10-11am EDT
The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is hosting a webinar of zoonosis and ecosystems balance when it comes to pandemic.
Interpretation between Spanish and English is available.
Registration website: https://undrr.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_C7JEq_FOSNu-o8zQNPTbeA
The HiEd Community conference call is Friday, August 21, 2020, from 2-3 p.m. ET on ZoomGov. Meeting ID: 160 4678 0270, Password: 621901. Learn from the emergency management academic community about what is new and exciting in their world. Find out about ongoing projects and discuss community needs that the Hi Ed Program can address. Contact Wendy Walsh, wendy.walsh@fema.dhs.gov with discussion topics.
On Aug. 4, 2020, FEMA posted the Fiscal Year 2020 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Notification of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program and the new Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) pre-disaster mitigation grant program on grants.gov. This year there is $660 million available for these two programs combined. FEMA’s two competitive mitigation grant programs provide states, local communities, tribes and territories (SLTTs) funding for eligible mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to build a culture of preparedness by reducing disaster losses and protecting life and property from future disaster damages. The application period opens on Sept. 30, 2020. Eligible applicants must apply for funding using the new FEMA Grants Outcome (FEMA GO), which is now the management system for FMA and BRIC. Applications should be submitted in the FEMA Go Portal no later than 3:00 p.m. EST, Jan. 29, 2021.
FEMA released an interim “Debris Monitoring Guide,” which is now open for public comment. It includes several changes that incorporate updated requirements to comply with the “Procurement Disaster Assistance Team 2019 Field Manual.” This interim guide provides Public Assistance applicants and recipients (states, territories, or tribes that are the pass-through entity between the applicant and FEMA) with guidance on monitoring debris removal operations and eligibility requirements associated with necessary work and reasonable costs to carry out a debris monitoring program. The interim guide and accompanying comments matrix are available on the FEMA website. FEMA will accept public comments via the matrix until Sept. 17.
Additionally, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a survey to understand what support businesses need during the pandemic and communicate those needs to individuals who may be able to provide assistance. Click here to take this short survey.
From loss of business to remote work, COVID-19 is posing significant challenges for businesses, with Tropical Storm Isaias highlighting the complexities of responding to natural disasters amid a global pandemic. If your business was impacted by the storm, the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Disaster Help Desk is here to help guide you. Through the Help Desk, businesses can access the following resources:
Welcoming America is proud to lead the growing network of hosts and partners around the United States and world who strive to make their communities a more welcoming place for all.
At a time when political rhetoric has deepened divisions and the COVID-19 pandemic has renewed anti-immigrant sentiment, Welcoming Week reminds us to double down on our inclusive vision and find new ways to bring together people across lines of difference to develop greater understanding and mutual support.
Through Welcoming Week, organizations and communities bring together immigrants, refugees, and long-time residents to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity.
Across the globe, welcomers are leading the way. In 2019, there were over 2,500 Welcoming Week events in 250 communities, with more than 80,000 people participating and over 10 million social media impressions.
Celebrate Welcoming Week and show the world how your community welcomes everyone, from every background and demographic. Together, we can make our communities a place where diverse people from around the world feel valued and included. Together, we can build a nation of neighbors.
Complete details are available at: https://www.welcomingamerica.org/programs/welcoming-week
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is now in the early stages of developing the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5). I am writing to solicit your engagement in reviewing and responding to the report’s Draft Prospectus, which is available for public comment through August 10.
The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is a Congressionally mandated and highly influential scientific assessment. The NCA is produced by USGCRP on a quadrennial basis and evaluates the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems in the United States. The most recent assessment, NCA4, was released in November 2018 and has been viewed more than 1.2 million times.
The Social Science Coordinating Committee at USGCRP has been working to bolster social science contributions and topic areas into NCA5 and future NCAs. Engagement from the social science community in shaping the Draft Prospectus is the first opportunity to achieve this goal. Comments at this early stage will be foundational for increasing social science framing, perspectives, analyses and results into NCA5. In addition, a forthcoming call for author nominations and literature will be another opportunity for NCA5 engagement from the social science community.
I hope you’ll consider submitting a comment on the Draft Prospectus and forwarding this letter to your network. Public comments are sought on ways to make the assessment information accessible and useful to multiple audiences; specific types of detailed information at regional scales that would be most useful to NCA5 readers; how to best describe risks and impacts, as well as potential opportunities to reduce those risks and impacts; suggestions for new approaches to topics addressed in previous NCAs; and suggestions regarding overarching themes that NCA5 should consider addressing.
After the call for authors and technical inputs is released, USGCRP is planning to host an optional informational webinar for social scientists interested in contributing to NCA5. You can reach out to Austin Scheetz (ascheetz@usgcrp.gov) for more information about the webinar. If you would like to receive updates and reminders about NCA5 moving forward, please subscribe to USGCRP’s newsletter or follow the Program on Twitter (@usgcrp). Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Many thanks for your consideration.
All the best,
Emily Eisenhauer, Ph.D.
Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment
U.S. EPA Office of Research Development
IAEM member Robert Goldhammer, CEM, will receive the Kenneth C. Spengler Award from the Council of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), “for forging extensive collaboration and partnerships linking emergency management and the weather, water, and climate enterprise.” The presentation of the award will occur in conjunction with the 101st AMS Annual Meeting, Jan. 10-14, 2021, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bob is the IAEM liaison to the AMS Emergency Management Subcommittee. IAEM is proud of the work Bob does on the subcommittee and in connecting our organization with AMS. Congratulations, Bob!
FEMA is updating the state and local hazard mitigation plan review guides. These plan review guides are FEMA’s official interpretation of the requirements for state and local hazard mitigation plans. FEMA’s online presentation provides a high-level overview of hazard mitigation planning guidance and shares information on submitting feedback to the existing policies. FEMA will accept ideas and feedback on current documents by sending an email to fema-mitplan-guide-updates@fema.dhs.gov through Aug. 14. Additional information on hazard mitigation planning is available on the FEMA website.
