FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division is hosting a webinar on Thursday, February 4, 2016, focused on engaging the public on disaster preparedness and resilience efforts serving youth.

Title: Preparing Youth for Disasters
Date: Thursday, February 4, 2016
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST

Featured Speakers:

• Bruce Lockwood, Acting Captain, Emergency Management Division, East Hartford Fire Department, CT; Former Commissioner, National Commission on Children and Disasters, will share the background on the unique needs of children in a disaster and the importance of preparedness planning and education.
• Sarah Thompson, Save the Children, will share information on Save the Children’s Prep Rally, which helps children learn the basics of emergency preparedness through engaging activities and games and can be formatted to fit your program.
• Hilary Palotay, American Red Cross, will share information on the Pillowcase Project, a preparedness education program for children in grades 3–5.
• Captain Rob Tosatto, Medical Reserve Corps & Jane Shovlin, AZHOSA, will share information on the partnership between Medical Reserve Corps and HOSA and how to engage youth in contributing to school and community preparedness.

How to Join the Webinar:

• Connect using the Adobe Connect Registration Web Link.
• Please register for the event. Be sure to test your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting.
• This webinar will offer closed captioning.

Following FEMA’s release of preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for New Jersey and New York coastal communities, local officials and residents reviewed the maps and submitted appeals and comments.  FEMA staff have reviewed these stakeholder concerns and provided proposed resolutions to nearly all appellants.  FEMA will incorporate data gained from the appeals and comments into the flood hazard information on the preliminary FIRMs and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report where appropriate.

To keep local officials apprised of the status of their FIRM and FIS report, FEMA Region II will host a series of webinars for affected communities. The agenda for these meetings include:

• a status update on appeals and comments submitted from local officials and property owners;
• information regarding a technical appeal submitted by New York City and potential impacts on the FIRMs and FIS reports for other New York and New Jersey coastal communities; and
• next steps in the map update process.

Check the project calendar for specific times, date, and webinar login information.

November is Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month. This observance recognizes the important role critical infrastructure plays in our nation’s way of life and why it is important to expand and reinforce critical infrastructure security and resilience.

Critical infrastructure is the physical or virtual assets, systems, and networks that are vital to the security, national economic security, and national public health and safety of the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security has ways you can get involved throughout the month, including:
• Share stories and information about your efforts to support infrastructure security and resilience with your customers, constituents, partners, residents, and employees through newsletters, websites, emails, blog posts, and tweets;
• Reinforce the role your organization or office plays in infrastructure security and resilience by incorporating references to Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month in speaking engagements and events;
• Download the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month Toolkit to help promote awareness; and
• Download and print the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month fact sheet for your event, office, or friends.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Flood Hazard Risk Reduction Measures has been allocated Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund projects or improvements that reduce storm surge or flood risk.

Funding

The application period for Round 2 of funding is currently open and will close on April 20, 2016. A total of $25 million in grants will be awarded in Round 2. The electronic application required to apply for funding will be made available online on December 15, 2015, at http://www.nj.gov/dep/floodhazard/grants.htm.

Five projects were awarded more $18 million in Round 1 of funding announced in December 2014.

Eligibility

Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union Counties and municipalities in these counties are eligible to apply for funding. Regional coordination on projects is encouraged.

Funding Categories

• Coastal Lakes (e.g., surge reduction, increased discharge capacity)
• Flood Risk Reduction Infrastructure (e.g., levees, tide gates, flood barriers)
• Stormwater Management (e.g., pump stations, capacity increase, storage areas)
• Beneficial Use of Dredge Material

Upcoming Information Sessions

November 12, 2015
Southern Information Session, 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Batsto Village Auditorium, Wharton State Forest, Rt.542, Batsto, NJ

November 19, 2015
Central Information Session, 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Monmouth Battlefield Visitors Center, Monmouth Battlefield State Park, 16 Business Route 33, Manalapan, NJ

Contact

If you have questions, please email Rebecca Jones at Rebecca.Jones@dep.nj.gov.

