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IAEM
IAEM has two remaining requests for speaker submissions. The call for abstracts for the Poster Showcase ends on Apr. 24, while the call for speakers for the EMvision Talks ends on May 8. View the information flyers for both, and submit your proposal today to be a speaker at the IAEM 68th Annual Conference & EMEX in Long Beach, California, Nov. 13-18, 2020.
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GlobeNewswire via Yahoo Finance
The Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) and its members applaud the federal and provincial governments for their ongoing recognition of the essential role that veterinary medicines and veterinary care play in safeguarding a safe and secure food supply, as well as the health of communities in Canada.
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Everbridge
With the COVID-19 panedmic, state and local governments are using Everbridge to reach more residents, identify the most vulnerable community members, set up virtual boundaries for geo-targeted messages. Watch Now.
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Global News
Alberta Emergency Management Agency managing director Shane Schreiber said the creation of a dedicated pandemic response team will allow the provincial operation centre to focus on preparing for summer natural disasters such as wildfires, tornadoes, and floods.
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Narcity
2020 just won't give Alberta a break. Alberta's Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Devin Dreeshen, recently told the public that Alberta's wildfire season will peak around late April and May. Since the COVID-19 pandemic is projected to peak in Alberta around mid-May, it just so happens that the two crises are projected to peak at the same time.
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BCG is committed to helping you respond to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Our years of experience in the disaster and emergency management field make us a great partner for providing solutions to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and the challenges it presents.
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| IAEM-OCEANIA COUNCIL NEWS |
The Canberra Times
Last year, The Canberra Times reported that the build-and-maintenance costs of new submarines will total perhaps $225 billion. When reflecting on the effects of coronavirus one might reasonably conclude that a rational evaluation of security threats in Canberra appears curiously disappointing.
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BBC
After a deadly cyclone slammed through several countries in the Pacific, there is growing concern that the coronavirus pandemic could disrupt efforts to help the survivors undo early work to protect vulnerable communities from infection.
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Optimum Seismic
California just experienced its deadliest and most destructive wildfire, ever. Nearly 14,000 homes, 530 commercial structures and 4,300 other buildings were destroyed in November when the Cal Fire ravaged the Butte County landscape, incinerating entire communities like the town of Paradise in its wake.
The devastation of lives and livelihoods lost is unfathomable. So too is the sheer scope of work needed to clear the charred debris before recovery can ever start.
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The Hill
All 50 states are under a major disaster declaration for the first time in U.S. history, after President Trump approved Wyoming’s declaration.
Within 22 days, Trump declared a major emergency in all 50 states and most territories through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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Pew
Reopening society, experts say, will require the regular testing of millions of people, a reliable and fast nationwide reporting network and an army of thousands of investigators tasked with tracking down those who may have been exposed to the virus. The federal government has yet to produce even the framework of a plan — let alone the supplies and workforce to carry it out — leaving states and local governments to cobble together their own tenuous roadmaps.
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USA Today
As the coronavirus scuds across the USA, killing thousands and depleting medical resources, the pandemic is playing out precisely as emergency officials around the country assumed when they drafted response plans over the past decade.
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Government Executive
The Trump administration is allowing agencies to redirect federal grants and other financial assistance awards to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Under an exception ordered by the Office of Management and Budget, agencies can allow grant recipients to donate medical equipment and supplies purchased with federal funds to hospitals and other local entities serving the public in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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IAEM
A proposed policy for the new Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program is now available for public comment. Stakeholders may view the policy and provide new comments until May 11. To locate the new policy, visit regulations.gov and search the identification number FEMA-2019-0018.
In developing the proposed policy, FEMA reached out to stakeholders for input and gave serious consideration to comments received during the comprehensive engagement process in 2019.
To learn more, visit the FEMA website.
Popular Science
Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has stretched state and federal disaster preparedness services. But as we move into spring and the beginnings of hurricane, tornado, flooding, and fire season—periods that have grown longer and more unpredictable in recent years—local, state and federal authorities will be fighting to save lives and livelihoods from potentially many more threats.
