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FEMA Urges New England Residents to Prepare Now For Severe Winter Weather

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges citizens and visitors to the Northeast or New England states to prepare now for an intense and potentially dangerous winter storm forecast for the area.

FEMA’s partner, the National Weather Service, is warning of a major winter storm and blizzard for areas of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon. Areas of Vermont and Maine are also under winter storm warnings.

Blizzard conditions are extremely hazardous for travel and include sustained winds or frequent wind gusts to 35 miles per hour or greater, reduced visibility, and considerable snowfall and blowing snow. This snow will be wet and heavy and could lead to downed trees and power lines. Accompanying winds with this storm will be from the Northeast at 40-50 mph for many areas, with a potential for wind gusts up to 75 mph on Cape Cod and the offshore islands. Coastal flooding is possible along the Maine and Massachusetts coastlines and beach erosion is anticipated across the entire region.

Residents or visitors to these areas should follow guidance issued by emergency officials and check with their local weather forecast office or www.weather.gov for the latest information, including additional watches and warnings. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are currently being sent directly to many cell phones on participating wireless carrier networks. These alerts are sent by public safety officials such as the National Weather Service and are designed to get your attention and provide brief, critical instructions to warn about imminent threats like severe weather. More information on WEAs is available at www.Ready.gov.

Now is the time for residents and visitors to the area to prepare for intense cold, limited travel options, and the possible loss of electrical power. Prepare an emergency kit for your home and car with supplies such as a NOAA weather radio, plenty of clean water, and non-perishable foods.

Special items such as adequate clothing, warm boots and blankets to keep you warm, snow shovels and snow removal equipment, rock salt, flares, a cell phone charger, and a sleeping bag can save your life if you become stranded on the roads during a winter storm. Learn which items to include in an emergency kit at www.Ready.gov/build-a-kit.

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 Urges New England Residents to Prepare Now For Severe Winter Weather

FEMA, Vermont, And Local Officials Prepare For The Next Disaster

Hurricane Season begins June 1: The time to prepare is now

Release Date: May 25, 2012
Release Number: 4022-082

» More Information on Vermont Tropical Storm Irene

MONTPELIER, Vt. — With the 2012 hurricane season officially starting on June 1 and the effects of Tropical Storm Irene still visible in many areas of Vermont, federal, state, and local officials worked together this week to get ready for the next time a disaster strikes the state.

Community leaders from Richmond and Huntington took part in a two-day course offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross on Community Mass Care and Emergency Assistance. Community agencies, public and private organizations, and businesses are trained to work together with emergency management and traditional mass care providers to provide services to those affected by a disaster.

The course in Richmond on May 23–24 was a pilot program. This is only the second time it has been held anywhere in the United States.

“This was an ideal location to pilot the Mass Care and Emergency Assistance training,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer James N. (Nick) Russo. “Irene and last spring’s storms are still fresh in people’s minds and this is when it is easier to commit time to doing something that will have long-term effects.”

Across Vermont, every Secretary and Commissioner in state government went through special in-depth emergency training at Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) this week to prepare for the next emergency event.

“This training is part of our mission to build back stronger following Irene. Training for emergency response will help our state hone its response for the next big storm,” said Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding. “Our state employees performed with great skill and dedication during and after Tropical Storm Irene, and have learned many lessons from that experience. We know that success in an emergency depends upon being well prepared for the next event.”

VEM staff ran the executives through Incident Command basics, Emergency Operations Plans, and Continuity of Operations Planning among many other tenets of emergency response. The integration of all state agencies has long been an important part of Vermont’s emergency response, and those agencies have representatives at Vermont’s Emergency Operations Center during incidents.

In addition to government entities, individuals also need to take responsibility when damaging weather is moving in their direction. Families need to keep an eye on the sky and have an emergency kit and a plan for communicating with each other if they are separated in a storm. More information may be found at vem.vermont.gov/preparedness and www.ready.gov/.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and 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.

