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Mart High School Teen Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Awards

DENTON, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recognized the members of the Mart High School Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for their accomplishments in responding to and preparing their community for emergencies. The group received honorable mentions in two categories of the 2015 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness and Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team.

Among the group’s accomplishments:

The Mart High School Teen CERT program has certified 20 students in disaster preparedness and advanced medical training.
The team assists with fire and weather drills conducted at the school.
The Mart High School Teen Cert team is part of the city’s emergency disaster plan.
The team trains with paramedics from Limestone Medical Center and facilitates the group providing career information for high school students.
Certified students are able to assist in emergencies before nearby Emergency Medical Services arrive.

Each year, FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division recognizes the preparedness efforts of organizations around the country. This year 138 organizations applied for recognition. There were 11 award winners and 37 honorable mentions.

The categories are:

Outstanding Citizen Corps Council Award
Community Preparedness Heroes
Awareness to Action
Technological Innovation
Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness
Preparing the Whole Community
Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives
Outstanding Citizen Corps Partner Program
Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability

Several other groups in Texas and Louisiana received recognition and awards as well:

Arlington (Texas) Christian Disaster Networks received an honorable mention in the category of Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability.
New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps won the award for Outstanding Citizen Corps Program.
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana received an honorable mention in the category of Technological Innovations.

Visit www.ready.gov/citizen-corps/citizen-corps-awards for more information on this year’s award recipients and honorable mentions.

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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 http://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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Mart High School Teen Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Awards

Arlington Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Award

DENTON, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recognized the Arlington Christian Disaster Network’s accomplishments in coordinating preparedness and emergency response efforts. The group received an honorable mention for Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability in the 2015 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards.

FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson and Region 6 Federal Preparedness Coordinator Randy Meshell presented the award during a recent ceremony at the Arlington Emergency Operations Center.

“Arlington Christian Disaster Network has utilized key partnerships to offer volunteer reception, shelters and emergency preparedness support in countless ways that will benefit Arlington citizens and visitors for years to come,” Robinson said. “I applaud the efforts of both the Arlington Office of Emergency Management and the Arlington Christian Disaster Network for coming together to address the need to coordinate the preparedness and emergency response efforts in your community.”

Among the group’s accomplishments:

Bringing together 17 local faith-based organizations to coordinate resources to serve the Arlington community.
Recruiting members and managing the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program.
Responsible for an additional 55 trained individuals to complement the Arlington CERT program.
Providing CERT train-the-trainers and instructors to Arlington Office of Emergency Management.

Each year FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division recognizes the preparedness efforts of organizations around the country. This year, 138 organizations applied for recognition. There were 11 award winners and 37 honorable mentions.

The categories are:

Outstanding Citizen Corps Council Award
Community Preparedness Heroes
Awareness to Action
Technological Innovation
Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness
Preparing the Whole Community
Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives
Outstanding Citizen Corps Partner Program
Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability

Several other groups in Texas and Louisiana received awards and recognition as well:

New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps won the award for Outstanding Citizen Corps Program.
Mart High School Teen CERT, near Waco, Texas, received two honorable mentions: Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness and Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiative.
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana received an honorable mention in the category of Technological Innovations.

Visit www.ready.gov/citizen-corps/citizen-corps-awards for more information on this year’s award recipients and honorable mentions.

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Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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Arlington Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Award

Know your evacuation routes – Race the Wave in Cannon Beach, OR Sept. 13

Tsunami racers, take your marks! This Sunday, September 13, Race the Wave participants will practice the tsunami evacuation route from the coast to higher ground in Cannon Beach, Oregon. We know that increasing preparedness levels across the board means greater community resilience, and Race the Wave is a great event to highlight during National Preparedness Month this September.

The race finishes at the higher ground of one of the community’s evacuation meeting points, where Cannon Beach will host a preparedness fair with interactive booths to learn more about how to prepare for emergencies and disasters.

Residents of Cannon Beach, Oregon gather for a 5K race following a tsunami evacuation route from the beach to a safe meeting spot. The race helped residents build the “muscle memory” of getting to safety, if they should feel an earthquake while they are on or near the beach.

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Race the Wave uses the National Preparedness month themes of being disaster aware and taking action to prepare and makes those themes relevant for their community.

Know the Plan: Make a plan with your family about where you will meet. Know if you need to pick your kids up from school. Know where you need to go and what to bring with you.
Take the Route: Become familiar with signage in your area. Learn the evacuation route from where you live, work, and play. Evacuate on foot and avoid traveling by car if possible.
Race the Wave: Natural warnings are the best sign of a tsunami. If you feel the ground shaking, move quickly inland or to a higher elevation. Listen to the radio to learn of tsunami warnings originating from non-local causes.