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Forbes
Many communities in the US have been plagued by spring floods in recent years, and as temperatures warm, flood season now comes with the double whammy of the simultaneous COVID-19 pandemic. Again this year, large swaths of the middle of the country are seeing above average precipitation.
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IAEM
The IAEM Editorial Committee will publish the second 2020 special focus issue in June, on the topic of “Black Swan Events: Cybersecurity.” Cyber incidents are happening and will continue to occur. Our world is unique, and we have to embrace the reality of where we are and be ready to manage any emergency that arises. To survive and thrive, we must think in new ways, share resources, and work with new partners to forge new successes. We need to be ready to consider “non-traditional” solutions. Technology is vulnerable to cyber hacks, and the damage could be a whole lot more than the incidents we have already experienced. What have we learned from events that have already occurred to prepare our communities to face future cyber incidents? How will the challenges of cyber incidents become opportunities? The deadline for article submissions on cybersecurity is May 20, 2020. Details are posted online. Note: We will continue to consider article submissions on pandemics. Direct questions to Bulletin Editor Karen Thompson.
Governing
The order to stay at home puts a special burden on the homeless. Residents in one shelter in northern Virginia are doing what they can to keep their distance in a pandemic.
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Emergency Management
As the country buckles down to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, local governments are in constant contact with officials from the state and federal levels to ensure they have the necessary supplies.
Overseeing that process in Clark and Floyd counties are the emergency management agencies [EMA].
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| UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE EM ISSUES |
IAEM
A proposal is pending that would create a new IAEM-USA K-12 Education Caucus, so please let us know if you would like to participate. The purpose of the caucus would be to address emergency management issues specific to K-12 school districts. School districts are the backbone of U.S. communities, they are taking a more proactive role in preparing their students, faculty, staff, and visitors for responding to, recovering from, and mitigating against all threats and hazards while creating a more resilient school district. The caucus could provide school district emergency managers with a greater voice to ensure that their needs are being addressed by government and industry officials. We must identify at least 20 potential caucus members in order for the IAEM-USA Board to consider this proposal and take action. If you are interested in becoming a member of this caucus, indicate your interest by email to cfirth@asmii.net and Scott Hudson, scott.hudson@cfisd.net.
| CLIMATE/WATER/WEATHER UPDATES |
Government Technology
Norman, Oklahoma residents who are headed to the grocery store or out for a stroll will now have to keep one eye out for COVID-19 and one for tornadoes.
As springs storms arrive, twister time is here, and state and Cleveland County officials have issued recommendations to stay safe from both menacing virus and malignant weather.
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IAEM
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released the “Disaster Management Field Guide” to support jurisdictions in establishing and implementing sound disaster financial management practices that are critical for successful response and recovery. The guide identifies the capabilities and activities necessary to prepare and successfully implement disaster financial management while maintaining fiscal responsibility throughout response and recovery operations. The guide also presents an overview of common disaster assistance and recovery funding programs that may be beneficial to recovery efforts, taking an all-hazard approach and addressing a broad range of issues faced by jurisdictions. However, the document contains concepts, principles and resources that are applicable to the current operational environment and ongoing COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. View the guide online, and direct any questions to NPD-Planning@Fema.dhs.gov.
IAEM
PPE distribution is an ongoing concern during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals, first responders, and other workers on the front lines are facing a serious supply-and-demand issue, which is even more concerning when factoring in expert opinions that we have not reached the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the Personal Protective Equipment Burn Rate Calculator to help you plan and optimize the use of PPE during COVID-19 response.
Homeland Security Today
The Federal Healthcare Resilience Task Force recently published two documents to support EMS workers responding during COVID-19. Linked below, these documents can also be helpful to responders from other fields.
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Governing
As state and local governments continue to lead the coronavirus response efforts, they are being tasked with making critical policy decisions and coordinating across overburdened agencies. One of the key tools these governments can leverage to strengthen their efforts is administrative data — data already collected for operational purposes.
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Government Technology
The current global pandemic has upended the operations of government organizations around the world. Here are five recommendations for leaders confronting the “once in a lifetime” coronavirus crisis.
