10/24/17 Webinar. Disasters and Equity - Race, Gender & Ability

Webinar: Disasters and Equity - Race, Gender & Ability  ONE WEEK FROM TODAY at 1 PM EST!  There's still plenty of time to register to join us, or to forward this to someone who may benefit from this exciting offering at no cost!  REGISTER

Disasters and Equity: Race, Gender & Ability  BAF Professoinal Development Series 2017 Webinar II

Tuesday, October 24, 2017 1-3 PM EST Registration is open, without charge, to students and early career professionals. Please share this opportunity widely with any appropriate colleagues, students or friends.  Expert Panelists Include: Marcie Roth  Former Senior Advisor, Disability Issues to FEMA Founder, FEMA Office of Disability Integration & Coordination  John T. Cooper, Jr., Ph.D.  Assistant Vice President for Public Partnership & Outreach, Texas A&M University  Jennifer Tobin Ph.D. candidate in the department of sociology at Colorado State University Program and Research Associate, The Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado - Boulder  Recipient, 2014 Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship   Topics Include:  - An overview of how racism, sexism and ableism impact our ability to prepare for, cope with and recover from disasters - Knowledge about the long-term impact of socioeconomic inequality on global disasters  - Examples of how disaster researchers and practitioners can help to reduce inequality before, during and after a disaster  There will also be a special introduction by Dr. Lori Peek, Professor of Sociology, Director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado - Boulder and member of the Bill Anderson Fund Board of Directors.  Click on the red button below to register for this exciting webinar today!  REGISTER

DHS GCC\Election Infrastructure Subsector. Second item on its agenda should be voting during times of disasters and population evacuations.

OPEN to the public meetings?

Whole community concept should be incorporated into this council with meeting dates, times, and location.

Evacuations during times of disasters greatly effect elections in those jurisdictions affected.
Second item on its agenda should be voting during times of disasters and population evacuations.

BEMA International

Private Sector Update Created and distributed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Private Sector Office private.sector@dhs.gov | 202-282-8484 October 15, 2017 DHS AND PARTNERS CONVENE FIRST ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATING COUNCIL ATLANTA – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) joined the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and state and local election officials from around the country today to convene the first Government Coordinating Council (GCC) for the Election Infrastructure Subsector. Today’s meeting is part of the department’s ongoing work with state and local officials as we build trusted relationships to help keep the nation’s election systems secure. The 27-member council includes three representatives from the federal government, with the remaining 24 representing state and local governments. The GCC framework provides a well-tested mechanism for sharing threat information between the federal government and council partners, advancing risk management efforts, and prioritizing focus of services available to sector partners in a trusted environment. Participation in the council is entirely voluntary and does not change the fundamental role of state and local jurisdictions in overseeing elections. “Today’s council meeting shows the seriousness with which federal, state and local officials take the threats to election infrastructure, and the level of cooperation taking place to address it,” said Bob Kolasky, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of the DHS National Protections and Programs Directorate. “State and local officials have already taken a number of steps to improve the security of the nation’s elections, and under the Government Coordinating Council we will be able to further leverage resources and our collective expertise. The security of the nation’s elections are critical to our democracy, and DHS stands ready to support this important mission through exercises, information sharing, and technical cyber analysis and expertise.” The GCC structure is established under the department’s authority to provide a forum in which the government and private sector entities can jointly engage in a broad spectrum of activities to support and coordinate critical infrastructure security and resilience efforts. It is used in each of the critical infrastructure sectors established under Presidential Policy Directive 21 on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience. In January, DHS designated election infrastructure as a subsector of the existing Government Facilities critical infrastructure sector. The designation did not create any new regulations or directives, but instead enabled DHS to prioritize cybersecurity assistance to state and local election officials who request it, made clear domestically and internationally that election infrastructure enjoys all the benefits and protections of critical infrastructure that the U.S. government has to offer, and enabled full and frank discussions between DHS and key stakeholders regarding sensitive vulnerability information. Members of the GCC for the Election Infrastructure Subsector include: Lori Augino, Director of Elections, Washington Chris H. Chambless, Elections Director, Clay County, Florida Judd Choate, Director of Elections, Colorado* Jim Condos, Secretary of State, Vermont Edgardo Cortes, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Elections Bob Giles, Director, Division of Elections, New Jersey Mark Goins, Coordinator of Elections, Tennessee Ricky Hatch, Clerk/Auditor, Weber County, Utah Thomas Hicks, Vice Chairman, U.S. Election Assistance Commission Sarah Johnson, City Clerk, Colorado Springs, Colorado Neal Kelley, Registrar of Voters, Orange County, California Bob Kolasky, Acting Deputy Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security* Connie Lawson, Secretary of State, Indiana Linda Lamone, Administer of Elections, Maryland State Board of Elections Matthew Masterson, Chairman, U.S. Election Assistance Commission* Denise Merrill, Secretary of State, Connecticut Paul Pate, Secretary of State, Iowa Noah Praetz, Director of Elections, Cook County, Illinois* Steve Reed, Probate Judge, Montgomery County, Alabama Tom Schedler, Secretary of State, Louisiana Jake Spano, Chief of Staff/Deputy Secretary of State, Minnesota David Stafford, Supervisor of Elections, Escambia County, Florida Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Secretary of State, New Mexico Todd Valentine, Co-Executive Director, New York State Board of Elections Linda von Nessi, Clerk of the Essex County Board of Elections, New Jersey Mac Warner, Secretary of State, West Virginia Michael Winn, Director of Elections, Travis County, Texas *GCC Executive Committee Member # # # U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Washington, DC 20016

