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Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Autism Training. May 2013.
Read All About It: CERT in Action
Community Preparedness Update
Be heard…Email comments or suggestions to us at
cert@dhs.gov
Read All About It: CERT in Action
Get the latest news about Community Emergency Response
Teams (CERT) nationwide in the CERT National Newsletter. This publication offers
updates on the CERT Program, highlights successes of local programs on the
ground and provides valuable information for current and prospective CERT
programs.
In the latest issue of the National CERT Newsletter, you
will find stories representing the efforts of CERT programs in four states
(California, Delaware, Missouri, and Oklahoma). These CERT programs all support
emergency preparedness, disaster response and hometown resiliency in their own
and in some cases, neighboring communities. This edition includes stories on
CERT volunteers responding to a traffic accident, a destructive tornado and
apartment fires.
To view the full CERT National Newsletter and past
issues, visit http://www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-team-national-newsletter.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
FEMA: Contributing Ideas in support of the Risk MAP Production and Technical Services (PTS)
Contributing Ideas
in support of the Risk MAP Production and Technical Services (PTS) Follow-On
Acquisition
Background
FEMA’s Federal Insurance
& Mitigation Administration (FIMA) manages the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the cornerstone of the nation’s strategy for preparing
communities for flood disaster. (Learn more about flood insurance at http://www.floodsmart.gov.) NFIP was created to reduce flood
damage by identifying risks, encouraging sound floodplain management, and
providing a mechanism for the public to insure their investments. FEMA and its
governmental partners provide flood hazard data and maps to support flood
insurance and floodplain management activities.
To leverage the successes
of previous programs and further enhance the usability and value of flood hazard
mapping, FEMA developed the Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP)
program. Risk MAP combines flood hazard mapping, risk assessment tools and
Hazard Mitigation Planning into one program. This integrated program encourages
beneficial partnerships and innovative uses of flood hazard and risk assessment
data in order to minimize flood loss and build more resilient
communities.
While the focus of Risk MAP
is on flood hazard identification, risk assessment, and mitigation, working with
communities to help them increase their resilience from all natural hazards is
also a goal of the program. Reducing risk to people and property from natural
hazards and reducing a community’s long-term vulnerability may present
additional opportunities that the community can leverage to create a safer
tomorrow.
FEMA is conducting Market
Research in preparation of procuring the next Production & Technical
Services (PTS) contracts and is investigating new Community Engagement and Risk
Communication (CERC) options. Specifically, FEMA is interested in ideas to
improve the day-to-day design, execution and management of CERC campaigns,
products and services to encourage our nation’s communities to increase
awareness and take action to reduce the risk of loss of life and property from
floods and natural other hazards. In addition, FEMA is looking at ways to
leverage technology to increase efficiency, cost effectiveness and usability in
its products and services.
FEMA would like to
invite individuals and/or organizations to contribute to FEMA’s Market Research
for the Risk MAP Production and Technical Services (PTS) Follow-On Acquisition.
These instructions briefly discuss how to access the FEMA IdeaScale site located
at http://fema.ideascale.com/, create an account, and
participate in the Risk MAP PTS
discussion.
We’re innovating new
technology & techniques to educate ourselves about what ideas, best
practices and proven techniques may be available to support the Risk MAP PTS
Follow-On Acquisition. To start contributing ideas in support of market research
for the Risk MAP Production and Technical Services (PTS) follow-on acquisition,
simply go to http://fema.ideascale.com/.
To vote to Agree or
Disagree and/or contribute to the conversations, just search for the “Risk MAP
PTS” campaign under the list of campaigns along the left side of the webpage.
Click on the Risk MAP PTS campaign to be directed to that page. Additionally, if
you can’t find the Risk MAP PTS campaign on the left-hand side column, simply
search for “Risk MAP” or “PTS” and the campaign should come up. We recommend
posting your contributions anonymously so as not to sway the conversation or
inhibit contributions from non-FEMA contributors. See more detailed instructions
on how to register and participate in the site below.
Finally, we would
appreciate it if you would share this site and these instructions with
individuals or organizations whose inputs you think would benefit our Market
Research. Since communication with industry is encouraged to conduct market
research in advance of a solicitation per FAR Park 10 Market Research
“Participating in interactive, on-line communication among industry,
acquisition personnel, and customers”, feel free to distribute this
invitation to entities outside the government. Our contracting officer is fully
aware of, and supports this approach to conducting market research. Please note
that the layout of the IdeaScale site may be different if you are accessing it
using a mobile device.
Thanks for your
participation!
FEMA Risk MAP
Program
IdeaScale Log-in
Instructions In the upper right corner of the page there are options to
Register or Log in. If you are a new user to FEMA’s IdeaScale website, you must
register. For returning users, your existing login will allow you to access the
site. To register on the FEMA Ideascale site, just provide an email address to
access to the site. Once you have entered this information, you will receive an
email from FEMA to verify your account. Open the email and follow the link that
says “Yes, this is my email!” We recommend you begin your efforts with viewing
the brief IdeaScale familiarization video on the IdeaScale homepage: http://ideascale.com/. Please remember to choose the
“anonymous” option when providing your feedback.
