2016. FEMA Releases Findings on Individual and Community Preparedness

FEMA Releases Findings on Individual and Community Preparedness

Findings from a newly-released survey indicate that there are specific levers that government and private sector partners can use to influence and increase overall individual and community preparedness.   The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) released the findings from its 2015 National Household Survey of 5,000 Americans in June. The survey is designed to measure household and individual preparedness and awareness. Among the most significant findings, the survey found a positive relationship between awareness of preparedness information and the action of taking steps to prepare for a disaster. The survey also notes a relationship between experience and action, finding that individuals living in areas with a history of a specific hazard and who have experienced the impact of that hazard are significantly more likely to report they had taken basic steps to prepare themselves and their household. “These are positive results and really help validate the work that FEMA and our partners across the country have been doing,” said ICPD Director Helen Lowman, upon release of the survey. “Going forward, we will be able to use this data to include all populations as we continue to build a culture of preparedness.” When it comes to awareness of preparedness information, 66 percent of Americans living in areas with a history of hurricanes reported that they had read, seen, or heard information on how to better prepare for a hurricane within the past six months, the survey said.  Individuals living in areas with a history of tornadoes were the next most aware of the pertinent preparedness information for their relevant hazard with 53 percent of respondents in those areas saying they had read, seen, or heard information on how to prepare for a tornado in the last six months. The survey included a series of oversamples in U.S. counties where specific hazards, including: earthquakes, extreme heat, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and winter storms, present a risk to those populations. ICPD will be going back into the field later this summer to administer the 2016 National Household Survey. For more information and to review a summary of the 2015 findings, click here.

2016. Emergency Preparedness Training Options for Houses of Worship

Emergency Preparedness Training Options for Houses of Worship

FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) invites you to a webinar on Tuesday, July 19, which will feature ways houses of worship and emergency managers can use training programs like Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to increase community preparedness. The webinar will also highlight how these partnerships improve engagements with diverse communities and populations.

Click the Following Link to Register: Emergency Response Training Options for Houses of Worship

Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT

How to Join the Webinar:

• Please register for the event using the Adobe Connect registration web link.
• Be sure to test your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting.

This webinar will offer closed captioning.

2016 DHS Funding Opportunities. COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM GRANT PROGRAM

Last year, Secretary Johnson and the DHS Office for Community Partnerships identified the need to make direct awards to non-governmental organizations for community-based countering violent extremism (CVE) programs.  Congress has also been supportive of this effort by appropriating $10 million specifically to support local CVE efforts. 

Today, DHS announced the FY 2016 CVE grant program.  For the first time, non-governmental organizations will be eligible for DHS funding to promote community resilience against the threat of violent extremism.

The DHS Office for Community Partnerships is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure funding is awarded to community-based programs that draw from a range of local partners—for example, educators, social service and mental health providers, faith leaders and public safety officials.

The notice of funding opportunity and application process is now open.  For more information on how to apply please go here: www.dhs.gov/cvegrants.

For programmatic questions about the funding opportunity please reach out to: CommunityPartnerships@hq.dhs.gov.

Thank you.

THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ANNOUNCES THE COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM GRANT PROGRAM

WASHINGTON—On Wednesday, July 6, 2016, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Grant Program, with $10 million in available funds. This is the first federal assistance program devoted exclusively to providing local communities with the resources to counter violent extremism in the homeland.

“As I have said before, given the nature of the evolving terrorist threat, building bridges to local communities is as important as any of our other homeland security missions,” said Secretary Johnson. “This new grant program is an important step forward in these efforts and reflects the Department’s continued commitment to protect the homeland and uphold our values.”

In addition to state, local and tribal governments, non-profit organizations and institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. These grants will help scale community-led initiatives across the country to address the evolving terrorist threat, including international and domestic terrorism. Specifically, funding will support training, community engagements, and activities that challenge violent extremist narratives used to recruit and radicalize individuals to violence.

The Department’s efforts to partner with local communities are a central part of its CVE mission. These grants will empower local communities to provide resources to friends, families and peers who may know someone on the path toward violent extremism, encouraging community-based solutions to deter an individual well before criminal or terrorist action, which would require the attention of law enforcement. 

This grant program was developed by the DHS Office for Community Partnerships in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Office for Community Partnerships builds relationships with local communities and leads the Department’s CVE mission, focusing efforts to find innovative ways to discourage violent extremism and undercut terrorist narratives.

For more information on the FY16 CVE Grant Program, visit www.dhs.gov and www.grants.gov.

Webinar. Thurs, July 7, 2016. FEMA. Combining Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plans

PIE to Hold Webinar on Combining Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plans

The Planning Information Exchange (PIE) will present a free webinar on Thursday, July 7 2016, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. CT, (Starting at 1pm ET, 11am MT, 10am PT) entitled “Combining Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plans.”

This seventh part in the eight-part series involves discussions from Kristin Baja, a Climate and Resilience Planner from the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability, and Sherrie Collins, the Emergency Manager of Monterey County, California. James Schwab, Manager of APA’s Hazards Planning Center, will moderate as they discuss:

• The basic premise of Baltimore’s effort to merge its climate adaptation plan with the update of its hazard mitigation plan
• Issues Baltimore has experienced or will experience (e.g., increased nuisance flooding)
• Nature and scope of the Monterey County plan
• Challenges in Monterey County’s multijurisdictional approach
• And much more

The PIE is a free eight-part quarterly webinar series presented by the American Planning Association (APA) and the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM).  The series is funded through a cooperative agreement with FEMA through the RiskMAP Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) program.  The PIE focuses on tools, best practices, and strategies on the role of hazard mitigation planning and its connections with recovery planning and preparedness. The PIE webinars provide one continuing maintenance (CM) credit for the American Institute of Certified Planners and one continuing education credit (CEC) for Certified Floodplain Managers.

To register and for additional information visit: https://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/hazards/planninginformationexchange/

2016 Small Business Challenge

Announcing the Small Business Challenge! The 2016 Small Business Challenge from SB Works is a competitive process investing more than $100,000 in services that support DC’s small businesses. DEADLINE JULY 31

This summer, SB Works is seeking to fund ambitious applications for projects that will grow your idea, help your business where it hurts, fix your building, share your experience, or highlight your business community.

Apply for either direct services for small business operations or initiatives to improve the local small business environment.

Visit sbworksdc.org/small-business- challenge for eligibility and application details.