This is the second annual Race the Wave event, which includes a 10k, 5k and 2k for all abilities to participate in; participants can run, walk or roll the route. Visitors and locals alike will learn about the risks posed by the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and what they can do to stay safe.

The Community of Cannon Beach, Clatsop County Office of Emergency Management, Oregon Office of Emergency Management, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), Oregon Office on Disability & Health at Oregon Health & Science University and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region X office are coming together to support Race the Wave.

FEMA encourages everyone to take steps to become better prepared for an emergency. Whether it’s at home, at work, at school, or in the community, there’s a lot that you can do to be ready and help others be ready too. This September, take time to get disaster prepared and take action to prepare.

What you can do:

Register for the race
Check out the event’s Facebook page & Twitter account
Read about last year’s Race the Wave

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Know your evacuation routes – Race the Wave in Cannon Beach, OR Sept. 13

Applicant Registration Site Opens in Fleming County

FRANKFORT, Ky.– Survivors of July’s storms can register for federal disaster aid at a temporary site in Fleming County. The site will help people who were affected by the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides occurring July 11 through July 20.

The registration site is located at:

Fleming County Extension Service

1384 Elizaville Rd.

Flemingsburg, KY 41041

It will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until further notice.

The site, staffed by a Disaster Survivor Assistance team, will offer registration assistance. Applicants can also check the status of their applications or get referrals to other resources. Specialists will also be available to provide guidance and answer questions on Individual Assistance.

Applicants who cannot come to the Applicant Registration Site and wish to update their contact information or ask questions concerning Federal Emergency Management Agency correspondence can call FEMA’s toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585, Video Relay Service 800-621-3362) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) or go online to DisasterAssistance.gov.

The deadline for survivors to register for federal assistance is Oct. 12.

The Small Business Administration will also be on hand to discuss its disaster loan program.

FEMA and the Commonwealth have made it a priority to reach survivors who need help – including people with disabilities and/or access and functional needs, senior citizens and people with limited English proficiency.

Survivors who need reasonable accommodation to apply for assistance or to visit the registration site may call 502-209-2749 or Kentucky 711 for TTY.

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For more information on Kentucky’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or http://kyem.ky.gov. On Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/KYEmergencyManagement. To receive Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/kyempio or www.twitter.com/femaregion4.

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Applicant Registration Site Opens in Fleming County

Applicant Registration Site Opens in Rowan County

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Survivors of July’s storms can register for federal disaster aid at a temporary site in Rowan County. The site will help people who were affected by the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides occurring July 11 through July 20.

The registration site is located at:

Carl D. Perkins Community Center

1300 Crayton Jackson Lane

Morehead, KY 40351

It will only be open through this Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. The hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The deadline for survivors to register for federal assistance is Oct. 12.

The Small Business Administration will also be on hand to discuss its disaster loan program.

Survivors who need reasonable accommodation to apply for assistance or to visit the registration site may call 502-209-2749 or Kentucky 711 for TTY.

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Applicant Registration Site Opens in Rowan County

FEMA Expands Call Center Hours Ahead of Approaching Deadline For Flood Insurance Policyholders to Request a Review of their Hurricane Sandy Claim

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that it has expanded the operating hours of the call center that handles requests from flood insurance policyholders who want their insurance claim from Hurricane Sandy reviewed.

The change will provide a greater opportunity for policyholders to enter the Hurricane Sandy Claims Review, including calling over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The last day to request a review is Sept. 15, 2015. Effective immediately, FEMA’s National Processing Service Center will expand its weekday hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). This weekend, as well as next Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 12-13), the call center will be available from 10 a.m. EDT to 6 p.m. On Labor Day, the call center will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT.

To be eligible for the review, policyholders must have experienced flood damage between Oct. 27, 2012 and Nov. 6, 2012 as a result of Hurricane Sandy, and must have had an active NFIP flood policy at the time of the loss. Policyholders should call 866-337-4262 to get started.

FEMA is encouraging policyholders to request a review if they believe their Sandy flood insurance claims were underpaid for any reason. More than 12,500 policyholders have entered the review process so far. Most reviews can be concluded in about 90 days.

Policyholders can also go online to www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-nfip-claims to download a form requesting a review. The downloaded form can be filled out and emailed to FEMA-sandyclaimsreview@fema.dhs.gov or faxed to 202-646-7970 to begin the review process. For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and use 711 or VRS, please call 866-337-4262. For individuals using a TTY, please call 800-462-7585 to begin the review process.

