ANCHORAGE, Alaska — It’s been a race against time to get essential disaster assistance to survivors of Alaska’s devastating spring floods. Now, with temperatures dipping below freezing and snow beginning to fall in the remote Alaskan Bush, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, its State of Alaska partner and several voluntary organizations are working feverishly to get as many families as possible back into their homes.

Of the eight largely Alaska Native communities most affected by the May and June floods, the small city of Galena took the hardest hit. Submerged under as much as 9 ½ feet of water and rammed by massive boulders of ice that jumped the riverbank, most of Galena came to a standstill.

With just 470 residents, 97 percent of Galena’s homes were affected by the disaster, as were roads, power and water supplies, a health clinic, an assisted living center for the community’s elders and other facilities. The result is that 201 of the 372 households that registered with FEMA for disaster assistance are in Galena.

To make matters worse, Galena’s tragedy affected as many as 10 surrounding villages, as it’s a hub for employment, transportation and health care, while its boarding school makes it a significant provider of youth education in the region.

What’s more, like several of the other flood-soaked communities stretching from the Canadian border to the Bering Sea, Galena has not a single road connecting it to the outside world. Of the other disaster-affected communities — Alakanuk, Circle, Eagle, Emmonak, Fort Yukon, Hughes and Tok — only Circle and Tok have overland routes open year round.

In the three months since President Obama’s June 25 disaster declaration for Alaska, more than $10 million in state and federal assistance has been approved for survivors and their communities. The total includes more than $3 million in awards to individuals and families for home repairs and for other essential needs, including the replacement of life-sustaining tools, boats, all-terrain vehicles, and hunting and fishing equipment lost in the floods.

In addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved nearly $3.8 million in low-interest disaster loans for the repair of homes and businesses in the disaster area. Also included in the $10 million total is $3.2 million in obligations to the state and local communities to help pay for debris cleanup, repairs to damaged facilities and infrastructure, and for costs incurred in protecting lives and property during the floods.

“Ten million is a good start toward recovery, but FEMA understands that assistance dollars to these isolated communities are little more than paper without the means to put the money to work,” said Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) Dolph Diemont. “For that reason, we’ve worked closely with the State and our voluntary agency partners to offer creative solutions to the challenges people are facing.”

With five of the communities accessible only by air and boat — and barge the only way to bring in large quantities of building supplies — FEMA is providing assistance with shipping costs of building materials for eligible applicants.

FEMA so far has received nearly 90 requests from households for assistance with shipment of materials, and has shipped more than 363,000 pounds of building materials, sheltering supplies and donated items. The barges not only deliver critical care packages for those affected by the floods, they provide the material resources survivors need to rebuild their homes and their lives.

Human resources — the skilled, extra hands to help with the work — are also desperately needed in the damaged communities, where subsistence hunting, fishing and wood-gathering is occupying many residents ahead of winter. Although limited in number by conditions on the ground in rural communities, voluntary and service organizations have provided essential recovery services to survivors in Galena, Alakanuk, Circle, Emmonak, Fort Yukon and Hughes.

Recognizing the travel distances and the scarcity of housing for volunteers from the lower 48 states, FEMA is covering the travel costs for a variety of volunteer workers, while the State of Alaska has stood up a winterized, 40-bed responder support camp in Galena, ensuring most of the beds go to volunteers.

AmeriCorps, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Disciples of Christ, Mennonite Disaster Services, World Renew and Arizona Southern Baptists have been working steadily with survivors, mucking out and gutting flood-soaked homes or performing repairs and rebuilds. In addition, Galena Baptist Church members and other local volunteers are helping their neighbors. Thanks to these efforts, most survivors will be back home before winter.

There is still much work to do, however. The extent of the destruction means not everyone’s home will be restored in the few weeks remaining to ship supplies by barge before water levels drop, the rivers freeze up and the building season comes to an end. That doesn’t mean the effort is slowing down.

“Our goal has always been to get survivors back to their communities and back into their homes to the greatest extent possible before winter,” said State Coordinating Officer Bryan Fisher of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “While some homes will require more work next spring, the coordination taking place now will ensure that every survivor has a safe, dry and warm place to stay, and that their needs are met for winter.”

