President Amends Iowa and Nebraska Disaster Declarations

WASHINGTON –The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that the President has made additional disaster assistance available by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding for Public Assistance projects undertaken by the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa as a result of flooding during the period of May 24 to August 1, 2011 in Iowa and during the period of May 25 to August 1, 2011 in Nebraska.

Under the President’s major disaster declaration issued for the State of Iowa on June 27, 2011 and the State of Nebraska on August 12, 2011, federal funding was made available for Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation at 75 percent federal funding of total eligible costs.          

Under the President’s order yesterday, the Federal share for Public Assistance has been increased to 90 percent of the total eligible costs for the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa.

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

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

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

Original article:

President Amends Iowa and Nebraska Disaster Declarations

Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station Exercise And Public Meeting Postponed Until Further Notice

Kansas City, Mo. –The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region VII office announced today the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station public meeting and emergency response exercise, scheduled to take place this week near Fort Calhoun, Nebraska has been postponed until further notice. High wind speeds reaching approximately 90 mph were reported during a severe thunderstorm this morning, and power was lost. The power has since been restored and there are no safety concerns.

The states of Nebraska and Iowa along with Washington County in Nebraska and Pottawattamie and Harrison Counties in Iowa will work with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), FEMA and the Omaha Public Power District to reschedule the exercise for a future date to be determined.

The exercise is a biennial requirement to determine the adequacy of the state and local radiological emergency preparedness and response plans. It tests the abilities of the state, the utility company, and participating counties to protect the health and safety of the public living and working in the vicinity of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station.

The exercise requires the activation of emergency facilities operated by state, county and local units of government, all of which generating response activities that are evaluated by the FEMA Region VII Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Program. Concurrently, the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station on-site performance is evaluated by officials from the NRC.

Members of the public and the media will be informed when the exercise and the public meeting outlining the full-scale response exercise process, has been rescheduled.  

For more information about FEMA’s REP Program, visit http://www.fema.gov/radiological-emergency-preparedness-program.

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. 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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Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station Exercise And Public Meeting Postponed Until Further Notice

FEMA Announces Development of Youth Preparedness Council

 KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the formation of its first Youth Preparedness Council—bringing together youngsters from across the country, including Nimansha Jain of Omaha. As a member of the council, she will support FEMA’s emphasis on and dedication to involving the whole community in preparedness related activities.  

FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council is a unique opportunity for a select group of youth leaders to serve on a highly distinguished national council and to voice their opinions, experiences, ideas and solutions to help strengthen the nation’s resiliency for all types of disasters. Nominated by individuals who can attest to their preparedness activities, Council members demonstrate a willingness to represent the youth perspective on emergency preparedness and take information back to their communities to share it.

“Young people are truly amazing influencers in society. They influence their families and friends and it changes us all for the better,” said Region VII Administrator Beth Freeman. “The Youth Preparedness Council will engage them and harness their ideas and energy to support disaster preparedness, during and after a crisis and it will make the country more resilient.”

Children comprise approximately 25 percent of our nation’s population and are the future of our communities. They can play an important role in disaster preparedness and each have the unique ability to help their communities be safer, stronger and more resilient before, during and after a disaster or emergency event. As such, we all have a vested interest in engaging and empowering youth to become active participants in individual, family, and community preparedness. Research states that:

 

  • Youth who are trained in preparedness are more resilient in actual disasters.
  • Youth are highly effective messengers for reaching and influencing parents and other adults.
  • Youth who are engaged today will ensure a future generation of prepared adults.

Additionally, youth have proven to be positive influencers, leaders, and first responders to their families, peers, and neighbors when they take the preparedness message home.  The Youth Preparedness Council will provide a venue to engage an often overlooked population and take into account their perspectives, feedback, and opinions. 

The Youth Preparedness Council is comprised of 13 diverse leaders (13 – 17 years of age) from across FEMA’s ten regions and who are:

 

  • dedicated to public service;
  • making a difference in their community; and
  • expanding their impact as a national advocate for youth preparedness.

The distinguished members selected are as follows:

 

  • FEMA Region I:  Rachel Little (Massachusetts)
  • FEMA Region II:  Gabriela Rodriguez Boria (Puerto Rico)
  • FEMA Region III:  Donald “Diesel” Embrey (Virginia)
  • FEMA Region IV:  Benjamin Cooke (Tennessee)
  • FEMA Region V:  Jason Reed (Indiana)
  • FEMA Region VI:  Dorian Tre’Vaughn Gregory (Louisiana)
  • 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)

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. It is also expected that members will meet with FEMA on a quarterly basis via conference call or webinar and provide ongoing input on strategies and initiatives. Council members are eligible to serve on the Council for two years.

To learn more about FEMA’s youth preparedness efforts please visit: http://www.citizencorps.gov/getstarted/youth/youthindex.shtm.

Together, we can make the Nation more resilient and secure. 

 

* 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 for almost 100 teens. Because some teens could not attend every session, Nimansha started using social media to share information from the sessions and promote various volunteer opportunities for youth.

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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.

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 Development of Youth Preparedness Council