This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here August 19, 2021 .IAEM CONFERENCE NEWS Take advantage of the in-person IAEM Annual Conference this year IAEM The IAEM Annual Conference & EMEX is coming quickly! Make sure you secure your spot to take advantage of: Dynamic keynote speakers. Over 100 breakout sessions. The ever-popular EMvision Talks. Poster Showcase. Numerous networking events. Free training for FEMA/DHS courses and the IAEM Leadership Symposium. EMEX, IAEM's Exhibit Hall offering 3 days of exposure to the leading disaster preparedness suppliers in the industry. CEUs and Certification credit hours are available. We'll see you in Grand Rapids! For more information, visit the Conference website. .IAEM-USA COUNCIL NEWS DHS issues new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin American Security Today The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin regarding the heightened threat environment across the U.S., and builds on Bulletins issued in January and May by the DHS, and provides more information about the threat landscape we face for the coming months. READ MORE FEMA extends full funding for COVID-19 emergency costs IAEM On Aug. 17, President Biden announced continued support for COVID-19 response and recovery assistance by extending 100% federal funding to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and certain private nonprofits for eligible emergency actions through Dec. 31, 2021. This policy will also continue 100% reimbursement for costs associated with the deployment of National Guard personnel under Title 32 Orders for COVID-19 missions. This is an extension of the President’s order issued earlier this year for FEMA to fully reimburse governments at a 100% federal cost-share through Sept. 30, 2021, for emergency response costs associated with COVID-19. This extension allows states to receive retroactive 100% federal reimbursement for costs associated with the safe opening and operation of public facilities dating back to Jan. 20, 2020. Reimbursement is specifically for COVID-19 emergency and major disaster declarations through FEMA’s Public Assistance program. FEMA will release an updated policy in the coming days supporting the President’s directive. .EM NEWS How local governments can prevent building disasters Route Fifty Some governments are beginning to take steps to prevent the kind of tragedy that took the lives of nearly 100 people in a Surfside, Florida, condominium collapse in June. READ MORE New wildfire tactic: Help people flee Scientific American California resident Mark Brown knows too well the danger that climate change poses to the West. A former fire team chief, Brown in 2018 responded to the Camp Fire blaze, California's deadliest wildfire. At least 85 people were killed in the multibillion-dollar disaster, including four victims who died in their cars trying to escape and a fifth person who perished in a desperate run for safety. Brown's now working to ensure that horror doesn't repeat itself. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Veoci Upcoming Webinar: Reframing Resilience for Long Term Care Facilities The Town of Guilford Drives Cost Savings and Efficiencies Through Automation and Innovation Digitally Managing FEMA Reimbursements and Streamlining Recovery The Benefits of Cloud-Based Emergency Management Budget Season: Tips for an Emergency Management Program .HEALTHCARE EM UPDATE Now available: new ASPR Health Care Readiness Programs portfolio resources IAEM The NHPP Branch has created a variety of fact sheets on the overall ASPR Health Care Readiness Programs Portfolio and its various core programs and activities. The fact sheets are:  ASPR Health Care Readiness Programs Portfolio Fact Sheet HPP Fact Sheet Health Care Coalition (HCC) Fact Sheet National Special Pathogen System (NSPS) Fact Sheet Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS) Fact Sheet .CLIMATE/WATER/WEATHER UPDATES FEMA overhauls the National Flood Insurance Program for climate change CNBC Climate change and its devastating impact are accelerating faster than ever, according to a new report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Hurricanes are becoming stronger, rainfall heavier and flood risk higher. Yet, America’s National Flood Insurance Program hasn’t changed at all since its inception. But it is about to. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Innovative Strategies for Resilient, Prepared Communities For over 36 years, IEM’s team of nationally recognized emergency management, disaster recovery, and crisis response leaders have applied their expertise, experience, and innovative solutions helping communities prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against disasters, public health emergencies, and other hazards. No matter the crisis, #TeamIEM is prepared to take on the challenge. How can we help you create a more resilient future? LEARN MORE How do floods become a disaster? Homeland Security News Wire Since the 1990s, the number of fatalities from river floods has declined worldwide, but the amount of damage has risen sharply. Researchers attribute the decline in casualties to improved flood warning, technical protection measures and heightened hazard awareness. READ MORE Fire today will impact water tomorrow Homeland Security News Wire The effects of wildfire don’t end when the flames go out. There can be environmental consequences for years to come—and keeping an eye on water is key. 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 .EM RESOURCES FEMA launches National Risk Index update that businesses can use to prepare for nature-related crises Forbes The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) yesterday announced the full application launch of the National Risk Index, a new free online resource that it said, “provides a clear, visual guide to natural hazard risks throughout the United States, and information to help communities to understand and reduce those risks, whether they involve flooding, wildfire, extreme heat, or drought.” READ MORE FEMA introduces virtual CERT Train-the-Trainer and Shelter Field Guide Training courses IAEM FEMA has introduced CERT Train-the-Trainer (K0428) in a virtual format. By delivering this course virtually, the Agency hopes to reach new audiences and bolster the capabilities of existing CERT teams. Furthermore, FEMA is pleased to offer additional opportunities to enroll in the virtual course on sheltering operations, Shelter Field Guide Training for State and Local Communities (K0419). Explore these two free courses, offered through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI). The courses will be delivered completely online via Adobe Connect. There is no cost associated with either course, but students must have a FEMA Student Identification number (SID), a computer with a microphone, speaker, and stable access to the internet. Visit the FEMA Student Identification System to obtain the FEMA SID number. Prospective students for both courses should apply through the Emergency Management lnstitute's online admissions system. .NEW INSIGHTS Wildfire smoke may have contributed to thousands of extra COVID-19 cases and deaths in western US Homeland Security Today Thousands of COVID-19 cases and deaths in California, Oregon, and Washington between March and December 2020 may be attributable to increases in fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study is the first to quantify the degree to which increases in PM2.5 pollution during the wildfires contributed to excess COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. It was published online August 13, 2021, in Science Advances. READ MORE How has the terrorism threat changed twenty years after 9/11? Homeland Security News Wire The U.S. counterterrorism response to the September 11, 2001, attacks yielded some remarkable successes and disastrous failures in hunting al-Qaeda. The top terrorist threat today, though, is domestic rather than foreign. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Taking Responsibility For Ourselves And Our Community Promoted by Optimum Seismic Inc. “We educate our neighbors so not only are we taking responsibility for our property, but realizing what we do on our property impacts our neighbor’s property, which impacts the neighborhood, which impacts the whole community…” Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council President Laura Dyberg recently told the Orange County Register. LEARN MORE   Fix disaster response now Scientific American Given record-breaking wildfires, hurricanes and other weather disasters that cost lives and billions of dollars amid a pandemic that brought death to every corner of the country, the events of 2020 stretched U.S. emergency management institutions. Local governments have been unable to cope with the disasters, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been strained. This litany of destruction has brought into stark relief problems of capacity and inequity—people of color and low-income communities have been hit disproportionately hard—that have been festering for decades in the nation’s approach to disaster preparedness. READ MORE Small towns should focus on resilience Homeland Security News Wire With heatwaves, bushfires, and floods, small towns and their surrounding communities have confronted a combination of successive disasters fueled by climate change. And it’s predicted to only get worse. “So, the challenge for all of us, but particularly areas at increasing risk of climate-fueled disasters, is to get ahead of what’s coming,” says one expert. “We need to ask: what we can do to reduce or even prevent some of these disasters from happening?” 