This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here May 13, 2021 .IAEM CONFERENCE NEWS Tools for today's emergency manager — act now, access for a year IAEM For just $149, IAEM members can secure their access to tools and tips covering topics including How to Combat Compassion Fatigue; Evolving Threats; Meta Leadership; How Words & Tech Power Effective Response & Recovery. You are busy and may hesitate to commit to two full days of learning next month. Enroll now, engage at your own pace in IAEM’s June 7-8 virtual conference and access additional content the entire year, when you need a break or a boost, on your own schedule. Day 1 provides more than 15 hours of valuable content (credit for continuing education / certification requirements), and Day 2 delivers a full day of additional free training from the best EM educational institutions. Non-members may fully participate for $199. View the full program and register quickly to be entered in a drawing to win a $500 Amazon gift card. IAEM sponsorship opportunities provide companies/organizations visibility and connection with emergency managers IAEM Is your company looking to connect with emergency managers? Sponsorship opportunities are now available for the 2021 IAEM Annual Conference and the IAEM Reimagined Encore Virtual Conference. Packages are available to meet the needs and budget for any company or organization. Details can be found on the IAEM Conference website. Contact Kate McClimans with questions. .IAEM SCHOLARSHIP IAEM extends application deadline for student scholarship applications to June 1 IAEM The IAEM Scholarship Program is extending the deadline for scholarship applications to June 1, 2021. Full-time undergraduate and full- and part-time graduate students are encouraged to apply for scholarship awards for the 2021-2022 academic year. Students must be working toward a degree in emergency management, disaster management, or a closely related field of study. Undergraduate and graduate applications with complete instructions are available on the IAEM website. Questions may be directed to Scholarship Program Director Dawn Shiley. Support the IAEM Scholarship Program by donating items for its upcoming fundraising auction IAEM The IAEM Scholarship Program will launch an online auction in conjunction with the IAEM Encore June Virtual Conference to benefit the IAEM scholarship fund and future emergency managers. Items are needed to make the auctions a success. All item donations are welcome, in particular the Scholarship Commission seeks challenge coins, patches and emergency management/civil defense historical items. Event challenge coins have been very successful in previous auctions, but all challenge coins are desired. To make a donation, email Scholarship Program Director Dawn M. Shiley.  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Esri Incident Management Webinar Series — Public Information and Stakeholder Engagement On Call in a Crisis — Discover the Disaster Response Program The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Deploys Mapping The Disaster Response Program: Ready to Help and Prepare You for What’s Next Location Technology Supports Beirut Blast Response .IAEM-CANADA COUNCIL NEWS IAEM-Canada's new president takes office on June 7 IAEM IAEM-Canada has announced the results of its recent election. The incoming IAEM-Canada president and incoming IAEM-Global Board member is Scott Roberts. Scott has been an IAEM-Canada Board Member for seven years serving as director of partnership engagement and, for the last 5 years, as IAEM-Canada vice president. He is associate director at Sandhurst Consulting. Scott will be formally sworn in and commence his presidential role on June 7 in the presence of the IAEM-Canada membership during a special session at IAEM’s virtual conference. Register now to attend the educational sessions and the special session to highlight the passing of the gavel for IAEM-Canada. .IAEM-USA COUNCIL NEWS It is time to nominate someone for the IAEM-USA Career Excellence Award IAEM When you think about the many emergency managers and the countless hours of hard work they’ve put in, it seems hard to narrow down just one person worthy of an award. IAEM wants you to think about those emergency managers who have really made an impact, not just this past year, but throughout their career – the mentors, the researchers, the continuous leaders. Everyone can name the person who has made a real difference in the career field. These are the people that the IAEM-USA Career Excellence Award seeks to recognize. Do you know someone who has gone above and beyond throughout their career? Is there someone who is always there, someone who is always ready to offer assistance? Nominate them for the recognition they deserve for a career of helping others. This award is open to practitioners at any level and is even open to those who have recently retired. You can learn more about the specific guidelines for this and other IAEM Awards on the IAEM website. With less than three weeks before the nominations period ends, don’t wait to nominate a deserving emergency manager!  