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Changing Weather in the Northeast Calls for Greater Local Preparation

FEMA and Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management Improve Community Disaster Resiliency through America’s PrepareAthon!

New York, NY – New York and New Jersey have seen their share of weather disasters in recent years. Based on recent experience and on current assessments of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the region is likely to endure continuing shifts in weather patterns, prompting a need for emergency management expertise, as well as community preparedness for severe weather.

According to a 2012 national survey on preparedness by FEMA, a mere 39 percent of Americans reported having a household emergency plan, and almost 50 percent did not have supplies set aside in their homes for use in a disaster.

Playing a pivotal role in disaster preparedness is the new Manhattan-based Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management, the first high school in the United States devoted exclusively to emergency management. This Wednesday, April 30, 120 of its students will interview some 1500 residents across New York City’s five boroughs about their families’ preparedness. Survey results will be used to determine how prepared the general public is post-Super Storm Sandy, and if preparedness levels differ in flood prone areas. The survey’s results will be made public on the school’s website.

The students will be joined by Jerome Hatfield, Regional Administrator of FEMA at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan at 10:30 am this Wednesday. This event is being held in coordination with the NYC Office of Emergency Management. Mr. Hatfield will be available for interviews on the role of the new emergency management school and the need for preparedness, as well as the evolving weather climate in FEMA’s Region II, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

The joint effort by FEMA and the Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management to interview and inform the public about emergency preparedness constitute one of many events occurring across the country as part of America’s PrepareAthon!, a national community day of action encouraging millions of individuals, organizations, and communities to take action to improve their levels of disaster preparedness.

About America’s PrepareAthon!

America’s PrepareAthon! provides a national focus for millions of individuals, organizations, and communities to take action to improve their level of preparedness. Twice a year—in the spring and fall—individuals, communities, and organizations across the country will organize days of action to discuss, practice, and train for relevant hazards.

Follow the discussion on Twitter by following @PrepareAthon or #PrepareAthon. For more information, go to www.ready.gov/prepare.

About Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management

The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management (UASEM) is a public Career and Technical Education high school that prepares students to engage in complex quantitative and qualitative reasoning skills with an understanding of the principles of Emergency Management. Visit www.uasem.org to learn more.

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later

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

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

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

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Changing Weather in the Northeast Calls for Greater Local Preparation

FEMA Public Assistance Tops $3.8 Billion

NEW YORK – With the obligation of more than $982 million to New York University’s Langone Medical Center along with many other projects, disaster assistance funding from FEMA’s Public Assistance program to help rebuild New York after Hurricane Sandy now exceeds $3.8 billion.

FEMA Public Assistance is supporting the restoration of New York’s storm-damaged infrastructure by funding projects to renovate schools, refurbish hospitals, restore parks and repair public transportation systems. FEMA Public Assistance provides grants to state and local governments and eligible nonprofit organizations.

The award to NYU Langone was one of the first utilizing the Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Pilot Program for Permanent Work, authorized by the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act and signed into law by President Obama in January 2013. The program is a new way to fund disaster recovery by expediting funding for Public Assistance projects and providing flexibility in the use of funding for recovery.

The $982,472,017 will be used to restore damaged buildings at the NYU Langone Medical Center and for mitigation measures designed to protect it from future storms.

Other awards include:

• Almost $216 million for the New York Health and Hospitals Corporation for emergency and protective measures as well as repairs and restoration to facilities;

• Nearly $43 million to the New York School Construction Authority to renovate classrooms and repair school buildings; and

• Approximately $11.4 million for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for repair, replacement and hazard mitigation of damaged elements of the transportation system.

Additional funding is expected for an array of projects throughout the affected areas.

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.

The Sandy Recovery Office supports disaster recovery operations for New Jersey and New York from field offices in Eatontown, N.J. and Forest Hills, N.Y., coordinating all federal agency funding designated for Hurricane Sandy long-term recovery operations in both states.

For more information, visit http://www.fema.gov/sandy-recovery-office

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FEMA Public Assistance Tops $3.8 Billion

NJ Firefighters to Receive New Breathing Apparatuses – Stanhope Wins Federal Grant of Nearly $158,000

NJ Firefighters to Receive New Breathing Apparatuses

Stanhope Wins Federal Grant of Nearly $158,000

New York, NY — The 3,548 residents of the Borough of Stanhope will be safer because the town’s 40 volunteer firefighters will be better equipped with their 19 new self-contained breathing apparatuses, Dale McShine, Director of Grants for FEMA’s Region II, said here today.

