Work Rest Cycles during extreme heat. This is common knowledge for any U.S. Military member. .....and inspectable\gradable for putting staff at risk.

 2 A work/rest cycle is a pattern of alternating work and rest based on an assessment of risk. The proportions of work and rest will vary – more and longer periods of rest/recovery are necessary as risks increase.

FEMA Designates First Communities to Receive Assistance for Hazard Resilience September 2023

 FEMA Advisory

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The Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022 was signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden on Dec. 20, 2022. The act builds disaster resilience across the nation by creating and designating resilience zones that can focus assistance and support to areas that need it most.

These zones are disadvantaged communities that have high natural hazard risks based on combined risks of annualized estimated losses to buildings, people and agriculture from natural hazards; social vulnerability; and community resilience.

The designations will also enable jurisdictions to strengthen their community resilience by working with a range of federal agencies, private sector, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and private equity partners.

Community Disaster Resilience Zones Designations 

On Sept. 6, FEMA is announcing 483 census tracts in communities that will receive targeted federal support to become more resilient to natural hazards and extreme weather worsened by the climate crisis. FEMA will use these zones to focus resilience activities as well as to encourage other federal agencies, the private sector, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and private equity to invest in resilience projects.

FEMA is authorized to provide additional assistance for mitigation projects that reduce natural hazard risk in, or primarily benefiting, a designated zone, including a cost share adjustment under certain FEMA mitigation grant programs.

Designation Requirements and Process

FEMA consulted with other federal agencies, supporters and contributors from the public and private sectors, and the general public to refine the methodology for designating these initial resilience zones.

 With the legislation as guidance, individual census tracts with the highest natural hazard risk assessment as determined by components of the National Risk Index are eligible for designation. The law requires the following:

•  Include the 50 census tracts assigned the highest individual hazard risk rating.
• Within each state, include at least 1% of the census tracts with the highest individual risk rating. 
•  Achieve geographic balance and consider designations in coastal, inland, urban, suburban, rural areas.
• Include census tracts in territories and on tribal lands.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool was used for these designations as well. This tool is a geospatial platform that identifies areas across the nation that face especially acute climate and other resilience burdens. FEMA’s use of this tool further focused the designations on underserved communities.

Designations will focus resilience building activities as well as to encourage other federal agencies, the private sector, nonprofits, philanthropic and private equity to invest in projects to make identified communities more resilient.

For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plans to use these newly designated zones to focus a number of its climate resilience programs. NOAA will make an award this fall for the Climate-Smart Communities Initiative program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act to accelerate the pace of and reduce the cost of climate resilience-building for communities across the United States. The program will work with communities to co-develop equitable climate resilience plans that can be readied for funding and implementation. NOAA’s priority is to assist communities that are at the highest risk to climate impacts and have the most need for assistance, such as the FEMA identified Community Disaster Resilience Zones.

The Initial Designations Announcement on September 6

The initial announcement of designations is for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. FEMA will make a second announcement in the fall of 2023 for tribal lands. For the tribal land designations, FEMA will consider input received through a Tribal Consultation conducted on Aug.2, 2023. The open comment period for the Tribal Consultation closed on Sept. 5, 2023.

 A third designation of zones will occur in 12-18 months based on updates to the National Risk Index, lessons learned from this initial experience, and stakeholder input. Examples of planned updates to the National Risk Index include additional data on tsunami and riverine flood risk.

 FEMA will continue to engage the public as it refines the natural hazard risk assessment methodology to designate the zones, consults with local jurisdictions, and implements post-designation support from a range of public and private resources.

The agency ensured that each state has at least one Community Disaster Resilience Zone and considered geographical balance among coastal, inland, urban, suburban, and rural areas when designating the zones. Future designations will continue to build upon the geographic diversity.

The jurisdictions with these designated resilience zones may be viewed on FEMA’s website. An interactive map shows the states and census tracts with these initial designations.

When a crisis or disaster strikes. J.D. Power’s 2023 best and worst home insurance companies for claims.”

 

J.D. Power’s 2023 best and worst home insurance companies for claims

J.D. Power surveyed more than 5,500 homeowners insurance policyholders regarding claims service and 11,630 about their insurance experience overall. Erie Insurance is No. 1 for claims satisfaction in 2023.

J.D. Power’s 2023 Property Claims Satisfaction study places Erie Insurance, Amica and Nationwide as the top three best insurance companies for home insurance claims. Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) and Homesite are the bottom two companies in the research firm’s claims rankings for this year.

The overall home insurance satisfaction survey, last released in the fall of 2022, ranked Amica as the best home insurance company, followed by American Family and The Hartford. Farmers and Homesite landed in the bottom two.

For the claims survey, J.D. Power asked 5,343 homeowners insurance policyholders how they felt about recent claims experience in key areas, including the final settlement, interaction with representatives, and the estimate and repair process. J.D. Power releases its claims satisfaction survey annually in February.

