This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here April 7, 2022 .IAEM CONFERENCE NEWS Submit proposals now to become an EMvision Talk speaker at the 2022 IAEM Annual Conference IAEM IAEM now is accepting abstracts for the popular EMvision Talks. The talks will be held at the IAEM Annual Conference and EMEX in Savannah, Georgia, Nov. 11-17, 2022. IAEM’s EMvision Talks are modeled on the TED™ Talk format. They provide a forum for people to share a personal connection to an idea, experience or passion related to emergency management, leadership, health & wellness, inclusion, communication, community engagement, or other related topics. The talks are limited to seven minutes. Step-by-Step instructions and information needed to complete the online submission form are found in the Speaker Submission Guidance. To be considered, applicants must submit an abstract for the first round of review by 11:59 PM CDT, Friday, May 6, 2022. Register now for on-demand content from the recent IAEM Virtual Conference IAEM Did you miss the second annual IAEM Virtual Conference? Participants engaged with and learned from leading emergency management experts. Even if you did not attend live, you can now register for on-demand access to all sessions presented at the conference – more than 20 hours of content that will be available until Mar. 24, 2023. After you view sessions, you will be able to claim those contact hours for credit towards IAEM’s Certification Program. IAEM has added the plenaries and EMvision Talks from the 2021 Annual Conference to the on-demand portal. Registration for the on-demand Virtual Conference and bonus content is a bargain at just $149 for non-members, $99 for members, and $79 for student members. Register here. Call for poster submissions for the IAEM Annual Conference closes on Apr. 22 IAEM The call for submissions for the Poster Showcase is open and will close on Apr. 22. The Poster Showcase at the IAEM Annual Conference allows participants to present the significance of their research project, practice, or general findings to practitioners and scholars in the emergency management community. For more information, visit the conference website. .IAEM-OCEANIA COUNCIL NEWS Terrifying walls of water and mass deaths: The four Australian towns that relocated after floodwaters roared through the streets Daily Mail In the wake of catastrophic flooding in northern New South Wales the conventional wisdom remains that permanently moving whole towns to a safer location is just too hard. But at least four regularly waterlogged Australian towns have been shifted to higher ground after being subjected to repeated flooding, one as recently as in the past decade. While relocating a city such as Lismore with its population of more than 28,000 might seem impractical, smaller towns have been successfully rebuilt since the middle of the 19th century. READ MORE .IAEM-USA COUNCIL NEWS Senate committee advances Durbin, Portman Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act Sen. Dick Durbin U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC), announced that their bipartisan and bicameral legislation, the Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, unanimously passed out of HSGAC. The bill would expand federally funded mental health and trauma support resources for survivors and first responders following Emergency Declarations granted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Rave Mobile Safety Securing Soft Targets with the Help of Mass Notification Systems Keep Your Government Buildings Protected with Rave’s Safety & Protection Solution 2022 Crisis Communication and Safety in Education – Survey Report Proven Practices for Streamlined Employee Communications in Healthcare 4 Ways Desktop Notifications Can Make a Difference When it Comes to Critical Communication FEMA now accepting nominations for a new emergency management exchange program IAEM FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced the agency is accepting nominations for a new emergency manager exchange program. The staff exchange program will allow state, local, tribal, and territorial government officials to work with FEMA leadership to develop and implement emergency management policies and programs. Program participants will work alongside FEMA leadership and staff from FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery or Resilience. These stakeholders will contribute to federal emergency management and see the impact of their contributions from a different governmental perspective. There will be a total of four participants selected for this six-month assignment to FEMA from July through December 2022. A future session is planned from January to June 2023. Nominations should include a letter of nomination from the leadership of the governmental program or organization explaining why the candidate is nominated for the exchange and should also contain the nominator’s contact information, and the nominee’s resume. The nominating office’s point of contact should be the nominee’s supervisor or someone in a higher-level leadership position. FEMA will reimburse the participant’s home organization for the cost of the participant’s salary plus benefits, for the duration of the assignment. Nominations are due by May 6. To submit a nomination, email FEMA-EMX-Nominations@fema.dhs.gov. USGS' $1.7 billion FY 2023 budget request boosts natural hazards risk mitigation, wildfire response planning Homeland Security Today The Biden-Harris Administration submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2023. The President’s Budget details his vision to expand on the historic progress our country has made over the last year and deliver the agenda he laid out in his State of the Union address—to build a better America, reduce the deficit, reduce costs for families, and grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out. President Biden proposed a $1.7 billion Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget for the U.S. Geological Survey, which reflects the agency’s enduring responsibilities as it continues to advance the priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration. 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 NEMA honors DeFazio and Shelby as 2022 Legislative Award recipients IAEM The National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) selected Senator Richard Shelby and Representative Peter DeFazio as this year’s recipients of the NEMA 2022 Legislative Award. These recipients are being honored by NEMA for their work in advancing safety and security in the emergency management and homeland security community. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has served in Congress for more than 43 years and has long been an advocate for the important role emergency management plays in the national security and resilience landscape. He and his team have supported Alabama’s efforts through programs as varied as the VORTEX-SE tornado research program and the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP). As the previous Chairman and current Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Shelby has worked to ensure federal funding is consistently made available to support emergency management at the state, tribal, territorial, and local levels of government. Since his election to represent the Fourth District of Oregon in 1987, Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) has tirelessly supported enhancing Oregon’s ability to reduce risk and recover quickly from disasters. In his service on the House Transportation and Infrastructure as the Ranking Member and beginning in 2019 as Committee Chairman, Congressman DeFazio has advocated for strengthening our nation’s critical infrastructure, efforts to expedite implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1, and improvements to how our nation prepares for, responds to, recovers from, and mitigates against emergencies and disasters. Congressman DeFazio displayed incredible leadership and the power of advocacy through his efforts to provide states with appropriate tools and resources to combat the COVID pandemic and to help reduce the risk of future pandemics and other disasters. Congressman DeFazio similarly was successful in his advocacy to award Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding to every state that received COVID major disaster declarations. This, along with his leadership in passing the Disaster Recovery Reform Act in 2018 and the creation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program, will literally and figuratively change the hazard landscape across the country. .EM NEWS EMAP seeks a training coordinator IAEM The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) has announced a search for a training coordinator. This position requires familiarity with adult education program development and delivery, and the ability to deliver instruction in on-site as well as virtual classroom settings. It manages the EMAP training activities and interacts with members of the staff team, customers, and instructors. This position is responsible for curriculum development and delivery of standards-based training, monthly showcase webinars, managing a cadre of qualified trainers, and related duties. The full job description is available on the Association and Society Management International website. This is the same firm that manages IAEM. Interested applicants should send a resume and cover message to Nicole Ishmael.  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 Mapping project aims to better understand major volcanic eruptions Homeland Security Today In a rare opportunity to improve understanding of the nature and impact of a major volcanic eruption, scientists at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) are sailing to Tonga to survey the ocean around the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai (HT–HH) volcano and surrounding regions. They will be surveying thousands of square kilometers of the seafloor and collecting video images of the eruption’s impact from NIWA’s research vessel, RV Tangaroa, and using SEA-KIT International’s Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Maxlimer to conduct further mapping. READ MORE .UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE/SCHOOL EM ISSUES FEMA continues funding to support the safe operation of schools IAEM Funding under FEMA's Public Assistance (PA) program continues to support the safe and continuous in-person operation of schools and school districts, including funding for high-quality masks. The federal government is committed to working with schools to keep students and staff safe and maintain in-person instruction. Implementing science-based measures – like vaccinations, testing, improved ventilation, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) like high-quality masks – will help keep schools safely open and reduce the spread of COVID-19. FEMA has worked with emergency managers in states, territories, and tribal nations to provide high-quality masks that they can distribute for free to schools, school districts, and other settings within their jurisdictions. FEMA’s program eligibility guidelines are outlined in FEMA Policy 104-21-0003, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Safe Opening and Operation Work Eligible for Public Assistance (Interim) Version 2. To learn more about FEMA’s program, eligibility, and how to apply for funding, please visit Assistance for Governments and Private Non-Profits After a Disaster | FEMA.gov.  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 Learn from a dedicated faculty team with global emergency management experience .CYBERSECURITY NEWS Protecting solar technologies from cyberattack Homeland Security News Wire At a solar farm, power electronics devices convert direct current (DC) electricity generated by solar photovoltaic panels into alternating current (AC) electricity for use on the electrical grid. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates up to 80% of electricity could flow through power electronics devices by 2030. Researchers suggest a novel approach to safeguarding one possible target of a cyberattack – the nation’s solar farms. READ MORE Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy begins operations Homeland Security Today The State Department is pleased to announce that the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP) began operations today. A key piece of Secretary Blinken’s modernization agenda, the CDP bureau will address the national security challenges, economic opportunities, and implications for U.S. values associated with cyberspace, digital technologies, and digital policy. READ MORE Ransomware attacks straining local U.S. governments and public services Homeland Security Today The FBI is informing (GFS) partners of cyber actors conducting ransomware attacks on local government agencies that have resulted in disrupted operational services, risks to public safety, and financial losses. Ransomware attacks against local government entities and the subsequent impacts are especially significant due to the public’s dependency on critical utilities, emergency services, educational facilities, and other services overseen by local governments, making them attractive targets for cyber criminals. READ MORE .EM RESOURCES FEMA publishes fire management and suppression resource typing documents IAEM FEMA released 25 fire management and suppression resource typing documents. These National Incident Management System (NIMS) job titles/position qualifications and resource typing definitions provide fire management and suppression support to emergency response and recovery operations. For more information, including the full scope of the fire management and suppression resource typing definitions, visit the Resource Typing Library Tool. Resource typing is a key component of NIMS and enables organizations from across the country to work together during incidents of all types and sizes. Implementing NIMS resource management principles across the nation is a fundamental part of building our national preparedness.  