CDEMA, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency needs your assistance. Awareness and Satisfaction of the Caribbean Risk Information System (CRIS) Survey August 19, 2022

CDEMA, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency needs your assistance.

BEMA International

 

Awareness and Satisfaction of the Caribbean Risk Information System (CRIS) Survey     Dear Stakeholder,  The team at the CDEMA CU is seeking your assistance in the completion of a brief survey to assess your Awareness and Satisfaction of the new Caribbean Risk Information System (CRIS) platform.  Please follow this link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8Z3GFLK We appreciate your feedback!

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  We must act as if we answer to, and only answer to, our ancestors, our children, and the unborn. — Amilcar Cabra

 

 

 

SCIENCE ADVANCES . CLIMATOLOGY Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood

 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abq0995

SCIENCE ADVANCES | RESEARCH ARTICLE

CLIMATOLOGY Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood 

Xingying Huang1 *† and Daniel L. Swain2,3,4 *† 

Despite the recent prevalence of severe drought, California faces a broadly underappreciated risk of severe floods. Here, we investigate the physical characteristics of “plausible worst case scenario” extreme storm sequences capable of giving rise to “megaflood” conditions using a combination of climate model data and high-resolution weather modeling. 

Using the data from the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble, we find that climate change has already doubled the likelihood of an event capable of producing catastrophic flooding, but larger future increases are likely due to continued warming. We further find that runoff in the future extreme storm scenario is 200 to 400% greater than historical values in the Sierra Nevada because of increased precipitation rates and decreased snow fraction. These findings have direct implications for flood and emergency management, as well as broader implications for hazard mitigation and climate adaptation activities.

Copyright © 2022 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S.Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC)

INTRODUCTION 

California is a region more accustomed to water scarcity than overabundance in the modern era. Between 2012 and 2021, California experienced two historically severe droughts—at least one of which was likely the most intense in the past millennium (1, 2)—resulting in widespread agricultural, ecological, and wildfire-related impacts (3, 4) and ongoing drought-focused public policy conversations. 

Yet, historical and paleoclimate evidence shows that California is also a region subject to episodic pluvials that substantially exceed any in the meteorological instrumental era (5)—potentially leading to underestimation of the risks associated with extreme (but infrequent) floods. Observed extreme precipitation and severe subregional flood events during the 20th century—including those in 1969, 1986, and 1997—hint at this latent potential, but despite their substantial societal impacts, none have rivaled (from a geophysical perspective) the benchmark “Great Flood of 1861–1862” (henceforth, GF1862). 

This event, which was characterized by weeks-long sequences of winter storms, produced widespread catastrophic flooding across virtually all of California’s lowlands—transforming the interior Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys into a temporary but vast inland sea nearly 300 miles in length (6) and inundating much of the now densely populated coastal plain in present-day Los Angeles and Orange counties (7). 

Recent estimates suggest that floods equal to or greater in magnitude to those in 1862 occur five to seven times per millennium [i.e., a 1.0 to 0.5% annual likelihood or 100- to 200-year recurrence interval (RI)] (5, 8). 

The extraordinary impacts resulting from GF1862 provided motivation for a 2010 California statewide disaster scenario—known as “ARkStorm” (ARkStorm 1.0)—led by the U.S. Geological Survey in conjunction with a large, interdisciplinary team (9). The meteorological scenario underpinning the ARkStorm 1.0 exercise involved the synthetic concatenation of two nonconsecutive extreme storm events from the 20th century (10). Subsequent analysis suggested

READ Complete Article at:   https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abq0995

Grants. Writers, Awareness, Education, and Training. August 2022

 

The unwillingness to try is worse than any failure.   Nikki Giovanni

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“Trust and Credibility is what we’ve built over time within BEMA International”.

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Review the Grant Writer with Workshop, the Grant (CERT) Webinar info below. 

If you never dot your I’s, or cross your T’s.  Our communities need your continued support and services.