The larger overall home insurance study surveyed 11,630 homeowners on five factors: interaction, policy offerings, price, billing process and policy information, and claims. J.D. Power releases its overall satisfaction survey annually in September, so 2023 results are not yet available. 

Amica regularly tops J.D. Power’s rankings for both homeowners insurance satisfaction overall and for claims, and took the top spot in both surveys in 2022, although it tied with The Hartford in the overall score. Erie Insurance bumped Amica out of first place in the 2023 claims survey.

Read on to learn how the top insurance companies ranked and what affected claims satisfaction in 2023, and take a look at the overall satisfaction scores for 2022 ahead of the new survey.

Key takeaways

Erie Insurance, Amica and Nationwide top the list for property insurance claims satisfaction, according to a 2023 study by J.D. Power.

Automobile Club of Southern California and Homesite are rated at the bottom for customer service during the claims process.

Amica, American Family and The Hartford took the top three spots for overall home insurance satisfaction in J.D. Power's 2022 survey, with 2023 results not yet available.

Farmers and Homesite are the bottom two companies in the overall satisfaction survey.

READ FULL ARTICLE AT:  

https://www.insurance.com/home-and-renters-insurance/coverage/j.d.-power-names-best-and-worst-insurers-for-property-claims.html#:~:text=Erie%20Insurance%2C%20Amica%20and%20Nationwide%20top%20the%20list,bottom%20for%20customer%20service%20during%20the%20claims%20process.

Food Insecurity: Free. For your Home. Start Your Soil-less Garden at home.

 

Actions Panel

Monday, October 2

Soil-less Certificate Series: Intro to Soil-less Agriculture Course

This hybrid, soilless certificate series is for beginner or urban farmers who are interested in operating hydroponic and aquaponic systems

Date and time

October 2 · 2pm - October 30 · 4pm EDT

Location

To be announced

About this event

• 28 days 2 hours
• Mobile eTicket

Course Description:

This hybrid course helps train individuals to understand the importance of materials, construction, maintenance, and products utilized to create and farm a successful hydroponics system in various ways.

Instructor: Ariel Verbrugge

Overall Instruction Time:

10 hours Online Lecture via Zoom

8 hours In-person at Firebird Farm

Cost: FREE

Deadline for Registration: Wednesday, September 27th

Schedule:

Introduction Virtual Lecture – Monday, October 2nd from 2 pm - 4 pm

Seeding In-person – Thursday, October 5th from 2 pm - 4 pm

Types of Soil-less Systems Virtual Lecture – Monday, October 9th from 2 pm - 4 pm

Constructing NFT System In-person – Thursday, October 12th from 2 pm - 4 pm

Water Quality Virtual Lecture – Monday, October 16th from 2 pm - 4 pm

Transplanting In-person – Thursday, October 19th from 2 pm - 4 pm

System Design Virtual Lecture – Monday, October 23rd from 2 pm - 4 pm

Harvesting In-person – Thursday, October 26th from 2 pm - 4 pm

Soil-less Farming and Conclusion Virtual Lecture – Monday, October 30th from 2 pm - 4 pm

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Beginner and/or urban farmers who are interested in operating hydroponics systems, New farmers/gardeners, and DMV Residents interested in new agricultural techniques.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

Farmers will learn:

The importance of soil-less systems in the past as well as for the future and in urban spaces

What factors, materials, and labor are required to maintain distinct types of hydroponics systems

The skills required to assemble, install, maintain, and adjust hydroponics systems

For more information, please contact Ariel Verbrugge at Ariel.Verbrugge@udc.edu.

Volunteer with CAUSES

Ready to discover the rewards of hydroponic volunteer opportunities? See here.

Connect with CAUSES

To receive insightful information on CAUSES’ news updates, upcoming virtual events, and specialized programming, please sign up here. Connect with us on social below!

Learn more about USDA OIG Office of Investigations

 

Learn more about USDA OIG Office of Investigations Recent Audit Reports USDA's Compliance with Binding Operational Directives 19-02 and 22-01 The Office of Inspector General evaluated and tested USDA’s compliance with the requirements of Binding Operational Directives 19-02 and 22-01. National Organic Program - Strengthening Organic Enforcement This informational report details control activities implemented to strengthen enforcement of the USDA organic regulations and explains how the Agricultural Marketing Service intends to measure the effectiveness of the new organic regulations. Food Purchase and Distribution Program We reviewed Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) controls over the Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FPDP) and determined whether AMS purchased the type and quantity of commodities necessary to mitigate the impact from retaliatory tariffs. COVID-19—Farmers to Families Food Box Program Administration In our final report, we assessed the controls Agricultural Marketing Service developed and implemented to ensure awardees fulfilled the obligations of their contracts. Previous Audit reports   Join Our Team Help us make a difference. The USDA Office of Inspector General seeks individuals whose abilities and efforts will make meaningful contributions to the interests and concerns of the public. USDA OIG careers