Muslim Charity Provides Disaster Relief to Hurricane Sandy Victims
: Home Archives Washington Report Archives (2011-2015) 2013 March Muslim-American
Activism: Muslim Charity Provides Disaster Relief to Hurricane Sandy
Victims
March 2013, Muslim-American
Activism
Muslim Charity
Provides Disaster Relief to Hurricane Sandy Victims
Volunteers
cut up fallen trees after Hurricane Sandy. (Photo Courtesy ICNA
Relief)
The Islamic
Circle of North America's charitable arm, ICNA Relief USA, has provided disaster
response services in 21 disasters in 15 states over the last decade, including
most recently during Hurricane Sandy. Charity is a central component of the
Muslim faith, so when Sandy struck, 500 volunteers rushed to provide food,
shelter and medical care for dozens of communities throughout New York and New
Jersey.
ICNA Relief
established food and basic supply distribution centers throughout the stricken
states, including Somerset/Piscataway and Atlantic City in New Jersey and, in
New York, Long Beach, Valley Stream and Far Rockaway on Long Island, Staten
Island, and Brooklyn's Brighton Beach neighborhood. ICNA Relief volunteers
gutted damaged homes, cut up fallen trees and handed out everything from diapers
and heaters to hot meals and canned goods. They also set up free medical clinics
in New York and New Jersey where survivors were able to receive free health
check-ups and free over-the-counter medications.
Leaders from
FEMA, officials from the White House's faith-based initiative, and elected
officials including Mayor Langford of Atlantic City and Mayor Hameeduddin of
Teaneck, NJ have applauded ICNA Relief's response to disasters and extraordinary
work on the ground during times of crisis, including during Superstorm
Sandy.
In addition to
disaster services, ICNA Relief's 40 national chapters provide a number of
charity services which are offered across the country to people of all faiths.
These programs include women's shelters in seven states, food pantries in 10
states, hunger prevention programs, free family counseling services, disaster
recovery and case management, and a national school supply drive that last year
provided more than 20,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to needy
children.
—Muna
Howard
Haiti: More than half of US earthquake aid to Haiti went to US firms
Study finds Haiti aid largely went to US groups
More than half of US earthquake aid to Haiti went to US firms, organizations, study finds
By Trenton Daniel, Associated Press | Associated Press – 12 hrs ago- Associated Press -In this March 15, 2013 photo, Haiti's national flag flies outside parliament which was renovated by Chemonics International Inc., a for-profit international development company based …more
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- A new report on American aid to Haiti in the wake of that country's devastating earthquake finds much of the money went to U.S.-based companies and organizations.
The Center for Economic and Policy Research analyzed the $1.15 billion pledged after the January 2010 quake and found that the "vast majority" of the money it could follow went straight to U.S. companies or organizations, more than half in the Washington area alone.
Just 1 percent went directly to Haitian companies.
The report's authors said that a lack of transparency makes it hard to track all the money.
"It is possible to track who the primary recipients of USAID funds are, yet on what are these NGOs and contractors spending the money?" authors Jake Johnston and Alexander Main wrote. "What percent goes to overhead, to staff, vehicles, housing, etc.? What percent has actually been spent on the ground in Haiti?"
USAID did not respond to requests to comment on the report Friday.
The group has been a critic of U.S. foreign policy in the past, accusing the U.S. of a top-down approach to aid that does little to alleviate poverty in impoverished Haiti.
The report also finds that the biggest recipient of U.S. aid after the earthquake was Chemonics International Inc., a for-profit international development company based in Washington, D.C., that has more than 4,800 employees.
Aside from the World Bank and United Nations, Chemonics is the single largest recipient of USAID funds worldwide, having received more than $680 million in fiscal year 2012 alone. In Haiti, Chemonics has received more than the next three largest recipients since 2010, a total of $196 million, or 17 percent of the total amount.
In Haiti, Chemonics' mandate has involved setting up a temporary structure for Parliament, renovation of public plazas and repair of the country's main courthouse, as well as organizing televised debates for the 2011 presidential election.
Typically, major players such as Chemonics subcontract project work to smaller firms, some of them of them local.
USAID has awarded $27.8 million of the $1.15 billion to Haitian and Haitian-American firms since the quake, according to the agency's website.
The obstacles blocking Haitian businesses from the contracts are many. They're often not competitive because they may not be able to get the financing they need from local banks.
Smaller firms also lack the resources to prepare costly, time-consuming applications, nor do they have the big companies' track records in other parts of the world or the kinds of connections that help open the right doors.
The report said subcontract information should be made available and called for increasing direct contracts for Haitian entities.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
BEMA. Poll on Creation of NY City Emergency Management High School Curriculum
Check your LinkedIn or Facebook page to provide your response.
- polls.linkedin.com
Vote on this LinkedIn Poll to see the results divided by age, seniority, and gender. Use Polls to leverage the collective wisdom of millions of business professionals on LinkedIn.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Reentry Program: New Report Highlights Lessons Learned by Law Enforcement Agencies
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