When policyholders call, it is helpful if they have available as much information as possible, including the name(s) on the policy, the address of the damaged property and the 10-digit NFIP policy number that was in effect at the time of the loss. Policyholders will be asked a series of questions to determine whether they qualify for the review. If qualified, they will be called by an adjuster to begin the review. The timing of this call may be affected by the volume of requests.

Policyholders who have already requested a review of their claim do not have to call again. They are in the system and an adjuster will continue to work with them after the Sept. 15 deadline.

The Sandy Claims Review is intended to be simple for the policyholder and does not require paid legal assistance. Several nonprofit service providers are ready to offer free advice and answer questions policyholders may have. A list of these advocacy groups can be found on the claims review website at www.fema.gov/sandyclaims.

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.

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FEMA Expands Call Center Hours Ahead of Approaching Deadline For Flood Insurance Policyholders to Request a Review of their Hurricane Sandy Claim

More than $5 million Approved for Disaster Aid to Kentucky Flooding Survivors

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Three weeks after President Obama declared a major disaster for Kentucky, approximately $5.3 million in federal aid has been approved to help those affected by the July storms and flooding.

More than 1,000 individuals and households have contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help or information by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362/TTY 800-462-7585.

Some are seeking housing assistance from FEMA because the flooding made their home unlivable. Other forms of disaster assistance are provided by partner agencies such as the Small Business Administration. Other callers may be interested in disaster unemployment assistance.

The following summarizes the disaster recovery effort as of Sept. 2:

504 households have been approved for FEMA grants that assist with temporary rentals and personal property loss.

More than $3 million is approved for housing grants, including short-term rental assistance and essential home repair costs on primary residences.
More than $480,000 is approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and lost personal possessions.
More than $1.7 million has been approved in Small Business Administration disaster loans.
819 home inspections have been completed.
692 visits have been made to disaster recovery centers by people affected by the disaster.
2 disaster recovery centers (Johnson and Carter counties) are currently open.

No matter the degree of loss or insurance coverage, survivors are urged to apply for help. They can use any of the following methods:

By phone, call 800-621-FEMA (3362) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Assistance is available in most languages. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call (TTY) 800-462-7585 or Video Relay Service 800-621-3362.
Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.

Businesses, homeowners and renters that need help may contact the Small Business Administration directly at the SBA Disaster Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339), send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or go to https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ to apply.

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More than $5 million Approved for Disaster Aid to Kentucky Flooding Survivors

Documentation

Main Content

Appeal Brief | Appeal Letter | Appeal Analysis | Back

Second Appeal Brief

FEMA-1909-DR
PA ID# 037-52004-00; Nashville-Davidson County
PW ID# 5523; Documentation
08/31/2015

Conclusion: On second appeal, Nashville-Davidson County (Applicant) provided adequate documentation to support reimbursement of costs associated with resident engineering services.

Summary Paragraph

Between April 30, 2010 and May 18, 2010, severe rainstorms, tornadoes, and straight-line winds impacted Nashville-Davidson County (Applicant). The rainstorms caused the Cumberland River to overflow and subsequently floodwaters damaged electrical and mechanical components in the generator building located at Applicant’s K.R. Harrington Water Treatment Plant. FEMA subsequently prepared Project Worksheet (PW) 5523 documenting necessary repairs to these electrical and mechanical components. The PW did not document resident engineering costs and disallowed direct administrative costs (DAC). In a June 1, 2011 letter, the Applicant submitted its first appeal requesting $25,920.38 and arguing that FEMA made numerous scope and cost estimate errors. More specifically, the Applicant argued that FEMA made errors in estimating the following costs: DAC, resident engineering costs, construction management costs, and costs to replace metal doors. In a letter dated June 1, 2012, the FEMA Region IV Regional Administrator (RA) partially approved the appeal, granting the construction management costs and the costs to replace the metal doors but denying the request for DAC and resident engineering costs. The RA based the denial of resident engineering costs on a lack of adequate documentation. On August 10, 2012, the Applicant submitted its second appeal, requesting only resident engineering costs totaling $13,691.00. Upon FEMA’s subsequent request for additional information, the Applicant provided additional documents describing resident engineer’s services.

Authorities and Second Appeals

Stafford Act § 406 (a)(1)(A), 42 U.S.C. § 5172.
44 C.F.R. § 13.22.
OMB Circular A-87 Attachment A (C)(1)(a),(j), 2 C.F.R. § 225 Appendix A (C)(1)(a),(j)
PA Digest, at 48.
PA Guide, at 40, 59.