State and federal recovery specialists continue to contact flood survivors, going door to door in some cases, to identify any remaining needs that can still be met before winter. In some cases, a home may lack plumbing fixtures, an electrical or water hookup, or another essential service to make it functional — and the goal is to get that work done.

While sheltering operations have scaled down considerably in Galena, the Mass Care team continues to provide shelter, now mainly in the 12-room Birchwood Hall, to residents who are completing home repairs or who must be in Galena for work or other needs. In Fairbanks, State and FEMA recovery specialists also are helping a small number of remaining evacuees transition from a temporary shelter to more practical winter housing.

Meanwhile, FEMA is providing rental assistance to eligible survivors, while the State is offering rental assistance outside of Galena to those who are ineligible for or cannot make use of FEMA assistance. The State and FEMA continue to work with survivors whose Galena homes aren’t quite ready, but who wish to stay at home through the winter using wraparound support services such as showers, toilets, and laundry and food services. In addition to many other duties in support of survivors, FEMA Corps members are managing a drop-off laundry service.

After preparing and serving more than 17,600 meals at a Bureau of Land Management facility — much of the food donated by the Alaska Food Bank and the Alaska Department of Education — the feeding mission has entered its winter phase. Hot meals are now prepared in The Salvation Army’s central kitchen in Anchorage and shipped frozen by air to Galena. Survivors can pick up the meals, heat them in microwaves at the community center and take them home to eat as a family. Self-serve breakfasts are also provided at the community center. Food service will continue in Galena for as long as the need remains.

For some residents, there still are housing decisions to be made, and caseworkers continue to work with applicants to provide information on programs and policy, and to outline options, especially for Galena’s riverside neighborhood of Old Town, which took the brunt of the spring flooding.

“We especially wanted to provide options to Old Town residents, since our studies indicate it remains at serious risk of life-threatening flooding,” said FCO Diemont. “While FEMA cannot legally and in good conscience promote permanent occupancy of Old Town with taxpayer dollars, we are working with the State to provide opportunities for residents to move to safety.”

For example, the State has announced that several million dollars in additional funds to be provided to Alaska under the FEMA-funded Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will be earmarked for property acquisitions in Old Town, as well as for property elevations in the New Town neighborhood farther away from the river. Since participation in the program is voluntary, community leaders are discussing options with homeowners so applications can go forward over the winter.

State and FEMA Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation specialists also are exploring strategies and funding opportunities to help Galena and the other disaster-affected communities rebuild stronger and more disaster-resilient. Projects identified to date include elevation of a health clinic in Circle  and construction of a new Louden Tribal Council Community Hall in New Town Galena, to replace the council’s disaster-destroyed Old Town hall.

While great progress has been made since the floods, there is much work to do before temperatures begin plummeting toward 50 below zero and lower in the coming weeks — and much work remains over the long, dark winter. FEMA and the State pledge to remain focused on this mission until full recovery is assured.

While barge shipments will soon stop until spring, critical food and supplies will continue to arrive by air, interior construction will continue and all other possible means of driving recovery forward will be delivered.

In addition, FEMA and State long-term recovery specialists will set to work with the community of Galena to develop a strategy for building a stronger, safer, more energy-efficient city for the future, using the community’s existing development plans as a guide. Meanwhile, coordination will continue through the winter in an effort to ensure that plans, supplies and volunteers are in place to pick up the rebuilding effort at first thaw.

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Three Months After Disaster Declaration: Alaska’s Flooded Communities Ready for Winter with Help from Recovery Partners

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Emergencies can be scary for people of every age; they can be especially scary for youth because they generally have little control over how their family or community has prepared, and how they will respond.  Too often youth are viewed as a liability rather than an asset, when instead they have so much to offer their families and their communities if only they were better prepared and better engaged.

“Involving youth in the preparedness process teaches them about what to do, who to contact, and what the plan is,” said Regional Administrator MaryAnn Tierney, “it also reduces some of the fear associated with an emergency, but most importantly, youth have excellent ideas that can help everyone prepare for a disaster.”

FEMA recognizes the value that youth can provide, and for that very reason established the Youth Preparedness Council last year.  The Council provides an avenue for FEMA to engage the youth population, taking into account their perspectives, feedback and opinions. 