If you’ve never registered your nonprofit, separated personal and business bank accounts you still have time.

If your nonprofit doesn’t have the monitoring & evaluation, or other administrative and operations components for grant award consider outsourcing or contracting.  Outsourcing or contracting in partnership with a member of BEMA International.

Times have changed.  Those that do the work, the ‘boots on the ground’ before, during, and after a disaster or crisis NEED THE FUNDING.

There are grant writers that are members of BEMA International.  Your standing as a member gives you exclusive access to their full range of services.  Trust and credibility are two of the cornerstones of BEMA International.

We have vetted other members and their services.

Plan accordingly.  You are not alone.

BEMA International

 

Grant Writer with Workshop

Does anyone need support writing grants or want to learn how to write a grant?    Join Cooper Consulting for their virtual Beginner Grant Proposal Workshop for only $24.99!    Wednesday, August 17th from 7:30pm-8:30pm EST   You can sign up here: www.iamqueentanz.com    Tanzania Fair is the Founder of Cooper Consulting. She has over 10 years of experience in the business field. She raised over 150K in grant funding for her own businesses and other businesses.    Cooper Consulting mission is to serve aspiring entrepreneurs, small- mid size businesses, nonprofits, and start-up companies to develop strategic change to achieve desired outcomes.   We provide resources and strategies to ensure that companies grow in a realistic way.   If you need grant writing services you can email her at inquiries.cooperconsulting@gmail.com or 313-364-9382

 

Grant (CERT) Webinar

National CERT Association, FEMA, and Cal OES

FEMA the new grant guidance for the 2022 Homeland Security Grant Program requires a 3% minimum spend on community preparedness and resiliency programs like CERT.  Many CERT programs have never applied for grant funding and have asked for additional information on the topic.   The National CERT Association, FEMA, and Cal OES have partnered to host a webinar on CERT Grant Funding.  This webinar will feature presentations from Butler County, Kanas, and the City of Boston.  These presenters will talk about how they have leveraged grant funding to support their local CERT programs and will give some insight on their application and execution process. Join us for this informative webinar on Wednesday, August 24th, 2022 from 1pm to 3pm eastern, 10am to 12pm pacific. Click here to register for the webinar:  https://fema.connectsolutions.com/certgrants/event/registration.html   This webinar will be hosted on FEMA’s Adobe Connect platform.  Make sure to test your Adobe Connect before this webinar:  Adobe Connect Test This webinar will be recorded and made available on FEMA’s Preparedness Webinar Portal. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

 

 

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       The unwillingness to try is worse than any failure.   Nikki Giovanni

 

Monkeypox: experts give virus variants new names. August 2022

Anyone wishing to propose new names can do so here (see ICD-11, Add proposals).

(https://www.who.int/news/item/12-08-2022-monkeypox--experts-give-virus-variants-new-names) https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenaebarnes/2022/08/12/who-renames-monkeypox-variants-to-dispel-stigma-and-creates-open-forum-for-name-change/?sh=51de72e03502  The World Health Organization is inviting the public to propose new names for monkeypox and has renamed two variants of the disease, according to a statement released Friday, after weeks of criticism that the name has racist connotations and generates stigma…………… The WHO met with several scientists this week to discuss best naming practices for diseases, in order to avoid ”causing offense” to any “ethnic, social or professional” groups, and minimize harm to trade, travel, tourism or animals.

