Black Male Initiative. Whole Community Approach.

·        HBCU Conference.  19-20 September 2011. 

o       Breakout session:   ‘Black Male Initiative’.  Interesting note of number\percentage of black males currently incarcerated or considered ex-offenders. 

Noted positive (college, military, employment), and negative (death, prison, unemployment) options presented by Dr. Ronald Williams (Pres. Southern Univ. System).  

§         Question(s) 

·        Can we as African-American emergency managers and members of BEMA contribute to each of the positive options, and reduce the negative options available to black males?

·        Can we as African-American emergency managers and members of BEMA contribute to providing a platform whereby we promote a ‘whole community’ approach to emergency management in the African-American & all communities by advocating FEMA EMI, CERT, and SERT (Student Emergency Response Team) training to ex-offenders on reentry programs? 

·        Can we provide a method where ex-offenders reenter\return to their communities with a skill that would contribute to community embracing them?

·        Can ex-offenders contribute to the planning, preparedness, short & long term recovery of the community following a disaster event (man-made, natural)?

Community Participation. Mitigation Grant Funding

http://www.nyalert.gov/Public/News/AllHazPRView.aspx?notID=3495484&refer=HOME&source=RSS&messageID=AghxO4T6A&
Those Concerned About Hazard Mitigation in their Community Encouraged to Contact Local Government

---

Issued By: NYS - Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services

Issued On: 09/09/11 12:08 PM

Affected Jurisdictions: New York

Category / Publication: Press Release - General

 

The New York State Office of Emergency Management encourages property owners who have questions about hazard mitigation measures in their community to contact their local government officials.

The State Office of Emergency Management administers five FEMA hazard mitigation programs in New York State.  Hazard mitigation involves long-term actions taken to protect lives and reduce the impact of disasters on the built environment (i.e., roads, bridges, buildings).

Mitigation measures must be technically feasible, cost-effective and environmentally sound, and each of FEMA’s mitigation programs requires that:

• Applications must be sponsored by a unit of local government, or a private non-profit (PNP) agency that provides a government-like service.  Individuals and businesses are not eligible applicants, although eligible applicants may apply on their behalf.
• With few exceptions, eligible applicants must have prepared and adopted a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan (or have participated in a multi-jurisdictional planning effort and adopted the resulting FEMA-approved mitigation plan) to access FEMA hazard mitigation funds.

Interested homeowners and businesses are encouraged to discuss these programs and the status of local mitigation planning efforts with their local government officials.  More information about the programs and their specific requirements is available in FEMA’s Grant Program Comparison Guide: http://www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/mitigation/documents/FY2009-Comparison-Guide.pdf.