Oakland, Calif.—Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region IX Office is pleased to announce that four of the 30 recipients selected to receive funding under the FEMA 2012 Community Resilience Innovation Challenge program reside in California, Hawaii and American Samoa, all within the Region IX area of responsibility.

Recipients of the award include:

Special Needs Population and Home Bound Patients Registry

American Samoa Department of Health – Pago Pago, American Samoa

Roadmap to Preparedness

United Policyholders – San Francisco, CA

Tribal Emergency Response Crossing Boarders Coordination Project

Smith River Rancheria – Smith River, CA

Hawaii Emergency Preparedness System of Support (HiPSS)

University of Hawaii, Office of Research Services – Honolulu, HI

“We applaud each of these organizations for being a model of excellence in keeping disaster preparedness in the forefront of a geographic area with a very unique set of risks,” said FEMA Region IX Administrator Nancy Ward. “It’s a fine example of how each of us can have a voice in making our communities more resilient.”

The Community Resilience Innovation Challenge program focuses on building local community resilience to man-made and natural disasters, with an emphasis on innovation, collaboration with community stakeholders, sustainability, repeatability and measurable benefits to the community.

The funding comes from The Rockefeller Foundation and is administered by the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation who acted as a third-party intermediary to encourage local communities to engage in creative activities that enhance disaster resilience. Funding levels ranged to a maximum award level of $35,000, and applications were open to most local, state, and tribal agencies and governments; business entities; associations; organizations and groups. Over 1,900 applications were received across the country.

Background of Winners in Region IX:

• Department of Health, American Samoa Government:

Project Name: ‘Special Needs Population and Home Bound patients Registry’

Summary: The Special Needs Population and Home Bound patients Registry would collect data on address, illnesses/handicaps, special equipment/medications, types of care needed, etc. and identify the closest health centers to special needs populations. The data collected on registry will enable community health centers to determine what type of care would be needed during disasters in their communities.

• United Policyholders:

Project Name: ‘Roadmap to Preparedness’

Summary:United Policyholders (UP) is a California-based non-profit organization that is an information resource and a voice for insurance consumers (not companies) in all 50 states. The goal of the Roadmap to Preparedness Program is to give renters and homeowners the tools and resources to make sound choices in building an insurance safety net and being disaster ready. With this grant they will educate consumers through many channels including community and employer-sponsored events, website resources, printed materials, webinars, incentive activities, and quizzes.

• Smith River Rancheria:

Project Name: ‘Tribal Emergency Response Crossing Borders Coordination Project’

Summary: The Smith River Rancheria lies on the California-Oregon Border. The Tribal Emergency Crossing Borders Coordination Project will seek to educate and network efforts across the State line in order to create a network of prepared communities in the event of a natural disaster.

• University of Hawaii, Office of Research Services:

Project Name: ‘Hawaii Emergency Preparedness System of Support (HiPSS)’

Summary: The Hawaii Emergency Preparedness System of Support (HiEPSS) will increase community resilience by transforming the most vulnerable members into leaders and subject matter experts to empower, strengthen and unify whole communities. The impact of the project will be measured by the numbers of individuals who are trained, become prepared, or become trainers, and first responders.

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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.