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President Declares Disaster for the Commonwealth of Virginia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the Commonwealth of Virginia to supplement commonwealth, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe winter storm and snowstorm during the period of January 22-23, 2016.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to commonwealth, tribal, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm and snowstorm in Albemarle, Arlington, Caroline, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Highland, King George, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Page, Patrick, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren counties, and the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Winchester.

Federal funding is available to the commonwealth, tribal, and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for snow assistance for a continuous 48 hour period during or proximate to the incident period in Albemarle, Arlington, Caroline, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Highland, King George, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Page, Patrick, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren counties, and the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Winchester.

Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Donald L. Keldsen has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Keldsen said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the Commonwealth and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

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.

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President Declares Disaster for the Commonwealth of Virginia

State, FEMA to Close Joint Field Office January 22, 2016

PHILADELPHIA – The State of West Virginia and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Joint Field Office in Charleston, WV will close January 22, 2016. For the past ten months the state and FEMA have been working closely to support the recovery from the 2015 spring and summer storms that impacted 67 Counties.

What does this mean for the people of West Virginia?

Regis Phelan, the Federal Coordinating Officer said, “FEMA will continue to work closely with the state to ensure the recovery process continues smoothly and projects are complete.”

A Joint Field Office is closed when most of its work is completed. The federal work is then transitioned to the regional FEMA office, located in Philadelphia, PA. FEMA officials will continue to work closely with state personnel to close out major projects over the next few years.

From the Region, FEMA personnel will continue to support work on five presidentially declared disasters that impacted West Virginia. The five disasters are DR 4210, DR 4219, DR 4220, DR 4221 (Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides) and DR 4236 (Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides).

“The State of West Virginia will be communicating and working with FEMA to ensure assistance to the counties continues smoothly,” said West Virginia’s State Coordinating Officer Jimmy Gianato. “Over the past year the Joint Field Office has allowed us to make substantial progress in the recovery from the five disasters that impacted our state and we will continue to move forward in our recovery.”

To date, FEMA, through its Public Assistance program, has obligated $78 million in assistance to the state, local governments and eligible non-profit agencies. Many of the projects involve the reconstruction of public buildings, roads, and bridges.

Following a disaster there is a focus on mitigation actions when restoring damaged infrastructure, when cost effective, so the repaired facility is better able to withstand future disaster damage. So far, the state and FEMA officials have identified 585 mitigation projects from 1,250 infrastructure projects.

For additional information visit www.fema.gov/states/west-virginia or www.dhsem.wv.gov

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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State, FEMA to Close Joint Field Office January 22, 2016

FEMA Region III Introduces Plan Integration: Linking Local Planning Efforts

PHILADELPHIA – FEMA Region III has developed a planning integration guide titled Plan Integration: Linking Local Planning Efforts, which is aimed at helping communities link mitigation principles and actions with various community plans in order to increase community resilience. The guide leads planners and community officials through synchronizing plans and facilitating interagency coordination to reduce risk before and after a disaster.

Use of the planning integration guide enhances risk reduction through community-wide planning by improving coordination; developing specific recommendations for integration into community-wide plans; compiling existing plan measures to include in your hazard mitigation plan; and meeting the Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool requirement to integrate hazard mitigation.

“The guide, Plan Integration: Linking Local Planning Efforts, is a tool communities can tap into to strengthen resiliency through enhanced hazard mitigation planning. Community resilience is directly tied to recovery, which means this resource has the potential for impacting all phases of the full disaster cycle,” said FEMA Region III Regional Administrator MaryAnn Tierney. “This kind of pilot program lays the foundation for stronger resilience in any community. When community planners who live and work in communities set their own resilience priorities they take ownership of mitigation planning and the enthusiasm that generates inspires others to do the same – and that can help jump-start even more widespread success.”

