This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here October 28, 2021 .IAEM CONFERENCE NEWS Mark your calendar for the IAEM Virtual Conference, March 24-25, 2022 IAEM IAEM is hosting a mid-year virtual conference, March 24-25, 2022, to bring you brand-new content and optional training (on day 2). More information will be shared as the final program is developed. Plan now to spend two days with your IAEM colleagues in March. .IAEM-CANADA COUNCIL NEWS Government of Canada assists the Northwest Territories with COVID-19 response Philippine Canadian Inquirer The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Bill Blair, confirmed that the Government has approved a Request for Federal Assistance to provide surge capacity support to the Northwest Territories with infection prevention and control (IPC), contact tracing, and COVID-19 testing efforts. The Canadian Red Cross will provide one operations lead and nine Epidemic Prevention Control specialists. READ MORE Canada assists Northwest Territories with 2014 wildfire costs Mirage The frequency and severity of natural disasters have increased in recent years. In 2014, the Northwest Territories experienced the worst wildfire season in its history and spent more than eight times its normal budget in firefighting costs. The Government of Canada announced that it provided $5.3 million to the Northwest Territories through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) Program to support response and recovery costs. READ MORE .IAEM-OCEANIA COUNCIL NEWS Urbanites face heightened flood risk due to forest loss University of Queensland via Phys.org The devastating impact of flooding in Queensland's north, exacerbated by forest loss, is badly affecting urban areas according to University of Queensland-led research. UQ's Dr. Jaramar Villarreal Rosas studied flooding in the Brigalow Belt Bioregion—just north of Townsville, to Emerald and Rockhampton—over a 13-year period. READ MORE .IAEM-USA COUNCIL NEWS Graves legislation bolsters support for disaster-stricken communities The Ripon Advance U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, on Oct. 20 sponsored bipartisan legislation that would provide communities with more control and tools to rebuild and recover following disasters. The Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster (SPEED) Recovery Act, H.R. 5641, would allow more small recovery projects to proceed under simplified federal procedures, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Graves’ office. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Veoci Answering Your Citizens’ Requests: Don’t Let Them Fall Through the Cracks Connecticut Schools Manage COVID-19 Absenteeism with Veoci Bring Information and People Together with Veoci's Whole Community Solutions How Do You Run Your Weekly Ops Meeting? Modernized Emergency Management for Higher Education FEMA releases response to 2020 NAC Report IAEM FEMA released the agency’s response to the National Advisory Council’s (NAC) annual report. The National Advisory Council’s Report to the FEMA Administrator was released in November 2020. This report marked the first time the NAC members were charged with specific areas of concern to address in the field of emergency management, rather than open-ended topics. This report, and FEMA’s response, focuses on four main themes: equity, outcomes, coordination, and what works. The NAC consists of up to 35 members, including a diverse cross section of officials, emergency managers, and emergency responders from state, local, tribal, and territorial governments; the private sector; and nongovernmental organizations.  Collectively, these members provide advice to the FEMA Administrator through recommendations on all aspects of emergency management. At the beginning of her tenure in April 2021, Administrator Deanne Criswell charged the agency’s leadership with reviewing and responding to the report through the lens of the Biden Administration’s priorities on equity, climate change and readiness. A press release with details was issued on Oct. 26. FirstNet Authority board revamped with seven new members, Benjamin as chair informa FirstNet Authority’s board has seven new members—including a new chair in Stephen Benjamin, mayor of Columbia, S.C.—after U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo today announced 11 appointments to the body overseeing the buildout and operation of the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN). 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 Constitutionality of Kansas Emergency Management Act to be heard by Supreme Court WIBW-TV After parents used the act to question the legality of a school district’s mask mandate, the Kansas Supreme Court will review the constitutionality of the Kansas Emergency Management Act. The Court said the Johnson Co. case comes after the plaintiffs, parents of children attending schools in the Shawnee Mission District, want the district’s mask policy imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic reviewed. READ MORE Updates on US travel policy requiring vaccination Homeland Security Today The White House and CDC announced details of the new vaccination policy that will go into effect for international travelers on November 8. As of that date, foreign national air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the United States. This policy prioritizes public health, protecting U.S. citizens and residents as well as those who come to visit us. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by Ethos Preparedness Over 5,000 Facilities Trust Med Sled® Evacuation Equipment | See Why Patient Surge Cots | Scaling Up Care Fast with Ethos FREE WEBINAR | How Earthquake Early Warning Will Change Your Prep Plans Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell sworn in as new U.S. Fire Administrator Homeland Security Today Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, a longtime advocate for the fire service and president and CEO of the International Public Safety Data Institute, was selected by President Biden to fill the vacant role leading the U.S. Fire Administration. The USFA has been without an administrator since January, when former Oklahoma City Fire Chief Keith Bryant, who had served as administrator since 2017, left and Deputy Fire Administrator Tonya Hoover filled the role in an acting capacity. READ MORE The Resilient AMERICA Act advances BuildStrong Coalition mitigation and resilience priorities IAEM The BuildStrong Coalition applauds the introduction of the Resilient AMERICA Act (H.R. 5689), which provides new resources to enhance community and system resilience in the face of rising natural disasters. The bipartisan bill was introduced by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), alongside Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Daniel Webster (R-FL). Building on previous landmark legislation like 2018’s Disaster Recovery Reform Act, the newly introduced legislation includes numerous provisions geared toward providing communities with additional resources and tools to bolster mitigation and resilience before the next disaster strikes. This includes providing new funding for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, creating new resources and incentives for the adoption and enforcement of modern construction standards and building codes, and expanding avenues for the implementation of resilient infrastructure, among others.  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Homeland Security Master of Professional Studies The master’s degree in Homeland Security provides a comprehensive, full field view of both current and emerging threats, as well as a cutting-edge graduate curriculum in homeland security studies that examines relevant national and information security policy and practices in the public and private sectors. LEARN MORE .EM NEWS GAO: National strategy needed to prevent radioactive materials from becoming dirty bombs* Homeland Security Today Dangerous radioactive material is used in many medical and industrial applications. But, in the hands of terrorists, it could be used to construct a radiological dispersal device, or dirty bomb, that uses conventional explosives to disperse the material. Recent security threats have raised concern that terrorists could target radioactive material for theft and use in a domestic attack. READ MORE .UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE/SCHOOL EM ISSUES US school districts transform health and safety efforts through COVID-19 security technology Security When students start school, they are excited to spend time socializing, making friends, learning new things and creating lifelong memories. The last thing students or their parents should worry about is potentially contracting a deadly virus, but unfortunately, this is the hard truth that many families are facing as their children return to in-person classrooms. According to Forbes, tens of thousands of students in the U.S. are currently in quarantine. READ MORE  FEATURED ARTICLE   Upgrade The Earthquake Safety And Functionality Of Your Building Promoted by Optimum Seismic Inc Does your apartment building meet today’s standards for seismic safety and interior layout? If built before the mid-1970s, it could benefit from an upgrade of both. LEARN MORE   .HEALTHCARE EM UPDATE US needs better clinical trials, vaccination campaigns Government Technology As the nation continues battling the pandemic, health care officials should heed some of the lessons learned thus far, namely that clinical trials should include groups most affected by the pandemic and that accurate information about vaccines needs to win over disinformation. Those were the key messages during a press briefing by the Infectious Diseases Society of America recently. READ MORE COVID cases falling, but trouble signs arise as winter looms* The Associated Press Tumbling COVID-19 case counts have some schools around the U.S. considering relaxing their mask rules, but deaths nationally have been ticking up over the past few weeks, some rural hospitals are showing signs of strain, and cold weather is setting in. The number of new cases nationally has been plummeting since the delta surge peaked in mid-September. The U.S. is averaging about 73,000 new cases per day, dramatically lower than the 173,000 recorded on Sept. 13. 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 .CLIMATE/WATER/WEATHER UPDATES Better planning and analysis needed to address flood hazards, says GAO Homeland Security Today A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood hazard maps didn’t reflect the best available climate science or include information on current flood hazards. Flooding is the costliest natural disaster annually in the United States, causing over $155 billion in property damages in the last decade, according to FEMA data. Disaster costs are projected to increase as some extreme weather events become more frequent and intense due to climate change, as observed and projected by the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Research Council. READ MORE DHS releases first ever strategic framework for addressing climate change Homeland Security Today The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its first Strategic Framework for Addressing Climate Change to govern the Department’s efforts to combat the climate crisis. Rising temperatures cause devastating effects such as shrinking sea ice, rising sea levels, heatwaves, droughts, and ocean acidification that impact DHS missions. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Online Executive Program from Harvard The online executive program Promoting Racial Equity in the Workplace runs from Feb 28 - March 4, 2022. Learn effective strategies for increasing diversity, inclusion, and racial equity within your organization while building your network. Apply today. 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   A quartet of warnings highlight climate-related threats Government Executive Climate change is likely to crank up geopolitical tensions as temperatures rise and nations argue about who is responsible for fixing it, according to a new national intelligence estimate. The intelligence community document is one of four climate-related reports released recently by national-security agencies ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. READ MORE Wildfire burn scars, raising risk of mudslides — This is what cascading climate disasters look like Route Fifty Studies show climate change is raising the risk of cascading hazards that alone might not be extreme but add up to human disasters. Communities and government agencies aren’t prepared. READ MORE New tools to map flood risk will help bring disaster planning up to date The Conversation via reliefweb About 90% of natural disasters are water-related -- most notably cyclones, floods and droughts. Since 2000, over 5,300 water-related disasters have been reported across the world, with over 325,000 fatalities and economic losses exceeding US$1.7 trillion. Floods alone account for approximately 54% of all water-related disasters. READ MORE .CYBERSECURITY NEWS Natural disasters can set the stage for cyberattacks Nextgov An earthquake strikes a city in Indiana, causing chaos and destruction, sending emergency managers and first responders scrambling. Then the water system goes down, and everyone figures it’s because of the natural disaster. But it isn’t. It’s a ransomware attack by cybercriminals, who are taking advantage of the disruption to infiltrate the water system’s network. READ MORE Half of public sector IT pros not 'fully confident' in cyberattack response Route Fifty The growing assortment of cyber threats focused on the public sector and anxiety over resources has half of public sector IT decision-makers not “fully confident” their agencies and organizations could properly respond, according to a survey released last week by Texas-based Rackspace Technology. READ MORE Microsoft: SolarWinds hackers are attacking tech suppliers Government Technology The hackers behind the notorious SolarWinds cyber attack are engaged in a fresh campaign to compromise global networks by targeting the tech supply chain, including resellers and providers of cloud technology, according to Microsoft Corp. Microsoft attributes the coordinated attack, which was first observed in May, to a group called Nobelium, the same state-sponsored Russian hackers who used sophisticated intrusion techniques in 2020 to infect customers of Texas-based software company SolarWinds Corp. with malware. READ MORE .NEW INSIGHTS The future of emergency management: Managing scarcity Domestic Preparedness The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters coupled with the reemergence of military threats from peer and near-peer adversaries overseas will greatly reduce the ability of emergency managers to meet the needs of disaster survivors. This will necessitate a paradigm shift in the primary role of emergency management from the delivery of resources to managing the scarcity of resources and making better use of them. READ MORE It is time to adopt & implement resilient building codes Domestic Preparedness As a result of the changing climate, natural hazards like hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires are expected to continue to increase in both intensity and frequency. Therefore, it is critical that communities around the globe prioritize increasing their overall resiliency. READ MORE Cost-effective disaster preparedness Homeland Security News Wire With hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, the COVID-19 pandemic and more, the world has seen a multitude of disasters recently. Research on disaster preparedness aims to offer cost-effective solutions, reduce suffering. READ MORE .DISASTER TECHNOLOGY NEWS DIU's first 5G experiment could be a game-changer for first responders Nextgov The Defense Innovation Unit is launching an experimental private wireless fifth-generation communications network to provide the California National Guard and other emergency responders with dependable, ad hoc mobile services anywhere in the state—and outside of existing cellular network ranges. READ MORE Climate change: How technology is helping cities tackle climate disasters BBC The threats to our cities seem endless - from flash flooding to pollution, overcrowding to the risk of pandemics. To help avert crises, many cities have invested in technology - the theory being that if you can see the scale of the problem, you can start to work out what to do about it. So sensors measuring crowds, river levels and pollution have gradually become as much a part of our urban infrastructure as lampposts and traffic lights. But despite the investment, we have seen significant flash flooding across the globe this year, including in cities such as London and New York. So does the technology work? READ MORE .CERTIFICATION UPDATE Last IAEM certification application review scheduled for 2021 IAEM The last IAEM certification application review for 2021 is occurring in November. Candidates who wish to have their applications reviewed prior to the end of the year should submit by 11:59 p.m. EDT, Oct. 31, 2021. Future review dates can be found on the IAEM website. .IAEM MEMBER NEWS Long-time IAEM member, Dean Larson, passed away, Oct. 15 IAEM It is with sadness that IAEM announces the passing of long-time member Dean R. Larson. A member since 1997, Dean will be remembered for his many IAEM contributions. He served on the Certification Commission, including as its chair, and helped create the Certification Bravo Zulu Service Award. Dean established the vetting and selection process for IAEM’s Certification and Scholarship Commissioners and chaired the selection subcommittees for several years. He was a mentor to many and shared his knowledge freely with members and through participation on many committees, including the Editorial Committee. Dean, 77, died on Oct. 15, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Gail, his children, Holly Nagy and Todd Larson, and many special grandchildren. A service was held on Oct. 24, in Indiana. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Shriners Hospital for Children, Chicago. Additional information is available in the online obituary. .EM CALENDAR Equitable Decision Intelligence for Emergency Management workshop to be held on Nov. 10 IAEM SPIN Global is partnering with the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management, 4Cast, and IAEM to convene development of an open-source equitable decision intelligence model that will provide emergency managers with the information needed to make better decisions before, during, and after disasters. Participants are invited to roll up their sleeves and contribute their expertise at the workshop scheduled for Nov. 10, 1:00-4:00 p.m. EDT. Register now to attend this workshop.   .IAEM-ASIA NEWS 'Nowhere is safe': Philippine typhoon victims live in fear The Japan Times A year after a powerful storm sent an avalanche of volcanic rock and sand crashing down, burying her house, Philippine food vendor Florivic Baldoza still lives in an evacuation center. As global warming brings increasingly extreme weather, she now fears “nowhere is safe." READ MORE .IAEM-EUROPA NEWS EU Civil Protection celebrates 20th anniversary delivering assistance to people* EUReporter The European Union is marking the 20th anniversary of its EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which has been activated more than 500 times to coordinate assistance to people affected by natural disasters and other crises in Europe and worldwide. This has included millions of supplies of medical material during the COVID-19 pandemic, to dispatching emergency items following earthquakes and floods. READ MORE Canals can help the UK cope with the climate problems Homeland Security News Wire The presence of canal water can cool urban areas by up to 1.6°C during heatwaves in a 100-metre-wide corridor along the waterway. Research shows that the U.K.’s 200-year-old canals offer huge ‘blue’ opportunities to help Britain tackle the climate change crisis by helping cool homes and businesses, mitigating floods, and generating electricity through hydro generators. READ MORE .AROUND THE WORLD Hurricane Rick unleashes rain on slow path towards Mexican coast near Acapulco* Reuters Hurricane Rick unleashed rain and wind on parts of Mexico's Pacific coast late on Sunday as its center crept closer to the shore north of the beach resort of Acapulco, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. READ MORE Man dies as Mediterranean hurricane batters southern Italy* Reuters Fierce storms battered southern Italy for a second day on Monday, killing at least one person, triggering landslides and leaving roads and fields flooded, police said. READ MORE A historic storm brings heavy rain, flooding and mud flows to Northern California NPR A powerful storm referred to as a "bomb cyclone" and "atmospheric river" walloped Northern California late Sunday into Monday morning, causing flooding, power outages and mudslides. Drenching showers and strong winds accompanied the weekend's arrival of the atmospheric river — a long and wide plume of moisture pulled in from the Pacific Ocean. READ MORE 32 people injured in Tokyo earthquake, infrastructure damaged Ohio News Time A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the Tokyo area on Thursday night, injuring more than 30 people, damaging sewer pipes, and shutting down trains and subways. Officials said there was no danger of a tsunami, but the next morning local trains were delayed, commuters spilled out of the station, and traffic turmoil continued. READ MORE Severe floods hit 5 Sogod villages SunStar Five barangays were affected and 214 families were evacuated as a result of severe flooding in the northern Cebu town of Sogod on Monday night, Oct. 25, 2021. The affected families were evacuated to the church of the St. James the Apostle Parish, while others took refuge in the barangay hall and the health center which have currently been turned into evacuation centers. READ MORE Tornadoes slice through communities along the Missouri-Illinois border NBC News Residents just outside of St. Louis picked up the pieces Monday from damage left by tornadoes that roared through southeastern Missouri and southwest Illinois. The National Weather Service asked residents of the area to share pictures of storm damage so the agency could document where the twisters struck on Sunday night. READ MORE Spain: La Palma volcano more active five weeks after eruption Euronews The volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma is at its most active since erupting, officials have said. The cone of the Cumbre Vieja volcano had partially collapsed on Monday, sending new lava flows towards previously unaffected areas. The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute (Involcan) stated that "a giant lava fountain" of molten rock has gushed out of the volcano. 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. 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