The Flint Water Crisis: A Slow-Onset Public Health Disaster Webinar, Feb 7

Tuesday, February 7th, at 15:00 GMT.

The Flint Water Crisis is one of the most devastating Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks in U.S. history and led to 12 deaths due to exposure to waterborne legionella and 91 confirmed cases of Legionnaires disease (Roy and Edwards, 2019). This seminar will explore the underlying causes that contributed to the

Flint Water Crisis, the lessons learnt from citizen science initiatives to monitor the contamination of water supplies in Flint, and the long-term consequences that communities in Flint are still experiencing in the aftermath of the Flint Water Crisis.

Zoom Details:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81861289440

Meeting ID: 818 6128 9440

FEMA Higher Education Program Community Call, Feb 17

2 – 3:30 p.m. ET

The call is an opportunity for the HiEd Program to provide updates and for the community to share information about projects, research, course development, achievements and challenges. Registration is not necessary. 

Join ZoomGov Meeting: https://fema.zoomgov.com/j/16046780270

Meeting ID: 160 4678 0270 | Passcode: 621901 

Presenters: 

• Dr. Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, University of Vermont: “Drone for Disaster Response”
• Robert Freitag, University of Washington, and Dr. Daniel Abramson, University of Washington: “Mitigation and Adaptation: Complementarities and Conflicts in Coastal Hazards Planning for the Cascadia Subduction Zone”

Public Assistance Simplified Procedures Policy Webinars, Jan 31-Feb 3

In August 2022, FEMA published a final rule to increase the small project maximum for the agency’s program to $1 million to reduce the administrative burden on state, local, tribal, or territorial governments and private non-profits receiving FEMA financial grants following a disaster. A small project has costs below the threshold, while a large project has costs equal to or above the $1 million threshold.

Here is the webinar schedule:

English Webinar

When: Every day, from Jan. 31 until Feb 2, 2023, 3 occurrence(s), all Eastern Time (U.S. and Canada):

    Jan 31, 2023 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

     Feb 1, 2023 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

     Feb 2, 2023 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

Daily: https://fema.zoomgov.com/webinar/vJIsf-mvrDMiGTQNgPTLXXLnyECN7PptPQY/ics?icsToken=98tyKuiurzMqHdaduBrBeI86EMHgaOnFr3hpnpJzmy_RLxhrTg3vE8FsZYJvBOjh

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://fema.zoomgov.com/j/1618072883

Passcode: 422

Or One tap mobile: US: +16692545252,,1618072883#  or +16469641167,,1618072883#

Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 669 254 5252 or +1 646 964 1167 or +1 646 828 7666 or +1 551 285 1373 or +1 669 216 1590 or +1 415 449 4000

Webinar ID: 161 807 2883

International numbers available: https://fema.zoomgov.com/u/aenBKveyv6

Or an H.323/SIP room system:

H.323: 161.199.138.10 (US West) or 161.199.136.10 (US East)

Meeting ID: 161 807 2883

Passcode: 422

SIP: 1618072883@sip.zoomgov.com

Passcode: 422

Spanish Webinar

When: Feb 3, 2023 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Enmienda al Límite de Proyecto Grande del Programa de Asistencia Pública Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://fema.zoomgov.com/j/1600086704?pwd=S2ZYNlY1STd3cnhFOGdFR0Z3cGpQUT09

Passcode: 422

Or One tap mobile : US: +16692545252,,1600086704# or +16468287666,,1600086704#

Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 669 254 5252 or +1 646 828 7666 or +1 646 964 1167 or +1 551 285 1373 or +1 669 216 1590 or +1 415 449 4000

Webinar ID: 160 008 6704

International numbers available: https://fema.zoomgov.com/u/alWOxoY4u

Or an H.323/SIP room system: H.323: 161.199.138.10 (US West) or 161.199.136.10 (US East)

Meeting ID: 160 008 6704 Passcode: 422

SIP: 1600086704@sip.zoomgov.com

Passcode: 422

FEMA GO “Get Ready” Message for Stakeholders of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

Dear Earthquake Program Managers:   

Happy New Year! The FEMA National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Team is looking forward to continuing to work with all of our partners to advance the NEHRP mission through public education and awareness.  