“Green Infrastructure” incorporates the natural environment and constructed systems that mimic natural processes in an integrated network that benefits nature and people. A green infrastructure approach to community planning helps diverse community members come together to balance environmental and economic goals.

The Green Infrastructure for Resilience Workshop is intended to help participants recognize green infrastructure terms and concepts; understand the ecological, economic, and societal benefits of green infrastructure; understand the wide variety of contexts and scales of approaches referred to as “green infrastructure” today; identify new or existing planning processes suitable for integrating green infrastructure concepts and techniques; and identify local green infrastructure activities and experts with additional information and resources.

Date and time: Tuesday, November 17, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
Location: Jacques Cousteau Reserve, 130 Great Bay Blvd., Tuckerton, NJ 08087

Get more information.

Join the National Hydrologic Warning Council (NHWC) at its upcoming Northeast Regional Workshop on November 4th and 5th, which will focus on technological advances and necessary considerations for developing and maintaining flood resilient communities in a changing climate. The workshop is intended for flood warning practitioners, owners and operators of existing or proposed hydrologic warning systems, emergency managers, public works officials, owners and operators of high hazard dams and levees, decision makers, and river authorities.

Speakers from federal, state, and local government; non-profit organizations; academia; and the private sector will cover topics including communication technologies, community engagement, the 2013 Colorado Floods and 2015 Texas Floods, social media for enhanced warning, the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, legislative updates, and floodplain and inundation mapping.

Location: The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, 660 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, New York 12211
Registration fees: $75 – NHWC member, $100 – Non-member

For more information, visit www.hydrologicwarning.org.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is hosting a webinar to help families plan in advance for emergencies, which will help ensure that all the members of the household—including children and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, as well as outside caregivers—know how to reach each other and where to meet up in an emergency. The webinar will provide an overview of America’s PrepareAthon!, showcase the recently released Be Smart. Take Part. Create Your Family Emergency Communication Plan, and inform the public on the importance of making a family plan, especially in the event communication networks such as mobile phones and computers are not accessible.

Hear from Mathew Lyttle of the FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Division and guest speakers on family emergency planning, Edward Johnson and Karrie Delaney.

Register for the webinar.

Make sure you have a plan and supplies in place to keep you and your family safe from harm from hurricanes and other storms.

• Visit Ready.gov for information about how to prepare now to keep safe.
• New York City residents can find more information on the New York City Emergency Management Preparedness page.
• New Jersey residents can get more information from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management.

National Preparedness Month Webinar Series

Having a business continuity plan is essential to establishing a successful and resilient small business. The cost of creating a disaster preparedness plan is small compared to the financial losses that may occur if there’s no plan in place.

You can get help with your own preparedness planning through a series of free webinars in September hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration and Agility Recovery. The series is presented in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Ready Campaign during National Preparedness Month.

The 30-minute webinars will be presented at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesdays in September and cover the following topics:

• September 9: The Keystone to Disaster Recovery: Communications
  This session will discuss the steps and best practices for developing your emergency communication strategy.
• September 16: Recover from the Most Likely Disaster: Power Outage
  This session will dive into the most resilient strategies to mitigate loss of power and best practices for a swift and efficient recovery.
• September 23: Protect Your Most Valuable Asset: Prepare Your Employees
  This session will focus on the strategies and best practices for helping your employees prepare themselves and their families for a crisis.
• September 30: If You Do Nothing Else this Year…
  This session will address some simple ways to build your resilience as an organization today with minimal commitment of time and resources.

To register for any of the webinars, visit http://agilityrecovery.com/buildingblocks/#section-register.

Households, businesses, and communities are encouraged during National Preparedness Month to prepare and plan now for flooding and other disasters that can strike throughout the year. Learn about steps you can take to keep safe from floods on the Reduce Your Risk page or visit Ready.gov for more preparedness information related to flooding and other types of disasters. #NatlPrep