The new equipment for Stanhope Hose Company #1 is made possible, Ms. McShine said, by an Assistance to Firefighters Grant, or AFG, which is administered by FEMA, of $157,776. The local share comes to $8,303.

Brian McNeilly, the borough’s administrator, says all the firefighters are very pleased with the new equipment. He said that it will replace units that were at least ten years old, were expensive to repair, and not compliant with National Fire Protection Association criteria. “These new units,” he pointed out, “provide a much broader field of vision, which is critical.” “Each of these new units,” he added, “is equipped with a personal alert safety system, which automatically summons assistance” should a firefighter become incapacitated or overwhelmed.

“Perhaps the most important benefit for our borough,” McNeilly observed, is that “with our small population, our firefighting volunteers are our neighbors, so when a fire or other emergency breaks out, it’s a matter of neighbors helping neighbors.”

FEMA’s Dale McShine said that the AFG program has been aiding firefighters and other first responders since 2001, “providing critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources” needed to help the public and emergency responders from fire and related hazards.

Tania Hedlund, FEMA’s Branch Chief for Grants, reported that, in 2012, the AFG provided funding of $25,340,000 for FEMA’s Region II (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).

For further information, please contact William H. Douglass at FEMA: 212-680-3665 or 917-561-3223.

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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NJ Firefighters to Receive New Breathing Apparatuses – Stanhope Wins Federal Grant of Nearly $158,000

Federal Grants to Local Fire Departments Offer Up-to-Date Equipment and Training to Stations Large and Small

New York, NY — The Atlantic City Fire Department has some 250 full-time firefighters and six fire stations serving a southern New Jersey population of 40,000. The department received last month a federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) of almost $490,000 to replace personal protective equipment ravaged by Hurricane Sandy and years of on-the-job use. The local share of the grant brought the total to $543,400.

This week, the Milmay Volunteer Fire Company, in an unincorporated community of 1,500 in Buena Vista Township, also in Atlantic County, was awarded a similar bounty. It received $9,168 (local share $482) to replace its deteriorated personal protective equipment for its 20 volunteers: boots, helmets, hoods, gloves, coats, and pants, all at least 15 years old. Fire Chief Eric Hensel said, “the rubber on the boots was cracked, the helmets outfitted with non-adjustable headbands, straps frayed, and the gloves contaminated with soot or grease.”

Chief Hensel added that, “not only was our equipment old, but we were suffering financially from a straight-line wind storm that occurred several years ago. It tore the roof off of our 70-year-old fire house, and caused some $500,000 in damage.” Insurance helped, he said, but it left the department with little cash.

The Director of Grants for Region II of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Dale McShine, announced the Milmay grant at regional headquarters here today. FEMA administers the AFG program, she said, “and it is most gratifying that these awards help firefighters protect their communities, of whatever size, and whether or not they are full-time or volunteers.”

“All of our firefighters are volunteers and we have a small community and a small budget,” Chief Hensel said. “And regardless of a fire company’s size, you still face the same issues: one person’s injury or life lost is the same. This grant will help us do our jobs,” he added.

FEMA’s AFG program has been aiding firefighters and other first responders since 2001. “The program provides critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards,” said Tania Hedlund, FEMA’s Grants Branch Chief. In 2012, the AFG provided funding of $25,340,000 for FEMA’s Region II (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).

For further information, please contact William H. Douglass at FEMA: 212-680-3665 or 917-561-3223.

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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Federal Grants to Local Fire Departments Offer Up-to-Date Equipment and Training to Stations Large and Small

Dunkirk Fire Department to Gain Mobile Burn Simulator – $360,000 Training Unit the Result of a Federal Grant

New York, NY — Chautauqua County’s city of Dunkirk will receive a mobile burn unit that will allow the New York fire department and the county’s 42 other departments to conduct live-fire training. The award, an Assistance to Firefighters Grant, was announced here today by Ms. Dale McShine, Director of Grants for Region II of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers the grant program.

With the local share of $40,000, the grant will total $400,000.

