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FEMA: $866 Million in California earthquake, fire risk-reduction grants awarded since Loma Prieta, Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire

FEMA, Whole Community partners work to decrease earthquake, fire risks in Bay Area

OAKLAND, Calif. — This week marks the 27^th anniversary of the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake that took place on October 17, 1989. Two days later, on October 19^th, marks the 25^th anniversary of the Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire that killed 25 people, destroyed more than 3,000 homes, and did an estimated $1.5 billion in damage.

Since then, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has leveraged $866 million dollars to support the state of California’s efforts to reduce the risks of catastrophic earthquake and fire. Federal dollars are leveraged with state funds to provide typically 75% of a projects cost. In the Bay Area, $201 million has gone to various projects with $448 Million awarded in Los Angeles County. These funds have been used for seismic retrofit projects, fire risk reduction and flood elevation projects to protect various types of critical infrastructure, including homes, local city governments and public schools and infrastructure.

In the City of Oakland, FEMA recently approved a $3 million dollar grant for the Safer Housing for Oakland: Soft Story Apartment Retrofit Program that will retrofit 35-50 Oakland apartment buildings. Also in Oakland, FEMA has approved $3 million for the Earthquake- Safe Homes Program that will retrofit and install seismic safety measures in up to 300 1-4 unit homes located within the City of Oakland. This year, FEMA also has awarded $6 million dollars in seismic retrofits to the Los Angeles Unified School District and another $4 million in flood mitigation elevations in Sonoma County.

Examples of some of the types of projects that have been have funded include:

• $40 million in federal grants has been awarded for city hall seismic retrofits.

• $171 million in federal grants has been awarded in seismic retrofits of schools.

• $7 million in federal grants has been awarded for fire-resistant roofing.

• $83 million in federal grants has been awarded for at risk buildings in the floodplain that were elevated or purchased and converted to open space.

FEMA is only one part of the community that is engaging and developing national, regional, public, and private sector risk reduction. Several partners throughout the state have taken the call to action through advanced preparedness methods.

The City of Los Angeles is committed to addressing resilience by strengthening the city’s physical, social, and economic foundations. The City has adopted far-reaching strategies to develop the tools needed to rebound from disasters. Programs like Soft-Story Retrofitting, the new JUMP START 5 Steps to Neighborhood Preparedness emergency planning tool and NotifyLA making individuals and neighborhoods more resilient against earthquakes for a stronger Los Angeles.

Following the 27^th and 25^th Anniversaries of the Loma Prieta Earthquake and Oakland Hills Firestorm, respectively; October 20, 2016 is International ShakeOut Day when millions of people worldwide participate in local Great Shakeout Earthquake Drills, at 10:20 a.m local time. Participants include individuals, schools, businesses, local and state government agencies, and many other groups. To take part in The Great ShakeOut, individuals and organizations are asked to register to participate at www.ShakeOut.org. Once registered, participants receive regular information on how to plan their drill and become better prepared for earthquakes and other disasters.

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FEMA: $866 Million in California earthquake, fire risk-reduction grants awarded since Loma Prieta, Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire

FEMA Announces Funding Awards for Fiscal Year 2016 Homeland Security National Training Program Continuing Training Grants

WASHINGTON — Federal Emergency Management Agency officials announced funding awards for the Fiscal Year 2016 Continuing Training Grants program.

The Homeland Security National Training Program’s Continuing Training Grants will provide $11.5 million to selected recipients for the development and delivery of innovative training programs. These programs will be national in scope and are designed to support communities to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and natural, man-made, and technological hazards.

FEMA’s administers these grants as cooperative agreements through the National Training and Education Division and are awarded to the following recipients for a number of categories:

Economic Recovery: The National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University receives $1,506,000.
Cybersecurity: The University of Texas at San Antonio, representing the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium, receives $3,015,000.
Hazardous Materials: Georgia Tech Research Institute receives $1 million; and The International Association of Fire Fighters also receives $1 million.
Rural Preparedness: The Center for Rural Development, representing the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium, receives $5 million.

This highly competitive program attracted applicants from state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, along with eligible non-profit organizations to include colleges and universities. This year, 27 applicants competed and FEMA made five awards.

For more information on this program and to request FEMA training, please go to www.firstrespondertraining.gov.

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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 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 Announces Funding Awards for Fiscal Year 2016 Homeland Security National Training Program Continuing Training Grants

FEMA, State Broadcasters’ Associations and Emergency Managers to Test the Emergency Alert System

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in cooperation with state, local, and tribal emergency managers and state broadcasters’ associations, will conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 in six states at 1:20 p.m. PST.

