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July 23, 2020
 
 
 
 
ANNUAL CONFERENCE UPDATE
 
 
'IAEM Reimagined' – virtual event replaces the in-person conference in November
IAEM
The 68th Annual Conference & EMEX is being reimagined as a virtual event to be held Nov. 16-18, 2020, to include all the bells and whistles of an in-person event. While nothing can replace the live experience of a professional gathering, IAEM’s new plan will actually give attendees access to more content than they are able to attend in-person. The conference will include top-notch speakers, networking events, exhibit hall live sessions, EMvision Talks, the Poster Showcase, CEUs, and more. Registration fees have been significantly reduced to help with the budget cuts we all are experiencing and to allow for multiple people participating from every organization. The Conference Committee is finalizing plans and information will be posted on the conference website as details are available. Mark your calendar and plan to participate in the conference with your colleagues in November.
 
 
IAEM SCHOLARSHIP
 
 
Don’t miss your chance to become a member of the IAEM Scholarship Commission – deadline to apply for open positions is July 31
IAEM
The IAEM Scholarship Commission seeks applicants to fill several commission openings for the Class of 2022. Information on qualifications and openings are detailed in the Call for Commissioners. Applications must be submitted by July 31, 2020. Questions may be directed to IAEM Scholarship Program Director Dawn Shiley.
 
 
 
 
IAEM-CANADA COUNCIL NEWS
 
 
Federal regulators were warned national alerting system could fail years before Nova Scotia mass shooting
The Globe and Mail
Three years before the worst mass shooting in Canadian history, federal regulators were told that Canada's national public alert system could fail to warn vulnerable people and communities about imminent threats.
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Government of Canada announces creation of Essential Services Contingency Reserve through Safe Restart Agreement
Public Services and Procurement Canada via Cision
The Government of Canada is working to ensure that essential service organizations have access to the key supplies that they need to keep their members safe during COVID-19 as our economy reopens.
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PRODUCT SHOWCASE
Power Your Team
The EXP PRO series powers and charges your devices anywhere at any time. They're lightweight, portable, rugged and can power your emergency response for days on end. Built for years of professional use with the most durable and safe battery technology available.
Military Battery Systems, Inc. Est 2005.
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IAEM-USA COUNCIL NEWS
 
 
FEMA academies to remain closed until Oct. 1
Campus Safety
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will not be reopening its three training academies on August 2 due to concerns about the recent spike in coronavirus infections and fatalities. Now, the facilities in Maryland and Alabama won’t hold face-to-face, in-person training until October.
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Virus hits frontline workers in taxed public health system
The Associated Press
As a veteran public health worker, Chantee Mack knew the coronavirus could kill. She already faced health challenges and didn’t want to take any chances during the pandemic. So she asked — twice — for permission to work from home. She was deemed essential and told no. Eight weeks later, she was dead.
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US needs to unite and restructure to meet disaster demands, emergency management panelists warn
Homeland Preparedness News
The United States was just as dangerously unprepared to combat a coronavirus pandemic in 2020 as it was back in 2015, former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman noted in the opening remarks of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense’s virtual meeting, setting the tone for a critical examination of the nation’s COVID-19 response.
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
 
 
 
 
EM NEWS
 
 
Twitter hack shuts down National Weather Service accounts during severe weather
Homeland Security Today
Several National Weather Service Twitter accounts were shut down Wednesday night as a line of severe weather and possible tornadoes moved across the Midwest.
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The jurisdictional coordinator model: Building resilient communities via trusted networks
Homeland Security Today
Trust is the foundation of any successful team. In a disaster, trust can make the difference between lives saved and lives lost. As the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear, trusted networks and trusted information are more important now than ever.
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
 
 
 
 
Florida emergency operations center closes after 12 employees test positive for COVID-19
Homeland Security Today
The Florida operations center running the state’s coronavirus pandemic response closed for deep cleaning this week after 12 employees tested positive for COVID-19, according to a report from the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.
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A third of Texas city is likely to flood, but some areas aren’t on FEMA maps*
TNS via Emergency Management
About a third of Fort Worth’s roughly 350 square miles could flood regularly, but some of those at-risk areas do not show up on federal flood maps.
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How the coronavirus pandemic became Florida’s perfect storm*
The Conversation
If there’s one state in the U.S. where you don’t want a pandemic, it’s Florida. Florida is an international crossroads, a magnet for tourists and retirees, and its population is older, sicker and more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 on the job than the country as a whole.
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Accelerationists gain strength online, pose mass-casualty threat, lawmakers warned*
Homeland Security Today
Social media companies are often not seeing or are applying a double standard to “shockingly bad” content proliferating online — in much the same way that ISIS has used the platforms — to promote and recruit for domestic extremist movements, lawmakers heard at a hearing on accelerationism and militia extremism.
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SPONSORED CONTENT
Promoted by goTenna
• Virtual Demo: goTenna Pro for Emergency Response
• Top 10 apps for emergency response teams
• Webinar: How to build a mobile first strategy for emergency management
• Podcast: Bringing satellite, mesh and mobile together for coordinated emergency response
• Tech Spotlight Series: Hoverfly on the tactical advantages of tethered drones
 