“This simulator adds a safe, live-burn dimension to our training capacity,” said Lt. James Hyland, Dunkirk Fire Department’s deputy chief. “Our training building had become so deteriorated that it had to be torn down several years ago. Now, among a host of other training options, we can simulate the work of our rapid intervention teams, for example, which stand by to rescue firefighters who may become trapped or overcome while on the job.” Lt. Hyland added that the equipment will enable firefighters to practice ventilation training to clear smoke and noxious elements, a critical capability during a fire.

The fire department’s Lt. Matthew Hanlon described the mobile burn simulator as a “huge asset not only to Dunkirk’s firefighting capabilities, but also to Chautauqua County’s other fire departments and roughly 134,000 residents. The unit can be easily transported and we’re grateful to the county’s Department of Public Works, which has agreed to move the new equipment to county fire departments, allowing them to augment their capabilities, as well.”

For further information, please contact Don Caetano at FEMA: 212-680-3616 or 347-416-3792.

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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Dunkirk Fire Department to Gain Mobile Burn Simulator – $360,000 Training Unit the Result of a Federal Grant

Disaster Awareness Is A Priority For Avalon Mayor, Cape May County OEM

EATONTOWN, N.J — When Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi was promoted to Director of Cape May County’s Emergency Management Communications Center in August 2013, he found himself with two things: another job title, and a problem that most people wouldn’t expect a county surrounded by open water on three sides to have.

“There were no shelters in the county before I took over,” he said.

Pagliughi, who retired from an engineering company as the national industry manager, environmental division, went to work finding space and was able to secure four shelters in two months. Then Hurricane Sandy struck the New Jersey shore.

“We sheltered over 700 people,” he said.

Pagliughi was born in Vineland and has lived in Avalon since 1974. He was first elected to Avalon’s City Council in 1987 before becoming mayor in 1991. He is also the head of Avalon’s Office of Emergency Management, a role he assumed in 2001, making him very familiar with the unique difficulties Cape May County’s geography and demographics represent.

The county is a narrow peninsula with barrier islands, which makes evacuating people more of a challenge.

“We had an ice storm in 2006, and we had over 150 people who wouldn’t evacuate the barrier islands because they didn’t want to leave their pets behind,” he said.

That inspired one of his more ambitious Mayor Pagliughi stands before the emergency pet shelter. Mayor Pagliughi addresses residents in front of the emergency pet shelter. undertakings before Sandy hit. He purchased a 52-foot trailer and had it converted into a mobile animal shelter, which housed 120 pets during the storm, including several birds and a snake. The trailer, which had heat, hot water and food storage for the animals, was parked next to a Red Cross shelter. The trailer cost Avalon $22,000. The borough received $24,000 in donations to pay for it. Cape May County has also purchased two trailers and is converting a third with the help of Cape May County Technical High School students who have made it their class project.

As Sandy made its way toward New Jersey, Pagliughi moved quickly to take preventive measures and prepare for the storm’s aftermath. He secured a debris cleanup contract and a reconstruction contract to repair any damage to government buildings the storm would cause. With those arrangements in place, debris was cleared out of Avalon in three days.

He also created an emergency website for Avalon that integrated reverse 911, allowing residents and other observers to get important, updated information during Hurricane Sandy, as well as photos and live video. During the storm’s pass across New Jersey, the site got 2.4 million hits.

He is now working on a similar site for Cape May County. “People thrive on information,” he said. “The more they have, the better.”

Some of the problems that arose during the storm proved to be far easier to solve than others. When the county’s shelters ran low on food, the Crest Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Cape May Court House prepared 2,300 meals in two days and delivered them via the county’s fare-free bus network.

And even though Cape May County escaped the devastation that Sandy inflicted on other areas of New Jersey, three days passed before the state lifted the evacuation order for the county, causing problems for residents trying to re-enter the county and check on their homes and creating traffic issues when they were allowed to return. Pagliughi believes that municipal OEMs should be able to determine the safety of their own towns.

Pagliughi is already anticipating dealing with future incidents. Last year, the New Jersey National Guard sent four high-wheeled trucks to Cape May County to help with rescue and evacuations. However, a change in Guard policy means the New Jersey Guard will no longer deploy high-wheeled vehicles before a disaster. To compensate, Pagliughi went through the Army Surplus Program and bought 22 of the five-ton trucks, setting six aside as the county fleet and giving the rest to county municipalities.