Last Modified: Friday, 25-May-2012 15:25:26

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FEMA, Vermont, And Local Officials Prepare For The Next Disaster

State, FEMA Seek Public Input On Waterbury Office Rebuild Plan

Release Date: May 22, 2012
Release Number: 4022-081

» More Information on Vermont Tropical Storm Irene

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. — Governor Peter Shumlin and Vermont lawmakers have weighed in, and now state and federal officials want to hear the public’s thoughts on plans to rebuild the flood-damaged state office complex in Waterbury.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and State of Vermont will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in Waterbury seeking public input on the state’s proposal to re-occupy the Waterbury State Office Complex as well as add new buildings at the site.

“We’re asking for feedback on the potential effects of the proposed work on historic and environmental resources, including the planned demolition of some buildings and some new construction,” said Federal Coordinating Officer James N. (Nick) Russo, the head of FEMA’s operations in Vermont.

The hearing, which will take place at 7:00 p.m. in Thatcher Brook Primary School cafeteria on Stowe Street, will be preceded by an open house starting at 6:30 p.m. where the public will have the opportunity to view general information and talk directly to federal and state representatives.

“We are proposing to remove some buildings and take other steps to reduce future flooding and restore the floodplain,” said Rob Evans, River Corridor and Floodplain Manager with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. “We’re hoping to hear the public’s thoughts on the impact to the historic campus, as well as on the floodplain.”

Public comments are being sought as part of FEMA’s development of an Environmental Assessment as part of the review process required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

A preliminary copy of the Draft Environmental Assessment is available at the Waterbury Municipal Offices, 43 South Main Street from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, and the Waterbury Public Library, 28 North Main Street from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

After the meeting, public comments will continue to be accepted until 4 p.m. on June 15, 2012, and can be mailed to Peter Thomas, FEMA Essex Junction Joint Field Office, 30 Allen Martin Drive, Essex Junction, Vermont, 05452.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 22-May-2012 09:41:16

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State, FEMA Seek Public Input On Waterbury Office Rebuild Plan

FEMA Will Give Vermont 90 Percent Funding for Irene Repair Work

Release Date: May 17, 2012
Release Number: 4022-080

» More Information on Vermont Tropical Storm Irene

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. — The State of Vermont, municipalities, and some non-profit groups will be getting more federal money to reimburse them for costs incurred during Tropical Storm Irene and the subsequent clean up and repairs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today that President Obama has approved Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin’s request for the federal government to reimburse applicants for 90 percent of the eligible costs to repair or restore infrastructure damaged by Irene instead of the standard 75 percent.

“This announcement marks a major milestone in our recovery from Tropical Storm Irene,” Governor Shumlin said. “It will mean significant savings for municipal budgets across the state, and for the state budget as well. We are incredibly grateful to President Obama and the Congressional Delegation, and also to FEMA for this welcome news.”

“We hope that this will help the state and its communities in their ongoing recovery,” said Federal Coordinating Officer James N. (Nick) Russo, the head of FEMA’s mission in Vermont. “We know that Vermont and its towns and cities are working as hard as they can to repair damage, and we’re working hard to get them their money.”

The FEMA Public Assistance (PA) program provides funding to repair roads and bridges, put water systems and electric utilities back in order, rebuild libraries and replace damaged books, repair hospitals and emergency services, rebuild schools and universities, and pay for other infrastructure restoration statewide.

It also reimburses communities and certain private non-profits for expenses associated with debris removal, emergency protective measures like search and rescue operations, and the cost of eliminating public safety or health hazards, like removing animal carcasses or demolishing unsafe buildings.

FEMA’s PA program typically reimburses 75 percent of the eligible cost of these projects, with the state and municipality sharing the remainder.

However, according to FEMA’s regulations up to 90 percent reimbursement is permitted if actual federal aid to a state for a disaster, minus FEMA’s administrative costs, meets or exceeds $127 per person.

With a population of 625,741 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, that means if the actual cost of FEMA aid to the state exceeds $79,469,107 the state becomes eligible for 90 percent reimbursement, at the discretion of the president.

So far FEMA has obligated, or paid to the state, approximately $64.7 million in reimbursement for Public Assistance projects related to Tropical Storm Irene, as well as $22 million in Individual Assistance to individuals and families for losses.

The increased reimbursement will be provided to both completed projects and those in process. It will not apply to projects related to the spring 2011 flooding.

To learn more visit: http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/index.shtm

Last Modified: Thursday, 17-May-2012 17:49:03

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FEMA Will Give Vermont 90 Percent Funding for Irene Repair Work

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