FEMA will send the voluntary EAS test message signal through its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) from the exhibit floor of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Broadcasters are voluntarily participating in the test from Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The EAS test is scheduled to last approximately one minute.

The message will be the same as typical EAS test messages, with the word “national” added to the message: “This is a national test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test.” The test is designed to have limited impact on the public. There is no Federal Commissions Commission regulatory liability for stations that choose not to participate. The EAS test might also be seen and heard in bordering states participating in the test, including California, Oregon, Idaho, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan.

The test will assess the operational readiness of FEMA’s IPAWS infrastructure that will distribute a national-level EAS test message to radio, television and cable operations from origination to reception by the public. In 2007, FEMA began modernizing the nation’s public alert and warning system by integrating new technologies into existing alert systems. IPAWS connects public safety officials, such as emergency managers, police and fire departments to multiple communications channels to send alerts to the public when a disaster or other imminent danger occurs.

More information on the Public Alert and Warning System and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) is available at www.fema.gov/ipaws or www.ready.gov/alerts.

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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.

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FEMA, State Broadcasters’ Associations and Emergency Managers to Test the Emergency Alert System

FEMA Announces Grant Awards for Fiscal Year 2015 Homeland Security National Training Program/Continuing Training Grants Program

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency today announced the award of five training grants for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP) Continuing Training Grants (CTG) totaling $11,521,000. These awards will provide additional FEMA certified training and certification for first responders, emergency managers, technical specialists, local government and community leaders, preparing them for all types of emergencies. The period of performance for the FY 2015 CTG program is 36 months.

The FY 2015 CTG program focuses on the following four areas: Cybersecurity, Hazardous Materials, Countering Violent Extremism and Rural Preparedness. Rural Preparedness includes the following topics: school-based incidents, mass fatality planning and response, the development of emergency operation plans, rail car safety, media engagement strategies for first responders, agro-terrorism, food and animal safety and hazardous materials.

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Cybersecurity: The University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute – $3,000,000
Hazardous Materials: The International Association of Fire Fighters – $2,000,000
Countering Violent Extremism: University of Maryland START Consortium – $1,319,405
Countering Violent Extremism: Virginia Center for Policing Innovation – $1,701,595
Rural Preparedness: The Center for Rural Development – $3,500,000

Information on the FY 2015 CTG program can be found on www.grants.gov by searching under Homeland Security Grants, CFDA #97.005.

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FEMA Announces Grant Awards for Fiscal Year 2015 Homeland Security National Training Program/Continuing Training Grants Program

FEMA awards Public Assistance grants for Sandy recovery projects

NEW YORK – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded Public Assistance grants for debris removal, emergency protective measures and permanent work for Hurricane Sandy recovery projects.

Recent awards include:

• Nearly $12.2 million to Nassau County for waterway debris removal in Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Long Beach, Atlantic Beach, Cedarhurst, Freeport and Island Park.

• Nearly $10 million to City of New York Department of Citywide Administrative Services for emergency protective measures, including labor, communications, light towers, generators and fuel truck rental.

• More than $6.1 million to New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for citywide debris removal.

• More than $4.5 million to New York Health and Hospitals Corporation to provide a temporary facility for the Ida Israel Community Health Clinic.

• More than $2.1 million to Nassau County Police Department for emergency protective measures, including evacuations, patrols and identification of public hazards.

• More than $1.6 million to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for permanent repairs to portions of John F. Kennedy International Airport fencing.

For Hurricane Sandy, FEMA’s Public Assistance program reimburses local, state and tribal governments and eligible private nonprofit organizations 90 percent of eligible costs for emergency and permanent work. So far, FEMA has awarded $2.4 billion in Public Assistance grants to eligible New York applicants.

Not included in this total is recent approval of $1.4 billion to Long Island Power Authority for repairs, restoration and hazard mitigation. FEMA and LIPA agreed on that amount in a pilot program, Public Assistance Alternate Procedures, in which grants are determined on the basis of fixed estimates, with applicants accepting responsibility for any actual costs that exceed the estimates. If actual costs are less than the fixed estimate amount, the applicant may use the excess funds for certain other purposes that mitigate damage from future disasters.[

To learn more about FEMA Public Assistance in New York, visit: fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit and dhses.ny.gov/oem/recovery.