He knows the county still needs more shelter space. “There’s not a lot of room here to build,” he said.

He has had to learn emergency management on the job, and each incident has added to his understanding of the processes involved in dealing with a disaster.

“We’ve had, I think, 10 disaster declarations since I took over” as the head of Avalon’s OEM, Pagliughi said. “We know the programs. We know how to get reimbursed.”

With Pagliughi’s new-found experience combined with his positions of authority and knowledge of the area, Cape May County can expect to be prepared when the next disaster strikes.

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later

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.

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Disaster Awareness Is A Priority For Avalon Mayor, Cape May County OEM

New Jersey Fire Department to Replace 10-Year Old Breathing Mechanisms

Federal Grant Provides Upgraded Gear to Irvington Township

New York, NY, July 31, 2014 – Irvington Township will receive 28 self-contained breathing apparatuses to replace outdated equipment that no longer meets National Fire Protection Association standards, and for which maintenance and upkeep costs have been estimated as high as $40,000 annually.

The preponderance of the funding for the new equipment will come from the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), a unit of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. AFG will contribute $157,878, while the local share amounts to $17,542.

The announcement was made here today by Dale McShine, Grants Director for FEMA, Region II.

“Our training dictates that we must preserve all that is valuable in this community, which means ensuring that we can trust our equipment,” says Deputy Fire Chief Randy Wuest. He went on to say that “between 2010 and 2012 the department worked an average of 250 structural fires a year – almost three fires every four days, and we depend on this equipment in every one of these incidents.”

Among other features, the new breathing equipment will enable individual Township firefighters to read displays of remaining breathing air, explains Chief Wuest. He points out also that the new equipment will save the department a considerable amount in maintenance costs.

Serving some 54,000 residents, the Irvington Township Fire Department currently employs 114 full-time career firefighters who work 24-hours on, 72-hours off shifts. The department has three stations and staffs four engine companies and two ladder companies at all times.

“We are very appreciative of the grant provided to the Township of Irvington by the AFG,” said Mayor Tony Vauss. “The safety of our firefighters and our citizens is of the utmost importance to us. These funds will go a long way in promoting this goal.”

FEMA’s AFG program has been aiding firefighters and other first responders since 2001. “The program provides critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards, said Tania Hedlund, FEMA’s Grants Branch Chief. In 2012, the AFG provided funding of $25,340,000 for FEMA’s Region II (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).

For further information, please contact William H. Douglass at FEMA: 212-680-3665 or 917-561-3223.

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New Jersey Fire Department to Replace 10-Year Old Breathing Mechanisms

Farmers and Gardeners: Prepare Now to Weather the Whims of Mother Nature

EATONTOWN, N.J. — New Jersey comes by its nickname, “The Garden State,” honestly, as the agricultural industry brings more than $987 million into the state’s economy. The state is among the top ten producers of cranberries, peaches, spinach, bell peppers, blueberries, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes in the United States, according to the New Jersey Farm Service Agency.

Commercial farms and home gardens alike present similar challenges when natural disasters are a threat. The flat, open land that crops grow in and animals graze on has few natural defenses against flooding, and any tall buildings on farmland, such as barns and silos, can be vulnerable to lightning strikes.

While the average home garden doesn’t have the same scope of a large farm, owners of both can use similar methods to protect their crops, livestock and property from the impact of a natural disaster.

Take a full inventory of everything: livestock, equipment, pesticides, fertilizers, other chemicals and fuel. Animals should be tagged so they can be returned if they get lost or hurt during an incident. Have sandbags and plastic sheeting on hand to cover and protect crops and garden plots in case of flooding. Use wire and rope to secure objects, and lumber and plywood to protect windows. Put a fire extinguisher in every building and vehicle on your property.

Choose a safe, flood-proof location to store extra fuel for tractors and vehicles, food and water for livestock, and a gas-powered generator in case of power failure. Make sure that electrical power to flood-prone machines and structures can be easily turned off. Have hand tools accessible to assist in preparation and recovery.

If you are in a particularly flood-prone area, figure out escape routes for livestock to get to higher ground. Also, keep them out of barns that may flood, as their natural instinct is to seek shelter in a barn during an emergency.

