Creating a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan

 DONATED BY American Red Cross.

Creating a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Designing and implementing projects that lead to positive change is a key part of humanitarian work. But how can you better affect the desired change and measure progress toward it? This free online course will engage you in scenario-based exercises to deepen your understanding of key concepts in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and the practical steps to create a comprehensive MEL plan for a humanitarian project.  This course was generously donated by the American Red Cross. Get Started

Watch "Dismantling Racism Is Patriotic | Jon Talks Race w/ Sen. Cory Booker | The Problem With Jon Stewart"

 

FEMA Takes Steps to Accelerate Debris Removal in Florida; Federal Support Totals $1.67 Billion

FEMA Advisory

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To accelerate the removal of debris from Hurricane Ian in Florida, FEMA is providing limited waivers to the application process for Public Assistance Private Property Debris Removal/Commercial Property Debris Removal. 

In areas designated with severe damage, FEMA will waive the requirement for approval of applicants for all storm-related residential debris and commercial right-of-way debris. Determinations of severe damage are based on the best available data: damage assessments and storm impact data, to include wind damage, storm surge and flood inundation.

More than $1.67 billion in federal grants, disaster loans and flood insurance payments has been provided to the State of Florida and to households after Hurricane Ian. FEMA has provided $680 million to households and $322 million to the state for emergency response, while the U.S. Small Business Administration has provided $429 million in disaster loans and the National Flood Insurance Program has paid $244 million in claims.

How FEMA is helping Floridians:

• FEMA will provide temporary housing to eligible Hurricane Ian survivors in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Lee and Sarasota counties. FEMA approved Direct Temporary Housing Assistance to provide options for those whose homes are uninhabitable because of the hurricane. FEMA determined that rental assistance is insufficient to meet the housing need in those counties because of a lack of available housing resources. FEMA will notify applicants who are eligible for direct housing. It will take time to transport, permit, install and inspect these units before they are available. Direct Temporary Housing Assistance may be provided for up to 18 months from Sept. 29, 2022, the date of the federal disaster declaration, to March 28, 2024.
• FEMA has made individual assistance available to 26 counties in Florida. Residents in Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia counties are eligible to apply for Individual Assistance.
• FEMA is meeting survivors where they are to help jumpstart their recoveries. Disaster Survivor Assistance specialists are going door-to-door in Florida neighborhoods to help individuals register for assistance. These teams have interacted with almost 77,000 survivors in counties designated for Individual Assistance.
• Survivors can visit one of 23 Disaster Recovery Centers operating in Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee (2 locations), Manatee, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia counties. More centers are planned. Interpretation services and translated materials are available at these centers to help survivors communicate in the language with which they feel most comfortable. Disaster Recovery Center locations are chosen for their accessibility, with the goal of reaching as many people as possible. As centers are added, real-time locations will be updated at FloridaDisaster.org.
• FEMA expanded Transitional Sheltering Assistance to seven more counties bringing to a total 26 counties that are eligible for temporary hotel stays for survivors who cannot remain in their homes because of storm damage. As of today, the program is providing housing for 2,362 households with 5,966 members.
• Hundreds of FEMA inspectors have performed over 178,000 home inspections for survivors who applied for federal disaster assistance.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved $429 million in low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and business owners. Business Recovery Centers are located in Collier, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee and Seminole counties.
• As of Oct. 29, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has received more than 43,000 flood insurance claims and paid more than $244 million to policyholders, including $142 million in advance payments.
• NFIP policyholders may receive up to $1,000 to reimburse the purchase of supplies like sandbags, plastic sheeting and lumber. They may also receive up to $1,000 in storage expenses if they moved insured property. Policyholders should file a claim for flood loss avoidance reimbursement, regardless of whether it was successful in preventing flood damage.
• FEMA is conducting local hiring for more than 300 jobs in Brandon, Fort Myers, Kissimmee, Orlando and Sarasota. These positions are full-time, 120-day appointments that may be extended depending on operational needs. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online through USAJobs.gov.
• Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available to eligible survivors. Floridians can file a claim for loss of income caused by Hurricane Ian by going to Disaster Unemployment Assistance - FloridaJobs.org and selecting “Apply for Hurricane Ian DUA,” visiting a local CareerSource Career Center, or calling 800-385-3920. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET. 
• Low-income Florida residents recovering from Hurricane Ian may be eligible for assistance from the Department of Agriculture’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Survivors can find more information on Florida’s D-SNAP program by visiting the Florida Department of Children and Families’ Hurricane Ian Response & Recovery website.
• Operation Blue Roof has installed 17,321 roofs. This is a free service provided to homeowners and is currently operating in Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Lee and Sarasota counties. Residents impacted by Hurricane Ian can sign up at BlueRoof.us or call toll-free at 1-888-ROOF-BLU (1-888-766-3258) for more information. The call center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
• National Flood Insurance Program Florida policyholders who had flood damage from the hurricane have a 90-day window to renew their policies. The extension applies to policies with renewal dates beginning Aug. 25 through Oct. 23. Policyholders whose renewal date is in this range should contact their agent or insurance company. FEMA also extended the proof of loss requirement for flood insurance policyholders in Florida who experienced flood damage from Hurricane Ian from 60 to 365 days. For more information on how to file a flood insurance claim, visit How to Start Your Flood Insurance Claim.

