Monday, November 20, 2017

EMR-ISAC InfoGram for November 16, 2017

DHS Banner
Emergency Management and Response
Information Sharing and Analysis Center
(EMR-ISAC)


DHS Banner
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

Thursday, November 16, 2017

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
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.

Monday, November 13, 2017

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

This will help us keep an accurate count of attendees. Light breakfast, and lunch, will be provided.




Thursday, November 9, 2017

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.



·      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.


Become a partner in Global Sustainable Partnership for Water Security:
                             http://gspartnerships.org/





Tuesday, November 7, 2017

5.7 Earthquake Shakes Grenada, T&T and St Vincent

FEMA Grants .....Assistance and information Resources

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




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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.

Towards a culture of preparation in East Africa. November 2017

Cultural preparation & change will have to take place at all levels.  From top-down to bottom-up.

BEMA International.


Towards a culture of preparation in East Africa
We are working in partnership with several universities in East Africa to provide students with free access to humanitarian learning via our digital platform Kaya. These collaborative efforts seek to increase resilience, response capacity, and ability to confront disasters in the region.
Read more




Towards a culture of preparation: Engaging with university students to promote uptake of Kaya courses to enhance Disaster Risk Reduction

Disasters and disaster risks have been on the rise in the last decade. Globally, the number of people affected has been increasing by an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 per decade since the early 1970s and is projected to continue to increase in many regions of the world due to the growing exposure from human activities and climate change. This projected increase in frequency and intensity of disasters is expected to be exacerbated by increased vulnerability due to poverty and increased population pressure in some risk-prone areas.





Sunday, November 5, 2017

CERT Should Be Mandatory. Starting in Middle School?

What about your community?

BEMA International



Good Article in Emergency Managment News Letter - CERT Should Be Mandatory

http://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/Fall-2017-EM-CERT-Should-Be-Mandatory.html

CERT Should Be Mandatory

All too often, businesses and organizations expect that first responders can get to them quickly in a major disaster.

by Larissa Paschyn / October 30, 2017

Too often, businesses and organizations rely on the hope that first responders will be able to reach them in time during a major disaster.  However, the bigger the disaster, the more strain on limited resources, and the less likely the government will be able to respond.  As a result, it is imperative that everyone in an organization can use their own resources and skills to take care of each other.

FEMA maintains the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program as an official emergency preparedness program. However, there is no obligation or requirement for schools and employers in high-hazard areas to implement or maintain such programs on site.

The CERT concept was originally developed following a series of earthquakes in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that left hundreds dead, injured and without emergency services. CERT volunteers are educated about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area, and CERT trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. Local responders can rely on CERTs during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more complex tasks.

Yet public education campaigns encouraging participation in CERTs have not been highly effective or visible.  For example, in California’s Bay Area, few residents are even aware that their neighborhoods offer CERT. Combine that with the fact that numerous IT companies in the Bay Area are basically small cities, and you are looking at a recipe for disaster.  With the limited man-power and resources local emergency response has, these IT villages are not likely to receive help for a long period of time. And let’s not forget the sheer density of downtown San Francisco and Oakland, where emergency response will also have a difficult time responding to all affected buildings.

Without holding schools and businesses accountable, there is a greater likelihood of loss of life when a catastrophic disaster occurs, such as tornado, flood or earthquake.  In a catastrophic disaster, first responders will not be able to assist for a prolonged period of time.  By requiring businesses of more than 150 persons and schools to have a work or campus-based (C-CERT) team in place, local public safety can focus on other areas [during an emergency situation]; allowing the affected school/company to be self-sufficient for a time.

In any disaster, you can find numerous accounts of neighbors and regular citizens assisting at the scene before response agencies could deploy.  After the Joplin, Mo., tornado in 2011, neighbors assisted in digging others out of the rubble.  During the 2016 Louisiana floods, instead of waiting for the government to come rescue them, the people of Louisiana used privately owned boats to save their neighbors. This “Cajun Navy” was responsible for saving the lives of thousands of Louisianans.

In South San Francisco, biotech companies have been ahead of the game for years, maintaining on-site search and rescue, medical, hazmat teams, and incident command teams. In the event of an earthquake, they will be able to rescue and treat their own staff before help arrives.

The fact is that our communities and our facilities are one of the most effective ways to ensure that we are prepared in the event of a future emergency response situation, and every business should be a part of that preparedness. Schools and companies need to be able to take care of their own people, and
in earthquake territory, it is irresponsible not to require all corporations and educational institutions to have response programs in place.


Larissa Paschyn is the emergency manager for Amgen in South San Francisco, where she trains the emergency response teams. Previously, she was the external affairs officer for the FEMA Region 9 Incident Management Assistance Team.
 

