Monday, May 14, 2018

Webinar: Supporting the Emotional Wellbeing of First Responders, Emergency Managers & Disaster Relief Personnel (5/15/2018)


DHS Center for Faith & Opportunity Initiatives

Webinar: Supporting the Emotional Wellbeing of First Responders, Emergency Managers & Disaster Relief Personnel (5/15/2018)

Please register to receive a recording of this webinar.
Register Here
The DHS Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives (DHS Center), U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are co-hosting a webinar on Supporting the Emotional Wellbeing of First Responders, Emergency Managers & Disaster Relief Personnel on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, from 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. EDT. In support of Mental Health Month, this webinar will provide information and resources on how to respond to the emotional wellbeing of first responders, emergency managers and disaster relief personnel who support communities impacted by disasters. Although this webinar should not be taken as medical advice, it will provide information, resources and considerations to support mental health and emotional well-being during the response and recovery phase of a disaster. The webinar will also provide preparedness trainings and resources on this topic.
Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Time: 1:00 – 2:00p.m. (ET)
Presenter Organizations include:       
  • New Brunswick Theological Seminary
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
  • National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, Emotional and Spiritual Care Committee
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)
How to Join the Webinar:

Access critical, disaster-related behavioral health resources right from your phone with the SAMHSA Disaster App

The SAMHSA Disaster App helps responders focus on what really matters—the people in need.
  • Be ready—access resources for any type of traumatic event, including tip sheets; guides for responders, teachers, parents, and caregivers; and a directory of behavioral health service providers in the impacted area.
  • Be prepared—rely on and access pre-downloaded resources on your phone in case of limited Internet connectivity in the field.
  • Be confident—review key preparedness materials so you're confident you're providing the best support possible.
  • Share resources easily—send information to colleagues and survivors via text message, email, or transfer to a computer for printing.
Access critical, disaster-related behavioral health resources right from your phone with the SAMHSA Disaster App


UNISDR Public Comments Open. You have a voice, and at the table. Locally, Nationally, and Globally. May 14, 2018



Each of you have a voice.
As a member of the United National Global Compact (UNGC) you have a voice on local disaster risk reduction and resiliency strategies.
Step 1: Get actively involved locally,
Step 2: Get involved nationally,
Step 3: Get involved globally
      -Share your comments globally with the UNISDR listed below
Get involved to make the change and giant leap into the 21st Century for our next generation leaders.

Charles D. Sharp
CEO.
Black Emergency Managers Association International

We stand as one
Eric Lives, In Me.


United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) - Public Review

Subject: [resilient-cities] Open for Public Review: Words into Action Guidelines on “Implementation guide for local disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies”

Dear colleagues,

Many of you may already be aware that the Words into Action Guidelines on “Implementation guide for local disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies” (2018 – public consultation version) is now available on PreventionWeb for public review. As an effort from the international DRR community brokered by UNISDR, this official public consultation version is a product of a long and detailed process of drafting, consultation and review.  The public review normally runs for three months to ensure that important aspects have not been overseen.  The publication will remain available for public review until mid-June.

Please feel free to share your comments here.
To download the publication (public consultation version), please visit: https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/57399



About the publication:
The guide focuses on tackling underlying disaster risk drivers and strengthening good governance in disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies, at all levels and across sectors and actors. The document advises local governments (authorities, planners and managers at city or other sub-national levels) on the mechanisms for developing and implementing a holistic and integrated DRR strategy that contributes to building resilience at the local level. It outlines what a local DRR and resilience strategy should look like, and what is needed to create and implement one.

The guide is divided into seven chapters:
1.       The introduction
2.       Chapter two highlights the role of subnational levels in developing local disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies and the importance of localizing DRR
3.       Chapter three delineates the main characteristics of a local disaster risk reduction and resilience strategy
4.       Chapter four introduces the enabling factors that generate the conditions for its development throughout an inclusive and participatory process
5.       Chapter five elaborates on the three core elements that aid in implementing a local disaster risk reduction and resilience strategy
6.       Chapter six includes a selection of case studies exemplifying some of the main themes covered in the guide
7.       Finally, chapter seven draws some conclusions.



