This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here January 27, 2022 .IAEM CONFERENCE NEWS IAEM announces speakers for Mid-Year Virtual Conference IAEM IAEM has posted the Schedule-At-A-Glance which includes speakers and topics for the upcoming virtual conference to be held March 24-25, 2022. All registrants will have access to all content on-demand following the conference and credit for up to 20 contact hours that may be used towards IAEM certification. (Participation hours may be audited by the Commission.) You can opt for the All-In registration pass which includes registration to both the March IAEM virtual event and a full registration to the IAEM Annual Conference in Savannah, Georgia, Nov. 11-17, 2022. For attendees that have restrictions on the number of registrations they may process through their employer per year, this is a way to attend two events and only register and pay one time. IAEM members can access the March 24-25 event for just $299 or go All-In for both registrations for a discounted combined rate of $919. Webinar provides potential IAEM Annual Conference speakers with tips to prepare a successful proposal by Feb. 18 IAEM The call for breakout speakers at the IAEM 70th Annual Conference & EMEX is open and the deadline to submit a proposal is 11:59 p.m. CST on Feb. 18. IAEM is excited to hear from emergency management professionals interested in speaking at the premier emergency management event of the year. Recently, the IAEM Conference Committee hosted a webinar to help potential speakers submit the best proposal. The webinar provides tips for success and demonstrates how to use the application portal. View the webinar to help prepare the best proposal possible. .IAEM-CANADA COUNCIL NEWS Canada needs a national tracking system to better combat climate change. The reason is here — nationwide Eminitra The new report suggests that Canada has not done enough to adapt and prevent the effects of climate change and lacks the important data needed to do so. The 2021 heat wave, deadly wildfire, and autumn floods in British Columbia are the latest examples of the enormous human and economic costs of climate change, and are prepared to prevent and respond to them. It shows how bad it is. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Rave Mobile Safety Do You Know How To Prepare Your Front Lines For Community Protection? Protect Buildings, Schools and other Soft Targets with Rave Public Safety and the Need to Improve Mental Health and Emergency Response – Survey Results Prepare for both Planned and Unplanned Events with Rave’s Incident Collaboration Solution Deliver Critical Communications to Your Community in Three Clicks Across All Modes .IAEM-USA COUNCIL NEWS IAEM urges U.S. local and tribal emergency managers to respond to the EMPG ROI survey by 6:00 p.m. EST, Feb. 4 IAEM IAEM-USA is conducting the 15th annual survey seeking information from U.S. local government and tribal emergency management offices about Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) funding. IAEM is seeking input via a survey from local and tribal jurisdictions, including IAEM members and non-members. NEMA is collecting and analyzing state data, and IAEM will analyze local and tribal data for a joint report to be distributed to key policymakers on Capitol Hill and within the Biden Administration. We've made significant progress in recent years educating Members of Congress on the importance of building and maintaining strong emergency management programs at the local level, as well as the role of funding, particularly EMPG funding, in building such programs. Over the past two years, working in close coordination with our state partners, IAEM has secured an additional $250 million for EMPG above and beyond the annual appropriation of $355 million to help support the coordinated pandemic response. Even so, there are many competing demands for federal funding, so we must continue to demonstrate the value of this program to our elected officials in FY 2022 and beyond. Learn more about this initiative on the IAEM website. FEMA may be challenged by catastrophic disasters: GAO Homeland Security News Wire GAO says that its past examination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA), covering the period July 2015- August 2021, has identified longstanding challenges facing the agency’s workforce. These challenges will become even more acute as the climate change increases the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. 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 Biden appoints three FEMA Regional Administrators Homeland Security Today Regional Administrators lead FEMA’s 10 Regional offices and coordinate directly with the FEMA Administrator to support state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) communities in their geographic area of operations delivering frontline services across the spectrum of preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, and continuity programs. The Regional Administrators play a critical role in delivering timely, efficient, effective, and accessible federal assistance. READ MORE DHS: Extremists continue to plot, encourage physical attacks on electricity infrastructure* Homeland Security Today Domestic violent extremists including white supremacists and accelerationists continue to aspire to attack the power grid utilizing encrypted messaging platforms and simple tactics that could make a plot harder to detect in the planning stages, according to a new memo from the Department of Homeland Security. READ MORE  SPONSORED VIDEO Emergency Operations that Scale Enable systems of care that scale, eliminate fragmentation of communication, and coordinate mutual aid — all on one communication and logistics platform. With Pulsara, Emergency Managers have the flexibility to assess regional and statewide needs and centrally compile needed resources during emergency response, dramatically reducing miscommunications and waste time. WATCH VIDEO Watchdog: HUD disaster relief could use better data collection, analysis Nextgov The Department of Housing and Urban Development needs to use more accurate population data to better distribute funding for underserved communities across the country, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. Researchers with the agency specifically looked at how funds from HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery are allocated. READ MORE Applications are being accepted for the Committee on Levee Safety IAEM Applications are being accepted to serve as a stakeholder representative on the new Committee on Levee Safety. The purpose of this non-federal stakeholder group is to provide advice to USACE and FEMA on a broad range of issues, topics, and alternatives related to the development of the National Levee Safety Program. The committee will be comprised of 14 voting members, appointed by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, with expertise in levee safety. Members will include eight representatives of state levee safety agencies, two local or regional government representatives, two private sector representatives, and two tribal representatives. USACE and FEMA will serve as non-voting members on the committee. More information about the responsibilities of the committee and application requirements can be found in the Federal Register.  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by George Washington University This is pioneering education on counter-terrorism, intelligence analysis, emerging security threats and relevant legislation. Professors are acknowledged leaders in the field who bring first-hand experience to class. Our program is a 36-credit master’s degree program that can be completed in as little as 16 months. Application period opens for FEMA's Youth Preparedness Council The Journal Times The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that youth leaders across the nation can now apply to become a part of the 2022 Youth Preparedness Council (YPC). YPC members are students in grades eight through 11 who are selected to support disaster preparedness and make a difference in their communities. READ MORE .NEW INSIGHTS 'Surreal' California wildfire: Why expecting the unexpected is a crisis management best practice Forbes Although most crisis situations cannot be foreseen, some crises turn out to be even more of a surprise than others. The Colorado Fire that is now raging on California’s Central Coast is a good example. The Golden State’s latest emergency should serve as a reminder to all business leaders why expecting the unexpected is a crisis management best practice. The more you prepare for any crisis, the more likely it is you will be able to respond do it effectively, efficiently and strategically. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Mayor Garcetti Joins Optimum Seismic To Mark Retrofit Milestone Promoted by Optimum Seismic Inc Seven thousand.That’s how many buildings have been retrofitted for earthquake safety since Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2015 signed a historic law requiring seismic fortification for 12,558 older soft-story structures in the city. LEARN MORE   .EM NEWS A small city's hurricane recovery could help other communities bounce back Homeland Security News Wire In September 2018, a North Carolina city’s long road to recovery from Hurricane Matthew two years earlier became even longer. Lumberton, a small but diverse city of 21,000 people, 96 kilometers (60 miles) inland from the coast, unfortunately found itself in Hurricane Florence’s sights. READ MORE Here's what scientists know about the Tonga volcano eruption Homeland Security Today While residents of Tonga struggle to recover from a devastating volcanic explosion that smothered the Pacific island nation with ash and swamped it with water, scientists are trying to better understand the global effects of the eruption. They already know the answer to one crucial question: Although it appeared to be the largest eruption in the world in three decades, the explosion of the Hunga volcano will very likely not have a temporary cooling effect on the global climate, as some past enormous eruptions have. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Disaster Recovery. Simplified Deloitte’s Close as You Go (CAYG) is a secure cloud-based software platform built to help agencies manage recovery documentation for procurement and contracting, model policies and procedures, and plan for disaster. Developed alongside specialists in preparedness and response, CAYG helps you prepare, so you can focus on recovery. LEARN MORE Two years of COVID-19: What it takes to run an emergency response across 53 countries* WHO via ReliefWeb "For 2 years, the essential public health work of WHO/Europe has been dominated by the COVID-19 response. Working with the entire Regional Office, the Incident Support Management Team has been our engine, powering emergency operations with evidence-based, actionable and on-the-ground support to countries and partners" said Dr Dorit Nitzan, WHO/Europe's Regional Emergency Director. On Jan. 24, 2020, confirmation arrived that the first cases of COVID-19 had been detected in the WHO European Region. READ MORE Tonga eruption was so intense, it caused the atmosphere to ring like a bell* The Conversation The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption reached an explosive crescendo on Jan. 15, 2022. Its rapid release of energy powered an ocean tsunami that caused damage as far away as the U.S. West Coast, but it also generated pressure waves in the atmosphere that quickly spread around the world. The atmospheric wave pattern close to the eruption was quite complicated, but thousands of miles away it appeared as an isolated wave front traveling horizontally at over 650 miles an hour as it spread outward. READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE Online Master's in Infrastructure Planning & Management The University of Washington's online Master of Infrastructure Planning & Management program prepares you to lead development of the next generation of critical infrastructure systems ­­— resilient, secure and accessible. Earn your degree completely online in two years of part-time study. Apply now to start in fall 2021.   