British Virgin Islands Disaster Management.

http://www.bvi.gov.vg/departments/department-disaster-management




The Virgin Islands Constitution

The Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007 establishes a new Constitution for the Virgin Islands, to replace the Constitution of 1976. The new Constitution includes, for the first time, a chapter setting out the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual and provisions for their enforcement. It provides for a Governor as Her Majesty’s representatives in the Islands, and for a Premier and Ministers who form a Cabinet together with the Attorney General. It provides for an elected House of Assembly, which together with Her Majesty forms the Legislature.

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court continues to have jurisdiction in the Islands. Provision is made for a Public Service Commission, a Teaching Service Commission, a Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and a Police Service Commission to provide advice on appointments to offices in these services. A new National Security Council is established, as is the office of Director of Public Prosecutions. Provision is also made for public finance, a Complaints Commissioner, and a Register of Interests.

SCAMS. Watch Out for Flood Insurance Scams

Protect Yourself and Your Family From Flood Scams

Scammers will profit off of anything they can, particularly the uncertainty that follows a disaster. If you receive a call demanding payment right away to be covered by your flood insurance, report it to the Federal Trade Commission and be sure to contact your insurance company.

September 2017. Ready Kids. Preparing Kids for Emergencies

Teaching children how to prepare for emergencies with Ready Kids Coffee Break Bulletin | Sept. 26, 2017

This Coffee Break Bulletin highlights Ready.gov�s Youth Emergency Preparedness Curriculum, an educational program for teaching children how to prepare for disasters and emergencies. � � Emergencies and disasters can happen at any time and often without any warning. Children make up about 25 percent of our population so disaster planning, response and recovery efforts must take into account their unique needs. � The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers the free Youth Emergency Preparedness Curriculum to help educators teach kids what to do before, during and after an emergency. Created for grades one through 12, it incorporates age-appropriate problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, leadership and communication skills. Fire safety educators may also find some ideas to enhance their safety lessons on disaster planning, response and recovery. � Each age-specific section is divided into three lessons of inquiry-driven, project-based, and learning activities aligned to core subject standards. Students can check their emergency know-how with knowledge tests throughout the lessons. � Grades one and two � Students learn about emergencies and how to prepare for them. From fire safety to natural disasters, they will exercise their investigative, creative and communication skills, working both individually and in teams. � The Youth Emergency Preparedness Curriculum includes a lesson to show first and second graders how to make a home fire escape plan. Grades three through five � � Students work individually and in teams to research emergencies that can impact their local community and the nation. They will apply creativity and literacy skills to demonstrate their understanding of emergency preparedness. � Grades six through eight � Students develop a graphic novel to show their understanding of emergency preparedness. They�ll gain knowledge through research, games, simulations, discussions, debates and other inquiry-driven activities. � Grades nine through 12 � Students engage in discussions, multimedia research, surveys and interviews to develop their own communication campaigns aimed at raising awareness and motivating others to be prepared for emergencies. � Action step for teaching kids about emergency preparedness � Students are motivated to learn and understand more when they can connect a topic to their lives. We encourage you to let teachers know this curriculum is available at Ready.gov/kids and to use some of the activities yourself to promote disaster preparedness.

September 26, 2017. FEMA Hiring Temporary workers and volunteers.

FEMA is hiring!

FEMA is currently hiring temporary workers and volunteers in several locations across the United States and Puerto Rico to support hurricane response and recovery efforts. Find a list of available positions and how to apply.

09/26/2017 New Report on Suicidality and Death by Suicide Among Middle-Aged Adults

New Report on Suicidality and Death by Suicide Among Middle-Aged Adults

SAMHSA E-mail Updates sent this bulletin at 09/26/2017 03:32 PM EDT

Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your browser. New Report Now Available: Suicidality and Death by Suicide Among Middle-Aged Adults in the United States SAMHSA's Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality announces the release of a new short report, Suicidality and Death by Suicide Among Middle-Aged Adults in the United States. The report, based on data from the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Vital Statistics System, analyzes suicide attempts and suicide death rates among adults ages 45 to 64 from 2009 to 2014. Access the Full Report For people in crisis and for family and friends who are concerned about their loved ones at risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts, SAMHSA offers helpful resources through its suicide prevention programs. People in crisis can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources, and best practices for professionals.