Warm regards,
Mai/Mutarika

*******
Mutarika (Mai) Pruksapong
Programme Officer
Office for Northeast Asia (ONEA) and
Global Education and Training Institute (GETI)
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
Incheon, Republic of Korea
email: 
mutarika.pruksapong@un.org
T: +82-32-458-6552  | F: +82-32-458-6598/9 | Skype: mutarika_1

www.unisdr.org │ www.preventionweb.net

UNISDR logo

 You are receiving this message because you are a member of the community Making Cities Resilient-UNISDR.
View this contribution on the web site
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Sunday, May 13, 2018

FREE* Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certification training for the community. May 19, 2018


BEMA International
=============================


DATE/TIME: SATURDAY, May 19, 2018, 9:00 am - 5:30 pm

LOCATION: Innovative Transforming Neighborhood Center (ITNC), 4710 Auth Way, Suitland, MD 20746


In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, CTS Consulting and Breathe Non-Profit are offering FREE* Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certification training for the community.

Similar to traditional First Aid and CPR, Mental Health First Aid (certified by The National Council for Behavioral Health) is help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis until professional treatment is obtained or the crisis resolves. Mental health challenges – such as depression, anxiety, psychosis and substance use – are shockingly common in the United States. In fact, more than one in five American adults will have a mental health problem in any given year.  

Upon completion of this certification course, Mental Health First Aiders will be able to:
·        better recognize signs and symptoms shown and expressed by people experiencing a mental health disorder and or crisis;
·        provide appropriate support until treatment or further assistance is available;
·        help remove the stigma of mental illness and demystify the topic of mental health.

This course is 8 hours, not including a 30-minute lunch break. 

Upon successful completion of the class, participants will receive a 3-year certification from the National Council for Behavioral Health. Lunch and light refreshments will be provided. 

For more information about Mental Health First Aid, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org

To learn more about Breathe, visit www.breathenonprofit.org.  

*Refundable deposit due at registration in order to reserve your spot.

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Information\Communication Flow. Time of Disasters a 24/7 activity. BEMA International, RelifWeb, YOU, and others.




BEMA International

Local website reviews
Review of emergency management agency\offices within the U.S. at State, County, City, and township levels.  Review of notification & communication plans, published plans, exercise schedules, and one of the MOST IMPORTANT issues:  community engagement of ‘whole community’ in awareness, education & training for all members of the community.  Transparency, employment opportunities, community outreach, grants (previous and currently received.  A financial audit trail will determine the priorities of EM offices).

Many problems that communities encounter:  from San Francisco, Los Angeles, to Boston, from Puerto Rico to the U.S. Virgin Islands one question to ask
1.       “Is or was the community activity engaged in the emergency management program?”,
2.      “Who are their leaders in these organizations, and do they actively reach out to the community?”.

These are just a few area of local website and questions we ask during our review. 

Membership
We continuously monitor and relay messages within the BEMA International network of not only impending crisis and disasters, but ongoing issues within our communities globally.  

Ongoing issues of environmental contamination in the U.S. (San Francisco 10-year toxic soil radioactive and dust contamination, water security issues, etc.), global issues (water & food security issues, recycling, health security, etc.)



ReliefWeb
How we inform on humanitarian crisis 24/7

By Véronique Durroux-Malpartida



© ReliefWeb


Because humanitarian response isn’t only active from 9 to 5, neither is ReliefWeb. We actually monitor crisis situations non-stop. In reply to the question: “How do you make it work?”, here’s the answer to why and how we transitioned to the 24/7 operating model to ensure the timely delivery of crucial information.

Team members strategically located
For many years our editorial work was divvied up between three teams working from UN headquarter locations. Time gaps existed here and there and weekends were not fully covered, except during acute sudden-onset emergencies. A couple of months after a devastating earthquake struck Nepal in 2015, we extended our time coverage and moved on to a consistently seamless workflow, implementing the 24/7 operation model.