Just a few of the accomplishments from this year’s Youth Preparedness Council include designing a “Be Prepared Day” for the community to educate everyone on disaster preparedness, establishing a neighborhood response team, and conducting health and wellness checks.  Talk to youth in your community about any ideas they may have and help them where you can. 

Young people are capable of playing an important role in emergency preparedness, and have the unique potential to help their communities be safe, stronger and more resilient before, during and after a disaster.  As such, we all have a vested interest in engaging and empowering youth to become active participants in individual, family, and community preparedness.

You can engage the youth in your family and your community by teaching them about what hazards are common in your area, explaining to them the warning signs are, and what to do if a certain hazard should strike.  When you develop your Family Emergency Plan, make sure to have your children at the table with you so they understand the plan, can ask questions, and can provide ideas for what to do in a disaster.

By teaching youth about how to communicate if your family is separated in a disaster you can build the resiliency and capability of your entire family.  Other skills like teaching youth safety skills such as first aid, CPR, and how to safely use a fire extinguisher gets them involved in the process and makes everyone better prepared.  Talk to youth that you know about what programs they would like to be involved in and encourage them to explore options like Teen CERT teams.

Youth of any age can be involved in the emergency preparedness process; figure out what’s right for your children and invite them into the process.  You could be very surprised by the ideas they have and how much they can help your family and your community in an emergency.

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

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Preparing and Engaging Youth

DENTON, Texas – Three out of seven winners in this year’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual and Community Preparedness Awards are from the state of Texas. 

The annual awards, which are announced during September’s National Preparedness Month, recognize the innovative practices and achievements of individuals, Citizen Corps Councils, and nonprofit, faith-based, and private sector organizations working throughout the nation to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to manage any disaster or emergency event.

The seven categories include Outstanding State Citizen Corps Council Initiatives, Outstanding Local Citizen Corps Council Initiatives, Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Initiatives, Outstanding Achievements in Youth Preparedness, Preparing the Whole Community, Awareness to Action and Community Preparedness Heroes.

“I am extremely proud of these organizations and the individuals in Texas who have been recognized nationally by FEMA for their creative initiatives to keep their communities prepared,” said Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd. “Thanks to the selfless dedication of the various volunteer groups across Texas, they are making Texas a safer place to live.”

“We applaud our Texas partners for the great work they are doing when it comes to preparedness,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “These awards more than demonstrate the commitment that the Lone Star State has to ensuring its citizens are ready for any emergency.”

The Texas awardees include:

  • The City of Austin for Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives:           

Last year, the Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) conducted a community-wide survey to measure how well Austin’s whole community is prepared for major disasters and emergencies.  The basic consensus indicated that Austin residents were not well prepared for natural or man-made disasters. Based on these results, the city of Austin’s Community Emergency Response Team greatly enhanced its program by developing six new partnerships to help prepare Austin’s whole community respond to local incidents, and fill gaps that left the Austin community vulnerable in times of emergency.  In the past 16 months, members of Austin CERT have worked tirelessly to help maximize their efforts to make their program exemplary. Parts of the program’s success include the Austin CERT Water Utility Partnership, the Austin Fire Department Partnership, Austin’s Teen CERT Partnership, the Disaster Ready Austin Preparedness Partnership, and the Austin CERT Podcast.

  • The Heart of Texas Citizen Corps Council for Outstanding Local Citizen Corps Council Initiatives:

On the evening of April 17, 2013, a fertilizer plant exploded in West Texas killing 14 people including 12 first responders, injuring hundreds, and destroying houses and buildings. The enormity of this disaster triggered a massive response from first responders as well as volunteers. The volunteer response included no fewer than 10 Citizen Corps teams organized under the Heart of Texas Citizen Corps Council, which is organized and overseen by the Homeland Security Division of the Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG). Local CERT teams in the area contributed over 120 hours of volunteer service and made a significant impact in assisting those in need.

  • The Texas School Safety Center for Outstanding Achievements in Youth Preparedness:

The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) developed a statewide approach to emphasize youth preparedness and educate the whole community in disaster preparedness.  Through the delivery of a statewide youth summer camp that includes emergency response training, community specific action planning, and leadership development, the TxSSC prepares teams of youth to lead preparedness efforts in their local communities and schools.  In June 2012, the TxSSC funded 30 participants, made up of three youth groups and their adult sponsors from across Texas, to attend the 2012 Youth Preparedness Camp.  The camp spanned across five days and was held at Schriener University in Kerrville, Texas. 