In the aftermath of a disaster, report leaks of any hazardous materials (pesticides, fuel, fertilizer and other chemicals) to authorities. Check your utilities for signs of damage, and contact your utility company before turning anything back on. Spray surviving livestock with insect repellent to protect against mosquitoes, and have all animals checked for infectious diseases such as pneumonia or foot rot.

Test the soil, especially in smaller gardens and flower beds. It is recommended that flooded areas not be planted again for at least 30 to 60 days. Before replanting, make sure the soil is dry and has been reworked. Salt water can get washed up by waves and storm surge and get into the soil and on plants and trees, causing leaves to brown and damaging roots and buds. The damage salt spray can do to plants can last for several years.

Dispose of any leafy green vegetables and any other crops with edible parts that were touched by flood water. Affected root vegetables can be sanitized for consumption by rinsing them and soaking them in a bleach/water solution.

Once a disaster happens, the Farm Service Agency offers loans to farm owners to cover repairs/replacements and working capital. Contact the local Disaster Recovery Center after an incident for information, or visit a local FSA office. Farmers can also contact the Department of Agriculture’s Extension Service for more information and materials on how they can protect themselves from disasters.

The FSA has several financial programs to help farmers in the event of a disaster.

The Emergency Conservation Program provides emergency funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by wind erosion, floods, or other disasters.

The Emergency Haying and Grazing Assistance Program coordinates emergency hay placement and grazing of certain Conservation Reserve Program acreage in areas suffering from weather-related disasters at the discretion of either the state or national FSA.

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program covers non-insurable crop losses caused by low yields, inventory loss or inability to plant crops due to a disaster.

The Emergency Loan Assistance Program provides emergency loans to help livestock producers recover from production and physical losses due to drought, floods, other natural disasters, or quarantine. Contact your local Farm Service Agency for more information about these programs.

The Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension Service has information on home gardening and commercial agriculture, and has offices in every county in New Jersey. For general advice on preparedness, visit www.ready.gov.

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later

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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Farmers and Gardeners: Prepare Now to Weather the Whims of Mother Nature

With Help from FEMA and Community, Sandy Survivor Returns Home

LINCROFT, N.J. — Frederick Ziegler promises his rebuilt house in Point Pleasant Beach will be just as spotless as he left his FEMA mobile home at Green Acres Manor in Howell Township.

Mr. Siegler poses for a picture in his home Mr. Frederick Ziegler Returns Home to Pt Pleasant BeachZiegler, a 78-year-old retired radio and electronics repairman who has been living in FEMA housing since Hurricane Sandy almost destroyed his house, is finally going home. Two feet of water flooded his home, causing his heating oil tank to rupture. Some oil mixed with the floodwaters and some seeped through the flooring into the subfloors, making cleanup difficult. It even got into the rain boots of the volunteers working to clean it up. (Kitty litter absorbed most of the oil inside the house.) Meanwhile, the oil tank filled up with salt water. The water damage in the home created mold that had to be removed. The cellulose insulation in the first floor walls collapsed below the water line, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the insulation sealed off the walls, preventing the oil from getting into them.

Mr. Siegler welcomes guests as he stands on his front steps Mr. Ziegler greets guests after returning home.After the storm, Ziegler moved in with his then-fiancée for the first four weeks, and then moved to his brother’s home in Point Pleasant Borough, not far from the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Bay Head. “It was right across from St. Paul’s Methodist Church, which was serving three meals a day (to survivors),” he recalled. He couldn’t remain at his brother’s because he developed health issues related to his brother’s cats, so he moved into a FEMA-provided mobile home in January 2013. “I like the trailer better,” he joked.

While he was living in the mobile home he could work on getting his home repaired. Calvary Chapel sent two groups of volunteers – one from Wisconsin and one from Boston – to tear out the walls and floors. A team of Mennonites from western Pennsylvania put down the new subfloor. Jersey Shore United outfitted the house with new appliances from Home Depot. Volunteers were helping Ziegler rebuild through the end of March 2014. FEMA paid for cleaning and sanitizing as well as the complete replacement of the home’s electrical system. FEMA also covered part of the cost of replacing the home’s plumbing.