The planning integration guide uses step-by-step instructions and a checklist, real-world examples from communities, and illustrations to assist in gathering and organizing information. Through use of the guide and its resources and tools, communities can develop their own plan integration document as well as identify where gaps exist and develop strategies to address the gaps. The end result of this effort is a synchronized planning effort to increase community resiliency and reduce the risk posed by disasters.

Plan Integration: Linking Local Planning Efforts is available at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/108893. For further information about the guide, contact fema-r3-hm-planning@fema.dhs.gov.

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FEMA Region III Introduces Plan Integration: Linking Local Planning Efforts

More Than $13 Million in Federal Assistance Provided to West Virginia

Charleston, W.Va. – State and federal officials say that more than $13 million in federal assistance has been delivered to the State to help cover the costs of the severe winter storm, flooding, landslides and mudslides March 3-14, 2015, that damaged infrastructure in 32 counties.

FEMA has provided a total of more than $13 million to the state thus far including roughly $85,000 for emergency protective measures to safeguard lives and property while responding to the disaster. More than $12 million of these funds are for permanent repair work, primarily to West Virginia Division of Highways.

“The severe weather in March had a significant impact on our state and our recovery continues,” said State Coordinating Officer Jimmy Gianato. “We are actively and consistently engaged with FEMA and all of our partners throughout this process.”

“We are continuing to work with eligible applicants to ensure projects are being completed,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Suzann Cowie. “This funding represents the strong partnership FEMA has with the state and our ongoing commitment to West Virginia’s recovery.”

FEMA’s Public Assistance Programs provide state and local governments and eligible private non-profit organizations, in designated counties, with federal funds to pay 75 percent of the approved cost of debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster, and for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities such as roads, bridges, buildings and utilities. Hazard Mitigation funding is for cost-effective measures that would prevent or reduce the threat of future damages.

The State, which distributes the FEMA funds to local governments and qualified non-profits, must review Public Assistance projects, along with FEMA, to ensure compliance with regulations.

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More Than $13 Million in Federal Assistance Provided to West Virginia

Talbot County Lowers Flood Insurance Premiums

PHILADELPHIA – Residents of Talbot County, Maryland have received a reduction in their flood insurance premiums through increase of various floodplain management measures encouraged by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) oversees the NFIP, which administers a program called the Community Rating System (CRS). The CRS is a voluntary, incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed minimum NFIP requirements. The program includes 10 different class rating levels based on the number and type of activities voluntarily initiated by the participating community. Each level corresponds to a percentage discount on National Flood Insurance policy premiums within the municipality.

As a member of the Community Rating System, Talbot County is within an elite group of 12 Maryland communities that have received this recognition. With the continued steps taken by Talbot County to protect its citizens and increase its resiliency, it entered into the program as a Class 8 Community Rating System participant on October 1, 2014. The Class 8 rating qualifies eligible National Flood Insurance Program policy holders in the County for an average of over $110 in savings on their annual premiums. In total, participation in the program accounts for a total savings of nearly $107,000 annually for citizens of Talbot County.

Under the CRS, local officials are asked to meet three goals: (1) reduce flood losses; (2) facilitate accurate insurance rating; and (3) promote the awareness of flood insurance. Communities can earn a CRS rating by submitting an application explaining the projects they have in place or development. Once the information is verified and approved, FEMA provides flood insurance premium discounts through the NFIP. The amount of a property owner’s policy discount is based on the community’s CRS rating.

For each Class that a community moves up to, it provides its residents with an additional 5% reduction in their flood insurance premiums up to the 45% reduction that a Class 1 community receives. As a Class 8 community, Talbot County enables its residents to receive a 10% reduction on qualified flood insurance premiums.

For information about flood insurance, property owners should contact their insurance agent, visit floodsmart.gov, or call the NFIP’s toll-free information line at 800-427-4661. To learn more about the CRS, visit floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/page/crs/community_rating_system.jsp.

