Federal Aid Programs for the State of Oregon Declaration

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Obama’s disaster declaration issued for the State of Oregon.

Assistance for State and Affected Local Governments Can Include as Required:

  • Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for emergency protective measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health.  Emergency protective measures assistance is available to state and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)
  • Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas and similar publicly owned property, as well as certain private non-profit organizations engaged in community service activities. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)
  • Payment of not more than 75 percent of the approved costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken by state and local governments to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters.  (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)

How to Apply for Assistance:

  • Application procedures for state and local governments will be explained at a series of federal/state applicant briefings with locations to be announced in the affected area by recovery officials. Approved public repair projects are paid through the state from funding provided by FEMA and other participating federal agencies.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

 

Original article: 

Federal Aid Programs for the State of Oregon Declaration

President Declares Disaster for Oregon

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Oregon to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe winter storm during the period of February 6-10, 2014.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to state 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 a severe winter storm in Benton, Lane, Lincoln, and Linn counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Thomas J. Dargan has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.  Dargan said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

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Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications. 

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Original source: 

President Declares Disaster for Oregon

FEMA, K-State and Other Organizations Partnering to Prepare Students for Future Disasters

Media Contacts:

FEMA News Desk       Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region VII          (816) 283-7095

Lynda Bachelor          Kansas State University, HandsOn Kansas State                  (785) 410-4599

Kansas City, Mo. –The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region VII office will partner with Kansas State University (K-State), the American Red Cross, Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) and other community agencies and organizations for two upcoming events to raise awareness and inspire emergency preparedness on and off campus.

The first event will be a LIVE, one hour virtual Twitter discussion about disaster preparedness.  During the second one, ReadyCampus, K-State students will participate in an exercise to familiarize themselves with some things they might expect from emergency management organizations during and after a disaster and learn how to best use social media for emergencies. The American Red Cross will also be there hosting a blood drive. Both events support the national campaign America’s PrepareAthon! (@PrepareAthon), which is designed to increase emergency preparedness and resiliency, http://www.ready.gov/prepare.

“ReadyCampus is a great program and HandsOn K-State is thrilled to host such an important event. We encourage students to take advantage of this unique opportunity to both help their communities–through the blood drive and donating time to build care kits for the Salvation Army– and to prepare for disasters.” said Lynda Bachelor, project coordinator, K-State School of Leadership Studies.

“Both events should be a lot of fun for the students, but more than that—they’ll learn some important skills to take care of themselves and their friends and family when an emergency happens, and we know it will; it’s just a matter of when,” said Beth Freeman, FEMA Administrator, Region VII. “It’s our hope participating young adults will walk away from both events feeling a bit more confident they can handle whatever emergencies come their way.”

ReadyCampus Event

ReadyCampus is a disaster preparedness event geared towards student involvement and will be held at the K-State Bosco Plaza on Tues., April 15, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CDT. During the event students will learn about local, state and federal programs and resources available to them for emergency preparedness and discover opportunities for student involvement. There will be a walk-through of a mock POD (Point of Distribution) that, in the event of a disaster, could deliver food, medicine and other critical supplies to survivors. At ReadyCampus the POD will distribute materials and information from participating organizations and students will have an opportunity to donate their time to create emergency supply/care kits for people served by the Salvation Army.

Social media is becoming increasingly important for emergency management and the number of people using it during times of crisis is skyrocketing! During this event FEMA representatives will be on-hand teaching attendees the fastest and best ways to use sites like Twitter and Facebook to find critical disaster-related updates and connect with friends and loved ones during emergencies. For those less familiar with social media, they’ll provide tips to make it easy to immediately begin using it to prepare for any future emergencies.

“Done right, social media is the fastest way to get and give information on the planet and it’s free, that’s why it’s a game changer. We want our students to know how to best use it to manage emergencies. They’re going to get some great tips at ReadyCampus, even if they already use social media,” stated Bachelor.

Tweetchat

On Weds., April 9, 2014, join @HandsOn_KState, @FEMARegion7, @KansasEmergency and other participants during a LIVE disaster preparedness and awareness discussion on Twitter from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CDT. Tweetchat participants will learn how local, state and federal partners support communities before, during and after emergencies and which organizations and agencies do what, when. Everyone is encouraged to participate, using hashtag #ReadyKState. For those who don’t sign into Twitter, you may follow the conversation at https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23readykstate and email questions to FEMARegion7info@fema.dhs.gov, during the tweetchat.

