Upcoming Flood Insurance Webinars for Agents Presented by the National Flood Insurance Program August 2021 - Register Now!

 

Upcoming Flood Insurance Webinars for Agents Presented by the National Flood Insurance Program August 2021 - Register Now! (Capacity is Limited) Key Fundamentals of Flood Insurance for Agents Parts One and Two Please register for both parts of this webinar. Part One: August 4 - 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Central Time - REGISTER Part Two: August 5 - 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Central Time - REGISTER Insurance agent continuing education course approval and credits vary by state. CLICK HERE for information about your state.  Can't attend these sessions? Watch for more opportunities soon.   TWO-PART KEY FUNDAMENTALS WEBINAR This webinar is a two-part course on FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program. It includes the topics listed in the Federal Register notice on training and education requirements related to Section 207 of the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004, otherwise known as FIRA 2004. It brings participants the latest information on reform legislation impacting the NFIP and reviews the key elements insurance agents need to know about the NFIP and how it works. It also discusses many of the federal flood program’s general rules as well as some more advanced topics. For more information visit our Key Fundamentals of Flood Insurance overview. Attendees must complete both sessions in order to cover all topics required by the Flood Insurance Reform Act (FIRA) of 2004. REGISTRATION INFORMATION To register, please use the links above. These webinars are FREE to attend, but spaces are limited so please register early. Can't attend these sessions? NFIP Training conducts webinars on flood insurance topics regularly. Watch for more upcoming opportunities. If you are not a subscriber to NFIP agent training bulletins, please sign up here. CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS Continuing education course approval and credits vary by state for insurance agents. Click Here for information about your state. Some states (e.g. California, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia) require that both parts of the course be successfully completed in the same offering to receive any credit hours. Both parts of the course must be completed to meet the FIRA 2004 training requirement. Periodic learning checks will be conducted to measure attendee engagement. Learning checks must be completed by each registered attendee to earn continuing education credit. Only registered attendees are eligible to receive continuing education credits. No exam is required. Currently, there are no continuing education credits available in Puerto Rico, Guam or the Virgin Islands. State Mandatory Notifications  (Language is written as provided by the state) Colorado - This two-part course is approved by the Colorado Division of Insurance for Continuing Insurance Education Credit. Connecticut - Approved by the State of Connecticut Insurance Department for insurance producer continuing education credit. Florida - Each part of this course has been approved by the Florida Department of Financial Services for insurance continuing education credit.  FL Provider: H2O Partners, Inc. (#365883); Course: Key Fundamentals of Flood Insurance for Agents - Part 1 (Webinar) (#106200); Course: Key Fundamentals of Flood Insurance for Agents - Part 2 (Webinar) (#106202). New Mexico - This course has been approved by the Insurance Continuing Education Committee as a New Mexico Insurance Continuing Education Course. South Carolina - This course is approved by the South Carolina Department of Insurance for Continuing Insurance Education Credit.   Please do not reply to this email. If you have any questions, please email floodsmart@fema.dhs.gov .     Sign Up for NFIP Agent Training Bulletins
		The National Flood Insurance Program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
	National Flood Insurance Program Training

State and Local Jurisdictions. Two Sides of Tragedy. Two Communities. March - June 2021

Local Jurisdiction and State Issues

Understand the process at the lowest level in a community.

https://www.blackemergmanagersassociation.org/2021/07/training-opportunity-fema-state-public.html

