October 2022
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Did you find yourself a bit panicked ahead of Ian's arrival because you weren't prepared?
Initial forecasts for Ian's impacts in Virginia were a lot worse than what actually happened for most people, but those early forecasts may have instilled a bit of panic in some of us,
"I don't have enough water!"
"Where are the candles and batteries?" "I never got around to buying that generator!"
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If this was you, don't let it happen again!
There's still time to make or review your emergency plan and build your emergency kit before the next disaster, and VDEM is here to help.
We have a number or resources that will help make preparing easy! From a "My Emergency Plan" template, to an Emergency Kit Checklist, to Emergency Preparedness Handbook, a Hurricane Evacuation Guide and more...we have you covered!
 We have a number of digital preparedness resources available for download and print RIGHT NOW here: Make a Plan | VDEM (vaemergency.gov).
Start by encouraging people to print the Emergency Reference Card to fill out and display on their refrigerator. This has basic contact information that is useful and easy to reference in an emergency.
The next thing you'll want is "My Emergency Plan". It has everything you need before, during, and after a disaster from emergency information, an emergency kit checklist, how to find your hurricane evacuation zone, a place to list where you will go in the event of an evacuation, important contact information, and much more. There are also resources for recovery after a disaster.
 VDEM staff and members of the VEST (Virginia Emergency Support Team) deployed to Virginia's Emergency Operations Center in the basement of State Police Headquarters to support response to Ian's arrival and impacts in Virginia. FEMA's regional Incident Management Team was also here to support the commonwealth.
The VEST is comprised of 17 Emergency Support Functions, or ESFs. They are: Transportation; Communications; Public Works and Engineering; Firefighting; Information and Planning; Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Temporary Housing and Human Services; Logistics; Public Health and Medical Services; Search and Rescue; Oil and Hazardous Materials Response; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Energy; Public Safety and Security; Cross-Sector Business and Infrastructure; External Affairs; Military Affairs; and Volunteer & Donations Management. While we have representatives for each ESF, not every ESF is needed in every disaster. (If you want to read more about Emergency Support Functions, here is a link: Emergency Support Functions | VDEM (vaemergency.gov))
For the response to Ian, members of the Virginia National Guard, State Police, VDOT, Dominion Energy, the Department of Social Services, Search and Rescue, and more were on hand either in-person or virtually to collaborate and respond to the needs of the state.
Several localities requested high water vehicles due to the forecast of moderate to major flooding along Virginia's coast. VDEM worked with the National Guard to stage crews and vehicles on Virginia's Eastern Shore and in Hampton Roads.
A number of localities recommended voluntary evacuation to its residents due to the forecast, and 2 shelters were opened to accommodate residents in Accomack County and the city of Hampton.
Luckily, the event wasn't as bad as the original tidal/coastal forecast showed, so there was only minor to moderate flooding reported, with a few roads closed in typically flood-prone areas.
It was a great exercise in collaborating all aspects of response.
 Pictured: Members of the Virginia National Guard in the state EOC
 Pictured: members of FEMA's Incident Management Team, VDEM's finance, recovery, and regional support divisions in the state EOC
 The Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 265-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. The helpline also supports over 100 languages and Deaf and hard of hearing ASL callers.
Staff members provide counseling and support before, during, and after disasters and refer people to local disaster-related resources for follow-up care and support. Since its launch in February 2012, the Disaster Distress Helpline has provided counseling and support in response to disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires and the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Disaster Distress Helpline is staffed by trained counselors from a network of crisis call centers located across the United States. These counselors provide:
- Crisis counseling for people in emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster
- Information on how to recognize distress and its effects on individuals and families
- Tips for healthy coping
- Referrals to local crisis call centers for additional follow-up care and support
When you call or text, crisis counselors will listen to what’s on your mind with patience and without judgment. There is no need to give any identifying information when you contact the Disaster Distress Helpline. The counselor may ask you for some basic information at the end of the call, but these questions are optional and are intended to help SAMHSA keep track of the types of calls it receives.
While the DDH is a critical resource, the experts at Vibrant Emotional Health and DeafLEAD recognized that, over the years, it has also been inaccessible to millions of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
“The vast majority of crisis hotlines are set up to accommodate people who can hear, not Deaf or hard-of-hearing callers,” explained Jessie Wells, Coordinator of Best Practices in Disaster Mental Health for the Disaster Distress Helpline at Vibrant Emotional Health. “Counselors using interpreters may not fully understand the Deaf or hard-of-hearing caller’s needs or be able to communicate effectively, especially if the caller is in crisis.”