Headnotes

OMB Circular A-87 provides that allowable costs must meet the cost principles of being necessary; allocable to Federal awards; and adequately documented.
- The Applicant provided documentation to demonstrate that the resident engineering costs are necessary, allocable, and adequately documented for PW 5523.
PA Digest, at 48, provides that “[s]pecial services[,] which are not required on every restoration project, include engineering surveys, soil investigations, services of a resident engineer, and feasibility studies. These services must be specifically described and must be shown to be necessary for completing the eligible scope of work.”
- This project is part of 19 separate PWs associated with flood recovery efforts of a complex nature, and could require the use of resident engineering services.

Continued here:

Documentation

Disaster Recovery Centers to Close For Labor Day

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Disaster recovery centers, which are operated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will not be open on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.

The Johnson County disaster recovery center (120 Tays Branch Road in Paintsville) and the Carter County center (539 Hitchins Ave. in Olive Hill) will close Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. and reopen Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 9 a.m. (EDT).

At the centers, specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration can answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors of July’s severe storms and flooding. Specialists can help with registration, check an individual’s case, answer questions about an application or review information needed to process an application.

Survivors who suffered losses in Breathitt, Carter, Fleming, Johnson, Perry, Rowan and Trimble counties can continue to register with FEMA online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585, Video Relay Service 800-621-3362) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EDT).

Assistance can include money for temporary housing and essential 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.

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For more information on Kentucky’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or http://kyem.ky.gov. On Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/KYEmergencyManagement. To receive Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/kyempio or www.twitter.com/femaregion4.

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Disaster Recovery Centers to Close For Labor Day

This First Week of National Preparedness Month, Make a Plan for Floods

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – This is the first week of National Preparedness Month (NPM) and in the Midwest it’s off to a roaring start with active outreach and conversations meant to inspire individuals and families to take action and prepare for flooding—the most common and costly disaster in the United States. Yes, it can happen where you live!

During this first week of NPM, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 10 regional offices; county and local emergency managers; other federal agencies; businesses; voluntary and other organizations; as well as families and individuals will use news releases, social media, educational activities and events to promote the message that preparing for floods is important for protecting lives, livelihoods and properties.

“Flooding is fresh on the minds of many people in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. With so much flooding during the past few months, it’s a good time to consider the true risk,” said FEMA Region VII Regional Administrator Beth Freeman. “But it’s not enough to simply realize flooding is a real threat for us all. This month, this week, today, we hope everyone will take action to develop and practice a family emergency communication plan for hazards like flooding. This year our theme is, ‘Don’t wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today.’”

Fewer than half of Americans have taken the time to plan what they will do if there is an emergency. Sitting down and developing a communication plan with loved ones doesn’t cost a thing, but can save a lot if a flood or another disaster impacts you and your family.

In addition to floods, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and earthquakes also occur frequently and devastate lives across the country every year. To encourage disaster planning for all hazards, FEMA and the Ad Council just launched a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish, at www.ready.gov/september, The PSAs direct audiences to www.ready.gov/communicate for tools and resources to help develop and practice a family emergency communication plan.

Managed and sponsored by the Ready campaign, National Preparedness Month is designed to raise awareness and encourage Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, schools, organizations, businesses, and places of worship. National Preparedness Month is an opportunity to share emergency preparedness information and host activities across the country to help Americans understand what it truly means to be ready.

National Preparedness Month Weekly Themes

•Week 1 (September 1–5) Flood

•Week 2 (September 6–12) Wildfire

•Week 3 (September 13–19) Hurricane

•Week 4 (September 20–26) Power Outage

•Week 5 (September 27–30) Lead up to National PrepareAthon! Day, September 30

National Preparedness Month culminates with National PrepareAthon! Day on September 30 when cities and counties across the country are planning community-wide events bringing together schools, their business community, government, faith leaders, hospitals, individuals and families, and others to participate in preparedness drills and activities for hazards that are relevant to their area.

For more information visit Ready.gov/September or follow the campaign on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/readygov, on Twitter, at https://twitter.com/Readygov, or for FEMA Region VII, www.twitter.com/femaregion7. For more information about events for America’s PrepareAthon throughout September, and for National PrepareAthon! Day information, visit www.ready.gov/prepare.

Quick facts to consider as you plan:

•Text messages and social media can be better ways to communicate during an emergency when phone lines are tied up, or even not working.

•Homeowners and renters insurance don’t cover floods

•Talking to children about emergencies and involving them in the planning process helps children feel they have some control over what could happen during an emergency. It can also make recovery much easier on everyone.

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.

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