In addition to the three awardees, one Texan, a Texas youth program and a Texas county received honorable mentions for their programs:

  • Stephanie Parker for Community Preparedness Heroes
  • Texas School Safety Center for Awareness to Action
  • Harris County CERT for Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team

“We encourage everyone to take steps now to prepare for emergencies in their homes, schools, organizations, businesses and communities,” Robinson added.  “What better time to make this commitment than National Preparedness Month.”

For more information, visit www.citizencorps.gov, http://community.fema.gov, and http://ready.gov/kids

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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 us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6  and the R6 Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/region-vi/region-6-preparedness

 

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Texas-based Organizations Win Nearly Half of 2013 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards

2013 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards Winners Announced

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced the winners of the 2013 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards.  The Awards recognize individuals who have taken action to prepare their communities. This year, highlighted accomplishments were achieved between January 1, 2012 and June 5, 2013.

“We can only be prepared for disasters if we have strong leadership in our communities,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “Today’s winners represent a cross-section of our community and demonstrate how emergency management is a shared responsibility.”

FEMA received nearly 200 applications from faith-based, non-profit, private sector, and community-based organizations, as well as individuals. Leadership from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and FEMA, with input from representatives of the whole community, selected this year’s winners from among applicants from 39 States and the District of Columbia.

The finalists each demonstrated remarkable innovation and creativity in preparing and supporting their communities. For example, the Texas School Safety Center developed a statewide approach to emphasize youth preparedness by establishing a youth preparedness summer camp that included emergency and community specific action planning in addition to leadership development. The volunteers of the Hoboken Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in New Jersey were essential in assisting the Hoboken Office of Emergency Management following Hurricane Sandy. The Illinois Citizen Corps Council leveraged local partners in their communities to help support their emergency preparedness programs.

This year, the third annual John D. Solomon Whole Community Preparedness Award is presented to the Los Angeles Fire Department South Los Angeles Teen CERT Collaborative. Solomon, founder of the blog In Case of Emergency, Read Blog, was an advocate of whole community engagement and collaboration, and noted that youth are the segment of any community most likely to bring about change in attitudes and behaviors toward emergency preparedness and resiliency. The LAFD South Los Angeles Teen CERT Collaborative, which partners with a wide variety of community organizations and empowers local youth, exemplifies many of the core themes of Solomon’s work.

Recipients of FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Awards will be invited to a recognition ceremony in Washington, D.C. during National Preparedness Month. During the ceremony, recipients will share their community preparedness successes and lessons learned with emergency management leadership.

A complete list of this year’s recipients and the honorable mentions for each category is available at: www.ready.gov/citizen-corps-awards. Award recipients by category are as follows:

Outstanding State Citizen Corps Council Initiatives: Illinois Citizen Corps

Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Initiatives: City of Austin CERT

Outstanding Local Citizen Corps Council Initiatives: Heart of Texas Citizen Corps

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness: Texas School Safety Center

Community Preparedness Heroes: Volunteers of the Hoboken CERT Program

Awareness to Action: What To Do To Make It Through Campaign

Third Annual Recipient of the John D. Solomon Whole Community Preparedness Award: The Los Angeles Fire Department South Los Angeles Teen CERT Collaborative

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 Honors Achievements In Community Preparedness

10th annual National Preparedness Month encourages Americans to take steps to toward resiliency and marks the 10th Anniversary of its Ready Campaign

WASHINGTON – Today, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate kicked off the tenth annual National Preparedness Month (NPM), joining local New York City Emergency Management officials and New York City Citizen Corps Council, at the Children’s Museum in Staten Island to talk about the importance of family and community emergency preparedness.

“Each September, we commit to focusing our collective efforts on raising our level of readiness to be prepared for any potential hazard with National Preparedness Month,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “It is a time for us to promote individual and community preparedness. Events like the one today in New York serve as a reminder for all Americans to be prepared in order to successfully respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters.”

NPM is led by FEMA’s Ready Campaign in partnership with Citizen Corps and the Ad Council, and is a nationwide effort encouraging individuals, families, businesses and communities to work together and take action to prepare for emergencies. 2013 marks the 10th anniversary of Ready, a public service advertising media campaign that has garnered in excess of $1billion in donated media placements, over 77 million visitors to its websites and has had in excess of 88 million pieces of preparedness materials requested or downloaded.