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FEMA awards Public Assistance grants for Sandy recovery projects

FEMA Calls for Focus on Resilience and Risk during May Observance

LINCROFT, N.J. — The New York and New Jersey Sandy Recovery field offices are supporting a national initiative to maximize resilience and minimize risk. FEMA is encouraging those rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy to join the agency in its recognition of the 34th annual Building Safety Month (BSM) to promote the importance of high building standards, protecting the environment and saving energy.

BSM is a public awareness campaign established by the International Code Council (ICC). The global campaign focuses on public outreach and education to increase the overall safety and sustainability of buildings through the adoption of model building codes and promotion of code enforcement—elements for New York and New Jersey to consider as the area rebuilds after the storm.

Those in the affected states—and nationwide—can avail themselves of FEMA’s Building Science Department online and print information about various natural and man-made disasters and how they affect building safety. The agency introduces basic concepts used to design new or retrofitted buildings. Also offered are measures to increase resilience against future disasters while retaining or elevating efficiency—a two-pronged approach in dealing with climate change.

For the fourth consecutive year, President Obama has proclaimed May as National Building Safety Month to underscore the role that safe building codes and standards play in decreasing the effects of disasters and making the nation resilient. Building codes protect citizens from disasters like fires, flooding and weather-related events like Hurricane Sandy and structural collapse.

The overarching theme of BSM is Building Safety: Maximizing resilience, minimizing risks with sub-themes for each of its respective four weeks: fire, weather, yard and outdoor safety, and for the final week of the campaign, Building a brighter, more efficient tomorrow.

For more information, on FEMA’s Building Science Branch, visit www.fema.gov/building-science. More information on Building Safety Month is at: www.buildingsafetymonth.org and www.iccsafe.org.

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FEMA Calls for Focus on Resilience and Risk during May Observance

Federal Law Enforcement Personnel Learn New Emergency Management Skills from FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute

EMMITSBURG, MD – Thirty three law enforcement officers and staff from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Justice Department’s Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) graduated from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Foundations of Emergency Management course. The law enforcement personnel acquired the basic skills and knowledge to help them meet challenges in the field of emergency management.

The Foundations of Emergency Management course (L-101) was delivered by FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) at ATF Headquarters in Washington, D.C., from July 22 through August 2, 2013. The course is one of five in the National Emergency Management Academy and covers legal issues, intergovernmental and interagency context, influencing, organizing, serving the whole community, managing stress, collaboration, preparedness, team building, protection, prevention, mitigation, response, ethical decision-making, recovery, technology, administration, and the future. The course also requires prerequisite independent study courses to be completed.

“Law enforcement is an integral part of emergency management before, during and after disasters,” said EMI Superintendent Tony Russell. “Law enforcement personnel who attend EMI’s Foundations of Emergency Management course take what they learn and apply the basics of emergency management to their specific law enforcement roles in the field to help them provide better community assistance during emergencies.”

EMI and ICE signed a Memorandum of Agreement to initiate a cooperative training effort to provide courses for law enforcement officials whose positions include responsibilities in the field of emergency management during disasters.

“Law enforcement is an important part of successful emergency management and this EMI course demonstrates a true whole community approach for training and educating law enforcement personnel,” said Roberto Hylton, FEMA’s Senior Law Enforcement Advisor. “We strive to help law enforcement to be better prepared when disasters strike as they work to protect and serve the people in their communities and respond in times of national emergencies.”

The National Emergency Management Academy offers the tools for students to develop a comprehensive set of basic skills needed in emergency management. For those who are new to emergency management or transferring from another profession, this Academy provides a unique opportunity to build camaraderie and establish professional contacts. Students also learn to understand the roles, responsibilities and legal boundaries associated with emergency management.

The Academy is part of FEMA’s new Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP). The EMPP curriculum is designed to support life-long learning for emergency managers and includes the entry-level Academy; a Specialized and Technical Training program to develop specific skill sets; a Leaders Academy to develop the next generation of emergency management leaders; and an Executive Academy for federal, state, tribal and local agency officials at a senior policy and strategic level.

FEMA is linking training and career development programs to an established set of competencies through a progressive training and education system. EMI develops training objectives based on the Emergency Management competencies agreed to by the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), and state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management professionals.

For more information on FEMA’s training courses and the Foundational, Leaders and Executive Academies, go to: http://training.fema.gov/empp/.