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   Tonga volcano highlights global undersea cable network fragility DataCenter Knowledge If your disaster preparedness plans had a check box for oceanic cable traffic disruption due to an undersea volcano, bravo. Bet the lottery this week. Most of the world was caught off guard by the surprisingly powerful nature of this weekend's Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption. Fortunately, the impact on international internet traffic was minimal on a global scale. READ MORE .UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE/SCHOOL EM ISSUES GAO: Vulnerable schoolchildren and districts faced heightened challenges after natural disasters Homeland Security Today Natural disasters can be devastating for K-12 schools—especially in areas where people are already vulnerable. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says that most school districts that received key federal recovery grants in the wake of 2017-2019 disasters had higher than average proportions of students from socially vulnerable groups (e.g., low-income families, kids with disabilities). READ MORE Whether it's a hurricane, an active shooter, or a pandemic, we must reconsider campus emergency planning Science X When it comes to emergency preparedness, universities and colleges understand the importance of having policies, protocols and procedures in place to minimize damage, prevent tragedies and ensure a safe environment for staff and students who work and live on campus. Campus emergency planning is a complex process due to the enormous number of existing and potential threats. Universities and colleges around the country must plan to deal with different kinds of emergencies, ranging from natural hazards, such as hurricanes and pandemics, to man-made disasters, such as active shooters. READ MORE .HEALTHCARE EM UPDATE Lockdowns during early pandemic saved lives, but not a go-to strategy moving forward: Study Homeland Security News Wire The U.S. pandemic lockdown in 2020 caused a $2.3 trillion economic downturn and split the nation politically, and now some European nations are locking down again as Omicron surges through the global population. But do these drastic measures save lives? Are they worth massive job and income losses? READ MORE .CLIMATE/WATER/WEATHER UPDATES Fire and ice: The puzzling link between western wildfires and Arctic Sea ice Homeland Security News Wire “Some say the world will end in fire,” wrote Robert Frost a century ago. The poet described one popular take on the world’s end before shifting to its apocalyptic opposite, writing, “some say in ice.” But the relationship between fire and ice, in terms of Earth’s climate, is not quite as “either or” as Frost depicted. In the case of a study presented today at the 2021 AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans, that relationship is more “give and take.” The team of researchers behind the recent study describe a link between dwindling sea ice and worsening wildfires in the western United States. READ MORE Students design a 'floating house' to save people from floods EuroNews A revolutionary concept for a flood resistant ‘floating house’ has been designed by students in the UK. The idea is that the house would float whenever a flood approaches and shelter people for at least six weeks during catastrophic weather. It could be used as storage for food, water, medicine and sanitation products and is developed to enhance disaster resilience within local communities. READ MORE .CYBERSECURITY NEWS DHS intelligence brief warns of potential Russian cyber-retaliation against U.S. critical infrastructure* Homeland Security Today An intelligence brief from the Department of Homeland Security warns stakeholders that Russia “would consider” launching a cyber attack against the United States if the U.S. or NATO respond to Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine in a way that the Kremlin perceives as threatening to Russian security. The memo also notes that Russia’s threshold for directly launching a destructive attack against U.S. critical infrastructure with its cyber arsenal “probably remains very high” though Moscow “continues to target and gain access to critical infrastructure in the United States.” READ MORE .EM RESOURCES Tsunami Science and Technology Advisory Panel issued a report with recommendations to NOAA Administrator IAEM The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science Advisory Board’s Tsunami Science and Technology Advisory Panel in January released a Congressionally-mandated report to the NOAA Administrator and Congress. This report provides eight overarching recommendations about the U.S. Tsunami Program, each of which includes one or more priority actions. The recommendations are: Improve unification and capabilities of the Tsunami Forecast System. Improve tsunami detection and observation systems. Provide more extensive, consistent, and accurate tsunami messages and products. Develop enhancements to Tsunami Warning Center forecasts and alert systems. Improve consistency in tsunami preparedness and mitigation products for communities. Produce guidance for improving long-term community resilience to tsunami hazards. Improve tsunami hydrodynamic modeling. Develop tsunami research priorities and leverage research opportunities. Members of the NOAA SAB Tsunami Science and Technology Advisory Panel were appointed by the NOAA Administrator for a three-year term in August 2020, and include academic, engineering, geology, oceanography, and emergency management professionals. IAEM member Dr. Rocky Lopes serves as a panel co-chair and is the only emergency manager to serve. .DISASTER TECHNOLOGY NEWS ShakeAlert earthquake warnings can give people time to protect themselves — but so far, few have actually done so Homeland Security News Wire The ShakeAlert system is a remarkable technology, years in the making. It has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in areas where high-magnitude earthquakes occur by providing a few seconds’ warning – enough time for people to take basic safety precautions. Marvelous as it is, though, ShakeAlert saves lives only if people understand what to do when they receive such an alert – and do it. READ MORE .IAEM MEMBER NEWS Leader of nation's largest disaster program joining Merit to spearhead emergency services team Business Wire via Yahoo News Chris Walker, former Senior Vice President of WSP's Emergency Management division, has joined