Sept 30, 2017. Disaster Recovery...Caribbean. "We Stand As One".

"We Stand As One".
Now, the change is coming.

Support efforts for recovery in our communities globally in the U.S., it's territories (Puerto Rico, Virgin Island), the Caribbean.

A start with Caribbean Disaster Relief & Recovery Alliance funding events.

A relationship starts with trust, character, and integrity. 

CDRRA and BEMA International standing together as one for the Caribbean.

Update: September 2017. FEMA Risk MAP Guidance Updates

FEMA Risk MAP Guidance Updates

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintains guidelines and standards to support the Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP) Program. These guidelines and standards define the implementation of the statutory and regulatory requirements for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). These also guide the development of Flood Risk Projects, processing of Letters of Map Change (LOMCs) and related Risk MAP activities. More information is available at FEMA.gov.

FEMA maintains the Risk MAP guidelines and standards and issues updates on an annual basis each November.  For the 2017 Annual cycle, a Public Review for standards was held in August. FEMA is now initiating a review of all guidance, technical references and other resources.

This annual update includes routine maintenance and completion of the transformation of legacy guidelines and specifications to produce new guidance documents that align with the current structure of the Risk MAP Program.  In additional to these updates, there are several more significant changes that FEMA plans to implement that include:

• establishing guidance for Base Level Engineering (BLE)
• clarifying how submitters can use Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) or other elevation data for Letters of Map Amendment (LOMAs)
• updating Flood Risk Product (FRP) requirements based on feedback from FRP users and stakeholders in the Fall of 2016
• updating coastal standards to consolidate the definition of the V-Zone for coastal flood risk

Listed below are the guidance, technical reference, and other documents that are being updated for the 2017 Annual (Fall) cycle. If you are interested in reviewing any of the documents listed below, you can access the documents through the Risk Management Directorate SharePoint site and should provide comment through SharePoint if you are a mapping partner who has SharePoint access.  For stakeholders who do not have SharePoint access, email FEMA.GS@riskmapcds.com to request the documents that you wish to review.

FEMA recognizes that many stakeholders have been impacted by the recent hurricanes and other events.  If you feel like you need more time to review any of these materials, please email FEMA.GS@riskmapcds.com.

Comments received by October 16, 2017 will be considered for incorporation. 

Major Changes

Base Level Engineering: New content to establish consistent requirements and to support the emerging creation and understanding of Base Level Engineering (BLE).  Affected documents:

• BLE Guidance (New)

• Discovery Guidance

• CNMS Technical Reference

• FIS Report Technical Reference

• Domain Tables Technical Reference

• FIRM Database XML Schema

LiDAR for LOMAs: New/revised content to clarify how submitters can use LiDAR or other elevation data for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA).  Affected document:

• MT-1 Technical Guidance

Flood Risk Products: Updates to reflect Flood Risk Product (FRP) improvements that were implemented based on feedback from FRP users and stakeholders in the Fall of 2016.  Affected documents:

• Areas of Mitigation Interest Guidance

• Changes Since Last FIRM Guidance

• Flood Depth and Analysis Grids Guidance

• Flood Risk Database Guidance

• Flood Risk Assessments Guidance

• Flood Risk Map Guidance

• Flood Risk Report Guidance

• Quality Management for Flood Risk Projects Guidance

• Flood Risk Database Technical Reference

• Data Capture Technical Reference

• Domain Tables Technical Reference

• CNMS Technical Reference

• Flood Risk Database XML Schema

• Flood Risk Products Checklist

Coastal Updates:

• Coastal Floodplain Mapping Guidance - Updates to support the combination of two existing standards (SIDs 91 and 98) to define the V-Zone for all coastal Flood Risk Projects, regardless of the flooding source.