The helpline has offered text services since its launch. While text services may seem like a sufficient alternative to hearing hotlines, they may pose other potential challenges which could deter Deaf users, including English language proficiency and those in crisis feeling like the responding chat or text counselors may not understand their needs as Deaf individuals.
To address these barriers to care, in May 2021, the Disaster Distress Helpline launched the brand-new videophone option (DDH VP) specifically designed to support ASL-users. This helpline is staffed entirely by trained Deaf and hard-of-hearing crisis counselors from DeafLEAD who are fluent in ASL and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Here's a short video with more on the the Disaster Distress Helpline Videophone:
 Español:
Llama o envía un mensaje de texto 1–800–985–5990 presiona “2”.
For Deaf and Hard of Hearing ASL Callers:
To connect directly to an agent in American Sign Language, click the "ASL Now" button below or call
1–800–985–5990 from your videophone. ASL Support is available 24/7.
Callers to the hotline can also connect with counselors in over 100 other languages via 3rd-party interpretation services; to connect with a counselor in your primary language, simply indicate your preferred language to the responding counselor and she/he will connect to a live interpreter (interpretation in less commonly-spoken languages may require calling back at an appointed time).
 Here's a message from Bruce Sterling, VDEM's hurricane program manager:
While we had a slow start to the hurricane season, we did have a typical September, which is usually the busiest month of the hurricane season.
We finished September with a hurricane that will be remembered for a long time. Hurricane Ian made landfall near Fort Myers on September 28 as a strong Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 155 mph. While the actual amount of storm surge won’t be determined until after the post-storm analysis, up to 18 feet were forecasted as Ian approached the Florida coast. Ironically, it was 30 years ago that Hurricane Andrew struck the east coast of Florida just south of Miami as a similar strength storm, and was later determined to be a Category 5 hurricane when it made landfall.
While damage assessments are still being done and the full scope of impact on Florida is not known yet, it is very likely to rank among the costliest hurricanes. Hurricane Ian is reported to be the fifth most powerful hurricane to make landfall in the United States. Governor Ron DeSantis said that the state had sustained more flood damage than wind damage. This reinforces the message from last month about the importance of having flood insurance. Combined with the storm surge, the slow track across Florida resulted in rainfall totals of 16 inches or more well away from the coast. It is reported that many people who were at risk of storm surge flooding did not evacuate. The death toll in Florida continues to climb, and anyone who didn’t evacuate and survived should consider themselves lucky.
We should use this devastating event in Florida to take two very important preparedness actions. First, evaluate your flood risk and make sure your property is properly insured, and second, make sure you know which evacuation zone your home, business, or workplace is located in if you are in a coastal community, and if an evacuation is ordered, leave for a safer place.
You can see which evacuation zone you're in by visiting knowyourzoneva.org.
 There's still time to plan your earthquake drill!
It only takes a matter of seconds to change your life and community. Earthquakes can happen with no notice at any time; you could be at work, school, in a car, or at home.
On August 23, 2011, millions of people throughout the eastern U.S. felt shaking from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake near Mineral, Virginia. The earthquake was likely felt by more people than any earthquake in North America’s history. This is due to the large distances at which people felt the ground shaking and because of the density of the population in the eastern U.S. No lives were lost, something experts called “lucky” given the extent of shaking, but property damage was estimated to be in the range of $200 to $300 million.
The earthquake in Mineral illustrated the fact that it is impossible to predict when or where an earthquake will occur, so you and your family must be prepared ahead of time.
The Great Shakeout Earthquake Drill, which will take place on October 20, is a great opportunity for individuals, families, schools, workplaces, etc., to practice earthquake preparedness.
At 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 20, you can join more than a million people across the Southeast U.S. practicing earthquake safety. While we encourage you to participate with everyone, you can register your ShakeOut drill for any day of the year, and drill at a time of your choice. You can also include people in multiple locations through video conferencing.
Because earthquakes don't only happen when we are at home, it's a good idea to practice earthquake safety in different situations each year.
Information and resources for schools: Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills - ShakeOut Schools
For non-profits and other organizations: ShakeOutDrillManualNonProfitOrgs_v2
For healthcare: Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills - ShakeOut Healthcare Resources
Earthquake safety in stores: Earthquake_Safety_in_Stores (shakeout.org)
 National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15 each year. The event first began as a weeklong celebration under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan to cover 30 days in 1988. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.
In September 2021, FEMA launched multiple Ready Campaign PSAs developed specifically for the Latino community as part of FEMA’s approach to advancing accessibility and cultural competency in boosting the nation’s preparedness. For 2022, FEMA has shared facts and figures for the nation’s second-largest racial or ethnic group. Statistics can be found on: September 2022: By the Numbers (census.gov).