This message is the second FEMA GO “Get Ready” communications intended for stakeholders of the FEMA NEHRP State Assistance Grant Program. To review the first FEMA GO “Get Ready” message sent in December 2022, please visit the NEHRP eBlast Archive section of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s State Assistance Program website. 

The FEMA Grants Management Modernization effort is well underway to improve the grants management experience for award recipients and applicants by transitioning to one unified grants management platform called FEMA Grants Outcomes (FEMA GO).   

FEMA is committed to keeping its stakeholders and users fully informed to ensure a smooth transition to the new grants management system. You now have access to register your organization in the new FEMA GO grants management system by logging into FEMAGO – Login. It is recommended that the registration steps are completed as soon as possible. Instructions for new users to register in FEMA GO are provided in the FEMA GO Startup Guide. 

In order to apply for a grant, you must have an active System for Award Management (SAM.gov) account. We strongly recommend that your organization create an account with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) or renew your registration and update your profile as it could take several weeks to process. FEMA GO will automatically import certain information from an organization’s active SAM.gov record, including the organization’s legal name, mailing and physical address, EIN, UEI, and the Electronic Business Point of Contact (eBIZ POC).  

The individual listed as the “Electronic Business” point of contact (eBiz POC) in SAM.gov is automatically recognized as the organization’s primary Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) in the new FEMA GO portal. The primary AOR can perform all functions in FEMA GO on behalf of an organization, as well as add additional users to an organization in FEMA GO.  

Resources:

National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Website – Find more information about NEHRP and Earthquake Risk, including training and guidance resources for recipients and applicants.  

FEMA Grants Outcomes (FEMA GO) Website – Find more information about the transition to FEMA GO including training resources for recipients and applicants and contact information for the FEMA GO Help Desk.  

FEMA Grants Outcomes (FEMA GO) Help Desk – If you experience any technical issues creating an account in FEMA GO, please contact the FEMA GO Help Desk by phone at 1-877-585-3242 or by email at femago@fema.dhs.gov.  

System for Award Management (SAM) Website – Find more information about  the System for Award Management (SAM) and how to register your entity or get a Unique Entity ID to get started doing business with the federal government. Start now to create an account with  SAM.gov or renew your registration and update your profile as it could take up to several weeks to process.  

SAM.gov, Integrated Award Environment (IAE) Stakeholder Forum –  On December 6, 2022, the U.S. General Services Administration’s Integrated Award Environment hosted an online stakeholder forum for state or local governments seeking to register for federal assistance awards (grants, loans, etc.) in SAM.gov. The presentation included a  walk-through of each step of the validation and registration process. Download the presentation slide deck, view a recording of the program, and check out the helpful guide for state and local governments here.  

As always, if you have any questions specific to the FEMA NEHRP State Assistance Grant Program, please contact either Jon Foster, NEHRP Program Manager, at jonathon.foster@fema.dhs.gov, or Maigen Lawson, NEHRP Program Specialist, at maigen.lawson@fema.dhs.gov.   

FEMA and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety Sign a Memorandum of Understanding

On Nov. 22, 2022, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell, along with other members of FEMA leadership, sat down for a ceremony with Roy Wright, CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), to discuss coordinating efforts outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

This coordination is part of the implementation of the FEMA Building Codes Strategy and will better align efforts from FEMA and IBHS to increase natural hazard resistance of buildings across the country.

This agreement defines the relationship between both parties to ensure the flow of information and coordination of efforts to increase U.S. resilience to natural hazards. This includes supporting the development, maintenance, adoption, outreach, training and enforcement of natural hazard-resistant building and construction codes. FEMA and IBHS believe the coordination will promote health, safety and welfare and reduce human and economic losses resulting from hazards.

Moving forward, both parties are committed to identifying areas of mutual interest and collaborating on matters both organizations support.

Emergency Management Performance Grant Funding Survey

To: Local and Tribal Government Emergency Managers
From: Cathy Clark, President, IAEM-USA
Date: January 23, 2023

IAEM-USA is conducting our annual survey seeking information from U.S. local government and tribal emergency management offices about Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) funding. We need your help!