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Federal Law Enforcement Personnel Learn New Emergency Management Skills from FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute

FEMA Announces Appointments to National Advisory Council

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announces the appointment of ten new members and the reappointment of five members to the FEMA National Advisory Council (NAC).

The NAC is an advisory committee established to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters. Members represent the whole community including public health, tribal government and functional and access needs, and provide recommendations on a variety of issues within emergency management to the FEMA Administrator.

FEMA received over 500 applications for these positions. Each applicant was carefully considered through an intensive review process that included a membership recommendation panel of senior government officials.

“The National Advisory Council provides FEMA with advice and recommendations on how to achieve the Agency’s mission,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “We look forward to continued dialogue on emergency management to support states, strengthen outreach efforts to Indian Country, and engage the whole community to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Both the new and reappointed members represent a cross section of the emergency management team and their insight is valued.”

The new NAC members are:

Mr. Chris E. Howell, Tribal Liaison/Executive Director, Kansas Native American Affairs (Topeka, KS)

Mr. Bart Johnson, Executive Director, International Association of Chiefs of Police (Alexandria, VA)

Dr. Emily Gayle Kidd, Assistant Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)

Chief W. Nim Kidd, Assistant Director/Chief, Texas Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management (Austin, TX)

Ms. Linda Langston, Linn County Supervisor (Cedar Rapids, IA)

Mr. Brian Lugo, Elected Tribal Councilmember, Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Southern California (Banning, CA)

Dr. Suzet McKinney, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response and Division of Women & Children’s Health, Chicago Department of Public Health (Chicago, IL)

Mr. Richard Alan Reed, Vice President, Preparedness and Resilience Strategy, American Red Cross (Bethesda, MD)

Mr. Robert Salesses, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Integration and Defense Support of Civil Authorities, U.S. Department of Defense (Washington, DC)

Mr. Dennis Joseph Storemski, Director, City of Houston’s Mayor’s Office of Public Safety & Homeland Security (Houston, TX)

The reappointed NAC members are:

Ms. Elizabeth Armstrong, Executive Director, International Association of Emergency Managers (Falls Church, VA)

Mr. Mark A. Cooper, Senior Director, Emergency Management, Wal-Mart (Rogers, AR)

Ms. Nancy Dragani, Executive Director, Ohio Emergency Management Agency (Columbus, OH)

Ms. June Isaacson Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant (Playa del Rey, CA)

Ms. Teresa Scott, Executive Director, City of Gainesville, Public Works Department (Gainesville, FL)

Additional information on the NAC, including a list of current members, can be found at fema.gov/national-advisory-council.

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.

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FEMA Announces Appointments to National Advisory Council

President Declares Disaster for the Republic of the Marshall Islands

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands under the Compact of Free Association between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, as amended, due to the ongoing severe drought in the northern half of the country.

The President’s action makes federal funding available for U.S. Government emergency relief and reconstruction assistance to the Republic of the Marshall Islands in accordance with Public Law 108-188, as amended, including Article X of the Federal Programs and Services Agreement to the Compact of Free Association. Republic of the Marshall Islands President Loeak requested a disaster declaration on June 5, 2013.

The United States Agency for International Development Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance will coordinate U.S. Government disaster assistance efforts in conjunction with FEMA and the government of the Marshall Islands.

Follow FEMA online at http://blog.fema.gov, 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 does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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President Declares Disaster for the Republic of the Marshall Islands

Big Businesses Helping Small Businesses After Hurricane Isaac

BATON ROUGE, La. – Small businesses in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Isaac now have another way to get help with their recovery efforts.

The Big Business–Small Business Emergency Management Mentorship Program is available to pair up small-business owners with big-business mentors who will help them bounce back after the storm by providing guidance such as ways to rebuild and strengthen their facilities.

The program was created by the National Incident Management Systems and Advanced Technologies Institute at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the International Association of Emergency Managers.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Louisiana Business Emergency Operations Center (LABEOC) and other organizations are supporting the effort by spreading the word in affected communities and parishes.

“This is a great, free resource for business owners who sustained damage during Isaac,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Hall of FEMA. “We are proud to be part of the whole community team that is working to support people in Louisiana as they work to rebound from the storm.”

The Big Business–Small Business Emergency Management Mentorship Program can also assist business owners in preparedness efforts, including developing an emergency plan of action, improving resiliency and developing the tools to recover from disasters.

To register for the program either as a mentor or protégé, visit www.disasterb2bmentor.org.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, go online at www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gove/blog.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

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Big Businesses Helping Small Businesses After Hurricane Isaac