Merit International as the President of the company’s Emergency Services division. Mr. Walker, a nationally recognized and certified emergency manager, has over 30 years of emergency management (EM) subject matter expertise and will be a key leader within Merit, working towards bringing greater awareness of the verified identity platform to both the public and private sector EM markets. .GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS FEMA grant systems to use a new identifier IAEM A big change is coming soon that affects grant applicants and recipients in FEMA grants management systems, including the new grants system FEMA Grants Outcomes (FEMA GO). FEMA GO will allow users to apply, track, and manage all disaster and non-disaster grants and currently supports firefighter, emergency responder, and pre-disaster mitigation grants. On Apr. 4, the federal government will stop using the Dun & Bradstreet number (DUNS) to uniquely identify entities registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). After Apr. 4, entities doing business with the federal government will use a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov. They will no longer have to go to a third-party website, such as DUNS, to obtain their identifier. Organizations that are currently registered in SAM.gov will automatically see their UEI in the FEMA GO system when they log in. New organizations that register with SAM.gov will be given the UEI number. To register for a new account in FEMA GO, you need to know the SAM-generated UEI for your organization to find your organization’s electronic business point of contact (EBiz POC). In FEMA GO, the EBIZ POC is the authorized organization representative and the only person who can add you as an authorized user for your organization in FEMA GO. If you create or re-activate a SAM record, it may take 48 hours before the FEMA GO system recognizes the updates and allows you to register your organization or begin an application. Additional information about UEI and FEMA GO is provided in the FEMA GO Startup Guide for Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program and the FEMA GO Startup Guide for Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants. .SURVEY REQUESTS CHDS 2021 "Education Priorities and Settings for Learning" Survey seeks your input IAEM The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) Executive Education Program is reaching out to partners, students, and audiences to gather feedback as it develops its 2022 programs. The survey seeks to highlight educational priorities will be a key factor in CHDS planning. Please take a few minutes to help by completing the 2022 Educational Priorities and Settings for Learning Survey. The deadline to respond is Jan. 31. .IAEM-ASIA NEWS The Maldives is being swallowed by the sea. Can it adapt? National Geographic Twenty-five hundred years of maritime living have shaped the culture and identity of the people of the Maldives, a country of 1,196 low-lying islands arranged into a double chain of 26 coral atolls, so flat they scarcely breach the horizon. Outsiders may know the islands for two things: beach holidays, and the likelihood the Maldives may become the first country on Earth to disappear beneath rising seas. READ MORE Chinese officials punished for covering up true scale of deadly floods CNN Dozens of Chinese officials have been punished over their response to devastating floods that killed hundreds last July, after a government investigation found authorities had under-reported deaths and deliberately withheld information. The flooding in the city of Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan province, left 398 people dead or missing. Torrential rains submerged entire neighborhoods and subway stations, drowning many people in vehicles and underground spaces, while others were caught in landslides and house collapses. READ MORE .IAEM-EUROPA NEWS Minister: State must apologize for response to storm* Ekathimerini Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianides has acknowledged the insufficient response of the state to the winter storm that affected large parts of the country and the need to apologize to the citizens. READ MORE .AROUND THE WORLD 'People are scared to go back into their homes': Two dead, dozens of schoolchildren injured in Haiti earthquake The Independent Two people have been killed and dozens of schoolchildren injured after back-to-back earthquakes struck Haiti. The earthquakes created panic in southwest Haiti where a powerful tremor killed more than 2,000 people last summer. READ MORE Tropical storm kills 37 in Madagascar, Mozambique Daily Sabah Tropical storm Ana has killed at least 34 people in Madagascar and three people in Mozambique while knocking out power in Malawi, authorities in the three countries said Tuesday. The storm, which formed over the east coast of Africa's largest island Madagascar, has brought heavy rains causing flooding and mudslides in the capital Antananarivo. READ MORE 42 killed, 76 injured in Afghanistan due to heavy snowfall myRepublica At least 42 people have been killed and 76 wounded following heavy snowfall in Afghanistan, local media reported on Monday. The State Ministry in Disaster Management affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said heavy snowfall in 15 provinces of Afghanistan killed 42 people while 76 were injured in the time span, Khaama Press reported. READ MORE Tonga volcano: 84% of population affected by ashfall and tsunami The Guardian Eighty-four percent of the population of Tonga has been affected by the ashfall and tsunami that hit the country, the Tongan government has said in its second update since the volcanic eruption on 15 January. Sixty-two residents of the remote Mango Island have had to relocate to nearby Nomuka Island after losing their homes and belongings, and the government warned they may have to relocate again to the main island due to food and water shortages. READ MORE   IAEM Dispatch Connect with IAEM Hailey Golden, Director of Publishing, MultiView, 469-420-2630 | Download media kit Bob Kowalski, Executive Editor, MultiView, 469-420-2650 | Contribute news 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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