SITREP. Water Security. Starkist, U.S. EPA, American Samoa Settlement.

For Immediate Release: December 26, 2017 Media Contact: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711 , higuchi.dean@epa.gov                                                   U.S. EPA, American Samoa reach revised settlement with Starkist WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have reached a revised $6.5 million settlement with StarKist Co. and its subsidiary, Starkist Samoa Co., to resolve federal environmental violations at their tuna processing facility in American Samoa. In addition to the $6.3 million penalty announced in September, Starkist will pay $200,000 to address alleged Clean Water Act (CWA) violations found before the original consent decree was finalized by the court. The American Samoa government has also been added as a co-plaintiff in the revised action, formalizing its role as a partner in the implementation of the settlement. Under the agreement, Starkist will pay $2.6 million to American Samoa and $3.9 million to the United States. As specified in the original consent decree, the company will also provide $88,000 in emergency equipment to American Samoa for responses to chemical releases. “This revised agreement commits Starkist to addressing stormwater pollution, which will provide important protection for Pago Pago Harbor,” said Acting Regional Administrator Alexis Strauss with the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region.  “Working with our valued partners at American Samoa EPA, we will monitor the company’s progress toward full compliance with this very significant settlement.” “Pago Pago Harbor is our greatest natural resource,” said American Samoa EPA Director Ameko Pato.  “We are firmly committed to working with EPA and Starkist to ensure that this local treasure is protected for generations to come.” The additional violations included unauthorized stormwater discharges to Pago Pago Harbor from Starkist’s stormwater system. The revised consent decree requires Starkist to obtain authorization for its stormwater discharges and take steps to reduce and eliminate discharges to the harbor. After full implementation of the wastewater treatment system upgrades, the facility’s annual discharge of pollutants into Pago Pago Harbor, including total nitrogen, phosphorus, oil and grease, and total suspended solids, will be reduced by at least 85 percent – more than 13 million pounds. Starkist Samoa Co. owns and operates the tuna processing facility, located on Route 1 on the Island of Tutuila in American Samoa. Starkist Samoa Co. is a subsidiary of StarKist Co. which is owned by Korean company Dongwon Industries. StarKist Co. is the world’s largest supplier of canned tuna. Its American Samoa facility processes and cans tuna for human consumption and processes fish byproducts into fishmeal and fish oil. The proposed consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is subject to a 30-day comment period and final court approval. A copy of the proposed consent decree is available on the Justice Department Web site at https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. A summary of the settlement will be available in Samoan on that website. For information on the original settlement, please visit:          https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/starkist-enhance-environmental-and-safety-measures-facility-american-samoa For more information on the agreement and on the statutes it covers, please visit:           CLICK HERE # # #

NASA 2018 Internship Opportunities.

NASA is currently accepting applications for Summer 2018 internships.  See information below.

Important Dates:

*           Application Submission: Oct 18, 2017 - March 1, 2018

*           Internship Period: 10 weeks in Summer 2018

Important Resources:

*           Application website: https://intern.nasa.gov <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcxMTMwLjgxNzM0MjIxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MTEzMC44MTczNDIyMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3OTE2ODg5JmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGFycnlsLm0uaGFydEBuYXZ5Lm1pbCZ1c2VyaWQ9ZGFycnlsLm0uaGFydEBuYXZ5Lm1pbCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&https://intern.nasa.gov/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=> 

*           Virtual Career Summit video: http://bit.ly/2x9oZJp <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcxMTMwLjgxNzM0MjIxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MTEzMC44MTczNDIyMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3OTE2ODg5JmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGFycnlsLm0uaGFydEBuYXZ5Lm1pbCZ1c2VyaWQ9ZGFycnlsLm0uaGFydEBuYXZ5Lm1pbCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&http://bit.ly/2x9oZJp?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=> 

NASA's live-streamed Virtual Career Summit held Wednesday, September 27th is still available online for students interested in internships, fellowships and scholarships at the space agency. The NASA Internships, Fellowships and Scholarship program (NIFS)  showcases some of its missions, programs, interns and mentors. Students can learn about the current available internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities in the STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields and others, and eligibility requirements, tips for the application process and hear from previous NIFS awardees. The virtual event engaged students and NASA professionals in a question and answer session recorded during the event and also available online where you can continue to ask questions.

WHIHBCU Staff 

EMR-ISAC InfoGram for November 16, 2017

Emergency Management and Response

Information Sharing and Analysis Center

(EMR-ISAC)

Emergency Management and Response

Information Sharing and Analysis Center

(EMR-ISAC)

The EMR-ISAC InfoGram for November 16, 2017 contains the following articles:

1. New National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin released
2. Preparing for and responding to chemical threats
3. NIMS tools for mutual aid, credentialing, inventory and resource typing
4. USFA webinarcontains the following articles:
1. New National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin released
2. Preparing for and responding to chemical threats
3. NIMS tools for mutual aid, credentialing, inventory and resource typing
4. USFA webinar

Listen in Thursday, November 16, 2017 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., to ‘Art of Femininity’

Listen in Thursday, November 16, 2017 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., to ‘Art of Femininity’ and interview with Charles D. Sharp, CEO Black Emergency Managers Association International.