Training Opportunity. FEMA State Public Assistance Operations 2022

1669 - Training Opportunity - E0376 - State Public Assistance Operations

BEMA International

Event Date:  March 25, 2021 FEMA Disaster Declared:        Major Disaster Declaration declared on April 26, 2021 https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07/11/fema-black-owned-property/ ‘The real damage’ Why FEMA is denying disaster aid to Black families that have lived for generations in the Deep South. HALE COUNTY, Ala. — Not enough people were signing up for help after a series of tornadoes ripped through rural Alabama, so the government sent Chris Baker to figure out why. He had driven past the spot where a tornado threw a 13-year-old girl high into a tree, past where injured cows had to be shot one by one, and past where a family was crushed to death in their bathtub. And now, as another day began in this patchwork of destruction, he grabbed a stack of fliers with a picture of an outstretched hand and headed to his car to let people know Washington had assistance to offer.   “So we’ll do a convoy?” Baker asked the local official who had offered to show him around, looking down to check that the badge identifying him as a specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency was in place.   He needn’t have bothered. “There goes FEMA,” called a woman on her porch as they drove by. Two burly White men in khaki cargo pants on a hot day — who else would it be? A majority-Black county named for an officer in the Confederate Army, Hale County is a place of little interest to outsiders; an area of dense forests, catfish farms and 15,000 residents, most of whom can trace their ancestry back to enslaved people or plantation owners. President Biden has instructed FEMA to prioritize getting help to these kinds of “too often overlooked” communities — the places that climate change is already overwhelming with more storms, floods and heat waves. And Baker was eager to do just that. “That’s why we’re knocking on what doors we can,” he said.   Baker was new to the agency, and this was his second deployment to a disaster zone. His supervisors had asked him to spread the word that people who lost homes to the March 25 tornadoes still had time to apply for grants of up to $72,000. But as he canvassed the area, a different message was spreading much faster: That people here were in fact not eligible for anything, because of how they had inherited their land. Because of the way Black people have always inherited land in Hale County.

Event Date:  June 24, 2021 FEMA Disaster Declared:      Emergency Declaration declared on June 25, 2021   https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/25/us/surfside-collapse-site-future-memorial/index.html   (CNN)Firefighters used a cherry picker to pluck Steve Rosenthal from his Unit 705 balcony after the Champlain Towers South partially crumbled last month. The advertising executive escaped from his Surfside, Florida, condo building with just a few items in a paper bag -- including a T-shirt, pants and his wallet.   Rosenthal now lives in a hotel paid for by friends and wears donated clothes. And he's worried about what's in store for the site of the collapse, which has killed at least 97 people.   Rosenthal still owes money on the two-bedroom condo he bought 20 years ago, and wants a solution that provides the fastest financial recovery for the survivors and victims' families. "I lost everything, my life is totally upside down, people I called friends are gone," he told CNN. "I'm 72 years old, I can't spend what's left of my life trying to rebuild. Whatever they do, they just need to compensate people."   He also would like to see some sort of memorial at the site to honor the lives of those lost.   But resolving the long-term future of the property -- the site of a deadly disaster that also happens to be valuable beachfront real estate -- will likely be complicated. And judging by what's happened at the sites of other mass tragedies, it will take some time…………

 
 
 
 
 

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

 

Training Opportunity. FEMA State Public Assistance Operations 2022

1669 - Training Opportunity - E0376 - State Public Assistance Operations

E0376 State Public Assistance Operations

Course Description:

This course provides State, local, and tribal staffs with an overview of FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Program, process, and policies. Course topics include introduction to program laws, regulations, policies, the PA process, grants management, eligibility, hazard mitigation in the PA Program, compliance with other Federal laws and regulations, and project formulation.  Read more in Training Opportunity 1669

Train-the-Trainer Course. NIMS ICS 2022

1670 - Training Opportunity - NIMS ICS Position Specific TTT Courses for Academic Year 2022

2022 NIMS ICS Position-Specific Train-the-Trainer (TtT) Virtual “K” Course Schedule

Be advised that upcoming 2022 National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) Position-Specific TtT classes will be deployed via the virtual (“K”) course code by the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Course Description:

The NIMS ICS Position-Specific Train-the-Trainer (TtT) courses are designed to assist the student in preparation to function effectively as an instructor of NIMS ICS Position-Specific courses.  Read more in

Training Opportunity 1670

 

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SAMHSA releases Tribal Behavioral Health grants totaling $7 million to provide support to Native American communities   The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released 29 Tribal Behavioral Health Grants for $7 million to Native American communities.   SAMHSA’s Centers for Mental Health Services (CMHS) and Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Tribal Behavioral Health Grant Program (Native Connections) funds are devoted to preventing suicide and substance misuse, reducing the impact of trauma, and promoting mental health among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) young people up to and including 24 years old.   “Too often, American Indian and Alaska Native communities see disproportionately higher rates of behavioral health needs,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, who leads SAMHSA. “Our Native Connections program’s goals are to reduce the impact of mental and substance use disorders for communities, foster culturally responsive models that reduce and respond to the impact of trauma there, and enable communities to facilitate collaboration among agencies to support young people as they transition into adulthood.”   Read More

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857 USA 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) | www.samhsa.gov | Privacy

FEMA Announces Initial Initiatives to Advance Equity July 2021

FEMA announced two initiatives to advance equity across the agency, which are part of the agency’s efforts to focus on reducing barriers and increasing opportunities.