 

ReadyCampus and tweetchat participants

 American Red Cross, @kscapredcross 

Campus Student Security, KSU Emergency Management, Public Safety, @kstate

HandsOn Kansas State, @handson_kstate

KS Citizen Corps (Kansas Division of Emergency Management), @kscitizencorps

K-State Collegian, @kstatecollegian

K-State News, @kstatenews

K-State Ready Campus, @kstateready

Manhattan Fire Department, @manhattanfd

Riley County Emergency Management, @rileycoems

Riley County Police Department, @rileycountypd

Salvation Army, @salarmymokan

 

Please note, all social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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Visit FEMA Region VII’s website,  http://www.fema.gov/region-vii-ia-ks-mo-ne-0 and follow the region on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/femaregion7. FEMA headquarters is on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/fema, Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/fema and YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/fema.  Also follow Administrator Craig Fugate on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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FEMA, K-State and Other Organizations Partnering to Prepare Students for Future Disasters

President Declares Disaster for Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Washington to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by flooding and mudslides beginning on March 22, 2014, and continuing.

This assistance is in addition to the support provided under the Presidential Emergency Declaration granted on March 24, 2014.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Snohomish County, including the Sauk-Suiattle, Stillaguamish, and Tulalip Tribes.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible tribal and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work due to flooding and mudslides in Snohomish County, including the lands associated with the Sauk-Suiattle, Stillaguamish, and Tulalip Tribes.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Due to the localized impacts of the disaster, FEMA will work closely with residents, tribal members, and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area on a one on one basis. 

Michael J. Hall has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.  Hall said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications. 

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Continue reading:  

President Declares Disaster for Washington

Now is the Time to Buy Flood Insurance

DENVER —With mountain snowpack high and rainy months on the way, now is the time to buy flood insurance, say state and federal emergency management officials.

In most circumstances, there is a 30-day waiting period from the time the policy is written and the premium is paid until the policy goes into effect. That means a policy purchased today, April 2, would not go into effect until May 2. It also means that a policy purchased a few weeks from today might not be in effect when spring runoff starts.

National Flood Insurance Program policies are available for homeowners, businesses and renters and include coverage for the structure and contents. Policy limits are $250,000 for residential structures and $100,000 for residential contents. Business structures and contents can be insured for up to $500,000 each. Renter content policies are available with a limit of $100,000.

As many survivors of last September’s disaster can attest, small creeks and even dry ditches can quickly turn into wide raging rivers. In fact, most flood insurance payments across the country are paid out to people who did not live in a Special Flood Hazard Area, or floodplain.

People who do live in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and who have a federally backed loan, are required to carry flood insurance. Also, anyone who lives in an A or V flood zone, and who received Individual Assistance from FEMA for last September’s flood damage, must have flood insurance or they will jeopardize federal assistance for any future flood declaration.

Flood insurance is available only to people who live or own businesses in a participating community with an approved flood hazard plan. To find out if you live in a Special Flood Hazard Area, contact your floodplain manager through your local or county government.

People with flood insurance can collect payments for damages sustained in most flooding events, even if the flooding does not result in a disaster declaration.

The process and the rules can get complicated, so emergency officials urge anyone thinking about flood insurance to contact an insurance agent for more information. To find an agent or for more information on flood insurance, visit floodsmart.gov or call 1-888-379-9531.

See more here: 

Now is the Time to Buy Flood Insurance

FEMA Region III Promotes Pet Preparedness in April

PHILADELPHIA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), through its regional office in Philadelphia has kicked off the 2014 Petpared Initiative to encourage pet owners to be more resilient in the face of disasters. 

The goal of the Petpared Initiative is to increase the number of citizens who understand the hazards that are most relevant to their family and pets; know the corresponding protective actions to take, and to encourage everyone to practice a real-time action to increase their preparedness.

In support of America’s PrepareAthon!, FEMA Region III will be promoting the #Petpared Twitter Challenge that will run throughout the month of April. To participate in the challenge, pet owners should complete a preparedness action to increase their pet’s preparedness, then tweet a picture of their action using the hashtag #Petpared. Successful actions will be retweeted on May 5, 2014, National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day.