Media Contact: FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov

Originally posted here:

Talbot County Lowers Flood Insurance Premiums

FEMA Region III Promotes Action for America’s PrepareAthon!

PHILADELPHIA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region III office in Philadelphia is encouraging the whole community to take action to prepare! It’s the end of National Preparedness Month and time to move from awareness to action on National PrepareAthon! Day, September 30th.

The Ready Campaign established four building blocks of preparedness − Be Informed, Make a Plan, Build a Kit and Get Involved − and raised awareness about the importance of preparing. America’s PrepareAthon! builds on this foundation by adding a focused national call to action for individuals and organizations to take simple, specific actions to increase their preparedness for a potential disaster.

“Anyone and everyone can make the choice to be informed and be better prepared,” said FEMA Region III Administrator MaryAnn Tierney, “We encourage everyone to simply take action – any action – to better prepare yourself, your family and your community.”

FEMA Region III has been working and supporting many organizations that will be taking action for America’s PrepareAthon! and on National PrepareAthon Day! Below are highlights of only a few of the many events occurring around the region.

Louisa County Virginia’s PrepareAthon! TAKE ACTION AGAINST EARTHQUAKES! Louisa County (VA) Public Schools is leading the PrepareAthon action by having 6 schools take part in a preparedness drill on the 30th. The main event will be at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School with school wide earthquake dill with FEMA staff during the day. In addition, the county Administration Building and Fire and EMS will be involved and participate in drills. Over 5,600 students and staff will be participating in a drill for Louisa County’s PrepareAthon!
Delaware’s PrepareAthon! TAKE ACTION AGAINST FLOODS on September 20th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., take action against flooding at the Fall in to Action Community Preparedness Day in Dover, Delaware. Residents can learn about flooding and protective measures in addition to the numerous organizations that will provide fun, food, and preparedness activities for the whole family.
Marion County West Virginia’s PrepareAthon!

TAKE ACTION AGAINST WINTER WEATHER

on September 27th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the

M arion County Preparedness Expo

hosted by the Greater Fairmont (WV) Council of Churches. Over 40 organizations will be participating to help the families increase their preparedness. Additionally on September 26th, the Small Business Administration will be conducting a workshop for local small businesses to increase their preparedness to support Marion’s PrepareAthon! You can sign-up at

SBA.gov/content/sba-score-host-disaster-workshop-fairmont

.
National Capital Region’s PrepareAthon! SIGN-UP FOR ALERTS AND HOLD A DILL on September 30th. Led by Brookfield Properties, private sector businesses in the greater Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland will be encouraged to participate in a drill to help increase their individual preparedness. Sixteen Commercial Real Estate companies and other organizations have committed their employees to participate in National Capital Region’s PrepareAthon!, at Brookfield Properties; over 6,140 employees and tenants will be taking action by holding drills and signing up for alerts.
Team Rubicon’s PrepareAthon!

TEST YOUR PLANS!

From September 17th – 20th Team Rubicon will be in Philadelphia, PA testing their ability to activate and communicate for a 3 day event. While they are working to build six homes in three days, they will be exercising their command structure and ability to respond quickly and affectivity to a disaster. Anyone can

Join Team Rubicon

and help spread the word.
Amtrak’s PrepareAthon! SIGN-UP FOR ALERTS! On September 30th at their Harrisburg, PA station, Amtrak will be encouraging train riders to sign up for emergency alerts and download the FEMA App. Look for FEMA staff at the train station to talk about alerts and other great ways to get prepared.

Want to join and take action on September 30th ? Here are some simple ways you can get involved:

Fill out a

Family Communication Plan
Download the

FEMA App
Sign-up for

Community Alerts
Take steps to protect your

critical documents
Hold a

preparedness dill

at home or in your workplace

Learn more and register your actions at Ready.gov/prepare to be join the 14.5 million taking action for America’s PrepareAthon!

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FEMA Region III Promotes Action for America’s PrepareAthon!