Just as we have done in previous years, we are joining efforts with the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA). NEMA is using a separate survey for state directors to report on state activities. IAEM is seeking input from local and tribal jurisdictions. NEMA will analyze the state data, and IAEM-USA will analyze the local and tribal data. Once the data has been compiled, IAEM and NEMA will write a joint report to be distributed to key policymakers on Capitol Hill and within the Biden Administration. To avoid duplicate data, please submit only one response to the survey from each local or tribal jurisdiction.

For the jurisdictions that have completed this survey in the past, this year’s survey will look very similar to what you have grown accustomed to.

We’ve made significant progress in recent years in educating Members of Congress on the importance of building and maintaining strong emergency management programs at the local level, as well as the role of funding, particularly EMPG funding, in building such programs.

Over the past three years, IAEM and NEMA have been very successful in securing additional funding for EMPG, with an FY23 appropriation of $355 million. Even so, there are many competing demands for federal funding, so we must continue to demonstrate the value of this program to our elected officials.

The narrative questions in the survey are of particular importance. If you have examples of how EMPG was directly related to emergency response or EM program activity, we would like to cite those in our effort to “paint the picture” of the importance of EMPG.

The survey is available HERE.

To help you pull together the data you will need to complete the survey, a PDF version of the survey is available HERE, but please complete the survey at the Survey Monkey Link.

Please, complete the survey by COB on February 10, 2023. Should you need to exit the survey prior to completing it, you can return to your survey from the same computer any time by 6:00 p.m. EST on Feb. 10, 2023, to finish by following the link provided above.

If you have any technical problems or questions with the survey, please contact Julie Husk at julie@iaem.com.

If you have any questions about the survey questions, please contact Thad Huguley at thad@iaem.com.

Independent Assessment of FEMA’s Public Assistance Program Now Available

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell commissioned an independent report of the agency’s Public Assistance program to assess the effectiveness of achieving its mission.

The foundation of recommended changes results from extensive stakeholder feedback including contacting all 50 states, five territories, and nine tribes, conducting more than 1,000 interviews, and surveying over 1,200 staff at all levels within the program. The report will aid in the agency’s commitment to simplify and streamline program requirements, reduce the burden on stakeholders/applicants, and expand access to Public Assistance grant funding.

FEMA recognized major themes throughout the report and is responding with concrete actions to support recipients and applicants of the program such as:

• Establishing teams to make interdisciplinary technical assistance available based on an applicant’s needs.
• Enhancing customer service by ensuring greater continuity of FEMA staff and more consistent engagement between FEMA and stakeholders at the project level.
• Creating and publishing clear, plain language policies to maximize program eligibility.
• Methodically identifying and strategically addressing program inconsistencies.

The report and other ongoing agency implementation activities can be found on FEMA.gov. FEMA will continue stakeholder engagement to help guide the implementation of recommendations from the assessment.

Refugee Shabbat, Feb 3-4

The total number of displaced persons globally reached over 100 million in 2022.

On February 3-4, HIAS and the Anti-Defamation League are holding this special Shabbat which is dedicating sacred time and space to refugees and asylum seekers around the world.

Details are available at: https://hias.org/how/refugee-shabbat/

World Bank Avert Disaster Award

The Avert Disaster Award is a new World Bank global prize that recognizes disaster risk management interventions.

Submission for this award is being accepted until February 10^th.  Details abs how to submit an application are available at:    https://averteddisasteraward.org/

Hurricane Katrina’s long-term effects on New Orleans and the US Gulf Coast Webinar, Jan 24

3-4pm ET

Hurricane Katrina remains one of the most significant disasters of the 21st century, and spurred a flurry of research, media coverage, and policy changes. The hurricane caused 1,392 fatalities, displaced more than a million people, and resulted in more than $100 billion in damage, and substantial research documents the hurricane’s immediate effects on New Orleans and the United States’ Gulf Coast. In this seminar, panelists highlight the longer-term effects of Hurricane Katrina in the nearly two decades since 2005: the interaction of race and housing turnover in New Orleans; how the city has changed its approach to data democratization and accountability; and how the hurricane has left a legacy in national risk and resilience policy.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87863063601

Meeting ID: 878 6306 3601