On April 17, 2014 at 12:30 p.m. EDT, FEMA Region III will coordinate the #Petpared Twitter Chat with pet experts from organizations such as the American Humane Association, ASPCA, American Red Cross, PetSmart Charities, Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, Schuylkill CART, Virginia Search and Recuse Dog Association, and others to help pet owners understand what they need to do to prepare for disasters and encourage them to take action.

There are simple steps pet owners can take to increase both their own and their pet’s preparedness. Through the use of social media platforms, pet owners will have access to the information they need through a variety of different mediums to increase their preparedness. This will also give pet owners an opportunity to engage and share their experiences with the pet community.

Having a pet emergency supply kit is just one way to prepare; there are also simple steps you can take now to be prepared for all hazards such as developing a family emergency plan, having an emergency supply kit ready to go, and learning about your risks. Other resources to prepare your pet and your family for disasters are available at Ready.gov/caring-animals.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.  Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at fema.gov/medialibrary and youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion3.

Media Contact: FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov or 215-931-5597

Originally posted here:

FEMA Region III Promotes Pet Preparedness in April

FEMA to Evaluate Readiness of Pennsylvania and Maryland

PHILADELPHIA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will evaluate a Biennial Emergency Preparedness Exercise at the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station.  The exercise will occur during the week of April 7th to assess the ability of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Maryland to respond to an emergency at the nuclear facility.

“These drills are held every other year to evaluate government’s ability to protect public health and safety,” said MaryAnn Tierney, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region III.  “We will assess state and local emergency response capabilities within the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone as well as the adjacent support jurisdictions.”

Within 90 days, FEMA will send its evaluation to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for use in licensing decisions.  The final report will be available to the public approximately 120 days after the exercise.

FEMA will present preliminary findings of the exercise in a public meeting at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 11th, 2014 at the Homewood Suites, 200 Granit Run Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.  Scheduled speakers include representatives from FEMA, NRC, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  

At the public meeting, FEMA may request that questions or comments be submitted in writing for review and response.  Written comments may also be submitted after the meeting by emailing FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov or by mail to:

MaryAnn Tierney

Regional Administrator

FEMA Region III

615 Chestnut Street, 6th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19106

FEMA created the Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Program to (1) ensure the health and safety of citizens living around commercial nuclear power plants would be adequately protected in the event of a nuclear power plant accident and (2) inform and educate the public about radiological emergency preparedness.

REP Program responsibilities cover only “offsite” activities, that is, state and local government emergency planning and preparedness activities that take place beyond the nuclear power plant boundaries. Onsite activities continue to be the responsibility of the NRC.

Additional information on FEMA’s REP Program is available online at FEMA.gov/Radiological-Emergency-Preparedness-Program.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.  Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at fema.gov/medialibrary and youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion3.

Media Contact: FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov or 215-931-5597

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FEMA to Evaluate Readiness of Pennsylvania and Maryland

FEMA Releases Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Ocean County, NJ

Release Number:

FEMA Region II PR-002–NY, NJ, PR, USVI

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Friday, March 28, 2014, released Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Ocean County that reflect the latest refinements to the ongoing analysis of flood hazards. This release is the next step in the coastal Flood Insurance Study update. The Preliminary FIRMs replace the Preliminary Work Maps for Ocean County that were released in June of 2013 as an interim product.

The new maps are extremely important as FEMA, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Ocean County communities continue to work in partnership to support resilient communities, and to avoid or reduce the loss of life and property, and the financial impacts of flooding. The Preliminary FIRMs reflect the same coastal flood risks as the Preliminary Work Maps and have now been updated to include riverine flooding.

The release of the Preliminary FIRMs indicates the first step in the official regulatory review process. The next step is a statutory 90-day appeal and comment period, which is expected to begin in Spring 2014.  Property owners and interested parties will have the opportunity to appeal the Preliminary FIRMs by submitting technical documentation to their local Floodplain Administrators during this period.  Once the appeal period is over, and all appeals are resolved, FEMA will issue a Letter of Final Determination (LFD) to the Ocean County communities that initiates the six-month adoption period before the maps become effective.