Currently, the editorial teams are run from three strategic places - Bangkok, Nairobi, New York - and closely follow the activities of the humanitarian sector, paying particular attention to the evolution of acute and emerging crises. Our team members can handle ReliefWeb’s content around the clock because they are based all over the globe. They are not only selected for their knowledge and skills, but also for their capacity to work remotely.

Using key tools for remote work
Over the years, web-based tools have enabled us to rethink the way we monitor key information and work as a virtual team. Services and applications such as Inoreader and Desk now support information monitoring and interactions with partners, while Trello and Flowdock provide cloud-based collaboration tools for online discussions between team members, editorial decision-making, and overall project management.

For Melissa Elliott, a contractor based in Canada, "The key to being able to feel confident in providing consistent coverage is having tools that help filter the firehose of information found on hundreds of channels. Our editorial team is constantly fine-tuning our filters to ensure we are receiving relevant content immediately, allowing us to stay on top of daily events in real-time."

Thanks to this working model, ReliefWeb can filter thousands of content sources throughout the day and provide crucial and reliable information around the clock via the website and mobile apps, and simultaneously power the content of sister platforms such as unocha.org and RedHum.


Thursday, May 10, 2018

Food Security. Farm Bill. SNAP Matters in Every Community--Metros, Small Towns, and Rural Communities INTERACTIVE DATA TOOL


SNAP Matters in Every Community—Metros, Small Towns, and Rural Communities
INTERACTIVE DATA TOOL
This interactive map provides household SNAP participation rates at the county level in each state, based on American Community Survey 5-Year data (2012-2016). Counties are grouped into three categories: Metro, Small Town, and Rural. Use the buttons at the top to select or deselect the different categories. Scroll over a county to view household SNAP participation rates. Click on a county to zoom in, and click on that county again to zoom out to national scope.

National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association 
1029 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 601
Washington, DC 20005
Office: (202) 628-8833
Fax No.: (202) 393-1816
Twitter: @NLFRTA
Website:  www.NLFRTA.org 



Disasters\Emergencies and Mental Health. Introduction to Psychosocial Support. disasterready.org

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

 

Introduction to Psychosocial Support

Emergencies can have a significant impact on the mental health and psychosocial well-being of anyone, but particularly children. With the right support, most people can overcome difficult experiences. Take time to learn the importance of psychosocial support and how to provide it effectively during emergencies.
 
Start Learning

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Needs Assessment Training. May 16, 2018. Montgomery County, MD.

G557 Rapid Needs Assessment

DATE/TIME: May 16, 2018, 8:00am-5:00pm
LOCATION: Montgomery County (MD) Emergency Operations Center-Training Room*, 1300 Quince Orchard Blvd. Gaithersburg, MD 20878


In order to receive the benefits of a Rapid Needs Assessment the assessment process must be effectively planned. 

Assessments just do not happen when a disaster or emergency occurs. 

They require planning and training to support the planned activity if they are to realize their greatest potential. When needed, the Rapid Needs Assessment must be rapidly implemented by local governments.

 Assessment teams must be identified and trained together. The field teams need to be supported by personnel who can rapidly analyze the findings of the individual teams and presented to management to support prioritization and decision-making. 

*Secure facility-Bring a photo ID (either driver’s license or work badge).

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Scholarship Opportunity. Thurgood Marshall College Fund. $7k-$40K.

Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Center for Advancing Opportunity(CAO)
The CAO just released two applications:  The first is for 20 qualified undergraduates to receive a scholarship worth up to $7,500 for the 2018-2019 school year:
https://www.tmcf.org/our-scholarships/current-scholarships/the-center-advancing-opportunity-undergraduate-research-scholarship/11687 The second is for 5 qualified HBCU graduates to receive a doctoral fellowship worth up to $40,000 for the 2018-2019 school year:
https://www.tmcf.org/our-scholarships/current-scholarships/center-for-advancing-opportunity-graduate-research-fellowship-program/14326   

Psychological First Aid for Children. May 8, 2018



We are pleased to launch a new online course "Psychological First Aid for Children" in partnership with Save the Children.

By doing this course, you'll be able to develop the skills needed to provide psychological first aid to children who have been recently exposed to a traumatic event.