• Coastal Erosion Guidance - Updates to simplify language and to clarify that wave setup should be used for dune erosion analyses regardless, of the coastal flooding source.

  Guidance Transformation

• Coastal Wave Runup and Overtopping

• General Hydrologic Considerations (Update to existing document to include transformation of the follow content: Hydrologic & Hydraulic (H&H) Analyses of Lake Levels for Closed Basins, , Hydrology: Regression Equation Analyses, and Hydrology: Stream Gage Analyses)

• Hydrology: Rainfall-Runoff Analyses

• Ice Jam

• Levee

• Project Planning

• Post-Flood Hazard Verification/Recovery Tools

• Acceptable Models List

• Mitigation Planning Technical Assistance

Other Minor Changes

Guidance

• Appeal and Comment Processing

• Coastal General Study Considerations

• Database Verification Tool (DVT)

• Data Capture Workflow

• Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Database

• Key Decision Point (KDP) Process

• National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL)

• Metadata

Technical References

• Data Capture

• FIRM Database

• Metadata Profiles

Templates

• FIS Report Template

• TSDN Checklist

• FEDD Checklist

• Metadata Profile XML Schemas

Regulatory Checklists

Sept 23rd. California CBC Delegation Special Presentation. Surviving Crisis and Disasters

HOT! Event. Saturday, 9/23/2017. "Surviving Crisis and Disasters" presentation at the 2017 California Congressional Black Caucus Delegation. BEMA International

Non-deployed BEMA International members in D.C. area plan to attend

Register at: 

      http://ccbcd.org .  Follow ‘REGISTRATION’ link to all events.  This event is free.

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Alicia Hamilton Universal Citizens Media Network Web: http://ucmedia.net Email: prpress@ucmedia.net Phone: 424.248.7688 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2017, Washington, DC California CBC Delegation Presents “Surviving Crisis and Disasters” at the Renaissance Marriott in Washington, DC In consideration of the recent disastrous storms that have impacted millions of American nationwide, the California CBC Delegation is presenting “Surviving Crisis and Disasters” with Subject Matter Experts speaking on various aspects of emergency and disaster preparedness.  Topics include;      -Environmental and Climate Justice by Ms. Jane English, NAACP,      -Preparing for Economic Threats by Bishop Clarence Harris,      -Global Threats and Hazards by Mr. Charles Sharp,                CEO Black Emergency Managers Association International, and      -Individual and Community Preparedness by Alicia Hamilton,                Founder of PAC RED, The event will be held at The Renaissance Marriott at 999 9th Street, Washington DC, 2001 in the Renaissance Ballroom A on September 23, 2017 from 3:00PM to 5:00PM.  Register at:   http://ccbcd.org .  Follow ‘REGISTRATION’ link to all events.  This event is free. PAC RED (Preparation and Awareness for Community Resiliency in Emergencies and Disasters), is a Non-Profit Organization based in the Los Angeles California. The organization works to help improve individual and community emergency preparedness, response and recovery in the event of a natural or man-made disaster through training, resource, relationship and capacity building. ###

Response & Recovery. Time to Expose and make our communities more resilient physically & mentally

During times of natural disasters and evacuation of residents and communities, can these crisis events also be a time to address other social crisis events from homelessness, human slavery, sex trafficking, and other issues thru evaluation, and therapy from the trauma of natural events to individuals and families?

Rebuilding communities to be more resilient physically and mentally.

bEMA International 

CNN....................

Victims of modern slavery



Of the 40 million slaves in the world, one in four are children

Sex trafficking survivor working to end 'The Game'

I was raped 43,200 times

Fighting modern slavery on Florida farms

School brings hope to child slaves in India

Family rescued from slavery in the Amazon