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Grants. 2018 Lowes Charitable and Educational Foundation Grants. Let's rebuild OUR COMMUNITY

https://www.lowes.com/cd_Charitable+and+Educational+Foundation_936258779_

Lowe's Home Improvement Logo

Founded in 1957, Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation has a long and proud history of improving the communities we serve. The foundation's support has grown to match the growing needs of our communities, going from $3 million in contributions in 2004 to nearly $19 million in 2010.
Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation funds nonprofit organizations and public agencies that support our charitable goals. The foundation's primary philanthropic focus centers on K–12 public education and community improvement. Within these areas, Lowe's Foundation is committed to supporting projects that have the greatest impact on our communities and align with our core business — home improvement.
We believe education is the cornerstone to building bright futures and stronger communities. Our long-established commitment to improving educational opportunities is best exemplified by our signature education grant program, Lowe's Toolbox for Education®. Since its inception in 2006, Lowe's Toolbox for Education has contributed nearly $25 million to more than 5,400 schools in the United States. In 2010, with schools and community groups continuing to face financial challenges, Lowe's Foundation again focused on basic needs. The foundation gave more than $2.5 million in regional grants to fund a variety of improvements for schools and community gathering places.
With the foundation's support, we also continued to address the growing skilled worker shortage in the United States and Canada. Lowe's Foundation boosted its support of trades education with a new five-year, $1.5 million annual commitment to SkillsUSA®. As we expand our store presence in Canada, we also are expanding our commitment to youth across the country. The foundation will contribute $1.25 million over five years to Skills / Compétences Canada. The contribution will support high school-based projects in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario, and will expand to other regions as Lowe's establishes retail locations in more communities.
Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, which also supports partnerships with Rebuilding Together®, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and The Nature Conservancy among others, is comprised of a nine-member board of directors. The board includes representatives from various departments within Lowe's, from store operations and human resources to the legal and tax teams, supplying a diversity of thought, leadership and experience to help shape the foundation's work. Larry Stone, Lowe's president and chief operating officer and a 41-year company veteran, is chairman of the foundation.
For more information about Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, including application guidelines, visit Lowes.com/community.

Grants. 2018 HomeDepot Community Grants. Let's rebuild OUR COMMUNITY.

https://corporate.homedepot.com/grants/community-impact-grants
Built from scratch

COMMUNITY IMPACT GRANTS

Thanks to the amazing number of non-profit organizations stepping up to help their neighbors, our community giving goals have been reached and the program is now CLOSED for 2017. The 2018 program will OPEN on February 1, 2018.  

While our program typically operates on a rolling 12-month cycle, grants are awarded on a first-come first-serve basis until funding is exhausted.  For non-profits who have submitted an application but have not received a response, your application will be reviewed and you will still receive a decision email within the 4-6 week processing window

The Home Depot Foundation offers grants, up to $5,000, to IRS-registered 501c designated organizations and tax-exempt public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their community. Grants are given in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services.
Our primary goal is to provide grants and volunteer opportunities to support the renovation, refurbishment, retrofitting, accessibility modifications, and/or weatherization of existing homes, centers, schools and other similar facilities.
Grant Guidelines
  • Only IRS-registered 501c designated organizations and tax-exempt public service agencies (e.g. Police/Fire Departments) in the U.S. are eligible to apply. (Proof of this status will be required on the application in the form of an IRS Determination Letter, Form 990, or W9.)
  • Grants must support work completed by community volunteers in the U.S.
  • Projects must be completed within six months following notification that the grant has been awarded.
  • Grants are solely given in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services up to $5,000.
  • Organizations who have received funding through The Home Depot Foundation’s Community Impact Grant Program must wait 12 months after notification of award before applying for additional grants through this program.
  • Organizations must be in existence for at least one year.
  • Organizations should be willing to submit stories and pictures of the project upon completion.
     
Proposals for the following community improvement activities will be considered:
  • Repairs, refurbishments, and modifications specific to ADA compliance or safety regulations to low-income and/or transitional housing, or community facilities (schools, community centers, senior centers, etc.)
  • Weatherizing or increasing energy efficiency of low-income and/or transitional housing, or community facilities
  • Engage community members as volunteers to help other veterans in their community through service projects focusing on the renovation, repair and improvement of homes and other properties:
     
The Home Depot Foundation’s Community Impact Grant Program DOES NOT make grants to support the following:
  • Nonprofit organizations that have been in existence for less than one year
  • Churches and religious organizations whose improvement project primarily serves their congregation and not the overall community
  • Scholarships or other direct support to individuals or families
  • Fraternal, political, labor, athletic or social organizations, civic clubs, candidates or projects
  • Fundraising sponsorship or prizes for events such as conferences, festivals, dinners, sports competitions, art exhibits, fundraisers (e.g. dinners, walks/runs/relays, golf tournaments and auctions)
  • Requests for The Home Depot’s Kids Workshop kits and/or aprons
  • Capital campaigns, endowments or endowed chairs
  • Film, music, television, video or media production projects or broadcast underwriting
  • Goodwill advertising or marketing
  • Any other support that does not meet the IRS’s definition of a charitable purpose.