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 .DISASTER TECHNOLOGY NEWS Earthquake forecasts a step closer to reality Homeland Security News Wire Earthquakes — like lightning — strike unpredictably. For decades, scientists have struggled to reliably give forecasts for major earthquake hotspots, but now, an international team of scientists has embarked on a new initiative to do just that. READ MORE .IAEM CERTIFICATION UPDATES Class of 2021 AEMs and CEMs are invited to receive their diplomas at the Annual Conference IAEM IAEM invites those who have received the AEM® or CEM® designation in 2021 to receive their certification diploma by participating in the awards ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at the IAEM Annual Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Be on the lookout for further instructions from IAEM HQ. Email info@iaem.com with any questions. PRODUCT SHOWCASE Online Executive Program from Harvard The online executive program Promoting Racial Equity in the Workplace runs from Sept. 13-17, 2021. Learn effective strategies for increasing diversity, inclusion, and racial equity within your organization while building your network.   LEARN MORE   Match Vaccine Supply with Resident Demand Address challenges around vaccine appointment scheduling. Avoid system crashes that frustrate and confuse residents. Data and targeting features increase reach and facilitate two-way communication. Automate appointment signup to provide clear status information. Generate vaccination heatmaps to discover and address problem areas. Request a Demo!   LEARN MORE   .IAEM MEMBER NEWS No 'Little' loss: Cullman EMA director Phyllis Little set to retire, closing a 26-year chapter on emergency preparedness The Cullman Times Phyllis Little is switching off her radio for good. After shining for nearly two decades as a local beacon for other emergency response leaders to emulate, the 18-year director of the Cullman County Emergency Management Agency has announced she’ll soon retire. “It was just time,” she said Friday, sweating it out while on duty under the sweltering sun at Rock the South. “January 1st is my target date. The county has already advertised the job opening, and the idea is for them to hire someone new, hopefully by November, and then let me work with them until the end of the year.” Little’s tenure at Cullman EMA began in 1995, when she was hired as an administrative assistant. By 2003, she’d been elevated to agency director, a position she’s held since. READ MORE .AROUND THE WORLD Wildfire rips through Algeria, killing at least 65 including soldiers NBC News Wildfires tearing through forested areas of northern Algeria have killed at least 65 people, state television reported on Wednesday, as some of the most destructive blazes in the country's history continued to rage. The government has deployed the army to help fight the fires, which have burnt most fiercely in the mountainous Kabylie region, and 28 of the dead are soldiers, with another 12 critically injured with burns. READ MORE Indonesia volcano Mount Merapi erupts, blankets villages in ash AFP via The Straits Times Indonesia's most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted on Monday (Aug 16), belching a cloud of ash into the air as red lava flowed down its crater. The early morning explosions spewed clouds as far as 3.5km from the rumbling volcano, blanketing local communities in grey ash. There were no evacuation orders or reports of casualties. READ MORE Wildfire raging near French Riviera kills 2, injures 27 The Associated Press A wildfire near the French Riviera killed two people and was burning out of control Wednesday in the forests of the popular region, fueled by wind and drought. Over 1,100 firefighters were battling the flames and thousands of tourists and locals were evacuated to safer areas. READ MORE Flooding death toll in Turkey climbs to 77; dozens missing The Associated Press via Portland Press Herald Rescuers recovered more bodies Monday from the severe flooding that devastated parts of Turkey’s Black Sea coast last week, bringing the death toll to 77, officials said. Torrential rains battered the country’s northwestern Black Sea provinces on Aug. 11, causing floods that demolished homes and bridges, swept away cars and blocked access to numerous roads. READ MORE Heavy rain continues in Japan as mudslides kill 4, leave 5 missing Kyodo News Heavy rain continued to pelt vast areas of Japan on Monday as mudslides had killed at least four people and left five others missing, with the country's weather agency urging the public to remain vigilant as the threat of more disasters remains. The Japan Meteorological Agency said more heavy rain is forecast for wide areas from western Japan to the northeastern parts of the country in the coming days as a stationary front is expected to remain parked over the Japanese archipelago this week. 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