 
HEALTHCARE EM UPDATES
 
 
HHS to begin distributing $10 billion in additional funding to hospitals in high impact COVID-19 areas
HHS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is announcing it will begin distributing $10 billion in a second round of high impact COVID-19 area funding to hospitals.
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CLIMATE/WATER/WEATHER UPDATES
 
 
Report: High-tide flooding broke records last year. It will probably keep getting worse.
Route Fifty
Coastal communities across the country saw record levels of high-tide flooding last year, a trend that is likely to continue as sea levels rise and water creeps further inland, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
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EM RESOURCES
 
 
New fema.gov coming July 29
IAEM
On July 29, FEMA will launch the redesigned fema.gov website. The redesign focuses on the user experience with intuitive navigation options to help users find information more easily. It also features a geo-filtering option to quickly sort the most relevant updates for location. The redesign will bring the site in compliance with federally mandated requirements, to include those required by the 21st Century IDEA Act, Section 508 and Plain Language legislation to make FEMA’s resources accessible to everyone. In the coming months, FEMA will work to update the mobile version of the website (m.fema.gov), expand content and incorporate feedback into the new site. Users are encouraged to provide comments and feedback to the FEMA Web Team.
 
 
FEMA releases updated nuclear power plant preparedness course
IAEM
The updated Introduction "Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological Emergency Response and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants" (NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Rev. 2.) training course is now available. It contains information on emergency planning rules for nuclear powerplants and gives Reasonable Assurance guidance. It focuses on preparedness for radiological incidents at commercial nuclear power plants that could impact public health and safety. The course is open to FEMA Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) community stakeholders, including state, local, and tribal government offsite response organizations (OROs), FEMA staff, Licensee OROs and other supporting federal government agencies. Register for the course on the FEMA website. For questions or comments on the course, send an email to FEMA.
 
 
 
 
FEMA issues 'FAQ Reconstitution: Reopening After Coronavirus'
IAEM
FEMA National Continuity Programs (NCP) sponsored regional webinars to share information about best practices for the reconstitution of operations to enable organizations to return to normal following coronavirus (COVID-19) social distancing requirements. These webinars included factors to consider when reopening, and ideas on how to bring resources back to the workplace while preserving the integrity of essential functions based on the NCP Fact Sheet Planning Considerations for Organizations in Reconstituting Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic. FEMA also produced a document from the webinars that includes responses to frequently asked questions. NCP suggests that stakeholders review the Planning Considerations guidance as well as guidance posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their state and local public health departments.
 
 
CISA releases COVID-19 recovery tabletop exercise package
IAEM
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the COVID-19 Recovery CISA Tabletop Exercise Package (CTEP). This exercise package was developed in coordination with interagency partners to assist private sector stakeholders and critical infrastructure owners and operators across all sectors in assessing short-term, intermediate, and long-term recovery and business continuity plans and addressing key questions related to organizational recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this CTEP is to provide critical infrastructure stakeholders and their public safety partners a customizable resource to internally identify and address areas for improvement, threats, issues, and concerns affecting their organization. Within the CTEP is also a compiled list of Federal COVID-19 resources that can assist organizations and their efforts.
 
 
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
Advance Your Emergency Management Career
Emergency management specialists across the world keep our communities safe and help them rebuild when disaster strikes. With UCF’s online Master of Emergency and Crisis Management, you’ll advance your skills in managing disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation - all from the comfort of your home. Learn more here.
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DISASTER TECHNOLOGY NEWS
 
 
Pandemic acts as trial run for many emerging technologies
Governing
The onset of the novel coronavirus forced many who were reluctant to embrace technology into Internet-dependent remote work environments, virtual meetings and even to government websites in numbers never before seen.
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Flood bot: New flood warning sensors
Homeland Security News WIre
Ellicott City, Maryland, suffered devastating floods in 2016 and 2018. The disasters left residents and officials wondering how technology could help predict future severe weather, and save lives and property. Scientists offer an answer: The Flood Bot network.
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Using techniques learned in astrophysics, researchers can now forecast drought up to 10 weeks ahead
University of Sussex via PreventionWeb
Researchers at the University of Sussex have developed a system which can accurately predict a period of drought in East Africa up to ten weeks ahead.Satellite imagery is already used in Kenya to monitor the state of pastures and determine the health of the vegetation using a metric known as the Vegetation Condition Index
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New Zealand scientists invent volcano warning system
The Guardian
New Zealand scientists say they have invented a warning system to predict volcanic eruptions that may prevent future tragedies such as the blast that killed 21 people on White Island/Whakaari in 2019.
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Google's building world's best earthquake-tsunami warning tech, says Sundar Pichai
India Times
As a disaster management initiative, Google has been conducting an experiment using subsea fiber optic cables to detect earthquakes and tsunamis early.
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CEM® UPDATE
 