Art of Femininity Radio Show discusses current issues women face in today's society ranging from home, health, hunger, business, dating, marriage, divorce, living single and walking out our God-given purpose.

Listen in!

CDS

Host:  Ivonne Cameron

Guest:  Charles D. Sharp

            CEO

            BEMA International

Date\Time:

            Thursday, November 16, 2017

            10:00 AM ET to 11:00 AM ET

Art of Femininity, Hosted By Ivonne Cameron Entrepreneurs Empower Art of Femininity Radio Show discusses current issues women face in today's society ranging from home, health, hunger, business, dating, marriage, divorce, living single and walking out our God-given purpose.    Art of Femininity takes your questions and comments live as you sound off on what matters to you.  www.blogtalkradio.com/entrepreneursempower/2017/09/28/art-of-femininity-hosted-by-ivonne-cameron

Invitation to MEMA's Whole Community Summit, Nov. 16, 2017, Clarksville, MD

Subject: Invitation to MEMA's Whole Community Summit, Nov. 16, 2017, Clarksville, MD MEMA (Maryland Emergency Management Agency) is hosting a whole community summit, Piecing it Together:  Building Partnerships through Resilience, on Thursday, November 16th, 2017, at the: Ten Oaks Ballroom and Conference Center  located at 5000 Signal Bell Lane Clarksville, MD 21029.  Registration runs from 800am - 900am.  The conference runs from 900am to 400pm.  An exciting program has been prepared for you. You can view the schedule, at: http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/wholecommunitysummit.aspx  There will be speaker/presenters from the public sector, the private sector and the volunteer communities... something for everyone!! If you have not registered, and plan to attend please register at mema.maryland.gov/summit. Or, on Eventbrite, at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/piecing-it-together-building-resilience-through-partnerships-registration-37396282287?aff=es2  This will help us keep an accurate count of attendees. Light breakfast, and lunch, will be provided.

Water Insecurity. You have access to: HOW AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS LEAD KIMBERLY FOGG DIRECTLY TO HER PURPOSE. November 2017

To our members within the U.S, Caribbean, Africa, and throughout the diaspora assistance thru GSP.

HOW AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS LEAD KIMBERLY FOGG DIRECTLY TO HER PURPOSE ·      NOVEMBER 9, 2017   BY MASHAUN SIMON When Kimberly Fogg was a kid, her mother used to tell her that she had special powers. “I always had this unexplainable way,” she told MsXFactor. “I always had this, I don’t know…I did not grow up in a church and I did not grow up knowing the Bible – but I had this connection.” While she finds it difficult to describe the connection and its source, what she does know is that while on safari in Tanzania more than seven years ago, the connection became recognizable once again. “God began saying, ‘I want you to help – no, I need you to help.” What was God asking her to do? Who was God instructing her to help? Following the death of her father, Fogg embarked upon the voyage as a means of soul-searching. She recalls a defining moment during dinner in Kenya. The waiter was focused on her – so much so that everyone at the table took notice. “When he brought my food there was a strange light shinning from behind him and when I looked, I saw his name tag.” The waiter’s name was the same as her father’s, Alphonse – she knew in that moment that her life would forever change. How would it change? She was not totally sure until she came across a group of young children traveling to gather water. She would quickly learn that the young people did not have access to clean water, in their local area so they had to travel. The problem, however, is that the trek was dangerous, which meant that some never made it back home. If they did, the water they collected could be contaminated which eventually made them ill – resulting in death as well. She felt that she had to do something but at first she resisted. “Initially I felt sorry as I saw these beautiful little children traveling to collect water, but I was missing my beautiful house,” she said. She did not know the first thing about the process of providing clean water in a foreign land.  “As I pushed back, purpose kept being placed in my face,” she remembers. “God kept saying, ‘I want you to do this.’ Photo: Kimberly Fogg Fogg was obedient to that call and today she heads Global Sustainable Partnerships, a non-profit organization that provides access to clean and safe drinking water to schools, households, health centers and hospitals in Tanzania. She came across the technology, HydrAid BioSand Filters, after returning to the states from her safari. “The filters that I decided to use are manufactured in my hometown (Grand Rapids, MI) just 10 minutes from my parents house,” she said. “I was talking to someone who was doing work on my parents roof, telling him about what I had experienced while on my safari, and he started telling me about these filters.” And one of the two trainings each year just happened to be coming up. “I never said okay,” Fogg reports matter-of-factly. “I just started following the bread crumbs. READ MORE AT:   https://msxfactor.com/how-an-existential-crisis-lead-this-social-entrepreneur-directly-to-her-purpose/ Become a partner in Global Sustainable Partnership for Water Security:                              http://gspartnerships.org/

5.7 Earthquake Shakes Grenada, T&T and St Vincent

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5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Parts of Grenada, T&T and St Vincent READ MORE >>

