Natural Hazards Observer
| November 2006 | Volume XXXI | Number 2 |
President Signs Homeland Security Appropriations and FEMA Reform
In early October, the president signed the Fiscal Year 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations bill (Public Law 109-295), providing $34.8 billion in discretionary spending for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Title III designates $6.5 billion for preparedness and recovery activities, including:
Preparedness ($4 billion):
- $3.4 billion for the Office of Grants and Training:
- $1.2 billion for discretionary grants
- $525 million for the State Homeland Security Grant Program
- $375 million for law enforcement terrorism prevention grants
- $352 million for national programs
- $662 million for firefighter assistance grants
- $200 million for the Emergency Management Performance Grants
- $50 million for the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program
- $547.6 million for infrastructure protection and information security
- $46.8 million for the U.S. Fire Administration
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ($2.5 billion):
- $1.5 billion for disaster relief
- $244 million for readiness/mitigation/response/recovery
- $199 million for flood map modernization
- $151.5 million for emergency food and shelter
- $100 million for the National Predisaster Mitigation Fund
$33.9 million for public health programs (The National Disaster Medical System will be transferred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in January 2007.)
Also part of the new law is the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 that calls for a comprehensive structural overhaul of FEMA that elevates the director to the level of deputy secretary and requires that the director have extensive emergency response and crisis management experience; prevents the diversion of FEMA funds to other agencies; requires clearer coordination between federal, state, and local emergency preparedness entities; and restores the nexus between emergency preparedness and response.
The law and its conference report (109-699) are available in any federal repository library and on the Library of Congress Web site at http://thomas.loc.gov/.
Executive Order: Improving Assistance for Disaster Victims
In an Executive Order issued in late August, the president called for further action to improve the delivery of federal disaster assistance. Specifically, the order charges the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with heading up a Task Force on Disaster Assistance Coordination to develop and implement a plan to streamline and otherwise improve the delivery of federal disaster assistance. Heads of other departments and agencies are to provide assistance and information to the secretary of DHS as pertains to the implementation of the order. The secretary of DHS is required to submit the plan to the president not later than March 1, 2007. Executive Order 13411 is in the September 6, 2006, Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 172, pp. 52727-52731, which can be found in any federal depository library and online at www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/, and at www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060829-9.html.
Under the authority of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, each year the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) adjusts the statewide per capita impact indicator (per capita cost of a disaster that qualifies a state for disaster assistance) and reexamines the maximum dollar amounts available for assistance under the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) and for Small Project Grants to state and local governments and eligible private nonprofit facilities. This year’s adjustments are based on an increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, as published by the U.S. Department of Labor, of 3.8 percent. For any single disaster or major emergency declared on or after October 1, 2006, the statewide impact indicator is $1.22 (the countywide indicator is $3.05), the maximum amount of IHP financial assistance provided to an individual or household is $28,200, the maximum amount of repair assistance is $5,600, the maximum amount of replacement assistance is $11,300, and the maximum amount of any Small Project Grant is $59,700. Details about these revisions are available in the October 10, 2006, Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 195, pp. 59513-59514, which can be found in any federal depository library and online at www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/. To learn more about the maximum amount of IHP assistance, contact Berl Jones at (202) 646-4235. For information about the other adjustments, contact James A. Walke at (202) 646-3834. Send written correspondence to FEMA, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472.
New Mitigation How-To Guide from FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released the latest guide in its mitigation planning how-to series: Multi-Jurisdictional Mitigation Planning: State and Local Mitigation Planning How-To Guide Number Eight (FEMA 386-8, 52 pp.). This guide provides suggestions to local governments in preparing multijurisdictional mitigation plans. A multijurisdictional hazards mitigation plan is a plan jointly prepared by more than one jurisdiction and may include any county, municipality, city, town, township, school district or other special district, council of governments or other regional organization, Indian tribe or Alaska Native village, or unincorporated area. Multijurisdictional plans pose special considerations that single jurisdictional plans may not face; but there are benefits as well, such as plan preparation cost savings, shared staff and resources, and comprehensive approaches to mitigating hazards that cross jurisdictional boundaries. Download a copy of the new guide, which is only available online, and learn more about the other guides in the series at www.fema.gov/plan/mitplanning/planning_resources.shtm.