Mr. Ziegler returns keys to the FEMA mobile home Mr. Ziegler returns the keys to his FEMA mobile home.Ziegler’s rebuilt home is not elevated – yet. Point Pleasant Beach had been classified as being in a Special Flood Hazard Area A-zone before Sandy hit. It was changed to a V-zone, then back to an A-zone in August 2013. Elevation is recommended, though not explicitly required, for homes in A-zones.

Ziegler is on the state’s Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) program’s waiting list for elevation funding.

Ziegler credited FEMA with connecting him to Catholic Charities and the Ocean County Long Term Recovery Group, which helped him find the resources he needed to repair his home. He was both grateful and pleasantly surprised by how much overall assistance they offered. “I remember thinking, ‘Do they really want to help that (much)?’” he said. “But they’ve been great.”

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later

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With Help from FEMA and Community, Sandy Survivor Returns Home

Ahead of the Game: New Jersey’s Hazard Mitigation Initiative Will Pay Off in Future Storms

LINCROFT, N.J. – New Jersey’s 21 counties are following the state’s lead in developing hazard mitigation plans that will ensure all of the state’s 565 municipalities will be eligible for federal funding for mitigation projects.

On April 25, 2014, the State of New Jersey’s Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and adopted by Governor Chris Christie. The acceptance of the statewide plan enables governmental entities to apply for federal funding under programs such as: Fire Management Assistance Grants, Public Assistance (Categories C-G), the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program and Flood Mitigation Assistance.

The federal Stafford Act requires state and local governments to develop hazard mitigation plans as a condition for receiving certain types of non-emergency disaster assistance, including mitigation funding. It was amended by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, which provided a new set of standards for coordinating the development and implementation of mitigation plans at the state and local levels.

With the approval of the state’s plan, the 21 counties in New Jersey must also have plans in place to be eligible for the same sources of funding. All 21 counties either have plans in place or are in the process of updating their plans, FEMA’s Howard Wolf said.

This is the second wave of mitigation plans for the counties. Development of the initial plans under the terms of the Disaster Mitigation Act started in 2003, and the first of those plans were approved in 2008. Hazard mitigation plans are valid for five years.

A total of 19 counties are in the process of updating their original mitigation plans. The state has approved a plan update for Somerset County as well as Ocean County’s very first hazard mitigation plan. Currently, the state is reviewing Burlington County’s plan, and Monmouth County is expected to submit its plan update for state review later in 2014. Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties are still working on updating their plans. To date, 14 counties, funded under DR-4086, will receive a total of $2,212,000 in FEMA funds to update their plans before they expire.

The process of creating a mitigation plan can take up to three years. The county mitigation plans are designed with a strong focus on local conditions and hazards. This information is incorporated into the construction of the state mitigation plan.

There are six goals within the state hazard mitigation plan: Protecting life, protecting property, increasing awareness and preparedness, developing and maintaining an understanding of risks and hazards, enhancing mitigation capabilities to reduce hazard vulnerabilities and supporting continuity of operations. These are recurring themes for past, present and developing county plans. A county plan requires the active participation of its municipalities, and when a plan is approved and adopted, it is posted on the county’s website, usually in an area related to emergency management.

Natural hazards (flooding, coastal erosion, drought, hail, extreme temperatures and even earthquakes) are the focus of New Jersey’s plans. Because of the stark differences in the state’s population density, geography and ecology, the process of risk assessment and identifying natural hazards varies from county to county and community to community. Coastal counties such as Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean and Monmouth have to protect against flooding and storm surge from the Atlantic Ocean. Heavy rains can cause the Delaware River to crest, causing potential problems for Mercer, Hunterdon and Warren counties. Flooding on the Passaic, Raritan and Millstone rivers has caused repeated flooding in Somerset, Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties. The Pine Barrens and other forested areas are vulnerable to fire. Man-made hazards (pandemic, animal diseases, nuclear accidents) are also included in planning.

Wolf says FEMA’s role in the planning process is mostly advisory. “There is constant communication between FEMA and the state,” he said. “A lot of it is coordination and technical support; responding to changes in legislation and funding.”

“The goal is to have all of the municipalities covered,” Wolf said, a goal that he expects will be reached when all of the counties’ plans are approved.

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http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later

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

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Ahead of the Game: New Jersey’s Hazard Mitigation Initiative Will Pay Off in Future Storms

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