach and speed of mobile service communication, FEMA ensures that authorities nationwide can reach a vast audience within seconds. Mobilizing the local community maximizes the chances of a safe recovery of the child.
FEMA announced the appointment of 26 new members to the agency's two new subcommittees through its National Advisory Council. The council advises the FEMA Administrator on all matters related to emergency management.
The two new subcommittees consist of an advisory panel and a work group. They will review the preliminary damage assessment process and assess current policies for animal welfare in disasters. They were formed in response to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 and the Planning for Animal Wellness Act (PAW Act).
Preliminary Damage Assessment Subcommittee
This advisory panel subcommittee assists the agency in improving critical components of the preliminary damage assessment process, which helps determine the magnitude of damage and impact of disasters nationwide.
Planning for Animal Welfare Subcommittee
This work group subcommittee reviews best practices and federal guidance on congregate and non-congregate sheltering and evacuation planning relating to animal needs. This includes addressing the needs of household pets, service and assistance animals and captive animals in emergency and disaster preparedness, response and recovery. The subcommittee will determine whether the existing best practices and federal guidance are sufficient and, if not, recommend updates to federal guidance.
The new subcommittee members bring their experience and diversity of views to provide the FEMA Administrator with consensus recommendations. Please join us in congratulating the new members.
Selected subcommittee members do not serve as members of FEMA’s National Advisory Council; however, they will submit formal recommendations to the council for deliberation and final adjudication.
FEMA and the National Hurricane Center are joining more than 2,000 emergency managers, volunteer partners and private sector organizations for this year’s National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Florida.
The conference is being held in the state where 20 years ago, four major hurricanes -- Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne -- hit within a six-week time frame and affected nearly every part of the state, damaging at least 20% of the state’s housing stock and killing more than 100 residents. Each storm brought new lessons about the threats of storm surge, inland flooding and compounding hazards.
FEMA Region 4 Regional Administrator Robert Samaan, who spoke in the general session, referenced 2024 being the agency’s year of resilience and said past storms are one of the main reasons why the agency is investing record amounts of money into helping local communities build infrastructure stronger.
“Looking back at the 2004 hurricanes and the nearly $3.7 billion FEMA spent rebuilding lives and communities, we are working now on allocating an unprecedented amount of pre-disaster mitigation funds to make communities safer before the storm,” said Region 4 Regional Administrator Samaan. “Smart spending can help reduce future costs, particularly in repetitive flood loss.”
Read more at FEMA.gov.
During the last 45 years, FEMA has attracted unique individuals from every corner of the nation and all walks of life. There is a story for every person who chose this path of public service, and we are sharing some of their thoughts while we celebrate FEMA’s 45th anniversary.
To read more FEMA employee stories, go to FEMA.gov.
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FEMA Co-Hosts 2024 Partnership Forum Highlighting Stories of Resilience
Registration is now open for the Resilient Nation Partnership Network 2024 Partnership Forum co-hosted with the Sundance Institute. The theme of this year's forum is, “Stories of Resilience: Voices that Inspire.”
Each session will feature diverse speakers discussing and inspiring community-led resilience. Sessions will take place online each Thursday in April (April 4, 11, 18, 25) from 1 – 3 p.m. ET.
Registration is open to all. To register and learn more, visit Resilient Nation Partnership Network | FEMA.gov.
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Webinars for Tribes on FEMA’s New Grants System
FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate invites federally recognized Tribal Nations to participate in the Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP) Webinar Series. In the upcoming sessions, we will provide an overview of the new FEMA Grant Outcomes (GO) grants management system, which is replacing the legacy Non-Disaster Grants system.
FY 2024 THSGP applicants will be required to submit their applications in the new FEMA GO system. The upcoming webinars will provide an overview of FEMA GO, including how to set up your account and the fundamentals of the THSGP application process.
Three separate sessions are being offered. There is no need to participate in more than one session since the agenda is the same for each.
Register for the following dates at the links below:
For questions regarding the Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program, email FEMA-THSGP@fema.dhs.gov or FEMA Grants News (formerly AskCSID) at FEMA-Grants-News@fema.dhs.gov.
For questions regarding FEMA grants and other assistance programs, contact FEMA Tribal Affairs at Tribal Affairs | FEMA.gov.
For questions regarding FEMA Headquarters and Regional Tribal Affairs, contact Federally Recognized Tribes | FEMA.gov. To find your regional contact, click on the applicable region based on your location.
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FEMA Hosts Webinar on Planning for Your Incident After-Action Report in Spanish
FEMA's Continuous Improvement Technical Assistance Program (CITAP) will host a webinar on how to plan for data collection and analysis for real-world incident after-action reports (AARs) on Thursday, April 4. This webinar will emphasize approaches for planning incident after-action reviews outlined in FEMA’s National Continuous Improvement Guidance. Please note this webinar will be presented in Spanish.
After-action reviews are critical for emergency managers to identify strengths, potential best practices, areas for improvement and mission-critical issues during and following real-world incidents. During this webinar, FEMA will equip participants with a systematic approach to successfully collect and analyze data to inform real-world incident after-action review products. The webinar will also review resources focused on developing data collection and analysis plans that are available on the CITAP’s website on the FEMA Preparedness Toolkit.