 

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

Webinar on PA and SBA for Places of Worship and Private Non-Profits! August 16, 2022

 

Webinar: FEMA Public Assistance and Small Business Administration Resources for Places of Worship and Community Private Non-Profits FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides supplemental grants so that communities can more quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. Join the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for a deep dive on Public Assistance and its role to support houses of worship, private non-profits, and communities in times of disaster.  The webinar will: provide an overview of how to apply for Public Assistance funding; discuss ways to employ mitigation measures to reduce future disaster losses; encourage and empower houses of worship and private non-profit organizations to apply for Public Assistance funding; and, consider implementing Public Assistance Mitigation measures as part of their recovery process.   DATE: August 16, 2022 TIME: 2-3:30 p.m. ET REGISTRATION: Register here   Webinar Topics The role of the Small Business Administration on the disaster recovery Considerations for seeking resources for permanent work Public Assistance mitigation benefits Public Assistance Category B Mass care services Policy for leveraging donated resources  Connect with FEMA on Social Media - Social Media | FEMA.gov FEMA uses social media to engage the public around the FEMA mission of helping people before, during and after disasters. You can also find interesting topics of discussion related to FEMA and emergency management by following our PrepTalks video and FEMA Podcast series. Connect with DHS on Social Media - Social Media Directory | Homeland Security (dhs.gov) The Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies use numerous social media accounts to provide you with information in more places and more ways. The Department uses non-government sites to make information and services more widely available. Sometimes we are directly engaging with you on these sites, sometimes we use these services because we want to be where you already are. The DHS Partnerships Center carries out the policies and program priorities of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, DHS and FEMA for faith and community-based organizations related to all-hazards preparedness, emergency and disaster response and recovery, safety, security, and human trafficking. The DHS Partnerships Center offers a variety of resources to the public at dhs.gov/faith. DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships  Have a comment, question or looking for information? E-mail us at Partnerships@fema.dhs.gov

Accepting Applications for the 18th Annual Break the Cycle of Children's Environmental Health Training Program

 

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The Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit and Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, Inc. invites university students from all disciplines in the US and around the world to participate in our 2022-2023, 18th Annual Break the Cycle of Children’s Environmental Health Disparities training program. Our Break the Cycle Program supports an interdisciplinary set of student-driven research projects that explore the social, economic, and environmental factors that adversely affect children’s health and well-being. Students are encouraged to develop creative strategies to reverse or mitigate those adverse factors and thereby improve the health and well-being of vulnerable children to Break the Cycle of Children’s Environmental Health Disparities and promote health equity for all children. Since its inception in 2004, trainees from over 50 academic departments across 14 States in the US, as well as from 6 countries in in Latin America and 2 countries in Africa have completed over 150 BTC projects. Annual BTC trainee projects are published in an international journal. We invite interested students to submit a research proposal by Friday September 16, 2022, for consideration. Proposals are reviewed by the Break the Cycle faculty and decisions will be communicated by Friday September 30, 2022. Questions? Contact Leslie Rubin lrubi01@emory.edu

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Fire in Matanzas, Cuba The Real Story Beyond the Smoke and Fire August 9, 2022

Fire in Matanzas:  The Real Story Beyond the Smoke and Fire

By Gustavo A Maranges on August 9, 2022 from Cardenas

photo: Ricardo Lopez Hevia – Granma

Today, after several days, I checked what the mainstream media has reported on the accident at Matanzas supertanker base. I was not surprised at all by what I found. I say this because many of us are used to reading articles driven by sensationalism and not by  any credible principles of journalism when reporting on Cuba.

This has been a tragic accident with incalculable consequences for Cubans. Meanwhile, for the foreign public, it has been reduced to spectacular photos showing huge flames accompanied by a column of black smoke that overshadows two of the country’s main cities.

Like in a Roman circus, the agencies are focusing on the combat between two very unequal gladiators, the firefighters and the all-consuming fire, as if suggesting in advance who will win. Once again, they decided to tell grief and catastrophe stories to sell the news, while sacrificing the best thing: the stories of courage of those who have been working now for 4 days in a row.

For many foreign people, the hashtag #FuerzaMatanzas will be remembered with the images of a terrible accident that claimed the lives of several people and a strategic facility for the economy of a small Caribbean island. However, the story is quite different for those who live in Cuba, especially the people of Matanzas.

