Last week, NOAA released the 2015 U.S. Spring Outlook. According to the outlook, rivers in western New York and eastern New England have the greatest risk of spring flooding, partially because of heavy snowpack combined with potential spring rain. Widespread drought conditions are expected to continue in California, Nevada, and Oregon as the dry season begins.
March, April, and May are three months where spring weather preparedness is critical. Late season snowstorms can impact the East Coast and the Northern Plains, thunderstorms rip across the South and Midwest, rivers overflow their banks and heat waves begin in the Southwest. Additionally, tsunamis pose a hazard that can strike the coasts at any time.
Know your risk, take action and be a force of nature. By preparing for spring weather hazards, FEMA is working towards building a weather ready nation.
The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is
preparing for the 2015 National Training and Exercise (NT&E) Symposium. The
symposium, which takes place May 19-21, 2015 at EMI in Emmitsburg, Maryland, provides federal, state, tribal, territorial training and exercise officials the
opportunity to discuss current and future training and exercise programs and
share case studies, lessons learned, and smart practices. The symposium also
provides a platform to communicate changes to current and introduce new FEMA policy and doctrine.
At the NT&E annual symposium, presenters discuss
current and future training and exercise programs and initiatives which impact
the federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and non-government
sectors. The symposium provides an
instructional, participatory environment for emergency management training and
exercise officials to engage their peers from across the country as well as
interact with FEMA leadership.
This year, the presentations include panel discussions on
school safety initiatives, using new EMI state and local recovery courses to
address capability gaps in long term recovery, and the Emergency Management
Basic Academy, and a presentation on the impact of solar and space weather on
emergency management and animal emergency management. Other breakout sessions
include an overview of The National Center for Campus Public Safety, a briefing
of EMI’s Virtual Table Top Exercise Series, and a presentation on Homemade
Explosives by New Mexico Tech.
In addition to the array of presentations, EMI will also be
offering four pre-symposium courses. These one-day courses will be taught by
the members of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) and the
Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC).
For more information about the NT&E Symposium, visit www.training.fema.gov/nte.
FEMA’s Logistics
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently
completed a joint, comprehensive analysis designed to identify and put in place
new, more efficient methods of delivering temporary power to disaster survivors
when a disaster strikes.
Among
the methods identified is the implementation of the
Emergency Power Facility Assessment Tool (EPFAT), an online resource that stores the
updated critical public facility generator requirements data of states. Access
to this accurate and updated online data will help FEMA Logistics and USACE expedite the installation of temporary power at facilities where
commercial power has been cut due to a disaster. By reducing by one-third
of those generators that are currently warehoused, FEMA Logistics and USACE will be able to dedicate funds to this data-driven,
more efficient method of moving electric generators when and where there is a
critical need for them during disasters.
FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps are also currently
developing a Temporary Power Training Course, to be available and free of
charge for state directors, emergency managers and planners through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute.
The Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grants
are part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant and support projects
that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related
hazards. The FY 2014 Fire Prevention &
Safety (FP&S) application period is open until April 17, 2015 at 5 p.m. EDT.
The application period for the 2015
Individual and Community Preparedness Awards is open until April 10, 2015. The awards highlight innovative local practices and achievements by
recognizing individuals and organizations that have made outstanding
contributions toward making their communities safer, stronger, better prepared,
and more resilient.
To be considered for this year’s awards, all submissions must be received by
April 10, 2015, at 11:59 p.m. EDT and must feature program activities taking
place between January 1, 2014, and April 10, 2015. Applications should be
submitted to citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA and federal
partners are providing a series of listening sessions on the implementation guidelines of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS).
These sessions provide the opportunity to learn more about the Standard, ask
questions, and provide feedback on how federal agencies implement the Standard. Upcoming sessions will be held in New York, New York; with additional sessions to be announced soon. Listening
session dates and locations are available online.
Due to
space constraints of the facilities, seating may be limited. To reserve a
seat in advance, please provide a request via email at least three days in
advance with the contact information of the participant (including name,
mailing address, and e-mail address), and the meeting to be attended to FEMA-FFRMS@fema.dhs.gov and include the
subject/attention line: Reservation Request for FFRMS. For
anyone attending the meetings who is hearing or visually impaired, or who
requires special assistance or accommodations, please also contact FEMA-FFRMS@fema.dhs.gov.
For those unable to attend a listening session, there will be an FFRMS webinar on March 25, 3-6 p.m. EDT. Participants can register for the webinar online.
The deadline to comment on the
draft version of Implementing Guidelines has been extended until May 6,
2015. Questions and comments may be submitted to FEMA-FFRMS@fema.dhs.gov.
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