FEATURED ARTICLE   Asbestos? Lead? It Pays To Do Things Right Promoted by Optimum Seismic, Inc. Many older homes and apartment buildings contain lead and asbestos. Owners sometimes downplay the health hazards these substances pose to humans and the environment alike, and feel tempted to bypass the rules by removing these contaminants undercover — hoping that no one finds out. LEARN MORE   .EM STUDENT NEWS A foot in the door — the value of internships Domestic Preparedness Experience required. Many jobs require wide-ranging qualifications and expertise to be able to apply and interview. However, people often ask, “How can I get the experience if I cannot get a job?” A great way to get “a foot in the door” is through internships, which can be vital in the emergency management field. Multifaceted and sometimes fast-paced, this is the type of profession where one must have the drive and passion for helping others and serving the community. Despite some public misconceptions that emergency management is only active during an event (which is often the only time an agency receives media attention), it is a 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year profession. READ MORE .IAEM MEMBER NEWS New coordinator named in Linn County Emergency Management Agency KCRG-TV The Linn County Emergency Management Agency has named a new coordinator to succeed Steve O’Konek, who is retiring after 4 years with the agency. B.J. Dvorak, who’s served as the Emergency Management Specialist/Plans and Exercise Officer since 2019, will fill the role on April 9th. Dvorak has been a volunteer firefighter with the City of Tiffin for the past 4 years and has also been a Supply Management Officer with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the past 13 years. READ MORE .SURVEY REQUESTS Scientific study will help researchers understand the current use of social media among emergency management/public safety professionals in the U.S. and Europe IAEM Are you an emergency management professional in the United States or Europe? Do you want to help transform disaster management using social media? Researchers seek your help in a scientific study to understand the current usage of social media among emergency management professionals in the United States and Europe by completing a survey. The researchers are a group of academics and practitioners from four universities and five institutions. The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. The deadline to complete the survey is May 1. Learn more and complete the survey online. .EM CALENDAR WSIS is hosting 'The Global Call to Action on Emergency Alerting' — Apr. 19, 9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT IAEM The World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2022, with panelists from major international organizations that have endorsed this Call to Action, will discuss future plans to implement Common Alerting Protocol more widely. Despite today's amazing telecommunications services, too many people in harm's way still do not get timely and effective emergency alerts so they can protect lives and livelihoods. This is largely because traditional emergency alerts are bulletins or press releases, composed of unstructured text and not well suited to automated processing. The supporting organizations work with the goal, "To scale up efforts to ensure that by 2025 all countries have the capability for effective, authoritative emergency alerting that leverages CAP." For more information, visit this website. Register here. .IAEM-INTERNATIONAL NEWS In Madagascar, a hurricane simulation transforms into real-life disaster response Columbia Climate School A recent hurricane simulation exercise to test Madagascar’s emergency preparedness quickly transformed into a real-life disaster response scenario as a tropical cyclone descended upon the island. Researchers from the Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) had spent months preparing to run a tropical cyclone simulation to test how well Madagascar’s newly developed customs clearance procedures function during an emergency. READ MORE Jamaica now has a bush fire warning index and management system Jamaica Observer Jamaica's climate and disaster resilience capacities have been strengthened with the development of a Bush Fire Warning Index and Management System. The digital platform, initiated by the Meteorological Service Division (Met Service) in tandem with the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), is expected to improve stakeholder capability to monitor developments relating to bush fires. READ MORE .AROUND THE WORLD Severe storms, flooding, reported tornadoes hit North Texas Government Technology Almost all parts of North Texas were affected by a storm late Monday night that brought some areas flooding rains, while others saw severe thunder with hail and the unlucky were hit by reported tornadoes. A tornado watch was in effect for multiple North Texas counties including Dallas and Tarrant until 2 a.m. Tuesday. A severe thunderstorm watch was also first issued for most of North Texas, including the Metroplex, and soon developed into severe thunderstorm warnings for most of the region by 7:30 p.m. Monday that continued until late into the night. READ MORE Brazil mudslides and flash floods leave at least 14 dead N World Torrential downpours triggered flash floods and landslides across Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, killing at least 14 people including eight children and leaving five missing, authorities said on Saturday. Two days of heavy rain have battered much of the south-eastern state's Atlantic coast, the latest in a series of deadly storms in Brazil that experts say are being aggravated by climate change. READ MORE Strong storms rolling through the South kill 2, bring tornadoes and damaging winds CNN Strong storms sweeping through the South have left at least two people dead as the severe weather dropped trees and spawned dozens of tornadoes from Mississippi to South Carolina. In Georgia, there were reports of two tornadoes and one person killed Tuesday as the storms blew through. Bryan County Coroner Bill Cox confirmed the death but didn't have any details about the victim or how they died. READ MORE Texas flash flooding sweeps cars away as roads turned into rivers Newsweek Dramatic rescues took place overnight as flash flooding swept through parts of North Texas when storms battered the area. Residents had to be helped to safety after their vehicles were washed away in sudden swells of fast-moving water that raged through the city of McKinney. 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. Shiley, CAE, IAEM Dispatch POC, IAEM Communications and Marketing Manager (703) 538-1795  |  Contact Us  |  www.iaem.org/ Click here to unsubscribe.  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. 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