DOJ Publishes ADA Guide for Local Governments
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has released a newly revised and expanded version of its publication An ADA Guide for Local Governments: Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities (11 pp.). The guide is designed to help local government planners, first responders, and emergency staff prepare for and meet the unique needs of people with disabilities during natural and civil emergencies. The guide identifies potential problems in notifying, evacuating, transporting, sheltering, and providing information to people with disabilities during emergencies and offers solutions for preventing or minimizing those problems. The guide can be viewed or downloaded from www.ada.gov/emergencyprep.htm or ordered from (800) 514-0301, (800) 514-0383 (TTY).
FCC Launches Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau
In recognition of America’s dependence on an effective national telecommunications infrastructure, which was underscored by the 2005 hurricane season and the events of September 11, 2001, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has created a new Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. The new bureau will be responsible for developing, recommending, and administering the agency’s policies pertaining to public safety communications issues, including 911 and E911, operability and interoperability of public safety communications, communications infrastructure protection, and network security and reliability. It will also serve as a clearinghouse for public safety communications information and take the lead on emergency response issues. A primary goal of the bureau will be to support and advance initiatives that further strengthen and enhance public safety and emergency response capabilities to better enable the FCC to assist the public, first responders, law enforcement, hospitals, the communications industry, and all levels of government in the event of a natural disaster, pandemic, or terrorist attack. For more information, visit the bureau’s Web site at www.fcc.gov/pshs/.
Public Alert Radios for Public Schools
Following the successful pilot program last year, the ongoing partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has launched the completion of the nationwide project to distribute a NOAA Public Alert Radio, also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, to every public school in America. In late September, 80,000 radios were shipped to schools across the country to augment the 2005 pilot program.
NOAA Public Alert Radios help safeguard the children in America’s schools. With 24/7 capability and battery backup, the radio is always on guard to alert school personnel to severe weather conditions, terrorist threats, and other emergencies, even when other communication lines are unavailable. Find out more about the program at http://public-alert-radio.nws.noaa.gov/.
New Preparedness Initiative for Older Americans and Individuals with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has joined forces with AARP, the American Red Cross, the National Organization on Disability (NOD), and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to help older Americans and individuals with disabilities prepare for emergencies. The DHS’ Ready campaign, AARP, Red Cross, and NOD developed two new brochures that highlight the key preparedness steps older and disabled Americans and their families and caretakers should take before emergencies occur and the NFPA produced Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities to help individuals with disabilities and businesses prepare for emergency evacuations. Additionally, NFPA is including evacuation planning for people with disabilities in its series of emergency evacuation workshops. For free copies of the brochures, call (800) 237-3239 or visit www.ready.gov/. NFPA’s planning guide will be available for free download later this year at www.nfpa.org/.
FEMA Mitigation Team Reports on Building Performance in Katrina
In September 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed a Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to evaluate building performance during Hurricane Katrina and the adequacy of current building codes, other construction requirements, and building practices and materials. This report, Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast: Mitigation Assessment Team Report, Building Performance Observations, Recommendations, and Technical Guidance (FEMA 549, 584 pp.), presents the MATs observations, conclusions, and recommendations to provide decision makers with information and technical guidance that can be used in the reconstruction process and to help reduce future hurricane damage. The report is available for free in CD-ROM format from the FEMA Publication Distribution Center, (800) 480-2520, and as a downloadable file at www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1857. A Summary Report of Building Performance: Hurricane Katrina 2005 (FEMA 548, 80 pp.) is also available; www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1455.
Also new from FEMA is Recommended Residential Construction for the Gulf Coast: Building on Strong and Safe Foundations (FEMA 550, 261 pp.), which is a design manual that provides recommended designs and guidance for rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes. The manual also provides guidance in designing and building less vulnerable new homes that reduce the risk to life and property. This publication can be downloaded from www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1853.
DOE Releases Climate Change Technology Program Strategic Plan
In September, the U.S. Department of Energy released the U.S. Climate Change Technology Program Strategic Plan (223 pp.), which details measures to accelerate the development and reduce the cost of new and advanced technologies that avoid, reduce, or capture and store greenhouse gas emissions. The plan has six goals: reducing emissions from energy use and infrastructure, reducing emissions from energy supply, capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide, reducing emissions of other greenhouse gases, measuring and monitoring emissions, and bolstering the contributions of basic science to climate change. Access the plan, or find out how to order a free hard copy, at www.climatetechnology.gov/stratplan/final/.