NPM is an opportunity to disseminate emergency preparedness information and host sponsor activities across the country to help Americans understand what it truly means to be ready.  This year a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) were launched as part of the Ready Kids campaign. The TV, radio, outdoor, print and digital PSAs take a humorous approach to emphasize the importance for parents to involve their children in the preparedness process.  Through these PSAs, families are provided preparedness conversation starters including: who to call as your out-of-state emergency contact, where to meet if everyone is separated, and what to pack as part of your emergency supply kit. The PSAs direct to the redesigned Ready Kids website where parents can find the resources they need to make preparedness a family year-round family activity. (View PSAs on FEMA’s YouTube Channel: Seat of Your Pants & Not Sharing)

Social Media: Follow Ready online www.twitter.com/readygov, www.facebook.com/readygov, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at twitter.com/craigatfema. Learn more about the Ready Campaign at www.ready.gov  & Citizens Corps at www.citizenscorps.gov.

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, New York City Office of Emergency Management, & The Ad Council Kick Off 10th Annual National Preparedness Month

NEW YORK – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Go Green Initiative Team at the joint field office for New York Sandy recovery was recently recognized for its success in implementing sustainable practices. The team won the “Green Dream Team Award” from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Sustainable Practices Award program.

The annual award, which received 17 nominations from federal departments and agencies, recognizes the FEMA team for outstanding achievement in reaching their sustainability goals as outlined in Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance.

A panel of federal sustainability leaders selected the FEMA team because it presented a “superior quality project reflecting the highest ideals of [our] sustainability efforts,” according to Chris Cummiskey, senior sustainability officer for DHS. “I am impressed with the leadership and teamwork that helped institute sustainability practices into a response and recovery effort.”

Part of the team’s initiatives included encouraging the use of mass transit and issuing fewer rental vehicles, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the 75-person team oversaw a 51 percent reduction in paper usage and took energy conservation measures like installing light sensors in restrooms at the office. These sustainability practices are responsible for an estimated savings of $25 million.

“Even as we coordinate response and recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy, we must be good stewards of both the taxpayer’s money and the environment,” said Willie Nunn, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer in New York. “Our Go Green Initiative Team set high goals and executed a strong sustainability strategy that is now being recognized by DHS. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve been able to accomplish so far.”

The FEMA “Green Dream Team” is now being considered for a 2013 GreenGov Presidential Award, a program led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality that recognizes the efforts of federal agencies to lead sustainability practices.

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/SandyNY, www.twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.

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 Go Green Initiative Team wins 2013 DHS Sustainable Practices Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President and CEO Benjamin Jealous signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at the NAACP’s 104th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The Agreement will expand outreach to traditionally underserved communities through the NAACP network of more than 200,000 members.  Through the MOA, FEMA and the NAACP have joined forces to ensure the needs of underrepresented communities are more fully incorporated into disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation-related activities. The two agencies also will share information such as lessons learned, best practices and training resources, to improve community resilience.   

“As a nation, our resiliency depends on our ability to work together to empower communities as part of the emergency management team before, during and after a disaster,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “Today’s agreement builds on a long-standing partnership between FEMA and the NAACP, and leverages both institutions’ resources and networks to improve the ‘Whole Community’s’ disaster preparedness, response and recovery.”

“We are pleased to expand our partnership with FEMA to ensure all communities are prepared when confronted with an emergency,” stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “This is a critical step toward providing underrepresented communities the tools and training they need to respond and recover after disasters.”

“From the Deepwater Horizon Incident, to the 2011 Tornadoes in Alabama, to Superstorm Sandy, we have seen the worst and best of disproportionate impact of disaster on marginalized communities and inspiring community resilience.  Communities have been devastated by loss of life, property, culture and more,” said Jealous.  “While at the same time there have been awesome examples of communities coming together to build stronger neighborhoods with cooperation between community members and equity and justice based allocation of resources.  With this partnership we will work together to improve the ability of emergency management systems to serve people on the margins as well as strengthen community resilience,” said Jealous.