We are now accepting applications for the Community Impact Grants program.
This is a rolling application process. You will receive a decision on your application within six weeks of submission. The last day to submit applications in 2017 is December 31st.
PLEASE READ:
  • If your organization is a school, park, community center or any organization being funded by local government, please use the link for "Government Funded Organizations."
  • If this is a Team Depot project, DO NOT use links below. Please refer to the Team Depot Project Funding Request Form for the appropriate application link.

Friday, November 3, 2017

IDB Courses. THE GATEWAY TO OPEN LEARNING FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN





THE GATEWAY TO OPEN LEARNING FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN



Data for Effective Policy Making
Take control of data and gain a better understanding of the tools used in public policy planning, management, and evaluation.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
  • Understand the relationship between data analysis and decision-making in public management
  • Define the research problem, starting hypothesis, analysis variables and methods to test the hypotheses
  • Interpret and develop different types of visualizations, using concrete examples
  • Identify how to use data analysis to propose solutions to public policy problems, to explain the assessment of a policy, and to carry out policy planning
  • Browse the IDB’s Numbers for Development and Caribbean Data Portal and its different sections
In this course, students will strengthen their ability to use, understand and interpret data. Using the “Numbers for Development" and “Caribbean Data Portal” platforms developed by the IDB - which presents data and socioeconomic indicators from the Latin American and Caribbean region - students will be able to understand how to improve the decision-making process in public management.

At the end of the course, participants will have gained the tools to navigate data, perform and interpret visualizations, and understand the different types of data analysis according to the policy to be implemented.

Format: massive open online course (MOOC)
Start date: November 2, 2017
Duration: 6 weeks
Prerequisites: None
Cost:  Free
Certificate: If you want to obtain a certificate, the cost is US$ 25.00
Questions about this course? Click on this link for a guide to register for the course or email idbx@iadb.org 
Register    

_______________________________________________________________________




Keystone Pipeline. What's Next? American University Washington College of Law

Office of Special Events

What's Next in the Pipeline? A discussion of the Legal, Economic, and Societal Implications of The Keystone XL Pipeline

November 8, 2017

8:30 am - 3:00 pm

American University Washington College of Law
4300 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20016
Warren Building - Terrace Level - Room NT01

Presented by American University Business Law Review
The American University Business Law Review (“AUBLR”) will host a discussion between leading energy, environmental law and policy professionals from major law firms, environmental groups and think tanks. The panelists will discuss the legal, economic, and societal implications of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline project during their Fall 2017 Symposium on Wednesday, November 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The program will be held in the Ceremonial Classroom (NT01), Warren Building, American University Washington College of Law, 4300 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.
Panel Overview

Panel I (9:30 am – 11:00 am)
Legal Challenges Preventing Construction of the Keystone Pipeline
Moderator: Mark Niles, Professor at AUWCL
Panelists:
1.    Wayne D’Angelo, Partner at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
2.    Doug Hayes, Senior Attorney at the Sierra Club Environmental Law Program
3.    William J. Snape, III, Senior Counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity; AUWCL Assistant Dean of Adjunct Faculty Affairs; Fellow in Environmental Law
4.    Benjamin Nussdorf, Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Oil and Gas Global Security and Supply in the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy; AUWCL Oil and Gas Professor

Panel II (11:00 am – 12:30 pm)
Economic Effects of the Keystone Pipeline
Moderator: Jeffrey Lubbers, Professor at AUWCL
Panelists:
5.    Mark Anderson, Senior Government Relations Advisor at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
6.    Brian Jorde, Attorney at Domina Law Group, pc llo
7.    Fred Jauss, Partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP
8.    Anthony Swift, Director of the Canada Project, International Program, at the Natural Resources Defense Council

Panel III (1:00 pm – 2:30 pm)
Societal Effects of the Keystone Pipeline
Moderator: Mark Niles, Professor at AUWCL
Panelists:
9.    Lee Terry, Senior Advisor at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP; Former U.S. Representative (R-Nebraska)
10.    Ezra Rosser, Professor at AUWCL
11.    Jane Kleeb, Chairperson of the Nebraska Democratic Party; President of the Bold Alliance
12.    Marlo Lewis, Senior Analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute 


Registration is free but required

CLE registration is $220. 4 CLE credits will be applied for.
For more details, please contact the Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education

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