This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here January 12, 2023 To view email in web browser, click here. .IAEM CONFERENCE NEWS Call for Speakers for the IAEM Annual Conference opens Friday, Jan. 13 IAEM New this year, IAEM is seeking proposals for both the in-person IAEM 71st Annual Conference & EMEX in Long Beach, California, Nov. 3-9, 2023, and for one of our upcoming virtual events. The Call for Speakers opens on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. Read the Speaker Submission Guidance for step-by-step instructions and view the Conference Committee recorded webinar on “Tips for a Successful Speaker Proposal.” The Call for Speakers closes on Feb 17, 2023. .IAEM-CANADA COUNCIL NEWS City of Mississauga recognized with two prestigious emergency management awards City of Mississauga The city of Mississauga’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was recently recognized with two prestigious awards for outstanding efforts made in fostering resilience and preventing, preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies and disasters. READ MORE Ottawa's COVID picture mostly stable, except for wastewater* CBC Ottawa's COVID-19 trends are mostly stable. A quickly rising coronavirus wastewater average is the exception. READ MORE .IAEM-USA COUNCIL NEWS Preparedness concerns weigh on communities in FEMA report outlining escalating range of disasters* Homeland Security Today Communities weighing their disaster readiness in the face of an escalating threat landscape have the greatest concerns about cyber and pandemic vulnerabilities and report the need to make greater strides in preparedness areas including critical infrastructure security plan updates and ensuring medical care and business continuity, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Preparedness Report. READ MORE FEMA sent 'unintelligible' disaster relief information to Alaska Native people after Typhoon Merbok* KYUK-TV via KTOO-TV After Typhoon Merbok slammed into Alaska’s west coast in September 2022, the Federal Emergency Management Agency hired a California-based company to translate information into two Alaska Native languages about how to apply for disaster recovery assistance. Typhoon Merbok damaged homes and destroyed subsistence fishing and hunting tools and camps all over the Y-K Delta and on the Seward Peninsula. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by University of Southern California MS in Emergency Management from the University of Southern California 100% online, no GRE required, complete in 1 or 2 years Develop the strategic and analytical skills necessary for leaders in times of crisis Master critical leadership and communication skills for effective emergency management Sign up for an Information Session to learn more .IAEM NEWS IAEM Editorial Committee seeks submissions for the February issue of the IAEM Bulletin IAEM The IAEM Editorial Committee seeks article submissions for the upcoming February issue of the IAEM Bulletin. The February issue is a general focus issue and welcomes any articles related to emergency management. Articles should be submitted to IAEM Bulletin Editor John Osborne by Monday, Jan. 23. The full guidelines and tips for authors can be found here. .NEW INSIGHTS How rebuilding after a natural disaster can be safer, more cost-effective and sustainable KSBY-TV Matteo Rebeschini and Melanie Glover lost their home to a fire. It's been about a year since that tragic day. Over the course of 12 months, they've had time to decide what's next. "Wanting to live in that neighborhood again meant having to build a safer home," Glover said. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE GET YOUR 72 HOUR KIT. ReadyWise – Are you prepared with enough food and water to last you through a disaster? ReadyWise’s delicious freeze-dried meals and drinks have up to a 25-year shelf-life and are easy to prepare, just add water. Go to ReadyWIse.com/IAEM to order you’re your 72-hour kit and use CODE: IAEM at checkout. LEARN MORE For 400 years, indigenous tribes buffered climate's impact on wildfires in the American Southwest Homeland Security News Wire Devastating megafires are becoming more common, in part, because the planet is warming. But a new study suggests bringing "good fire" back to the U.S. and other wildfire fire-prone areas, as Native Americans once did, could potentially blunt the role of climate in triggering today's wildfires. READ MORE Benefits of industrial liaisons — A Harris County example Domestic Preparedness “Make friends before you need them” summarizes the guiding principles behind the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management’s (HCOHSEM) Industrial Liaison Program, where private industry and local government work together to keep the residents of Harris County, Texas, safe. This program and its resulting relationships have proven invaluable through industrial and devastating natural disasters, including Hurricane Ike (2008), Hurricane Harvey (2017), and the February 2021 Winter Storm. READ MORE  SPONSORED VIDEO Search Dark Water with Sonar With over 55 years’ experience in providing law enforcement with the “right tools for the job”, JW Fishers has a product every department needs - the SCAN-650. Simple to operate, shows any object under the water regardless of clarity and are in use by dive teams across the globe. Checkout our sonar systems and other underwater equipment. WATCH VIDEO Building design for safety and resilience — first steps Domestic Preparedness There is a need for more resilience as it applies to emergency preparedness in the design, construction, and renovation of the built environment. Conventional design of buildings by architects and engineers meets code and aligns with the owner’s or developer’s programmatic requirements. However, unless the program specifically calls for safety, security, or environmentally resilient design, these elements are not usually included as a focus in the design. READ MORE .HEALTHCARE EM UPDATE Why hospitals are struggling to meet earthquake safety deadline The Union Jerold Phelps Community Hospital in Garberville, California is one of the smallest in the country. Its mere nine acute-care beds serve a community of about 10,000 people in southern Humboldt County. The next closest emergency room is about an hour’s drive north. Despite its small size, the hospital is facing a hefty price tag to meet the 2030 retrofit deadline required under the state’s seismic safety standards — about $50 million for a new single story hospital that would replace its 1960s building. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Pulsara Before the next stress event, overlay your system with a demand-driven communications solution. Triage, track patients, and manage stress events all on a single platform. Discover how one EMS agency eliminated 434 unnecessary transports in just three weeks. By simplifying patient transfers with Pulsara, one task force reduced excessive phone calls by 75%. Enable emergency operations that scale and eliminate fragmentation of communication with mobile-first technology. .WEATHER UPDATES Compound extreme heat and drought will hit 90% of world population — Oxford study Homeland Security News Wire More than 90% of the world’s population is projected to face increased risks from the compound impacts of extreme heat and drought, potentially widening social inequalities as well as undermining the natural world’s ability to reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere - according to a study from Oxford’s School of Geography. READ MORE Climate attribution tools critical for understanding extreme events Homeland Security Today A combination heat and drought event in the western U.S., simultaneous ocean and land heat waves in the northwestern region of the Pacific Ocean, a South Korean heat wave that was off the charts and wildfires in Cape Town, South Africa, were some of the recent extreme weather events made more likely by human-caused climate change, according to new research posted on the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) website. READ MORE Leading change at the National Weather Service: A conversation with Ken Graham National Weather Service Ken Graham became director of the National Weather Service last summer and recently surpassed his first six months as the agency’s 17th leader. Graham says his early strategy in the new job was to listen so employees could help identify priorities and chart a course for the agency’s direction in the coming years. READ MORE .CYBERSECURITY NEWS Cyberattack turns up the heat on common security problems Route Fifty A cyberattack on Suffolk County, New York, crippled county services and resulted in the leaking of personal information from hundreds of thousands of its residents late last year. The hack, which has so far cost the county more than $6 million in recovery expenses according to local reports, prompted Suffolk lawmakers to launch a special legislative committee to investigate its origins. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Volunteer Coordination for Any Scale Event Promoted by Visionlink Coordinate volunteers for Blue Skies, Gray Skies, and your entire community. Recruit and manage volunteers with Visionlink’s Volunteer Coordination solution. Support spontaneous and registered volunteers, individuals and groups, affiliated and unaffiliated volunteers. Fully integrated background checks, medical license verification, crowd-sourcing tools, mapping layers, and more. Configurable to match your workflows. Part of the comprehensive Community Operating System™ by Visionlink. LEARN MORE   Are cyber attacks at risk of becoming 'uninsurable'? Government Technology There are dark clouds on the horizon as well as conflicting forecasts regarding cyber insurance in 2023 and beyond. Where will the insurance market go from here on cybersecurity coverage? READ MORE .DISASTER TECHNOLOGY NEWS Louisiana is building electricity hubs to power communities after a disaster. Here's how they work* PBS For the last nine years, Luis Barahona has been using a motorized wheelchair to move from his electric bed to the porch of his home. A swimming accident nearly a decade ago left the 36-year-old with quadriplegia, largely unable to move his body from the neck down. When Hurricane Ida hit 16 months ago, a weekslong power outage left residents without power in the middle of hot and humid summer. Barahona worried for his life. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE THE DIAMOND DIFFERENCE Diamond is a specialized mobile platform manufacturer in Indiana, providing specialty vehicles such as Mobile Office Trailers, Luxury Restroom Trailers, Studio Talent Trailers, Marketing and Stage Trailers, Emergency Shower Trailers, Motorized Specialty Command/Control or Movie Production Trucks, Hair and Makeup Salon Trailers, Firehouse and Safety Training Trailers, and Mobile Medical Testing Trailers. LEARN MORE .CERTIFICATION UPDATE Mentors are a resource during the certification process IAEM The IAEM website has a list of CEMs willing to mentor new applicants through the certification process. Mentors can help answer questions about the requirements and documentation as well as best practices for preparing for the exam. Use this resource to help you in your certification journey. .IAEM MEMBER NEWS City of Lee's Summit announces new assistant city manager Lee's Summit Tribune The City of Lee’s Summit is pleased to announce the selection of Donna Lake as assistant city manager. Lake begins her position on Feb. 6 where she will support and direct various aspects of the City’s operations and lead the implementation of a number of strategic plan initiatives for the community. READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE NATIONWIDE FLOOD PROTECTION Noah built an ark for protection against flooding, we want to do the same with our products and assessments.   LEARN MORE   Reach Your Prospects Every Week Thousands of industry professionals subscribe to association news briefs, which allows your company to push messaging directly to their inboxes and take advantage of the association's brand affinity. Connect with Highly Defined Buyers and Maximize Your Brand Exposure   LEARN MORE   .GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS 'Buy America' preferences now in effect for FEMA grant programs IAEM Twenty-three FEMA grant programs are now subject to the “Buy America” preferences under the Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA). This is part of FEMA’s “Buy America Preference in FEMA Financial Assistance Programs for Infrastructure, FEMA Interim Policy #207-22-0001.” This policy document provides guidance on FEMA’s implementation of the domestic preference requirements outlined in BABAA. The BABAA requirements went into effect on Jan. 2, 2023. Any new awards and any new obligations to existing awards or renewal awards FEMA makes going forward for covered programs will be required to follow the BABAA requirements unless another waiver is requested and approved. A series of external briefings on the BABAA policy will be listed on the Procurement Under Grants Training webpage and will be sent via grant recipient distribution lists. Interested participants are encouraged to register. FEMA Revolving Loan Fund Grant Program application period opens Feb. 1 IAEM Beginning Feb. 1, FEMA will accept applications for the Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund grant program. Eligible entities are states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 15 federally recognized tribes. These Tribal Nations are eligible because they received a major disaster declaration between Jan. 1, 2016, and Jan. 1, 2021. Loans will also be available to help local governments satisfy non-federal cost share requirements under FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs, update building codes adoption and enforcement and make zoning and land use changes. The Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund funding notice is available at Grants.gov. Eligible entities must apply for funding using the Non-Disaster Grants Management System. Applications must be received by 3:00 p.m. EDT on April 28. FEMA releases policy on prohibited and controlled equipment under FEMA awards IAEM FEMA has released a new policy, FEMA Policy #207-22-0002, Prohibited or Controlled Equipment under FEMA Awards. This policy went into effect on Jan. 1, and implements Executive Order (EO) 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, and applies to all FEMA grants. The policy prohibits grant recipients and subrecipients from purchasing certain types of equipment, setting forth requirements and procedures by which recipients and subrecipients may potentially purchase controlled equipment with FEMA federal financial assistance. The policy spells out prohibited items, exceptions, controlled equipment, and requirements necessary for recipients and subrecipients wanting to purchase excepted or controlled items. For a complete list of the prohibited and controlled equipment, including the new policy, visit FEMA.gov. FEMA now accepting applications for Assistance to Firefighters Grants IAEM FEMA has opened the application period for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG). Applications are being accepted until 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 10. The purpose of AFG is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The program provides direct financial assistance to eligible fire departments, nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations, and state fire training academies. The funds provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operational efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience. The available funding for FY 2022 AFG is $324 million. FEMA released the FY 2022 AFG Notice of Funding Opportunity on Jan. 3, 2023. The funding notice is available at Grants.gov. It’s also available, along with technical assistance documents and information about upcoming webinars to assist applicants, by visiting FEMA.gov. FEMA awards over $68.5 million to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Homeland Security Today The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded over $68.5 million to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA, by its Spanish Acronym) for emergency protective measures taken after Hurricane Fiona. Following the impact of Fiona, PREPA activated supplemental peaking units which help to increase energy production across Puerto Rico, thereby reducing blackout in municipalities affected by the disaster. PREPA’s immediate action led to increased energy production and helped protect residents from the impacts of the storm. READ MORE .IAEM-ASIA NEWS Joshimath: The trauma of living in India's sinking Himalayan town* BBC Early in the morning of 2 January, Prakash Bhotiyal woke up to a "loud sound" in his house in Joshimath, a small Himalayan mountain town in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The 52-year-old tailor switched on the lights and surveyed his newly-built, double-storey house to find gaping cracks in the brick walls in nine of the 11 rooms. The panicked 11-member extended family quickly moved to two rooms where the walls had developed only hairline cracks. They have been holed up there since then. READ MORE Improving China's extreme weather response China Dialogue "At about 2pm, the sky went dark and water started leaking into the office. Heavy rain and flood warnings started to appear on Weibo and some of my colleagues put on their waterproofs and went home to check on their families. At the time, I had no idea how serious the situation would get," recalls one person who lived through the Zhengzhou floods of July 2021. READ MORE .IAEM-EUROPA NEWS Civil Protection to assess causes of flooding damage* THe Portugal News The Minister of Internal Administration has asked the Civil Protection systems to assess the causes of the damage caused by bad weather in Portugal so that the country can be more resilient. READ MORE .IAEM-INTERNATIONAL NEWS Early warnings for floods in South Africa: Engineering for future climate change FloodList In April 2022 the province’s coast received heavy rain, with some areas recording over 300mm in 24 hours. This is about a third of the annual rainfall in KwaZulu-Natal. The rain was caused by a strong cut-off low weather system off the east coast of southern Africa. Cut-off lows frequently occur off this coast during the autumn months. These systems can cause localised flooding as well as large wave events. READ MORE .IAEM-JAPAN NEWS How researchers in disaster-prone Japan and the Pacific are rethinking city design* The Japan Times The local elementary school building is all that remains of Arahama, a small neighborhood that once sat on the very edge of Japan’s northeastern coast. In the minutes that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the school’s students, teachers and other local residents gathered on the roof, watching helplessly as the district of roughly 800 households disappeared, washed away by giant waves of black water. READ MORE In the face of strengthening typhoons, Japan's islands adopt renewables The Washington Post via The Spokesman-Review Kozu Island, which belongs to Tokyo but is about 170 kilometers from the capital, was hit by a typhoon on Oct. 11, 2019. Strong winds blew at speeds of nearly 180 kph and the entire area was without power for about six hours in the evening. About 70 people evacuated to a community center on the island, which was equipped with solar panels and storage batteries. There, the evacuees had lighting and fans to keep them cool. READ MORE .IAEM-LATIN AMERICA NEWS Latin America, Caribbean achieves capability in using nuclear techniques to respond to natural disasters IAEA It is the second-most-disaster-prone region in the world. Latin America and the Caribbean is vulnerable to natural events like earthquakes, floods and hurricanes owing to its unique tectonic structure and weather patterns. With climate change further exacerbating the impact of these vulnerabilities, the region urgently needed capacity to assess the safety and integrity of built structures following natural disasters, particularly in urban areas. With the IAEA’s help, the region has achieved self-reliance in these capacities. READ MORE .AROUND THE WORLD Landslides, sinkholes, floodwaters plague soggy California* The Associated Press Sinkholes swallowed cars and floodwaters swamped towns and swept away a small boy as California was wracked by more wild winter while the next in a powerful string of storms loomed on the horizon Tuesday. Millions of residents faced flood warnings, nearly 50,000 people were under evacuation orders, and more than 110,000 homes and businesses were without power because of heavy rains, lightning, hail and landslides. READ MORE Mexico City subway train collision kills at least 1, injures dozens* CNN via KESQ-TV Two trains collided on Mexico City’s subway system Saturday, killing at least one person and injuring 57 others, the city’s mayor said. In a news conference, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said a train driver was in a serious condition following the incident at the La Raza and Potrero stations on metro line 3. READ MORE 7.6 quake damages buildings in Indonesia, felt in Australia* The Associated Press A powerful deep-sea earthquake damaged village buildings in a lightly populated island chain in eastern Indonesia early Tuesday and was widely felt in northern Australia. Two school buildings and 124 houses were damaged in Indonesia’s Tanimbar islands and Southwest Maluku districts, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said. Only one injury was reported. READ MORE 11 people killed in Philippine storms: disaster agency AFP via IFI At least 11 people have died in storms across the Philippines in the past week, with more heavy rain expected in already sodden regions of the disaster-prone country, authorities said Tuesday. Bad weather has plagued the country's southern and central islands since the Christmas weekend when downpours triggered flooding and landslides that left 52 people dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. READ MORE Cyclone Hale brings flooding to North Island as wild weather moves south Stuff Cyclone Hale is sweeping across New Zealand, dumping significant amounts of rain on the eastern parts of the North Island over the past 24 hours, and is now moving down the east coast. MetService said Gisborne, Coromandel and parts of Northland had “exceptional falls” on Tuesday, and the storm was not done with concerns shifting to rising rivers on the east coast. READ MORE Powerful quake hits off Indonesia, rattles islands AFP via Seychelles News Agency A 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit deep under the ocean off Indonesia and East Timor early Tuesday, injuring at least one person after rattling nearby islands, damaging homes and forcing residents to flee in panic. The epicentre of the quake was 427 kilometres (265 miles) south of the Indonesian island of Ambon at a depth of 95 kilometres, the US Geological Survey reported. READ MORE   IAEM Dispatch Connect with IAEM | Privacy Policy Hailey Golden, Director of Publishing, Multiview, 469-420-2630 | Download media kit Bob Kowalski, Executive Editor, Multiview, 469-420-2650 | Contribute news *Article contributed by the Global Crisis Management Report. International Association of Emergency Managers 201 Park Washington Court  |  Falls Church, VA 22046-4527  Elizabeth B. Armstrong, MAM, CAE, IAEM CEO, IAEM Executive Director Dawn M. 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