The NAACP has been an active member of the emergency management team through collaborative efforts including: NAACP senior leadership participation on FEMA’s National Advisory Council, hosting emergency preparedness engagement activities at the NAACP Annual Convention, and NAACP staff training on emergency management and community preparedness. The Agreement strengthens the “whole community” approach to emergency management and will greatly improve communities’ access to information to help individuals, families and communities stay safe before, during and after an emergency or disaster.

More information and resources for helping communities prepare for a disaster are available at www.CitizenCorps.gov.

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 Announces Memorandum of Agreement with the NAACP

OAKLAND, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced newly selected members and distinguished returning Council members of the FEMA National Youth Preparedness Council (YPC). The Council supports FEMA’s emphasis on and dedication to involving the “Whole Community” in preparedness planning and activities.

FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council was formed last year to bring together youth leaders from across the country that are highly interested and engaged in advocating youth preparedness and to making a difference in their communities. The Council supports FEMA’s commitment to involving youth in preparedness-related activities, and provides an avenue to engage young people, taking into account their perspectives, feedback and opinions. Council members will attend a Youth Preparedness Council Summit on youth disaster preparedness and will also complete a Council project with FEMA support.

In its second year, interest in the Youth Preparedness Council has increased based on the number of applications received this year for the five seats available. The five newest members of the Council from across the country have been selected based on their dedication to public service, efforts in making a difference in their community, and their potential to expand their impact as national advocates for youth preparedness.

The returning Council members from FEMA Region IX are as follows:

•   FEMA Region IX: Divya Saini (California)

•   FEMA Region IX: Tiffany Espensen (California)

•   FEMA Region IX: Christian Chowen (Hawaii)

Over the past year, the Youth Preparedness Council members have been promoting preparedness in their communities and across the nation. Several members achieved noteworthy results, including:

 • Tiffany Espensen (California), is a 14-year old Teen CERT graduate from one of the first classes held by Julian/Cuyamaca CERT organization where she participated in numerous drills and classes and helps teach skills to other youth and promoting CERT in interviews. She currently starts on Nickelodeon’s “Bucket and Skinner” show. Tiffany developed “Tiffy’s Tip Tuesday” in which she relays disaster preparedness tips via her Twitter account and has more than 17,000 Twitter followers and almost 1,000 Facebook likes on her fan page, helping her spread the word through social media.

 • Divya Saini (California) participates in the block Preparedness Coordinator Program and volunteers at local emergency preparedness events to encourage preparedness. She is the founder of Movers and Shakers, a teen club designed to keep Palo Alto resilient. Divya was recently recognized with a grant from Palo Alto High School Board to further her efforts in helping teens be prepared. Recently, Divya was awarded the “Disney Friends for Change” grant for her Block Preparedness Coordinator work, and has authored and published three articles about preparedness in the Palo Alto Weekly Newspaper.

These young people have proven to be positive influencers, leaders, and first responders for their families, peers, and neighbors in taking the preparedness message to heart and to home. The Youth Preparedness Council will continue to provide a venue to engage an often overlooked population and take into account their perspectives, feedback, and opinions.

 This year, Council members will have the opportunity to participate in a community preparedness roundtable event in Washington D.C., where they will advise and ask questions on youth disaster preparedness with the leadership of national organizations working on this critical priority. Council members will also determine their Council project and meet with FEMA Community Preparedness staff, who will be their ongoing FEMA support contacts and mentors. Members will also meet virtually with FEMA leadership on a regular basis throughout the year and will provide ongoing input on strategies and initiatives as well as updates on their projects.

To learn more about FEMA’s youth preparedness efforts please visit: www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness.

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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 Announces New, Returning Members to National Youth Preparedness Council

KANSAS CITY, Mo – Today the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced five newly selected members, including Emily Rosenblum of Wentzille, Mo., have joined FEMA’s National Youth Preparedness Council (YPC). Also from our region and joining the council for a second year, is Nimansha Jain of Omaha, Neb. As council members, these young ladies support FEMA’s emphasis on and dedication to involving the whole community in disaster-preparedness related activities.  

“We’re very excited to have two young leaders from our region on the council. In addition to harnessing their ideas to improve how FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards today, the council grows leaders who will be amongst future stewards of our communities and country,” said Region VII Administrator Beth Freeman. “These young people will learn, share and influence their families and friends to make America more disaster resilient.”

FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council was formed last year to bring together youth leaders from across the country that are highly interested and engaged in advocating youth preparedness and making a difference in their communities. The Council supports FEMA’s commitment to involving youth in preparedness-related activities, and provides an avenue to engage youth population, taking into account their perspectives, feedback and opinions. Council members will attend a Youth Preparedness Council Summit on youth disaster preparedness and will also complete a Council project with FEMA support.

Young people are capable of playing an important role in emergency preparedness, and have the unique potential to help their communities be safe, stronger and more resilient before, during and after a disaster. Youth involved in preparedness programs are able to effectively spread important messages about preparedness to their family, school and community. By participating in youth preparedness programs, young individuals are empowered to become leaders at home, in their schools and communities.

In its second year, interest in the Youth Preparedness Council has increased based on the number of applications received this year for the five seats available. The five newest members of the Council from across the country have been selected based on their dedication to public service, efforts in making a difference in their community, and their potential to expand their impact as a national advocate for youth preparedness.

The distinguished members selected in 2013 are as follows:

• FEMA Region II: Sophie Friedfeld-Gebaide (New York)

• FEMA Region III: Alex Pasculle (Pennsylvania)

• FEMA Region IV: Louyankkah Justilien (Florida)

• FEMA Region V: Daniel Wernsman (Wisconsin)

FEMA Region VII: Emily Rosenblum (Missouri) ** See biography below
 

The returning Council members are as follows:

• FEMA Region I: Rachel Little (Massachusetts)

• FEMA Region II: Gabriela Rodriguez Boria (Puerto Rico)

• FEMA Region V: Jason Reed (Indiana)

• FEMA Region VI: Jonathan DeLong (Texas)

FEMA Region VII: Nimansha Jain (Nebraska) ** See biography below

• FEMA Region VIII: Ashley Houston (Utah)

• FEMA Region IX: Divya Saini (California)

• FEMA Region IX: Tiffany Espensen (California)

• FEMA Region IX: Christian Chowen (Hawaii)

• FEMA Region X: Cayman Kirkhart (Idaho)

Over the past year, the Youth Preparedness Council members have been promoting preparedness in their communities and across the nation. Several members achieved noteworthy results, including:

• Rachel Little (Region I) authored a FEMA blog post about the importance of preparing for severe weather.

• Gabriela Boria (Region II) developed a preparedness group called REACT that holds “Preparedness Days” and started a Teen CERT program at her school.

• Ashley Houston (Region VIII) was requested to speak about youth preparedness on a panel at the 2013 Institute of Medicine Workshop (to be held in June 2013).

• Divya Saini (Region IX) was awarded the “Disney Friends for Change” grant for her Block Preparedness Coordinator work, and has authored and published three articles about preparedness in the Palo Alto Weekly Newspaper.

• Tiffany Espensen (Region IX) developed “Tiffy’s Tip Tuesday” in which she relays disaster preparedness tips via her Twitter account, which currently has 16,880 followers.

This summer council members will have the opportunity to participate in the Youth Preparedness Council Summit in Washington, D.C. During the summit they will ask questions of and make recommendations to organizations working on this critical priority—disaster resiliency. Council members will also choose a Council project and meet with FEMA Community Preparedness staff, who will be their ongoing support contacts and mentors. Members will also meet virtually with FEMA leadership on a regular basis throughout the year and will provide ongoing input on strategies and initiatives as well as updates about their projects.

To learn more about FEMA’s youth preparedness efforts please visit: www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Find regional updates from FEMA Region VII at www.twitter.com/femaregion7. 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.

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Emily Rosenblum of Wentzville, MO                      

Emily Rosenblum’s passion and dedication to emergency preparedness is demonstrated through her involvement with CERT and other community groups. As a Teen CERT instructor assistant, Emily participates in numerous countrywide disaster exercises, is an active Teen CERT spokesperson and continues to advocate disaster preparedness at her high school. Emily always considers those with learning disabilities and access and functional needs when making decisions during disaster response exercises. She has also volunteered hundreds of hours to helping the Boy Scouts of America with merit badges and award requirements, in addition to the Sam “Ready I Am” program that educates youth about natural disaster hazards.