California Wild Fires. FEMA Support. October 2017

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Private Sector Division
National Business Emergency Operations Center
FEMA-NRCC-NBEOC@fema.dhs.gov
Fema-private-sector@fema.dhs.gov

FEMA Continues to Support California Fire Response

Federal Assistance Available for Impacted Residents in Napa and Sonoma Counties

October 15, 2017

 FEMA, through its regional office in Oakland, California and deployed teams, continues to closely coordinate with state, local, and tribal officials to support firefighting response activities in California.

There are numerous large fires burning approximately 214,000 acres of state and private land, in parts of northern California.  Evacuations are in effect in some areas.

A FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team remains on site at the California emergency operations center to coordinate directly with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to support response activities and ensure there are no unmet needs.

Federal agency representatives are working to support federal and state requirements at the state operations center in Sacramento. Representatives from the Department of Transportation, 

Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, General Services Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Energy, U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the American Red Cross are deployed.

As of Oct. 14, the major disaster declaration for California wildfires includes Individual Assistance for Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa and Yuba counties. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
Federal funding that is available to affected individuals in Sonoma and Napa counties can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can apply for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).  

Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. PDT, seven days a week until further notice. 

As of Oct. 13, the major disaster declaration for the State of California includes federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local efforts for emergency work in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Solano, Sonoma, and Yuba counties.  Federal assistance is available to the state, tribal and eligible local government and certain nonprofit organizations, on a cost-share basis, for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is available statewide.  

Disaster Survivor Assistance staff are deployed to Sonoma and Napa counties to provide information about programs and help survivors register who do not have Internet or telephone access.

The State of California now operates Local Assistance Centers (LAC) in Sonoma (427 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa) and Orange (8165 E. Santa Ana Canyon Rd., Anaheim) counties. As the State activates additional LACs, FEMA prepares to support with staff and resources, as requested. Disaster Survivor Assistance staff are supporting the LAC in Sonoma.

The American Red Cross’s Safe and Well program is available for survivors to let family members know they are safe and for family members to search for loved ones.

FEMA staged 121 ambulances at several safe locations closer to the fire areas with the majority traveling to Travis AFB, and continues to support anticipated shelter and evacuation needs by moving water, meals, cots and blankets to the federal incident support base. 

Preparedness and Safety Tips 

The State of California’s Office of Emergency Services website is a resource with links to fire information, air quality information, updates on evacuation centers and shelters, including shelters for animals and pets, volunteer opportunities and donations needs.

Residents are reminded to continue to monitor local radio or TV stations for updates emergency information, and follow the instructions of state, local and tribal officials.
If ordered to evacuate during a wildfire, do so immediately- make sure and inform someone where you are going and when you have arrived.

If you see a wildfire and haven't received evacuation orders yet, call 9-1-1.  Don't assume that someone else already called.

If there is a wildfire in the area, be ready to evacuate on short notice.

As soon as safe, individuals affected by the fires can contact their home and auto insurance agent or company.  Survivors can document damage by taking photos and keeping receipts. 

Additional volunteer and donation opportunities are available on the website of the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters, http://www.nvoad.org, and the website of California Volunteers http://www.californiavolunteers.org/index.php/Disaster_Volunteering/current_disasters/.

The FEMA app (available in English and Spanish) provides a customizable checklist of emergency supplies, directions to open shelters and recovery centers, disaster survival tips, and weather alerts from the National Weather Service.  The app also enables users to receive push notifications reminding them to take important steps to prepare their homes and families for disasters.

Visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov to learn more about these and other preparedness tips.

Businesses of all sizes should prepare in advance of wildfires to prevent loss of life, property, or disruption to operations. Businesses can review and update their business continuity plans and ensure their workforce knows what to do before and during the storm. 

Resources are available on web sites such as www.ready.gov/business  and www.SBA.gov/disaster-planning.