FEMA Announces First Meeting of the Technical Mapping Advisory Council

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that the first public meeting of the Technical Mapping Advisory Council (TMAC) is scheduled for September 30 to October 1, 2014, at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Auditorium in Reston, Virginia.

The TMAC was established to review and make recommendations to FEMA on matters related to the national flood mapping program authorized under the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 and Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014. The TMAC is tasked with developing recommendations for FEMA’s flood mapping program to ensure that flood insurance rate maps reflect the best available science and are based on the best available methodologies for considering the impact of climate change and future development on flood risk. They will also be required to produce a Review of the Mapping Program; a Future Conditions Risk Assessment and Modeling Report; and an Annual Report on Activities containing required recommendations.

During the meeting, members will elect a council chair, develop a meeting schedule, organize into subcommittees, identify subject matter experts to support the development of their recommendations and receive briefings on FEMA’s National Mapping Program.

A public comment period will also be held on September 30 from 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. EDT. Comments should be specifically related to and addressed to the TMAC. Speakers will be allotted three minutes to address the TMAC during this half-hour public comment period. The public comment period will not exceed thirty minutes. Those interested in speaking during the public comment period must submit their written comments to FEMA-TMAC@fema.dhs.gov by September 22, 2014. Those not attending and who wish to submit written comments on issues to be considered by the TMAC can do so via one of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: Address the email to FEMA-RULES@fema.dhs.gov and copy fema-tmac@fema.dhs.gov. Include the docket number FEMA-2014-0022 in the subject line of the message. Include name and contact detail in the body of the email.
Mail: Regulatory Affairs Division, Office of Chief Counsel, FEMA, 500 C Street SW., Washington, DC 20472-3100.

All submissions received must include the words “Federal Emergency Management Agency” and docket number, FEMA-2014-0022. Comments received will be posted without alteration at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.

For those planning to attend in person and for additional information on facilities or services for individuals with disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, please contact the Designated Federal Officer Mark Crowell by email at FEMA-TMAC@fema.dhs.gov.

FEMA is excited to be a part of the TMAC and is looking forward to the expertise and recommendations they will provide. For more information on the TMAC meeting, visit https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/09/15/2014-21929/technical-mapping-advisory-council or www.fema.gov/TMAC.

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FEMA Announces First Meeting of the Technical Mapping Advisory Council

FEMA, West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Announce a Statewide Test of the Public Alert and Warning System in West…

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the West Virginia Broadcasters Association, and others will conduct a statewide test of the Public Alert and Warning System on Wednesday, September 17, 2014. The test will begin at approximately 2:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will last approximately two minutes.

“During an emergency, federal, state and local public safety officials must be able to provide the public with life-saving information quickly,” said Damon Penn, Assistant Administrator of FEMA’s National Continuity Programs. “This test will help us assess the operational readiness of the Public Alert and Warning System to ensure the residents of West Virginia have the information they need in the event of an emergency.”

The test will be seen and heard over radio, television and cable TV systems as part of the regular monthly testing of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) conducted by West Virginia broadcasters. The test is designed to have limited impact on the public with only minor disruptions of radio and television programs that normally occur when broadcasters test EAS in their area.

“Periodic testing of the Public Alert and Warning System capabilities is an important step to ensure that West Virginia’s public safety officials are prepared to alert and warn the whole community during an emergency,” said Jimmy Gianato, Director of West Virginia’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Whether it’s severe weather or another emergency in our community, it’s a reminder that everyone should make preparedness a priority.”

September is also National Preparedness Month, and FEMA reminds the residents of West Virginia to be informed about emergencies that could happen in their community. This year’s theme, Be Disaster Aware and Take Action to Prepare, encourages states, territories, local governments, tribal communities, individuals, families, schools, businesses, faith-based and community-based organizations to be informed and to practice what to do in advance of a disaster to be better prepared to handle any type of emergency they may encounter.