If you or a member of your household uses adaptive or accessibility items that were damaged by Hurricane Ian, you may be eligible for FEMA assistance for those items. For homeowners, items can include an exterior ramp, grab bars and a paved pathway to the home’s entrance from a vehicle. Awards do not count toward your Housing Assistance or Personal Property maximum awards. For more information for homeowners and renters, visit Update to FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide 

Risk Methodology Feedback – Updated Fiscal Year 2023 Proposed Enhancements

  

Dear Homeland Security Partners,   Please see the below message from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) regarding revisions to the proposed enhancements of the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)  risk methodology and the webinars that have been scheduled to discuss the proposed changes.   Thank you.    Best Regards,                                                                                                  Office of Intergovernmental Affairs U.S. Department of Homeland Security DHS.IGA@hq.dhs.gov       After receiving feedback from state, territory, and urban area stakeholders, FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) has made revisions to the proposed enhancements of the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)  risk methodology.     GPD is hosting two webinars to present and discuss these new proposed changes on November 2nd and 7th.  We encourage you to invite all your stakeholders and partners, including law enforcement, emergency managers, first responders, as well as those representing other geographic areas and associations affected by these grants.  Materials explaining new variables and data sets, threat landscapes, and analyses relied upon by GPD, will all be shared in advance of the webinars.       Following these sessions, GPD seeks feedback on the updated proposed enhancements from states, territories, the nation’s 100 most populous metropolitan statistical areas, and impacted law enforcement, emergency managers, first responders, and those representing other geographic areas and associations. Written comments on the updated proposed enhancements can be sent to FEMA-MSA-Process@fema.dhs.gov. Responses are due no later than November 10, 2022.   All stakeholder feedback will be analyzed against the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 recommendations to determine if there should be any additional changes to these proposed risk methodology enhancements before implementation for the FY 2023 grants cycle. A summary of the feedback will be presented to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary and the FEMA Administrator, along with a recommended path forward on implementing changes.    Please note, we anticipate commencing discussions on FY 2024 grants in mid-January.   We appreciate your continued partnership in this important endeavor and thank you for your support in shaping the future of the Homeland Security Grant Program. Please feel free to contact us with questions at FEMA-MSA-Process@fema.dhs.gov.   Webinar Details: •           Nov. 2, 2022, 03:00 – 4:30 PM Eastern Time  •           Nov. 7, 2022, 03:00– 4:30 PM Eastern Time    Due to the expected large volume of participants, initially the Zoom webinar will have all participants muted and video disabled. During the webinar, you will have the option of raising your hand to ask a verbal question or using the Q&A function to ask written questions. The button to open the Q&A window should appear at the bottom of the zoom window. At the end of the presentation, you will have the option to raise your hand on Zoom so you can be unmuted and ask questions. The chat function within Zoom will be disabled.   Participation is optional. All attendees will need to register in order to attend. Please sign in a few minutes early to allow yourself time to register for the meeting. Call-in details will be automatically emailed to participants after registration is completed. If you download the calendar information, all scheduled webinars will show on your calendar, but you do not need to attend them all.   Register in advance for this webinar: https://fema.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_YWnL3AA7Szq-SZ7UUARx6g   Or an H.323/SIP room system:     H.323: 161.199.138.10 (US West) or 161.199.136.10 (US East)     Meeting ID: 161 067 4235     Passcode: 592017     SIP: 1610674235@sip.zoomgov.com     Passcode: 592017   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.   Thank you, Pamela S. Williams Assistant Administrator Grant Programs Directorate

 

 

Black Emergency Managers Association International Washington, D.C.
bEMA International Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering (C5&P)   A 501 (c) 3 organization

 

 

 

UK Members: The Final Frontier. UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (UKSEDS)

BEMA International UK members......

 

 

 

 

Dear SSPI UK Members and Friends,

SSPI UK is working with the UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (UKSEDS) to help provide volunteer Mentors for its satellite design competition 2022/23. 

Teams of students at 5 to 10 UK Universities will compete to design and build a spacecraft to meet specifications produced by UKSEDS and Airbus, which will again be sponsoring the competition. Mentors will support a UK University team to help execute the project. 

Your involvement will be a couple of hours per month between November 2022 and July 2023, on calls with your team, as well as an in-person launch event at Kings College London on Saturday 12th November. The timings of the event are 1pm to 5pm.

Here you can find the Competitions Mentor Guide explaining the role.  Mentors from previous years’ competitions found the experience challenging, energising, and personally rewarding.

If you are experienced in satellite design projects and are interested in working with a team of high energy, smart students on a challenging project, please contact Lee Ellis from UKSEDS at lee.ellis@ukseds.org.

It will be great fun!!

 

For more information contact us on sspi_uk@sspi.org.

Join SSPI UK, follow us on social media, and stay in touch that we can build the larger network, beneficial to all.

Visit our SSPI UK website for more news or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.