The two major initiatives are the formation of an Equity Enterprise Steering Group and the establishment of a robust stakeholder engagement process to develop the agency’s 2022 – 2026 Strategic Plan. Both initiatives include internal and external stakeholders to reflect the agency’s commitment to advancing equity. These actions are just the first of many planned for the coming months.

Too many disaster survivors face barriers in accessing assistance programs and resources to support their recovery. Certain populations – specifically low-income neighborhoods, communities of color, people with disabilities and older adults, those with language barriers and those living in rural and isolated areas – are disproportionately impacted by disasters. FEMA is committed to ensuring disaster assistance programs do not exacerbate existing unequal conditions.

“We’re turning a page at FEMA and infusing equity throughout our agency, programs, and policies to better serve people who face unique barriers before, during and after disasters,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Systemic racism across institutions and society has sidelined generations of people of color and low-income households and that practice needs to end.”

The new Equity Enterprise Steering Group is focused on assessing issues like access and delivery of FEMA programs, services, and activities. Members include representatives from each of the major offices across the agency and is co-chaired by the Office of Equal Rights and the Office of Response and Recovery. The group is designed to drive forward our commitment to equity in every part of the agency, not just certain programs. 

FEMA is developing the 2022 – 2026 Strategic Plan through input from stakeholders within the agency and beyond to reflect a whole of community perspective. Stakeholders will inform the agency’s goals and objectives, with equity as a foundational priority for the coming years.

“As emergency managers, we must meet people where they are. Our first steps forward will shape future decisions by engaging our teams, partners, key stakeholders, and the public to boost access and reduce barriers,” Criswell said. “In time, we hope our work will ultimately lead to systematic generational change for underserved populations in disaster-prone communities.”

Increasing Additional Equitable Measures

FEMA continues to use equity as a lens to drive response operations and deliver better services to marginalized and other vulnerable populations. While FEMA continues to work towards creating equitable outcomes for survivors, the agency is working within its specific authorities and responsibilities to make changes, including: 

• Spearheading a successful Community Vaccination Centers Mission to combat COVID-19 and administer vaccinations, in which more than 58% of all vaccines were given to individuals of color, provides a model for how equity considerations can be incorporated into other policies and programs.
• Establishing three new positions in the National Response Coordination Center to address equity during all large-scale response operations with other federal agencies. Those positions include a civil rights advisor, an accessibility compliance leader, and a tribal recovery position.
• Encouraging active employee engagement to ensure internal discussions generate new ideas on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Diverse organizations such as FEMA’s Employee Resource Groups and other employee-led groups have partnered with senior leadership to seek ideas and input.
• Hosting a Command and General Staff “Equity Stand Down” with over 400 FEMA field leaders on August 4-5. This will provide critical information on civil rights law, equity “levers” field leaders can pull to enhance equity, and training on how to use the many tools available within FEMA to incorporate equity into tactical decision making (e.g., where to place Disaster Recovery Centers).
• Issuing a request for information and began soliciting public comment on our programs to help identify regulations and policies that may benefit from modification, streamlining, expansion or repeal to better address climate change and underserved communities and populations. The request for information will remain open until July 21.
• Assessing several programs to determine where the agency can make improvements and where there is a need for support from other federal partners and the legislative branch.
• Expanding eligibility criteria for Critical Needs Assistance to include applicants who state they have a need for shelter but have not been able to leave their damaged dwelling.
• Expanding access by integrating a Documentation Drop Off Center model for Disaster Recovery Centers that enables survivors to submit documentation in-person, notifies survivors when a representative is available, and provides estimated wait times.

 

Join FEMA July 28 to Learn About Climate Change, Future Conditions, and Nature-Based Solutions

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Division invites you to a webinar that will provide an overview and examples of climate change, future conditions and how nature-based solutions can help build community resilience against these issues. Additionally, panelists from FEMA, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will discuss best practices when considering applications to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. Title: Climate Change, Future Conditions, and Nature-Based Solutions Date: Weds., July 28, 2021 Time: 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. CT, 12 p.m. MT, 11 a.m. PT) Adobe Connect: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/bric-and-fma-series-2021/ Phone: 886-448-3399 View HMA's schedule for the 2021 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities and Flood Mitigation Assistance Programs' Webinar Series. The webinars will run July 28 through Oct. 13. Note: Be sure to test your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting.