 FEMA is excited to release a new preparedness training for community-based organizations (CBOs)—Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs (OPEN). The name "community-based organization" is a broad term for large and small organizations, non-profits, and businesses that provide valuable services to their community. CBOs are volunteer, faith-based, and small businesses with local impact on the community. Specifically, they are the food banks, childcare centers, shelters, houses of worship, and small businesses that make our community stronger. When CBOs are unable to continue operating during a disaster or emergency, individuals who rely on them are left vulnerable and deeply impacted. To help CBOs meet the increased demands of serving the community due to a disaster, FEMA is committed to training 22,000 CBOs by the year 2022. OPEN is a course designed to empower CBOs to prepare for incidents and continue serving their communities despite the incident. Read the full article here. | July - August 2021  Restart and Rejuvenate your CERT Program After COVID-19 Wednesday, July 28 at 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET The FEMA Region 2 National Preparedness Division is partnering with the State of California and the National CERT Association (NCA) to host a nationwide webinar on How to Restart and Rejuvenate your CERT program after COVID-19. The aim of this webinar is to provide some tips and best practices on returning to typical CERT activities and to help CERT programs re-engage their community and members. CERT program leaders from around the country will share how they are reengaging with volunteers as life begins to return to normal. Register here. |  What you need to know about COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Monday, August 2 at 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET (Spanish) / Thursday, August 5 at 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET (English) FEMA understands the financial stress and burden this pandemic has caused families and is willing to assist with the financial needs. On April 12, FEMA began implementing Funeral Assistance nationwide to provide financial support for funeral costs specifically related to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). This webinar will provide information regarding the implementation of this new policy and guidance on applicability, conditions of eligibility, required documentation, and other important topics. Register for the Spanish delivery on August 2 or English delivery on August 5. |  |
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 FEMA Co-hosts Building Resilience Through Private-Public Partnerships FEMA, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Northern Command and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, is hosting the 10th Annual Building Resilience Through Private-Public Partnerships Conference on July 27-28. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every community, but recovery has not been the same. The pandemic exposed deep-rooted vulnerabilities and highlighted a need to work together to increase resilience and elevate the equity of every individual. Conference discussions will address collaboration required among private, public and nonprofit sectors to help mitigate the effects of all disasters. The conference will focus on building resilience against all hazards while looking ahead to future emergencies and how we can be better prepared through greater collaboration across sectors. Register today. | FEMA Releases Continuity Guide for Non-Federal Governments FEMA has released the "Guide to Continuity of Government for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Governments." The new guide is a companion document to the "Continuity Guidance Circular." Continuity ensures that the whole community has a plan for sustaining critical services and functions when routine operations are disrupted during a crisis. The "Guide to Continuity of Government for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Governments" describes the relationship between continuity of operations, continuity of government, and enduring constitutional government. Providing guidance in the form of planning factors to assist non-federal governments assists achieving the goal of viable continuity capability to ensure the resilience and preservation of government in the event of an emergency.
DHS Announces Funding Allocations for FY 2021 Preparedness Grants Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the final allocations for $475 million for seven Fiscal Year 2021 competitive preparedness grant programs. The grant programs provide funding to state, local, tribal and territorial governments, nonprofit agencies, and the private sector in building and sustaining capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and other disasters. The total amount for each grant program is set by Congress and the allocations are made by the Secretary.
FEMA Provides Financial Assistance for COVID-19-Related Funerals At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. That's why we are providing financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020. Expenses include transportation, transfer of remains, and burial plot or cremation niche. To see eligibility conditions and how to apply, click here.
FEMA Releases "Building Private-Public Partnerships Guide" FEMA has released the "Building Private-Public Partnerships Guide." The guide provides recommendations and best practices for jurisdictions to establish and maintain a private-public partnership to help coordinate mitigation, response and recovery planning and preparedness. The guide is an effort to build on the recent National Response Framework update, which focuses on non-governmental capabilities to stabilize community lifelines and the continued need for aligning government efforts with the private sector. Private-public structures exist to reflect the interconnected and complex environment in which emergency managers operate, especially within the context of more frequent and severe incidents from even before the COVID-19 pandemic. FEMA will host an upcoming engagement webinar on July 29 at 3 PM ET to discuss the guide and answer stakeholders' questions. The webinar will be open to the whole community and advanced registration is required.  Training and Technical Assistance Related to COVID-19 SAMHSA is committed to providing regular training and technical assistance (TTA) on matters related to the mental and substance use disorder field as they deal with COVID-19. SAMHSA TA programs are delivering great resources during this time. View the updated available TTA resources to assist with the current situation. Click here to see what SAMHSA has to offer. | CDC Offers Tips for Families with Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Members Some family members may still need to take steps to protect themselves against COVID-19, such as children too young to get vaccinated or people with weakened immune systems. Any family member who is not fully vaccinated should keep taking steps to protect themselves and others, like wearing a mask in crowded indoors settings, especially in areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases. See more suggestions from the CDC by clicking here.  Beat the Heat By Thomas Mendez, Emergency Management Specialist, FEMA Region 2 Mitigation Division Rising temperatures in our cities are concerning as many people are not able to escape the heat—a problem that is sometimes deadly. One reason for this is the "heat island effect", in which temperatures can be 2-5 degrees warmer in the day, and up to 22 degrees warmer at night. This often happens due to development in which a combination of tall buildings and paved surfaces create canyons in which heat is trapped close to the surface. In addition, other activities such as vehicles and industry further add more fuel to the heat fire. Currently, heat causes more emergency room visits than any other extreme weather event, averaging to around 450 a year in New York City. Furthermore, if temperatures continue to rise it is expected that there may be between 1,500 and 3,300 additional deaths a year by 2080. Fortunately, cities around the globe are beginning to look at potential solutions. With an average of 169 days of 90+degrees a year, a normal mid-summer average of 106, and a normal year-round high of 86, Phoenix, AZ has to deal with heat related issues more than any other country. While many of the problems that will face this city and others are global in nature, there are some actions that can be taken closer to home. The Director of Special Projects for the Nature Conservancy's Arizona office and the Urban Conservation Program Manager worked with both local residents and the nonprofit Phoenix Revitalization Corporation, to help identify the hottest neighborhoods and bring in experts to teach residents about heat islands and how to combat them. This culminated in a 20-page plan that called for actions such as repaving the sidewalks to help reflect the sun and prevent the trapping of heat, installing shade structures at bus stops, and increasing tree coverage. According to one sustainability scientist, this could lead to a 40 degree decrease in mean radiant temperature. Read the full article here. |  Delivering Clean Power to Disaster Scenes, Without Compromise The DHS Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) presents the "H2Rescue" truck, a clean-energy emergency vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. As detailed in this feature article, the H2Rescue is the product of a collaboration with multiple agencies and private sector partners looking to reduce the reliance on fossil-fuel-powered vehicles during the recovery phase of a disaster. | Major Hurricanes: Potential Health and Medical Implications Prior to the 2021 hurricane season ASPR TRACIE updated its Major Hurricanes: Potential Health and Medical Implications resource. This resource was developed to provide an overview of the potential significant health and medical response and recovery needs facing hurricane- and severe storm-affected areas, based on past experience and lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, Maria, and others. The intent of the document is to aid the "ESF-8 Family" in thinking through the different potential problems that may present as Requests for Assistance and unmet needs.
FEMA Debuts VOICE Publication for CAGs FEMA Region 2's Disability Integration Team is proud to publish the Core Advisory Group VOICE (read in Spanish here). The VOICE of the Core Advisory Group is a quarterly communication of news. It offers those with disabilities and access and functional needs, and other members of the whole community a voice in the critical issues and decision-making in emergency management. Contact them at fema-r2-disabilityintegration@fema.dhs.gov to order a copy, or submit your own suggestions for content for the next issue.  | | | The FEMA Region 2 National Preparedness Division seeks to provide a forum where community emergency management groups, in support of local officials, can share information about activities and best practices. We realize there are many CERT, MRC, VOAD/COAD and other volunteers assisting with COVID-19 response and recovery. If you would like to share your stories and/or photos here, please email deborah.costa@fema.dhs.gov. | | Spotlight: New Jersey CERTs Support and Collaborate with Community Partners  | | Smokey the Bear's Campfire Rules Everyone's favorite black bear introduces kids to the safety rules of camping, and most importantly, building a campfire. Smokey the Bear has an entire portal (also available in Spanish) on the U.S. Forest Service's website dedicated to his mission of preventing forest fires. The Smokey for Kids section details his rules for building a campfire with easy language that children of all ages can understand, and also includes fun exercises like a Story Maker and print-out Coloring Page. The website has materials for educators to teach kids about the dangers of forest fires and their role in preventing them. As summer heat waves dry up the terrain, it's important for kids to understand their impact on the environment and how they can protect it. |  Pairing HUD and HHS Resources to Address Homelessness Do you know all the ways HHS programs and funds can be used to help people experiencing homelessness? The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is hosting a three-part webinar series to bring awareness to them. Each webinar will provide information on partnership opportunities and on-the-ground examples of successful approaches to pairing HHS agency resources with HUD housing assistance for people experiencing homelessness, including the 70,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs) awarded by HUD to PHAs through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Register here to see the second part of the series about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 12 at 3:00 PM ET. | School Safety Webinar on Youth Preparedness and Community Resilience Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on Wednesday, July 28 at 3:00 PM EDT for an informational webinar on increasing youth preparedness and building resilience in K-12 school communities. Leaders from FEMA will discuss programs, tools, and resources aimed at empowering youth to learn the hazards that affect their community; understand how to stay safe in an emergency; practice critical emergency response skills; and lead preparedness-building activities in their communities. The webinar will also cover the 'whole community' approach to emergency preparedness, as well as ways K-12 school communities can build capacity and capabilities to prepare for the range of disasters and emergencies they may face. Register here to attend the webinar on Wednesday, July 28 at 3:00 PM ET.
Trauma and COVID-19: Addressing Mental Health Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Populations As part of the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) observance of National Minority Mental Health Month, an upcoming webinar will help expand the conversation around the mental health impact of COVID-19 among minority populations. Speakers will discuss programs, resources, and best practices to help minorities access services and debunk mental health myths. Learning objectives include identifying the signs, symptoms, and impact of trauma, strategies to maintain mental wellness, sharing mental health programs and resources targeting racial and ethnic minority populations, and highlighting current federal efforts addressing racism and health inequities. Register here to join OMH for their training session on Thursday, July 29 at 12:00 PM ET.
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. Watch it live here on Wednesday, July 28 at 2:00 PM.
Region 2 Training Calendars  Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP) - Continuing Training Grants (CTG) The deadline to apply for DHS's FY 2020/2021 Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP) Continuing Training Grant is less than one month away. Applications are due on August 16 to Grants.gov. The CTG supports the delivery of training to achieve the National Preparedness Goal of securing and building resilience across the whole community. Through this grant, DHS will award approximately $6 million across 5 applicants, including local, state, and tribal governments, and non-profits and academic institutions. All eligible organizations are encouraged to consider applying.
FY 2021 Preventing School Violence Funding Opportunity: BJA's STOP School Violence Program Applications are now open for funding under the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance's Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Grant Program. The STOP School Violence Grant Program is designed to improve K-12 school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to, and help prevent acts of violence and ensure a positive school climate. Applications on Grants.gov are due on August 2 at 11:59 PM ET, and the JustGrants deadline is August 16 at 11:59 PM ET.
Funding to Promote Vaccine Confidence in Local Communities The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Promoting Vaccine Confidence in Local Communities through Partnership with HHS Regional Health Offices. This funding is intended to support innovative practices in local communities that increase vaccine confidence and promote uptake of vaccines that are routinely recommended for adults and children, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities, adolescents and young adults, pregnant people, residents in rural communities, and others with low vaccination coverage rates. Applications must be submitted by 6 PM ET on August 17. |  |
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