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Threat Monitoring and Real-Time Alerts The DataCapable® Platform™ combines patented artificial intelligence algorithms with human-in-the-loop validation to capture, automate, distribute, and visualize actionable information in a real-time common operating picture quickly make informed decisions to mitigate hazards affecting your communities, infrastructure, and resources before they become a wider threat to operations and public safety. 14-Day Free Trial Available! LEARN MORE NSTAC releases report to the president on communications resiliency* Homeland Security Today Nearly a decade has passed since the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) last reviewed the Nation’s communications resiliency posture. In its 2011 NSTAC Report to the President on Communications Resiliency (Communications Resiliency Report),1 the committee examined the then-current communications resiliency landscape and provided recommendations to the U.S. Government on how to enhance the survivability and availability of networks. Recent wide-scale emergencies, like the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, extreme natural disasters, and broadly impactful security events, demonstrate the need to reexamine the resiliency and national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) of the Nation’s communications networks. READ MORE DHS creates new Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships and additional efforts to comprehensively combat domestic violent extremism Homeland Security Today Building on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to combating all forms of terrorism and targeted violence, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced that DHS has established a new Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) to improve the Department’s ability to combat terrorism and targeted violence, consistent with privacy protections, civil rights and civil liberties, and other applicable laws. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by American Military University COVID-19: Will This Be the Public Health’s 9/11 Earthquakes: The ‘Big One’ Might Hit the Midwest – Not California ­COVID-19: Flattening the Curve to Avoid a 'Great Depression II' Staying Safe: The Twin Threats of COVID-19 and Disaster Events ­How 1911's Triangle Fire Changed US Safety Laws FEMA seeks public feedback for programs that deal with climate change and underserved populations IAEM FEMA is seeking public comments for programs that deal with climate change and underserved populations. Review FEMA’s Federal Register Request for Information on programs, regulations, and policies. The feedback will assist FEMA in identifying specific action that will better address climate change and underserved communities and populations. The comment period is open through June 21. Comments can be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Docket ID: FEMA-2021-0011. DHS launches warning system to find domestic terrorism threats on public social media NBC News The Department of Homeland Security has begun implementing a strategy to gather and analyze intelligence about security threats from public social media posts, DHS officials said. The goal is to build a warning system to detect the sort of posts that appeared to predict an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 but were missed or ignored by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the officials said. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Water-Gate | Portable Flood Dam Quick Dam provides large-scale, reusable flood protection solutions. Water-Gate is a self-rising portable flood dam that surrounds the perimeter of an entire property, replaces thousands of sandbags and rises with flow of water to provide protection up to 5 feet in height. Tested and approved by USACE. LEARN MORE .IAEM NEWS IAEM needs your quick response for an emergency manager job analysis IAEM IAEM is conducting an updated job analysis for the emergency manager role. Emergency managers who have not responded are invited to complete the survey to assess the critical knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to safely and effectively perform the job of an emergency manager. The survey will only remain open for another week, so please provide your input today! Articles are sought by May 31 for the IAEM Bulletin's special focus issue on 'Diversity in Emergency Management: Lessons Learned' IAEM The IAEM Editorial Committee seeks feature article submissions for the next special focus issue of the IAEM Bulletin. The topic of the June 2021 issue will be “Diversity in Emergency Management: Lessons Learned.” We have experienced many benefits as the field of emergency management becomes more diverse. We’ve made progress, but there is so much more to do to encourage and sustain diversity of all kinds. Think broadly! How have you helped increase diversity? What lessons have we learned? What challenges do we still face? The article submission deadline is May 31, 2021. Review the Author’s