 

Nimansha Jain of Omaha, NE                                  

Nimansha is a member of the Ralston Fire Explorer’s Unit, which provides training for fire and medical emergency preparedness and is certified in CPR. She has been elected to the University of Nebraska Medical Center Student Advisory Group, which works with high school students to promote public health and preparedness messages through monthly community sessions to almost 100 teens. Because some teens could not attend every session, Nimansha started to use social media to help share information from the sessions and get the word out on various volunteer opportunities for youth.

View this article – 

Two Regional Youth Leaders Participating in FEMA’s National Youth Preparedness Council

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced five newly selected members of the FEMA National Youth Preparedness Council (YPC).

FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council was formed last year to bring together youth leaders from across the country that are highly interested and engaged in advocating youth preparedness and making a difference in their communities.  The Council supports FEMA’s commitment to involving youth in preparedness-related activities, and provides an avenue to engage youth population, taking into account their perspectives, feedback and opinions.  Council members will attend a Youth Preparedness Council Summit on youth disaster preparedness and will also complete a Council project with FEMA support.

Young people are capable of playing an important role in emergency preparedness, and have the unique potential to help their communities be safe, stronger and more resilient before, during and after a disaster. Youth involved in preparedness programs are able to effectively spread important messages about preparedness to their family, school and community. By participating in youth preparedness programs, young individuals are empowered to become leaders at home, in their schools and communities.

In its second year, interest in the Youth Preparedness Council has increased based on the number of applications received this year for the five seats available.  The five newest members of the Council from across the country have been selected based on their dedication to public service, efforts in making a difference in their community, and their potential to expand their impact as a national advocate for youth preparedness.

The distinguished members selected in 2013 are as follows:

  • FEMA Region II:       Sophie Friedfeld-Gebaide (New York)
  • FEMA Region III:      Alex Pasculle (Pennsylvania)
  • FEMA Region IV:      Louyankkah Justilien (Florida)
  • FEMA Region V:       Daniel Wernsman (Wisconsin)
  • FEMA Region VII:    Emily Rosenblum (Missouri)

The returning Council members are as follows:

  • FEMA Region I:         Rachel Little (Massachusetts)
  • FEMA Region II:       Gabriela Rodriguez Boria (Puerto Rico)
  • FEMA Region V:       Jason Reed (Indiana)
  • FEMA Region VI:      Jonathan DeLong (Texas)
  • FEMA Region VII:    Nimansha Jain (Nebraska)
  • FEMA Region VIII:   Ashley Houston (Utah)
  • FEMA Region IX:      Divya Saini (California)
  • FEMA Region IX:      Tiffany Espensen (California)
  • FEMA Region IX:      Christian Chowen (Hawaii)
  • FEMA Region X:       Cayman Kirkhart (Idaho)

Over the past year, the Youth Preparedness Council members have been promoting preparedness in their communities and across the nation.  Several members achieved noteworthy results, including:

  • Rachel Little (Region I) authored a FEMA blog post about the importance of preparing for severe weather.
  • Gabriela Boria (Region II) developed a preparedness group called REACT that holds “Preparedness Days” and started a Teen CERT program at her school.
  • Ashley Houston (Region VII) was requested to speak about youth preparedness on a panel at the 2013 Institute of Medicine Workshop (to be held in June 2013).
  • Divya Saini (Region IX) was awarded the “Disney Friends for Change” grant for her Block Preparedness Coordinator work, and has authored and published three articles about preparedness in the Palo Alto Weekly Newspaper.
  • Tiffany Espensen (Region IX) developed “Tiffy’s Tip Tuesday” in which she relays disaster preparedness tips via her Twitter account, which currently has 16,880 followers.

This year council members will have the opportunity to participate in the Youth Preparedness Council Summit in Washington, D.C. this summer where they will advise and ask questions on youth disaster preparedness with the leadership of national organizations working on this critical priority.  Council members will also determine their Council project and meet with FEMA Community Preparedness staff, who will be their ongoing FEMA support contacts and mentors. Members will also meet virtually with FEMA leadership on a regular basis throughout the year and will provide ongoing input on strategies and initiatives as well as updates on their projects.

To learn more about FEMA’s youth preparedness efforts please visit: Ready.gov/youth-preparedness.

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.

Original link: 

FEMA Announces New Members to Join the Youth Preparedness Council

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