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Homeland Security News Wire
Social media has the power to both inform and deceive – and do both at speeds we have never experienced. That fact has, once again, been on display as the COVID-19 epidemic has dominated social media platforms for weeks.
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Reuters via U.S. News & World Report
The technology arm of Britain's National Health Service has been working on a mobile phone app with Alphabet Inc's Google and iPhone maker Apple that the government hopes will help in ending the coronavirus lockdown, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.
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IAEM
IAEM is extending the deadline to apply for an open position on the Certification Commission. Due to COVID-19, applications will be accepted until Aug. 1, 2020. Application details are posted on the Certification News page. Contact Kate McClimans with any questions.
IAEM
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced $100 million in funding for the coronavirus (COVID-19) supplemental of the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) program (EMGP). This additional funding will support planning and operational readiness for COVID-19, including the development of tools and strategies for prevention, preparedness and response, and will ensure ongoing communication and coordination among partners across America throughout the response. The funding is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and it is separate and distinct from any funding that will be awarded under the Notice of Funding Opportunity published on Feb. 14. FEMA is employing a streamlined application process to expedite the issuance of awards and make the funds available to recipients as quickly as possible. The state administrative agency or the state’s emergency management agency may apply directly to FEMA for funds on behalf of each state or territory. The Notice of Funding Opportunity is available online, and eligible applicants must apply for funding through Grants.gov. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. EDT, Apr. 28. For assistance in registering for the grants system, call the help desk at (800) 865-4076, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday. Direct any additional questions to FEMA Grants.
IAEM
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced modifications to this year's Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) application submission requirements as a result of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. FEMA recognizes that state, local, tribal, and territorial partners have reprioritized scarce resources to the COVID-19 pandemic response, reducing their ability to fulfill existing application submission requirements before the application deadline on Apr. 30. FEMA will award recipients at the "high end" of their target allocations. State Homeland Security Program and Urban Area Security Initiative applicants must submit complete project-level information as part of the December 2020 Biannual Strategy Implementation Report if not included when submitting other application materials on Apr. 30. FEMA will evaluate the effectiveness of projects submitted in the December 2020 report, but will not reduce this year's awards based on this effectiveness review. FEMA will work with recipients to ensure compliance with the National Priority Area requirements based on the results of the effectiveness review. Any questions regarding the modification can be directed to FEMA HQ preparedness officers or the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk or by calling (800) 368-6498, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EDT, Monday-Friday.
The Manila Times
The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic was a disaster waiting to happen. We’ve had our encounters with the different strains of the unwelcome virus that threatened global public health.
What has the government done to prepare, given these threats to public health? We thought a quick search of the internet should reveal something, and it did.
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Jamaica Observer
A senior disaster risk reduction expert is urging governments across the region to learn from the COVID-19 experience and use it to prepare for multiple disasters occurring at the same time, a situaion which he says is not far-fetched.
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The Japan Times
The government will reopen its investigation into whether to build hospital ships for use during disasters, officials at the Cabinet Office said.
The move follows heightened calls to introduce such ships amid the coronavirus pandemic, they said. It plans to compile a report by the end of March 2021.
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USA Today
Ferocious winds walloped the East Coast after a harrowing Easter night that saw people huddled in basements, closets and tubs as tornadoes raged across the South, leaving at least 30 dead.
It's the nation's deadliest tornado outbreak in six years, since April 2014, when 35 people were killed in the central and southern U.S., the Storm Prediction Center said.
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Washington Examiner
A wildfire burning in the Chernobyl region of Ukraine has led to increased levels of radiation nearly 35 years after the 1986 nuclear accident.
The fires have burned through more than 8,600 acres over the past week, according to the Exclusion Zone Management Agency, the government office that manages the area.
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Homeland Security News Wire
In the latest global COVID-19 developments, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said yesterday that pandemic activity in the region hasn’t peaked yet, despite early signs of decline in Italy and Austria, and the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) pushed back against President Donald Trump’s recent criticism. Yesterday the pandemic total surpassed 1.5 million cases from 184 countries, with 87,984 deaths.
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