FEMA Grants .....Assistance and information Resources

HMA Competitive Grant Application Period Closing Soon Webinar: The Ins and Outs of SBA Disaster Loans for Mitigation New Job Aid Helps Develop Stronger Grant Subapplications Hazard Mitigation Assistance in the Field Updates to Program Help Streamline and Accelerate Delivery Training Updated User Manual to Administer HMGP Grants Now Available  system to administer program information and grant applications for HMGP

Release of NIMS Resource Management Supplemental Guidance and Tools. November 2017

NIMS Resource Management Tools

Release of NIMS Resource Management Supplemental Guidance and Tools FEMA’s National Integration Center is pleased to release a series of National Incident Management System (NIMS) Resource Management component documents that enhance interoperability and the effectiveness of mutual aid. Today’s release includes: The NIMS Guideline for the National Qualification System (NQS) that describes the components of a qualification and certification system, defines a process for certifying the qualifications of incident personnel, describes how to stand up and implement a peer review process, and provides an introduction to the process of credentialing personnel. A set of NQS Job Titles/Position Qualifications minimum qualifications criteria for personnel serving in defined incident management and support positions. A set of NQS Position Task Books (PTBs) that identifies the competencies, behaviors, and tasks that personnel should demonstrate to become qualified for a defined incident management or support position. A set of NIMS Job Titles/Position Qualifications and Resource Typing Definitions other than NQS that define minimum qualifications and capabilities for personnel and their equipment within their assigned teams to manage all threats and hazards, regardless of the incident’s cause or size. The NIMS Guideline for Mutual Aid that provides an overview of common mutual aid practices, defines common terminology and processes, and describes an approach for creating legal agreements and operational plans. To support partner and stakeholder adoption, FEMA is hosting a series of 60-minute webinars to discuss the National Qualification System and answer questions related to the foundational guide and supporting tools. All webinars are open to the whole community, including individuals and communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based organizations, and all state, local, tribal, and territorial governments. To review the documents and for additional webinar information, visit: www.fema.gov/national-qualification-system. To review the NIMS Job Titles/Position Qualifications and Resource Typing Definitions other than those in NQS, go to: https://rtlt.preptoolkit.fema.gov/Public.

Private Sector Advisory The U.S. Virgin Islands Qualifies to Receive Up to $371 Million in Community Disaster Loans November 7, 2017

  -Loans over grants?  Wait for the grant.  What about 2018 Hurricane Season?

      Will you be able to pay off any existing loans by the 2018 Season?

VIRGIN ISLANDS APPROVED FOR COMMUNITY LOANS…..

Federal Emergency Management Agency Private Sector Division/ National Business Emergency Operations Center FEMA-Private-Sector@fema.dhs.gov Private Sector Advisory The U.S. Virgin Islands Qualifies to Receive Up to $371 Million in Community Disaster Loans November 7, 2017 The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today the provision of additional resources and services to support ongoing operational needs for the U.S. Virgin Islands, in the form of federal loans. On Oct. 26, 2017, President Trump signed supplemental appropriations funding permitting the transfer of up to $4.6 billion to FEMA’s Community Disaster Loan (CDL) Program. CDLs help local governments continue to provide essential operating services after a major disaster. FEMA, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, determined the U.S. Virgin Islands now qualifies to receive up to $371 million in CDLs. These funds will help the U.S. Virgin Islands continue to perform essential government functions as the territory recovers from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The CDL package was presented today to the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Governor’s Authorized Representative for further review and consultation with FEMA in regard to the loan terms. Upon agreement, the loan funding will be transferred to budgetary accounts for dispersal to the U.S. Virgin Islands’ central government, the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center, the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital-Schneider Regional Medical Center, and the U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. Loan funds will be withdrawn in increments based on actual, immediate cash needs as necessary to maintain essential government operations supported by financial documentation. FEMA, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, implemented additional reporting requirements (e.g., submissions of cash receipts, cash outlays, restricted and unrestricted cash balances, and other cash flows) to ensure CDL funds are being used appropriately. FEMA, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, continues to work closely with states and territories affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma to determine eligibility and appropriate loan authority for their CDLs.

Webinar - Coaching and Mentoring in Humanitarian Response. November 2017

Webinar - Coaching and Mentoring in Humanitarian Response

Join us on the 29 November for this hour-long webinar to learn how coaching and mentoring can be effectively put into practice within a humanitarian context.

• Topic:
  New and featured courses , Management Essentials, Coaching and mentoring others
• Format:
  Individual modules, Event, Webinar
• Language:
  English
• Provider:
  Humanitarian Leadership Academy
• Region:
  Global
• Compatibility:
  Smartphone, Tablet
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• https://kayaconnect.org/course/info.php?id=754&utm_source=CMwebinar%20mailchimp&utm_campaign=CMwebinar%20mailchimphttps://kayaconnect.org/course/info.php?id=754&utm_source=CMwebinar%20mailchimp&utm_campaign=CMwebinar%20mailchimp
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