 One of the VOAD members, Mennonite Disaster Services
How does the commonwealth fill gaps following a disaster?
By having a strong network of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD)!
These organizations can provide anything from food to debris removal, donations, general labor, pet services, counseling, and more.
Part of leveraging these groups and their unique services is educating local emergency managers and other partners on their capabilities, and that's what VA VOAD Partnership Day was all about.
Last month, over 80 partners across voluntary organizations, state agencies, and local emergency management came together in Culpeper for the annual VA VOAD - Emergency Management Partnership Day.
Participants came together for a day full of collaboration and networking, including a disaster game exercise and exhibits from over 20 voluntary organizations.
This year, some of the VOAD members who attended the partnership day were:
Adventist Community Services
American Red Cross
Christ in Action
HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response
Mennonite Disaster Service
Medical Reserve Corps
Saint Vincent de Paul
Team Rubicon
Good360
The Salvation Army
Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
Virginia 211
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, developed the Protecting Places of Worship: Six Steps to Enhance Security Against Targeted Violence Fact Sheet to outline actions that faith-based organizations and community leaders can take to increase security, focusing on six overarching steps. The product details how taking these six steps can help protect places of worship against potential threats of targeted violence in a cost-effective manner that maintains an open and welcoming environment. The product also provides training, exercise, and grant resources, and interagency contact points to assist places of worship in identifying their security needs, develop actionable plans, obtain funds for security improvements, and recognize and report potential threats in their area.
Important headlines from FEMA
 Do you know how to be #WinterReady? As winter settles in and we celebrate the holiday season, FEMA Region 3 is joining in on the spirit of fellowship and care by urging individuals and communities to prioritize your winter weather safety and preparedness.
Tuesday, December 12, 3:30-4:30pm
Everyone is welcome to join this webinar, where you’ll hear:
Winter safety tips from our preparedness experts
Home fire safety tips from a firefighter
A family fun style parody, “A Partridge and A Prepared Me,” read as a storybook
 Ricardo “Zuni” Zuniga, FEMA External Affairs Officer, explains the disaster declaration process and the FEMA Disaster Declaration Process Card tool.
BOTHELL, Wash. - A new video series developed by FEMA in partnership with tribal emergency managers helps improve access to FEMA assistance for Tribal Nations. The videos explain FEMA’s tribal declaration pilot guidance, the disaster declaration process and key decision points for tribal leaders, and along with FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process Card, were created in response to tribal partners’ requests for products that better explain FEMA’s disaster declaration process.
“FEMA programs are a partnership from beginning to end,” said FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie G. Nunn. “We worked together with tribal emergency managers to create a product that supports tribal nations in a way that meets their communities’ needs.”
“These videos are tools that help tribes when they are impacted by a disaster and need federal assistance,” said Tulalip Tribes Chief Administrative Officer Rochelle Lubbers. “This is just one part in making sure we are building our capabilities to protect our communities.”
The Tribal Disaster Recovery Video Series can be viewed here and includes:
§ FEMA Tribal Recovery Video Series Trailer - previews the series.
§ Disaster Overview for Tribal Leaders - provides an overview of FEMA’s disaster declaration process and informs tribal leaders on key decisions.
§ Step 1: Declaration Process & Assessing Damage – outlines the initial response to a disaster and provides some best practices for assessing the damage to public infrastructure and the community.
§ Step 2: Requesting PDAs – provides information on the PDA process.
§ Step 3: FEMA Disaster Assistance Programs - covers the administrative requirements for Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
§ Step 4: Disaster Declaration and the First 30 Days - provides information on disaster recovery implementation and importance of tribal staff for disaster recovery process.
§ Step 5: What Comes Next on The Road to Recovery – explains how long FEMA programs may take, the importance of FEMA tribal partnerships, and steps that can be taken now.
FEMA is continuing to consult on the Tribal Declarations Pilot Guidance. For more information or request consultation, visit FEMA’s Tribal Consultations page.
For questions or to request copies of these videos or tribal declaration cards, please reach out to your FEMA Tribal Liaison.
 Learn about the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) in these webinars from FEMA:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) invites interested organizations to attend upcoming webinars regarding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The NSGP is a competitive grant awarded to nonprofit organizations at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack for the purposes of facility hardening and other security enhancements.
Please note that depending on the timing of a Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 appropriations bill, final FY 2024 information on the NSGP may not be available at the time of the webinars. Interested nonprofits should maintain communication with their State Administrative Agency (SAA) for all deadlines and application requirements.
Following registration, you will receive a calendar invitation via email for the webinar. The link to join the webinar will be contained in that calendar event email. It may take time for this email to arrive – please be patient following registration and be sure to check your junk/spam folders.
Read more about the program at any time at: https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/nonprofit-security
Start making your emergency plan today!
 VDEM Region 1:
Region 1 staff participated in numerous exercises in the month of November, including a VDOT Richmond District Winter Weather Exercise, Chesterfield Power Station Exercise, and a Commonwealth of Virginia Hazmat table-top exercise. Staff also coordinated a successful Emergency Operations Center Exercise for Charles City County. Regional personnel monitored an interstate 95 crash in Hanover County on November 16th and participated in the after-action review of the incident.
VDEM Region 5:
2023 Atlantic hurricane season is in the books. The weekly updates by the VDEM Hurricane Program brought clarity to the hurricane threats throughout the season and helped us be prepared for Tropical Storm Ophelia. In preparation for the storm, VDEM Leadership coordinated the deployment of several Swift Water Rescue teams to our Region and Region 5 took the initiative to open the Region 5 Regional Coordination Center (RCC). The RCC received support from many of our State and Federal partners who sent LNOs (liaisons) to the RCC for day and night, 12 hours shifts. A big thank you to all for recognizing the threat and helping us be prepared to support our localities as they protect their citizens.
VDEM Region 5 successfully held its annual Fall Forum last month with excellent speakers from VDEM Leadership. The hybrid meeting, in person and virtual, was attended by a majority of the Region 5 localities and many other partners. A big shout out to the City of Chesapeake for hosting the meeting at their state-of-the-art EOC!
VDEM Region 5 participated in the CNU active shooter exercise in the beginning of November. The exercise was organized and run by our excellent VDEM Training, Education, and Exercise Division (TEED), with strong leadership from Alex Tran, the VDEM Regional Exercise Project Coordinator - East and CNU alum! Who knew that a scant few weeks later there would be an incident on campus involving “shots fired”? As expected, the CNU team handled the incident with professionalism, no injuries, and an arrest. Great job!
VDEM Region 6:
The Region 6 team was very busy in November. They supported numerous large-scale, multi-jurisdiction wildfires including Tuggle's Gap and Matt's Creek incidents. In November, the team also hosted their regional integrated preparedness and planning workshop with local and IHE emergency managers. They also hosted their annual forum where they conducted a one-day workshop on family assistance center services and coordination efforts. The workshop was supported by VSP, FBI, OCME, DCJS, and Roanoke County Public Schools and the audience consisted of local and IHE emergency managers as well as local school and law enforcement representatives. They are working on their regional integrated preparedness plan over the holidays to help shape the training and exercise calendar for 2024 and beyond.
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