The National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers (NCHEPM) announced the theme for 2022 as Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. It is meant to encourage everyone to ensure that all voices are represented and welcomed to help build stronger communities and a stronger nation.
Each year the contributions and importance of the Hispanic and Latinx community to the United States are recognized as part of the diverse background that makes up our nation.
Much like NCHEPM, VDEM’s mission within the commonwealth continues to ask citizens from all walks of life to invite and welcome new and unrepresented voices to join the dialogue around disaster response. Our agency is committed to ensuring that every Virginian is represented to provide better procedures and more thoughtful processes. This intentionality is threaded throughout our strategic planning to help us build stronger communities and in turn, a stronger commonwealth.
Sources: https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/hispanic-heritage-month FEMA and Ad Council Release New Latino-Focused PSAs Urging Communities to 'Prepare to Protect' | FEMA.gov https://nationalcouncilhepm.org/announcements#248ea6f1-025e-4891-afd9-b8805d959589
 PHOTO ABOVE: Hearthstone Lake Dam, Courtesy of Virginia DCR
Hurricane season is ongoing — and with fall rains and winter storms just around the corner, Virginia’s dam safety officials are reminding dam owners of their responsibilities. Dam failures can result in catastrophic flooding, putting people and property at risk.
Virginia has more than 3,000 dams. As a matter of fact, all but two lakes in the commonwealth have dams. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, which oversees the state’s dam safety program, currently regulates more than 2,600 of those dams.
Most dams in Virginia are privately owned. Dam owners may be liable for damages to other people’s property, injuries or deaths resulting from the failure or malfunction of their dam.
This 46-second video shows dam owners how to be in compliance with the Virginia Dam Safety Act.
Residents or dam owners with questions or concerns about dam safety compliance can contact DCR’s experts directly at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/dam-outreach.
 Late last month, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation announced $13.6 million in awards from the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund.
Twenty-seven applications for flood prevention and protection projects including mitigation, capacity building, planning and studies were funded in communities across the commonwealth.
Grant round 3 was initially advertised for $40 million. However, DCR received 64 applications with grant requests totaling nearly $93 million.
DCR therefore also announced that 32 proposals totaling $68 million in requests have been given a 60-day supplemental review period, allowing applicants to correct application deficiencies and submit additional information.
To support as many beneficial projects as possible, DCR has been further authorized to release an additional $30 million in funding for grant round 3.
The agency plans to release grant round 4 in early 2023, along with the initial round of the newly created Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund. Learn more at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/dam-safety-and-floodplains/dsfpm-cfpf.
 President Biden declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Virginia and ordered Federal assistance to supplement Commonwealth, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by flooding and mudslides from July 13 to July 14, 2022.
Federal funding is available to Commonwealth, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding and mudslides in the counties of Buchanan and Tazewell.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all areas within the Commonwealth of Virginia.
A representative from FEMA has been assigned to review public assistance for this event.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the Commonwealth and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
 FEMA is warning to be on the lookout for fraud and scams that may come after a disaster. Unfortunately, scammers love to target people when they are at their most vulnerable. After a disaster, many are desperate for assistance or looking for ways to help and could make careless mistakes that they wouldn't otherwise.
Charitable solicitations fraud involves people or Internet sites posing as legitimate organizations that claim to be raising funds for disaster victims (such as in the opening case).
Websites reach a global audience and have the ability to trick the unwary into revealing key identity data. Generous people, who often search the Internet for well-known charities in order to donate funds after disasters, often are deceived by fake Web sites. These phony sites collect donors' credit card numbers and other personal information.
Here are some tips on how to recognize a scam and avoid becoming a victim:
- Bogus websites use names that look like legitimate charities. They do this scam to trick people to send money or provide personal financial information.
- If you're looking for a secure online donation, don't follow links. Go directly to a reputable charity's website.
- Donors should not give out personal financial information to anyone who solicits a contribution. This includes things like Social Security numbers or credit card and bank account numbers and passwords. Scammers may call or email, claiming to be working for ― or on behalf of ― the IRS, FEMA, or a charity like the American Red Cross or United Way. They do this to get money or private information from well-intentioned people.
Report fraud to the Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721.
 According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, those without a financial cushion may face unique and severe challenges in natural disasters. More than 32% of the adult population cannot afford a $400 expense without going into debt. There is a lot that an individual/family can do to financially prepare for a disaster and understand what programs are out there to assist when needed.
The National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), through FEMA grants, has developed a series of financial literacy courses on post-disaster economic recovery, to help you, your family, and communities effectively prepare for and bounce back from catastrophic events.