The webinar is designed for leaders of state, local, Tribal Nations and territorial partners, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and other entities involved in emergency management functions engaged in continuous improvement efforts.
The webinar will be held virtually on Thursday, April 4, from 2 - 3 p.m. ET. To attend the webinar, register in advance by visiting the event page on FEMA.gov and clicking the "Register" 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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FEMA Seeks Comments on Simplified Homeowner Flood Insurance Form to Improve Customer Experience
FEMA is seeking public comments to improve the homeowner policyholder experience through a new proposed Homeowner Flood Form to simplify the National Flood Insurance Program's standard flood insurance policy. The proposed Homeowner Flood Form aims to provide homeowners with a more customizable and user-friendly experience with five new proposed endorsements, allowing policyholders to modify their coverage.
Comments can be submitted until April 8 on www.regulations.gov Docket ID: FEMA-2024-0004. Please follow the instructions on the page to submit comments and contact the Regulations.gov Help Desk if you encounter technical issues.
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FEMA Offers $360M in Grants to Boost Number of Trained Firefighters in Communities Nationwide
The application period remains open for the Fiscal Year 2023 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, which offers $360 million in grants directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained firefighters protecting communities across the nation.
Building more resilient communities includes having sufficiently staffed fire departments. FEMA SAFER grant funding will be used to increase the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards, attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate fire protection from fire and fire-related hazards and to fulfill traditional missions of fire departments. The SAFER application period will close on Friday, April 12, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.
The FY 2023 SAFER Notice of Funding opportunity and technical assistance documents for this program are available at www.grants.gov and on the FEMA website. Additional information about upcoming webinars to assist applicants is also available on the FEMA website.
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Still Time to Apply for the $36M in Grants to Strengthen Community Resilience Through FEMA's Fire Prevention Programs
The latest application period for the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grant program is open, which will award $36 million for Fiscal Year 2023 to strengthen community fire prevention programs and support scientific research on innovations that improve firefighter safety, health and well-being.
The FP&S Program has awarded approximately $852 million since its inception. To help keep communities and firefighters safer, FP&S funding is being made available directly to eligible fire departments, national, regional, state, local, tribal and non-profit organizations such as academic (e.g., universities), research foundations, public safety institutes, public health, occupational health and injury prevention institutions for fire prevention programs and firefighter health and safety research and development such as clinical studies that address behavioral, social science and cultural research. The application period will close on Friday, April 12, at 5 p.m. ET.
The FY 2023 FP&S Notice of Funding Opportunity and technical assistance documents for this program are available at www.grants.gov and on the FEMA website. Additional information about upcoming webinars to assist applicants is also available on the FEMA website.
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FEMA Seeks Public Comments on its Updated Design and Construction Code Policy
FEMA is seeking public comments on its updated Consensus-Based Codes, Specifications and Standards Policy through April 26. Application of this policy will increase the resilience of communities impacted by presidentially declared disasters by requiring the use of hazard-resistant design criteria in the repair and restoration of disaster-damaged infrastructure.
FEMA’s landmark study, “Building Codes Save: A Nationwide Study,” illustrated that the use of modern building codes leads to major reductions in property loss from natural disasters. Since originally published in November 2019, the Policy has supported resilient recovery by establishing minimum hazard-resistant design and construction criteria for facilities receiving Public Assistance funding.
The 30-day public comment period is open through April 26 and comments can be submitted in the following ways:
For more information, visit Public Assistance Consensus-Based Codes, Specifications, and Standards Policy Update Public Comment Period | FEMA.gov
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces $150 Million to Help Underserved Communities Fund Resilience Projects
FEMA announced the second funding opportunity for the Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund grant program to make communities safer from natural hazards. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program provides capitalization grants to eligible applicants nationwide. Applicants then offer low-interest loans directly to local communities to reduce their vulnerability to disasters, promote equity, foster greater community resilience and reduce disaster impacts.
The Safeguarding Tomorrow funding notice is available at Grants.gov. Eligible entities must apply for funding using the Non-Disaster Grants Management System. Applications must be received by Tuesday, April 30, at 3 p.m. ET.
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Application Period Open for Repetitive Flood Mitigation Funding
An additional $300 million in Swift Current funding is available to help property owners across the nation become more resilient to flooding. This funding opportunity is the second time that FEMA is using assets from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Swift Current, part of the Flood Mitigation Assistance program. Buildings must be insured through the National Flood Insurance Program to be eligible.
FEMA will work with states and Tribal Nations to explore their participation during this cycle. Potential applicants who have questions may contact their FEMA regional office, while interested subapplicants should contact their state or territory hazard mitigation officer. All eligible applicants must submit their FY 2023 Swift Current grant applications to FEMA via Mitigation eGrants. Upon Swift Current activation, FEMA will provide the application deadline to the applicant.
The application period opened on Nov. 15, 2023, and the last eligible disaster declaration date is May 31. Full details are available on Grants.gov.
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