|
Floods, the most common natural
disaster, damage public health and safety, as well as economic prosperity. They
can also threaten national security. Between 1980 and 2013, the United States
suffered more than $260 billion in flood-related damages. With climate change
and other threats, flooding risks are expected to increase over time. Sea level
rise, storm surge, and heavy downpours, along with extensive development in
coastal areas, increase the risk of damage due to flooding. That damage can be
particularly severe for infrastructure, including buildings, roads, ports,
industrial facilities, and even coastal military installations.
On January 30, the President issued an
Executive Order, “Establishing a
Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and
Considering Stakeholder Input.” Future federal investments in and
affecting floodplains will be required to meet the level of resilience
established in the Federal Flood Risk
Management Standard.
This includes projects where federal funds are used to build new structures and
facilities or to rebuild those that have been damaged. These projects make sure that
buildings are constructed to withstand the impacts of flooding, improves the
resilience of communities, and protects federal investments.
This Standard requires agencies to
consider the best available, actionable science of both current and future risk
when taxpayer dollars are used to build or rebuild in floodplains. On average,
more people die annually from flooding than any other natural hazard. Further,
the costs borne by the federal government are more than any other hazard.
Water-related disasters account for approximately 85% of all disaster
declarations.
The Standard establishes the flood
level to which new and rebuilt federally funded structures or facilities must
be resilient. In implementing the Standard, agencies will be given the
flexibility to select one of three approaches for establishing the flood
elevation and hazard area they use in siting, design, and construction:
- Utilizing best available, actionable
data and methods that integrate current and future changes in flooding based on
climate science;
- Two or three feet of elevation,
depending on the criticality of the building, above the 100-year, or
1%-annual-chance, flood elevation; or
- 500-year, or 0.2%-annual-chance,
flood elevation.
The Executive Order states that prior
to implementation of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, additional
input from stakeholders will be solicited and considered. To carry out this
process, FEMA, on behalf of the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG),
published a draft version of
Implementing Guidelines that is open for comment. FEMA will also be holding
public meetings to further solicit stakeholder input. The MitFLG will accept
written comments via e-mail from those unable to attend the public meetings and
will also host a virtual listening session in the coming months. At the
conclusion of the public comment period, the MitFLG will revise the draft
Implementing Guidelines, based on input received, and provide recommendations
to the Water Resources Council.
The Water Resources Council will,
after considering the recommendations of the MitFLG, issue amended guidelines
to provide guidance to federal agencies on the implementation of the Standard.
Agencies will not issue or amend existing regulations or program procedures
until the Water Resources Council issues amended guidelines that are informed
by stakeholder input.
FEMA looks forward to participation
and input in the process as part of the work towards reducing flood risk,
increasing resilience, cutting future economic losses, and potentially saving
lives.
In July, FEMA announced a new strategy
for youth preparedness education nation-wide. Since then, 49 organizations with
a demonstrated commitment to preparing our Nation’s youth for emergencies have
affirmed their support for the National Strategy for Youth
Preparedness Education: Empowering, Educating and Building Resilience (National Strategy).
The National Strategy couples attention on emergency and disaster preparedness
with community action that focuses specifically on youth readiness for
disasters and related events. The National Strategy was developed in
partnership with the American Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Education.
These affirmers were recognized at the
White House on January 28, and re-convened to discuss success stories, lessons
learned, and opportunities for collaboration. Affirming partners will now work
as a unified network to propel a national behavior change campaign focused on
youth preparedness.
Research shows that it is important to
educate and empower young people to prepare for disasters. A 2010 study from
Oregon State University showed that 14 percent of children and teens
experienced a disaster during their lifetime, and four percent had been in a
disaster within the past year. Of those who had experience with disaster, a
quarter reported experiencing more than one. Children who are preparedness are
less likely to experience anxiety and are more confident during emergencies.
Research has also showed that children share important messages with their
families and communities, making them a strong ally for preparedness education.
The National Strategy presents nine
priority steps to further youth preparedness education including: building
partnerships to enhance, increase and implement youth preparedness learning
programs; connecting young people with their families, communities, first
responders and other youth; and increasing school preparedness. More
information about these steps--as well as the national organizations that have
affirmed their support--is available in the FEMA Youth Technical Assistance
Center at www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness. More information
about emergency preparedness is available at www.ready.gov. If interested in
becoming an affirmer, please contact the FEMA Youth Technical Assistance Center
at FEMA-Youth-Preparedness@fema.dhs.gov.
On January 7, FEMA launched a new
interactive tool to
allow the public to explore currently-available FEMA grant data. This
week, FEMA added Individual Assistance to the data visualization, which
includes financial grants from the Individuals and Households Program. This
program provides financial help or direct services to survivors if they are
unable to meet their needs through other means through Housing Assistance and
Other Needs Assistance (including personal property and other items).
The data visualization tool is
available at www.fema.gov/data-visualization. To explore the data,
visit OpenFEMA at www.fema.gov/data-feeds.
Based on an increase of 0.8 percent in
the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the 12-month period that
ended December 2014, FEMA adjusted the calendar year
2015 statewide per capita indicator for recommending a cost share adjustment
for the public assistance program to $136.
FEMA will recommend an increase in the
standard 75 percent federal cost share to not more than 90 percent of eligible
costs when a disaster is so extraordinary that actual federal obligations under
the Stafford Act, excluding administrative costs, meet or exceed $136 per
capita of state population. This adjustment applies to all disasters declared
on or after January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015.
FEMA seeks experienced individuals who
are interested in serving on the National Advisory
Council (NAC) to
apply. All applications must be received on Monday, February 16, 2015 by 5
p.m. ET. Appointments are for three-year terms to end August 15, 2018. The
Administrator may also appoint additional candidates to serve as a FEMA
Administrator Selection, which are also for three-year terms.
Individuals
interested in serving on the NAC are invited to apply to be considered for
appointment by submitting a Cover Letter and a Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
to the Office of the NAC by email, mail, or fax, with email as the preferred
method of submission. Letters of recommendation may also be provided, but are
not required. The Cover Letter must include, at a minimum: the discipline
area(s) of interest; current position title and organization; mailing address;
a current telephone number; and email address. A complete application must be
submitted to be considered for appointment. Application criteria, submission
information, and contact information can be found at www.fema.gov/national-advisory-council.
FEMA announced it is seeking
applicants for its Youth Preparedness Council. The Council supports
FEMA’s commitment to involving youth in preparedness-related activities and
provides an opportunity for young people to offer their perspectives, feedback
and insights on how to help make America more resilient.
To apply, Youth Preparedness Council
applicants must be 13 to 17 years old. They must also be engaged in individual
and community preparedness or have experienced a disaster that motivated them
to make a positive difference in their community. Individuals who applied for
2014 are encouraged to apply again. Current Council members have an option to
extend for an additional year, upon FEMA request. Adults working with youth or
on community preparedness are encouraged to share the application with young
people who might be interested in applying for the Youth Preparedness Council.
To be
eligible for consideration, applicants must submit
a completed application form and two letters of recommendation.
Completed applications and all supporting materials must be received no later
than March 2, 2015 by 11:59 p.m. ET. New Youth Preparedness Council
members will be announced in May 2015.
|