Guidelines and email articles of 750 to 1,500 words in Word or text format to Dawn M. Shiley. Visit the IAEM Bulletin webpage to learn about the additional two 2021 special focus issue topics. Since the Bulletin is published monthly, the committee also is interested in submissions for the additional non-special focus issues, for which they will consider articles on a wide variety of topics of interest to emergency management professionals. .EM NEWS The environmental threat more immediate than climate change Government Executive A Pew Research Center survey conducted last year found that 60% of U.S. adults surveyed viewed climate change as a major threat, and 65% claimed that the federal government was not doing enough to reduce the effects of climate change. One of the primary endeavors of the Biden administration has been to refocus on climate change, an issue highlighted during the Obama administration. READ MORE Vaccine deserts: Some countries have no COVID-19 jabs at all* The Associated Press At the small hospital where Dr. Oumaima Djarma works in Chad’s capital, there are no debates over which coronavirus vaccine is the best. There are simply no vaccines at all. Not even for the doctors and nurses like her, who care for COVID-19 patients in Chad, one of the least-developed nations in the world where about one third of the country is engulfed by the Sahara desert. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Community Hospital Reopens After Earthquake Retrofit Promoted by Optimum Seismic Inc. Concern over safety prompted closure in 2018. Is your building safe? Long Beach Community Hospital reopened this year after being shut down in 2018 out of seismic safety concerns. LEARN MORE   .UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE/SCHOOL EM ISSUES DHS issues new bulletin on "Mitigating the Threat of School Violence as the U.S. 'Returns to Normal' from the COVID-Pandemic and B"' IAEM The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) and the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) released a bulletin on Mitigating the Threat of School Violence as the U.S. "Returns to Normal" from the COVID-Pandemic and Beyond. The bulletin is designed to provide a resource for schools and districts to: (1) raise awareness of potential risk factors and indicators for targeted violence in schools; (2) raise awareness of the likelihood that students may have been exposed to multiple risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) provide resources to become an engaged bystander as part of a comprehensive local prevention framework. .CLIMATE/WATER/WEATHER UPDATES New tornado alley? Tornadoes in the south are becoming more frequent ... and deadly KTHV-TV When you think of Tornado Alley, the Great Plains or the Mid-West region usually comes to mind. Tornadoes in the southeast are getting worse and in recent years they've often been the deadliest. Meteorologists are questioning whether the region considered Tornado Alley is a misleading concept. READ MORE .CYBERSECURITY NEWS Here's what we know about DarkSide ransomware Homeland Security Today With the ransomware incident that shut down a major fuel pipeline in the United States, another well-known variant on the cybercrime underground has been thrust into the international spotlight. On May 10, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the attack on Colonial Pipeline was caused by the DarkSide ransomware variant, which forced the company to halt the pipeline’s operations so Colonial could carry out a full investigation into the event. While the general public may be hearing DarkSide’s name for the first time, Intel 471 has been tracking those associated with the variant since they first announced their products to the cybercrime underground last year. READ MORE DarkSide ransomware: CISA, FBI advisory on best practices for preventing business disruption from ransomware attacks Homeland Security Today The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are aware of a ransomware attack affecting a critical infrastructure (CI) entity—a pipeline company—in the United States. Malicious cyber actors deployed DarkSide ransomware against the pipeline company’s information technology (IT) network.[1] At this time, there is no indication that the entity’s operational technology (OT) networks have been directly affected by the ransomware. READ MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASE Online Program to Create Solutions Creating Collaborative Solutions Online is an executive program from Harvard Kennedy School, designed to improve your ability to spot and seize opportunities for creating solutions using a collaborative approach. Over 10 weeks, you will learn a variety of topics and have the opportunity to experiment in an operational context.   