 
Don’t miss your chance to apply to become a Certification Commissioner – deadline is Aug. 1
IAEM
The IAEM Certification Program is now accepting applications for new commissioners. Any individual with the CEM® designation who has recertified at least once is encouraged to apply. The deadline to submit your application to KMcClimans@iaem.com is Aug. 1, 2020. The IAEM website has more details, including expectations and how to apply.
 
 
IAEM MEMBER NEWS
 
 
Bexar County emergency management coordinator passes away of COVID-19
KSAT-TV
Bexar County announced that Kyle Coleman, the emergency management coordinator, died on Tuesday. Judge Nelson Wolff announced that Coleman died due to COVID-19. Wolff described him as a good friend.
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EM CALENDAR
 
 
Register today for July 24 webinar on remote sensing for disaster relief
IAEM
Join IAEM-USA Region 1 tomorrow, July 24, at 2:00 p.m. EDT, for a webinar on “Advanced Remote Sensing for Disaster Relief.” The presenters will provide an overview of how MIT Lincoln Laboratory is applying Geiger-Mode Lidar and AI/Machine Learning to assist in disaster relief. Register online.
 
 
IAEM-ASIA NEWS
 
 
When COVID-19 and natural hazards collide: Building resilient infrastructure in South Asia in the face of multiple crises
Observer Research Foundation
Almost overnight, COVID-19 shattered the global economy. What started as a biological event quickly transformed into an environmental, social, and economic one as well. And South Asia, known for its regularly occurring natural disasters, was particularly impacted by this transformation.
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How Taiwan's COVID-19 response saved lives without wrecking the economy
San Francisco Chronicle
In mid-March, few countries in the world were handling the coronavirus pandemic as well as Taiwan. While neighboring China struggled with more than 3,100 deaths from COVID-19, the island nation had just one.
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What happened to India’s flood management plan?
DownToEarth
At least 43 years after India’s first and last commission on floods was constituted, there is no national-level flood control authority in the country so far.
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China floods call into question sustainability of massive Three Gorges Dam
Forbes
A once in a generation pandemic, a once in a generation flood. Parts of China are literally up to their eyeballs in water, in what the Chinese government is calling a once in 100 years flood. The Three Gorges Dam, built to stop these things, is now in the spotlight.
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AROUND THE WORLD
 
 
Fires erupt following natural gas pipeline explosion in Giza*
Egypt Independent
Fires erupted on Sunday in Cairo following the explosion of a natural gas pipeline next to Terrat al-Zomor in the neighborhood of al-Omraniya in Giza. The Civil Protection Forces of the Giza Security Directorate, along with four ambulances, were sent to the area where the explosion occurred in an attempt to extinguish the fires and keep them from spreading to neighboring areas.
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Lightning strikes kill 16 in India's Bihar as floods affect over 350,000
Xinhua
Lightning strikes have continued to kill people in India's eastern Indian state of Bihar as recent floods have affected over 350,000 people, officials said.
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Breached levees trap thousands as flooding in China worsens
The Associated Press via Star Tribune
Breached levees have trapped more than 10,000 people in an eastern Chinese town as flooding worsens across much of the country, local authorities said Tuesday.
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Flooding in India kills scores of people and at least 9 endangered rhinos
CBS News
Flooding caused by heavy seasonal rainfall has killed more than 80 people in northeast India. The deluge has forced more than 2.5 million people to flee their homes since May in the state of Assam, known for its lush green tea gardens and a famous wildlife park.
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China's Huaihe River flood response raised to highest
Shine
The Huaihe River Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources on Monday raised the emergency response for flood control to Level I, the highest of the four-tier emergency response system, due to the grim flood situation.
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IAEM Dispatch
 
Connect with IAEM
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Dennis Hall, Director of Publishing, 469-420-2656 | Download media kit
Bob Kowalski, Executive Editor, 469-420-2650 | Contribute news
Elizabeth B. Armstrong, IAEM CEO, IAEM-USA Executive Director
Dawn M. Shiley, IAEM Dispatch POC, IAEM Communications & Marketing Manager

*Article contributed by the Emergency Manager's Weekly Report.

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