Upon becoming effective, expected to occur in 2015, the new FIRMs will determine flood insurance rates. In the meantime, to promote higher standards for building performance and reduce potential future flood insurance costs, NJDEP and FEMA encourage Ocean County communities to refer to the standards reflected in the Preliminary FIRMs for the construction of new and substantially improved structures.

For more information on flood risk mapping and insurance, visit www.region2coastal.com, www.msc.fema.gov, and www.floodsmart.gov.
 

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FEMA Releases Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Ocean County, NJ

FEMA Releases Preliminary Work Maps for Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties, New Jersey

LINCROFT, N.J. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today released Preliminary Work Maps for Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties, NJ that reflect the latest refinements to the ongoing analysis of coastal flood hazards.

The release of the Preliminary Work Maps is the next step in the coastal Flood Insurance Study update. This is extremely important as we work in partnership with the State of New Jersey to support sustainable disaster resilient communities; and to avoid or reduce the loss of life, loss of property, and financial impacts of coastal flood hazards.

The Preliminary Work Maps are an interim step in the process of developing preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). This information will replace the Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) maps, where applicable, that were made available to coastal counties in New Jersey as the best available data for rebuilding and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
As compared to the effective FIRMs for New Jersey, the Preliminary Work Maps show that the majority of areas will see increases in the floodplain and Base Flood Elevations (BFEs); however, some areas may see decreases.  These changes are due primarily to more precise ground elevation data and more detailed analysis.

FEMA encourages communities to use this information in instances where BFEs have increased and/or new Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) are shown on the Preliminary Work Maps. This will help community members make decisions to reduce their flood risk until the preliminary FIRMs become effective.

Please visit www.Region2Coastal.com for more information on the Preliminary Work Maps.  For more information on New Jersey’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/SandyNJ, www.twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

 
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications

See original article here: 

FEMA Releases Preliminary Work Maps for Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties, New Jersey

The FEMA and State Public Assistance Funding Process

DENVER — FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides assistance to state agencies, local governments and certain private nonprofits.

When flooding struck Colorado in September 2013, emergency life-saving measures and debris cleanup were the most immediate needs. This emergency work is usually the first to be reimbursed.

Later, in the recovery phase, more permanent repair work gets underway. Roads and bridges are repaired or replaced; major utilities and other infrastructure are brought back on line.

FEMA determines eligibility, conducts environmental and historic preservation review, approves projects and obligates the federal share or 75 percent of the project cost. FEMA obligates funds to the state, which reviews receipts and other documentation to make sure the job is done well and taxpayer money is well spent.

In Colorado, local governments and the state each pay 12.5 percent of the remaining project costs but private nonprofits pay all of the remaining 25 percent. For state agencies, the cost share depends on the category of work.

  • For small projects (up to $67,500 for this disaster), an initial payment is made based on the estimate and the state reimbursement process is as follows:
    • Once a Project Worksheet is approved and obligated by FEMA, the state makes an initial payment for the entire amount of the federal share and one-half of the state share. Once the state receives a completed and signed certificate of completion from the subgrantee, the state will pay the remaining half of its share.
  • For large projects ($67,500 or more for this disaster), reimbursement is made on documented actual costs and the state reimbursement process requires additional documentation:
    • The state sends a grant agreement to the subgrantee for signature by an authorized official, who then must mail two signed hard copies back to the state.
  • After the agreement is executed by Division and Department Controller, one hard copy is mailed back to the subgrantee.
  • As work is completed the subgrantee requests reimbursement from the state. The state will review documentation (invoices, receipts, labor records, equipment records, contracts) to substantiate costs included in the reimbursement requests and make payments for documented and eligible costs. The last 10 percent is paid upon project closeout.
  • The state also agrees to reimburse a subgrantee from an unpaid invoice to help maintain its cash flow needs.
  • To help applicants understand the Public Assistance document process, the State of Colorado created a Public Assistance Technical Guidance and emailed it to each subgrantee. It includes information on the reimbursement process as well as grants management requirements. The guidance document and forms can be downloaded from corecovers.info.
  • Questions about the process used by the state for disbursing funds to applicants should be addressed to Scott Baldwin, State Public Assistance Group Supervisor, at Scott.Baldwin@state.co.us.

More here: 

The FEMA and State Public Assistance Funding Process

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