FEMA Offers Accessible Trailers for People with Disabilities
As part of a settlement of a class-action lawsuit, Brou v. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is reaching out to notify Hurricane Katrina and Rita evacuees with disabilities, or those living with someone who has a disability, that accessible trailers are available for temporary housing. Katrina and Rita evacuees with disabilities who do not have accessible temporary housing should contact FEMA and make their needs known, even if they have previously been in touch with FEMA about their housing needs.
To inquire about accessible trailers, call (866) 496-4297 (Louisiana evacuees) or (888) 294-2820 (TTY number for both Louisiana and Mississippi is (800) 462-7585) before May 9, 2007. FEMA will assist individuals with disabilities by either providing an accessible trailer, modifying an individual’s current trailer to make it accessible, or finding them a suitable place to live. Accessible trailers may take up to 90 days to deliver, or longer if an applicant does not have a suitable site for a trailer. Changes to make a current trailer accessible may take up to 60 days to complete.
FEMA Seeks Alternative Housing Ideas
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Alternative Housing Pilot Program is intended to address ongoing housing challenges created by the 2005 hurricane season in the Gulf Coast states. The program’s objectives are to evaluate the efficacy of nontraditional short- and intermediate-term housing alternatives for potential use in future catastrophic disaster environments; identify, develop, and evaluate alternatives to and alternative forms of FEMA disaster housing to assist victims of the 2005 hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region; consider the feasibility of these options as a part of housing assistance that could be made available by federal government agencies or state agencies for other disasters of various sizes, locations, and impacts; and address the needs of a variety of populations, including people with disabilities, the elderly, and other historically underserved populations.
Congress appropriated $400 million in emergency appropriations for the program, which is designed to encourage innovation and creativity and develop alternative housing that can be produced, transported, and installed in a timely manner; in appropriate quantities that are adaptable to a variety of site conditions; and that will facilitate sustainable and permanent housing. It is an opportunity for the states, the housing industry, and other organizations to help FEMA and Congress explore new ideas for providing postdisaster housing to people in need. To learn more, visit www.fema.gov/plan/ehp/ahpp.shtm.
FEMA: Increasing Postdisaster Rental Assistance
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has adopted a new interim policy under which it may raise the maximum amount it will pay for rental housing when affordable housing is in short supply after a major disaster. This means that FEMA will be able to increase the authorized amount of rental assistance when it determines that higher market rates have affected the availability of affordable rental housing. This authority applies to counties designated for Individual Assistance in the disaster declaration as well as to nondesignated counties that are hosting eligible disaster victims.
Rental assistance rates are based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) published Fair Market Rent rate for existing rental units. However, when a disaster impacts housing availability, prevailing market rates may rise above this rate, making it difficult for disaster victims to find affordable rental housing. The emergency exceptions to the HUD rate will remain in effect until HUD conducts a market analysis of the affected area. If HUD identifies a new rate, FEMA will rescind the emergency exception and implement the HUD rate.
Katrina Fraud Task Force Releases Report
The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, a multiagency national task force led by the U.S. Department of Justice to deter, detect, and prosecute cases of fraud in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma has released its first-year report. According to the report, more than 400 people have been federally charged with hurricane-related fraud and $18.2 million has been returned by recipients of Individual Assistance benefits not due to them since the attorney general created the task force in September 2005. Now, the task force is looking at fraud related to the reconstruction efforts, including government-contract and procurement fraud, public corruption, government and private-sector benefit fraud, identity theft, and false charities.
The report also includes best practices for law enforcement to consider following future disasters. These include predisaster preparation, such as standardized training in disaster relief programs and the fraud typically associated with those programs, public outreach to prevent and deter fraud in the event of a natural disaster, the creation of district and multidistrict working groups, protocols for data sharing and data management, and the establishment of joint command centers to gather data, share information, and coordinate fraud investigations.
Access the report, Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force: First Year Report to the Attorney General (54 pp.), online at www.usdoj.gov/katrina/Katrina_Fraud/docs/09-12-06AGprogressrpt.pdf.
FEMA Clarifies Policy on Mapping Areas Protected By Levees
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued new guidance that gives communities additional time to gather data needed to assess the protective capabilities of levees while still allowing new flood insurance rate maps to be released as scheduled. FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are working together to make sure that flood hazard maps clearly reflect the flood protection capabilities of levees and that the maps accurately represent the flood risks posed to areas situated behind them. Levee owners are responsible for assuring that the levees they own are maintained to their design.