NCDP is looking for hosts for the following virtual and blended instructor-led free trainings:
Economic disaster recovery:
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Improving Business’ Financial Literacy and Management to Support Post-Disaster Economic Recovery: This instructor-led course will provide the learner with information on business financial literacy and the potential financial
effects of disasters. Some of the areas covered in the course
include developing pre-disaster plans for financial literacy,
understanding disaster assistance programs that are available to
businesses, the importance of business continuity planning,
and understanding a business’s vulnerability to disasters.
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Improving Individual and Households’ Financial Literacy and Management to Support Post-Disaster Economic Recovery (This course is available in Español.) This course can be held in-person or virtually and is designed to provide learners with information on individual and household financial literacy
and the potential financial effects of disasters. Some of the areas
covered in the course include developing pre-disaster plans for
financial literacy, understanding disaster assistance programs that are
available to individuals and households, and understanding vulnerability
to disasters.
Email ncdptraining@columbia.edu to set up a free virtual training for yourself, your group, or your business.
 FEMA has provided more than $2.7 billion to over 431,000 people to assist with COVID-19 related funeral costs for deaths occurring on or after Jan. 20, 2020. This assistance helped pay for the funerals of more than 441,000 people who died from COVID-19.
In Virginia so far, $67,748,450.67 has been awarded to help 10,255 families.
Eligibility determinations are based on when the applicant submits all required documentation. The determinations are not driven by state/locations.
“Applications” in the below chart reflect the number of individuals who called to begin the assistance process.
*Funeral assistance data can/will change daily; the information reflects data as of 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
Applicants may apply by calling 844-684-6333 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday. Multilingual services are available. Please note, phone calls from FEMA may come from an unidentified number. Applicants who use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, should give FEMA the number for that service.
Additional information about COVID-19 funeral assistance, including frequently asked questions, is available on FEMA.gov.
 **FEMA has recently established key deadlines for applying for FEMA Public Assistance for eligible work that your organization may have performed that was required to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
December 31, 2022 marks the deadline to submit a streamline project application(s) in FEMA Grants Portal for eligible COVID-19 work and costs that occurred between January 20, 2020 and July 1, 2022. The streamlined project application must include information and documentation sufficient for FEMA to determine whether the work is eligible, and either the actual or estimated cost of the work.
How to Submit a Streamline Application - FEMA Grants Portal
Individuals looking for Individual Assistance, please visit disasterassistance.gov for assistance.
Businesses looking for assistance should visit the Small Business Administration’s disaster assistance website.
REGIONAL NEWS
Region 1: Several VDEM region 1 staff attended the Sovereign Nations of Virginia Conference on September 15, 2022 in Glen Allen, VA. This annual Sovereignty conference is intended to share critical information needed to build relationships, understanding, and common ground between Tribes and agencies to better the future of our Virginia Tribal communities and all Virginians.
The DHS Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services opened a temporary Operation Allies Welcome Center in the City of Richmond. This center assisted Afghan evacuees who settled in the Richmond Metro area with a variety of services and was operational from September 26-28th.
Region 2: The Culpeper Air Show is this Saturday, October 8th.
Region 2 will be participating in the Great American ShakeOut on October 20th.
Region 3: Peter Homan, the All-Hazards Planner with VDEM Region 3 participated in a planned event as part of the Hampton Roads Incident Management Team (HRIMT). Over a four day period, September 15 through the 19th, the team supported the U.S. Navy during the Oceana Air Show at the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach. This opportunity serves as a milestone in collaboration between the U.S. Navy and the HRIMT as it was the first event the team has been invited to serve as a participant. Additional partners included Sentara Medical and the U.S. Navy Mid-Atlantic Fire Department.
During the event, the HRIMT provided support by deploying and maintaining a field hospital using HRIMT assets such as temperature controlled shelters for the hospital, generators, and others to ensure fully operable medical care capabilities were present. Since the equipment had not been deployed since 2019 the event provided an excellent opportunity to perform tests and inventory of IMT assets along with much needed training.
It is exciting for our VDEM team members to engage in projects supporting our partners!
Region 4:
Region 5:
Region 6:
Region 7: The region 7 team supported the Commonwealth in response to Hurricane Ian.
They will be participating at the Food and Water Supply Chain Resilience Summit and Public Safety Drone Day.
The team is also starting to plan an evacuation exercise that will help better prepare
 Our reach is growing!
We currently have over 200 groups signed up for the Partners in Preparedness newsletter. When you consider the reach that each of these groups has in their community, the preparedness message is being amplified to more and more Virginians every day!
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