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. Details on National Preparedness Month are available at www.ready.gov /september.

Originally posted here:

FEMA, West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Announce a Statewide Test of the Public Alert and Warning System in West…

FEMA to Evaluate Readiness of Pennsylvania and Maryland

PHILADELPHIA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will evaluate a Biennial Emergency Preparedness Exercise at the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station. The exercise will occur during the week of April 7^th to assess the ability of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Maryland to respond to an emergency at the nuclear facility.

“These drills are held every other year to evaluate government’s ability to protect public health and safety,” said MaryAnn Tierney, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region III. “We will assess state and local emergency response capabilities within the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone as well as the adjacent support jurisdictions.”

Within 90 days, FEMA will send its evaluation to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for use in licensing decisions. The final report will be available to the public approximately 120 days after the exercise.

FEMA will present preliminary findings of the exercise in a public meeting at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 11th, 2014 at the Homewood Suites, 200 Granit Run Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601. Scheduled speakers include representatives from FEMA, NRC, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

At the public meeting, FEMA may request that questions or comments be submitted in writing for review and response. Written comments may also be submitted after the meeting by emailing FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov or by mail to:

MaryAnn Tierney

Regional Administrator

FEMA Region III

615 Chestnut Street, 6th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19106

FEMA created the Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Program to (1) ensure the health and safety of citizens living around commercial nuclear power plants would be adequately protected in the event of a nuclear power plant accident and (2) inform and educate the public about radiological emergency preparedness.

REP Program responsibilities cover only “offsite” activities, that is, state and local government emergency planning and preparedness activities that take place beyond the nuclear power plant boundaries. Onsite activities continue to be the responsibility of the NRC.

Additional information on FEMA’s REP Program is available online at FEMA.gov/Radiological-Emergency-Preparedness-Program.

Media Contact: FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov or 215-931-5597

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FEMA to Evaluate Readiness of Pennsylvania and Maryland

FEMA Continues to Support Response Efforts in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, Wv. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on site in Charleston, W.Va., and through its regional office in Philadelphia, Pa., continues to work in close coordination with the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to support state and local efforts to ensure public health and safety, in response to emergency conditions resulting from a chemical spill in Charleston on Thursday.

At the request of the state, FEMA is continuing to provide supplies to a regional staging area in Charleston. As of Sunday, FEMA has delivered over 2 million liters of water from its distribution centers in Cumberland and Frederick, Maryland, to the area for use by the state. FEMA will continue to deliver supplies to the state for distribution, as needed and request.

Friday, President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration for federal disaster assistance to West Virginia to supplement state and local response efforts. Direct federal assistance is currently available to officials in Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam and Roane counties to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. FEMA is continuing regular on-going dialogue working closely with State officials with the state to ensure there are no unmet needs in helping those impacted by this incident as the response continues through its fourth day.

In support of state and local response efforts, a FEMA liaison, an Incident Management Assistance Team and a Mobile Emergency Response team are on site in Charleston to help coordinate assistance to the state as needed. In addition, FEMA’s Regional Response Coordination Center in Philadelphia is activated to support coordination efforts and assist in mobilizing resources.

“Each day we are seeing higher stock levels of bottled water in the stores within the communities,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Lapinski. “FEMA will continue to provide bottled water as requested to meet the needs of the state and its citizens, especially vulnerable populations who may have difficulty getting to stores or distribution centers.” If you need water and can’t get to a distribution site due to accessibility issues, FEMA recommends you contact your local fire, police or emergency manager.

For more information on voluntary donations and how to help, please visit West Virginia’s Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster on Facebook. Residents can also follow the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Twitter and Facebook.

Follow FEMA online at twitter.com/femaregion3, fema.gov/blog, twitter.com/fema, facebook.com/fema, and youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Media Contact: FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov or 215-931-5597

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FEMA Continues to Support Response Efforts in West Virginia

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