For us, it is much more than an accident. Watching 4 tanks endlessly burning has brought tears to the eyes of thousands, but it has also made the hearts of many, like mine, swell with pride. Witnessing firefighters’ tireless efforts to defeat a much stronger opponent, their frustrations, their joys, and their suffering because of 14 missing colleagues makes me reflect on the human and professional quality of those people I knew little or nothing about before.

Firefighters and rescuers are today the human face of this tragedy, but there is more. Behind them, there are hundreds of people guaranteeing health services, food, and technical maintenance and there are millions of Cubans inside and outside the island willing to help those in need in any possible way. The support being revealed during this difficult time comes from the very base of Cuban society that is rooted in the Revolution.

It is moving to see how people and institutions from nearby provinces have done everything they can to soothe the situation of the people of Matanzas. They have provided food and medicines, while some of them have lost their lives, as in the case of the young fireman from Cienfuegos, who has been identified as the first victim of the accident.

In Matanzas, every single person is consumed with what happening and is aware of whether a tank is safe or the next one is burning. They are all worried about providing gauze, medicine, or just a modest cup of coffee for the ambulance driver who has not been home for two days. For Cubans the concept of family grows in times like these; it grows to the unimaginable, and suddenly names and faces not known before begin to feel closer.

Amid the collective suffering, it is a relief to know that in a single day, over 600 blood donations were made in Cardenas  (40 km from the site) alone to contribute to the treatment of the injured. Today, Casa de las Americas (House of the Américas) famous slogan “Mi casa es tu casa” (My house is your house) takes on new meaning as several hostels have offered their rooms to accommodate health workers and logistics personnel who traveled to the city to help. Something similar is happening with private restaurants such as La Campiña and some private bakeries which have offered food for those who work tirelessly to mitigate the consequences of the fire.

Havana watched with astonishment the smog crossing its sky since dawn of the first day. There, people have organized spontaneously to send everything possible. They even made a list of priorities so as to not duplicate efforts. Many of these donations are collected by institutions and, in some cases, are taken to Matanzas by people using their own means.

Beholding these gestures of such humanity, we can only rejoice that amid adversity, Cubans still have that immense love for our neighbors and the willingness to do good, something that definitely has characterized us throughout our history.

Support has come from everywhere. Cubans abroad and friends have collected medical supplies, money, and food to donate. In the US initiatives of Puentes de Amor The People’s Forum, Pastors for Peace, and CodePink, just to mention a few, go beyond the material aspect. They remind us that we have never been alone and that the United States is much more than a handful of politicians and individuals hell-bent on bringing more suffering to the Cuban people. Our heartfelt thanks to those who have made the difference and may have at least expressed to us their solidarity.

There have been many support statements from all over the world, both from personalities and governments. But special mention should be made of Venezuelans and Mexicans who sent material aid in planes and ships before it was even asked for. Given the magnitude of the challenge, both countries gave more than pieces of advice and put their people’s bodies to join forces and experience and end the fire. Once again, history has brought us together to write pages of humanism worthy of being recorded in books. Others such as Jamaica, the United Kingdom, and Russia have sent resources.

This is the real story of the tragic accident in Matanzas. It is the story of impetus facing pain, of smiles and tears, of mistakes and successes. This is a story of solidarity, unity, and love, something that Cubans have plenty of, but today, it was our turn to receive.

The story behind #FuerzaMatanzas is the human one and not that of the flames, which came to take away what we built with so much effort. That is the story that will survive in Cuba because we suffered it, we lived through it, because it affected us tremendously, and despite it, we faced the challenge.

After watching how Cubans have responded to this accident, I have no doubt that everything will be done in the shortest possible time. By then, there will be more broken hearts but also heroic stories that reminded us that we are also the land of the brave.

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – US

To make donations in the US for Matanzas relief visit:

Pastors for Peace; https://ifconews.org/donate/

Global Health Partners; https://ghpartners.org/cuba2022/

The Hatuey Project; https://www.hatueyproject.org/donate/

Code Pink; https://www.codepink.org/cubafirerelief