Based on feedback from numerous communities, states, and other stakeholders, FEMA ascertained that it may be difficult for levee owners to produce the information that their levees comply with the standards for protection against the “one-percent-annual chance” flood. To address this issue, FEMA has clarified its procedures and time lines for levee documentation while keeping the map modernization effort on track. For eligible levees, levee owners now have 24 months to gather information on the extent to which a levee meets current flood protection standards. In the interim, areas behind the levee are mapped as moderate risk areas, and the levee itself is noted as provisionally accredited.
To learn more, visit www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/lv_intro.shtm.
After September 11, 2001, Congress provided a substantial increase in funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Urban Search and Rescue Response System (US&R System), a rapidly deployable federal source for first response to nationwide emergencies. To determine to what extent the US&R System has achieved its preparedness goals and to identify opportunities for improvement in task force preparedness, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General audited the system. It found that, while the US&R System has made improvements, the task forces are falling short in achieving objectives and standards in three primary areas of readiness: operations, logistics, and management. Read the audit report, Audit of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System (24 pp.), at www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_06-54_Aug06.pdf.
Pets Get Recognition in Disasters
By signing the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-308), the president authorized amendment of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure that state and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. Read the law in any federal repository library and on the Library of Congress Web site at http://thomas.loc.gov/.
New Orleans: EPA’s Final Sediment Results
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the final summary of sediment sampling conducted in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In total, the EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality collected approximately 1,800 sediment and sediment/soil samples since Katrina flooded New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. Most of these samples were analyzed for over 200 metals and organic chemicals. The results indicate that, in general, the sediments left behind by the flooding from the hurricanes are not expected to cause adverse health impacts to individuals returning to New Orleans. These sampling results served as the basis for a series of recommendations and advisories provided by local government. The summary provides an extensive picture of the conditions in the flood-impacted areas. Read Summary Results of Sediment Sampling Conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency in Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita at www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/sediments/summary.html. All test results are available at www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/.
OSHA Offers New Publication on Fire Service
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is offering a new publication, Fire Service Features of Buildings and Fire Protection Systems (OSHA 3256-07N, 71 pp.), to help increase the safety of building occupants and emergency responders by streamlining fire service interaction with building features and fire protection systems. The new manual explains how fire service operations can be influenced by different building features and offers considerations for design professionals that can help facilitate these operations. It includes chapters and narratives on building and site design, sprinkler systems, standpipe systems, fire department connections, fire alarm and communications systems, as well as various firefighting systems. Many of the discussions can also be applied to other emergencies, such as hazardous material releases, emergency medical care, nonfire rescues, and terrorist events. The manual is available at www.osha.gov/Publications/fire_features3256.pdf or by calling OSHA’s publications office at (202) 693-1888.
FEMA Offers NDMS FCC Operations Course
NDMS (National Disaster Medical System) Federal Coordinating Center (FCC) Operations Course, IS-1900, is a new independent study course offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The primary audience of the course consists of FCC directors as well as FCC coordinators and staff. Secondary audiences include others who support NDMS patient movement and definitive care components. This Web-based interactive course is divided into four instructional lessons: Introduction to the NDMS, Preincident Activities, Incident Activities, Postincident Activities, and a summary. Find out more and take the class at www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is1900.asp.
ICS Overview for Executives/Senior Officials Course Available for Download
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s new Incident Command System (ICS) Overview for Executives/Senior Officials, G402, has proven to be quite popular. As a result, although distribution of “G” courses is typically limited to regional training managers and state training officers, the course has been posted to the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Web site for download. EMI stresses that these course materials are intended to be delivered in an instructor-led classroom training. It is not a self-paced, self-study, or computer-based training course. Access the materials at www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/pub/g402.asp (sign-in required).
SBA Moves to Improve Disaster Response
To improve its response following a disaster, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has formed an Accelerated Disaster Response Initiative. Specifically, the initiative will identify and help implement process improvements to enable the agency to respond more rapidly in assisting small businesses and homeowners seeking financial assistance after a disaster. The initial focus will be on accelerating the disbursement process for disaster loans to victims of last year’s devastating hurricanes. Find out more about the SBA’s role in disaster recovery at www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/.