Watch a short interview with Mental Health Advisor Lalou Rostrup Holdt and start the course

Why Business Need to be prepared for disaster. May 8, 2018

Why businesses need to be prepared for disaster
Small businesses represent 62% of the entire workforce in the Philippines, and of the 900,000 businesses registered as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) – only two in ten have business continuity plans. The Humanitarian Leadership Academy and Unilever have been working together to develop a pioneering programme to provide business continuity planning (BCP) training to MSMEs, specifically tailored for the type of disasters they often have to deal with: typhoons, earthquakes, and floods. 
Read the article and watch our short film

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Apply Now! The National Emergency Management Executive Academy. May 5, 2018

https://training.fema.gov/empp/executive.aspx

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Logo

The National Emergency Management Executive Academy

In collaboration with academia, renowned practitioners and industry leaders, Emergency Management Institute (EMI) has created the National Emergency Management Executive Academy to produce a comprehensive and cutting-edge curriculum supporting the advancement of strategic and policy level executive leadership.

The National Emergency Management Executive Academy provides an ideal setting for a diverse representation of senior emergency management executives to come together and explore contemporary and emerging 21st century challenges. The program hones strategic leadership and critical thinking for senior executives involved with multi-jurisdictional, national, and international homeland security and emergency management policy development and decision making responsibilities. Participants work collaboratively on capstone projects. These projects are the cohort’s opportunity to leave a lasting impact, leveraging the wealth of knowledge they bring to the academy and applying the new knowledge they are acquiring to forge a path toward improving the processes, practice and profession of emergency management.

If you have a suggestion for a specific emergency management challenge that you would like an executive cohort team to consider for their Academy capstone project, please email FEMA-EMPP-Executive-Academy@fema.dhs.gov.

Target Audience

The Executive Academy is designed for emergency management senior executives in State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial; non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions, and private sector entities. Ideal candidates will serve on major commissions and task forces and/or be responsible for decisions that have a significant effect on policy.

The audience may include, but is not limited to:
  • Emergency management and homeland security directors or advisors leading in local, state, multijurisdictional, or large metropolitan areas;
  • Emergency management leaders from allied disciplines in the public sector, such as public utilities, K-12 education, higher education, public transportation, and military/DSCA roles;
  • Administrators, such as members of the Governor's Cabinet or chief/director of an agency;
  • Federal administrators, at the Appointed or Senior Executive Service (SES)/GS15 level; and
  • Directors of voluntary organizations.
EMI will select up to 40 emergency management executives to participate in the Executive Academy per year. Each Cohort will reflect a Whole Community composition.

Prerequisites

Required: 10 years’ experience in an EM position or applicable work experience will be considered for exceptional candidates.

2018 Schedule

The dates and locations for the Executive Academy courses are:
  • E0680, Systems Thinking and Research Methods for Executives 4 days
    Systems thinking for EM, Leading Complex Systems, Methodologies to take Idea Inception to Innovation, Net centric Visioning & Designing, Presenting for Impact
    Dates: February 26 – March 1, 2018
    Location: Emmitsburg, MD
  • E0682, Executive EM Leader Core Competencies I 4 days
    Critical Thinking, Applying Decision Making Models & Theory, Continuous Learning, EM Ethics, Conflict Management, Leadership & Collaboration, Social Intelligence
    Dates: April 23 – 26, 2018
    Location: Emmitsburg, MD
  • E0684, Executive EM Leader Core Competencies II 4 days
    Disaster Risk Management, Scientific Considerations, Geographic Considerations, Sociocultural Considerations, Evolving Technology Application & Adoption
    Dates: June 18 – 21, 2018
    Location: Emmitsburg, MD
  • E0686, Executive EM Leaders Core Competencies III 4 days
    Facilitating Community Risk Ownership, Civics/Governance Considerations, Political Skills, Influence Skills
    Dates: August 27 – 30, 2018
    Location: Emmitsburg, MD
For more information about the National Emergency Management Executive Academy
 contact  
FEMA-EMPP-Executive-Academy@fema.dhs.gov(301)-447-1535

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