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   US, UK agencies warn Russian hackers are adapting based on government advisories NextGov The Russian hacker group behind the historic SolarWinds intrusion that affected nine federal agencies keeps adjusting their tactics based on government advisories, U.S. and U.K. cybersecurity-focused agencies warn. A joint advisory issued Friday by the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Security Agency and the FBI specifically said Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) changed its behavior after the release of a July 2020 advisory on the group, also known as APT29. READ MORE .EM RESOURCES CISA releases information and technology supply chain resilience resources IAEM Several years ago, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), other federal agencies, and representatives from information and communications technology (ICT) private sector companies and associations formed the ICT Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Task Force to develop strategies to mitigate and address supply chain risks faced by industry. The Task Force is releasing two new resources that can assist organizations and businesses assess the trustworthiness of their vendors and suppliers. Mitigating ICT Supply Chain Risks with Qualified Bidder and Manufacturer Lists provides organizations with a list of criteria and factors that can be used to inform an organization's decision to build or rely on a qualified list for the acquisition of ICT products and services. The Vendor SCRM Template provides a set of questions regarding an ICT supplier/provider’s implementation and application of industry standards and best practices that can help guide supply chain risk planning in a standardized way. The template provides organizations clarity for reporting and vetting processes when purchasing ICT hardware, software, and services. .DISASTER TECHNOLOGY NEWS Lessons from Haiti: applying innovative, affordable, and replicable solutions using drones and spatial data World Bank Blogs In 2016, Category 4 Hurricane Matthew made landfall in the south of Haiti, causing destruction unseen in more than a decade during the hurricane season, with winds as high as 230 kilometers per hour and 600 millimeters of rain in less than 24 hours. The toll was very high, with a total of 546 victims, 128 missing, 439 injured, and 2.1 million people affected. Following the disaster, the Government of Haiti (GoH) was confronted with the challenge of determining the overall economic impact in order to gauge the magnitude of the event, identify priority sectors for reconstruction, understand different geographic impacts, and comprehend relative public versus private damages. READ MORE Can wonky cell signals help track wildfire smoke? Atlas Obscura A hazy atmosphere makes data ricochet all over the place. Now scientists think they can use that signal to better predict dangerously smoky air. READ MORE .IAEM CERTIFICATION UPDATES IAEM webinar series is essential viewing for certification candidates IAEM Do you know about the Certification Webinar Series? It’s a free program to assist candidates in obtaining their certification through a series of short, valuable webinars that review components of the certification process. Check it out on the IAEM Certification Webinar page to register for the last webinar in the series (May 19) or to view recordings of previous webinars. .IAEM MEMBER NEWS Volusia County gets new emergency management director The West Volusia Beacon Volusia County’s search for a new emergency management director led all the way to Monroe County and the home of the Florida Keys — where they know a thing or two about storm response and emergency preparedness. On April 20, the County Council confirmed Helene Wetherington, disaster recovery director for Monroe County, as Volusia’s next emergency management director. Her start date is May 17. READ MORE .SURVEY REQUESTS National Network of Fusion Centers (NNFC) customer satisfaction survey is due June 21 IAEM Every year the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis conducts a simple customer satisfaction survey on behalf of the National Network of Fusion Centers (NNFC). The data collected forms a central part of the DHS annual assessment of the National Network and will help fusion centers better understand, capture, and communicate their outcomes and impact. This is the fifth year that the NNFC is requesting feedback from its’ key stakeholders. Use this link to participate in this short survey that should take no more than five minutes to complete. Their feedback is invaluable to the continued advancement of the fusion centers as an effective national network. .EM CALENDAR Join CHDS today, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EDT, for webinar on 'Disrupting Disinformation' IAEM The Center for Homeland Defense and Security, along with co-sponsors, IAEM, ASTHO, NEMA, CHDS Alumni Association, and the Naval Post-Graduate School Alumni Association, is hosting the webinar, “Disrupting Disinformation,” 2:00-3:30 p.m. EDT, today, May 13. In this webinar, technology and communications experts will discuss the latest research in disinformation and actions local, state, and federal leaders can take to counter the influence and impact of online and offline disinformation. Presenters will be Dr. Joan Donovan, research director, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard University; Renee Direstra, technical research managers, Stanford Internet Observatory; Dr. Danny Rogers, co-founder and chief technical officer, Global Disinformation Index; and Moderator Eileen O’Connor, legal and communications subject matter expert, Center for Homeland Defense and Security. Register online to participate. EM Partners is hosting a discussion on how 'Mitigation, Inclusion, and Equity are the Foundation for Building More Resilient Communities' IAEM IAEM-USA Region 3 is sponsoring a webinar hosted by EM Partners, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EDT May 20, 2021. Join in a discussion about how to identify and apply more robust and inclusive mitigation strategies and projects that incorporate the whole community and prioritize equity. This discussion will include identifying projects that maximize impact, engaging with the private sector to capitalize on funding opportunities, and securing resources for application development to improve award probability. Register online. Asia Risk and Resilience Conference hybrid event will be held Aug. 18-19 IAEM Following the success of ARRC 2020, a fully online event, this year, the ARRC will be merging the best of both worlds to become a Hybrid Event, where delegates can choose to join onsite in Singapore or online from anywhere in the world. This annual event is no longer confined by geographical boundaries and will host and welcome speakers and delegates globally. ARRC 2021 will have Live (onsite) and Live Streamed (online) sessions with direct interaction between all delegates, speakers and other risk & resilience experts via the mobile & online platform. Sessions will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing for two weeks after the event. The theme for this year’s event is “Resiliency Transformation 20.21.” View the agenda and fees. IAEM is a sponsor and IAEM members should use code IAEM30 during checkout to receive a 30% discount. Register online. .IAEM-ASIA NEWS India's COVID-19 challenge: A crisis management perspective* Financial Express India is in a state of biological war against an invisible enemy (coronavirus), which has imposed an unprecedented health emergency of this century. While the magnitude of cases and sudden spike, in the second wave, has pushed many countries into insurmountable shortages, it does put a question mark on handling of the pandemic this time, in comparison to much better handling of the pandemic last year during the first wave by India. READ MORE Online flood reporting system launched in Assam PTI via Outlook An online flood reporting and information management system was launched on Saturday in Assam, which faces severe deluge every year, an official said. The online system developed jointly by Assam State Disaster Management Agency and UNICEF will replace the existing manual flood control mechanism. READ MORE .AROUND THE WORLD Emergency waiver follows Colonial pipeline cyber attack attributed to cybercrime group DarkSide* Homeland Security Today The Colonial Pipeline Company has been the victim of a cybersecurity attack. The company announced it had learned of the attack on May 7, although it is likely that some data was stolen before systems were taken offline to contain the threat. The incident involves ransomware and threats were made to publicly release the data. The Colonial Pipeline carries 2.5 million barrels a day – 45% of the East Coast’s supply of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel. READ MORE Heavy rains, floods kill 78 in Afghanistan; destroy thousands of homes The Weather Channel At least 78 people have died in Afghanistan due to heavy rainfall and flash floods in the past week, the country's National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) said on Saturday. Thirty people have been wounded and another 32 are still missing, ANDMA spokesman Ahmad Tamim Azimi told dpa news agency. The country's disaster agency said earlier this week that the four days of heavy rainfall affected 17 provinces in the war-torn country. READ MORE Indonesia's Sinabung volcano erupts AFP via The Straits Times Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Friday (May 7), spewing a massive column of smoke and ash up to 2,800m into the sky. The volcano in North Sumatra province started belching ash and volcanic material at 9am and the eruption lasted almost six minutes, a local geological agency said. Images showed a thick column of ash spewing from the inside of Sinabung towards the east. READ MORE At least one killed, two injured in large Kazakhstan wildfire Reuters A wildfire in eastern Kazakhstan that has burned an area of 310 hectares (766 acres) has killed at least one person and injured two others on Monday, the local emergencies department said. READ MORE   IAEM Dispatch Connect with IAEM Jason Zimmerman, Director of Publishing, MultiView, 469-420-2686 | 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. ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE PAST ISSUES   7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063