Nov. 5, 2008

FLUEX 2008
The Virginia Department of Health is holding FLUEX08 on Nov. 20-21, a two-day pandemic influenza functional exercise that will allow state, local, private and nonprofit organizations to demonstrate preparation and response capabilities for a statewide pandemic influenza outbreak. Primary venues include the Virginia Emergency Operations Center, the VDH Emergency Coordination Center, the Virginia Department of Transportation's Traffic Emergency Operations Center, localities and hospitals. The exercise is designed to:

• Demonstrate emergency response plan capability regarding a pandemic response.
• Provide an opportunity for the healthcare community to demonstrate capabilities and capacities for coordination and communication, medical surge, mass prophylaxis, laboratory testing, and other variables appropriate for a pandemic response.
• Identify and discuss policy decisions corresponding to functions most needed to decrease mortality, social disruption, critical infrastructure degradation, economic strain, and other adverse consequences of a pandemic influenza.
• Identify additional steps necessary to assure the Commonwealth of Virginia is prepared for pandemic influenza, as well as appropriate areas for improvement and identify corrective actions.

For more information about the exercise, contact VDH Director of Operations, Planning and Logistics Steve Harrison at (804) 864-7033.

Salem receives Severe Repetitive Loss grant
The city of Salem has received nearly $1 million through the Severe Repetitive Loss grant program, which targets NFIP-insured residential properties with the highest risk of flooding as measured by insurance claims. Salem will use the funds to acquire and demolish seven residential properties, which will protect those families from the hazards associated with flooding, reduce flood losses, protect properties downstream and create perpetual green space.

The SRL grant program is part of the Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program. Eligible residential structures must be on the NFIP-issued severe repetitive loss list, meaning that the property, within a space of 10 years, has had four claims of at least $5,000 totaling at least $20,000 or two separate claims with payments exceeding the market value of the structure. Virginia is one of 17 states with large numbers of properties on the SRL list that are priority recipients for this competitive program. The usual non-federal match for grants of this type is 25 percent; because of Virginia's FEMA-approved enhanced mitigation plan, the non-federal match is only 10 percent.

For more information on this grant, visit http://www.vaemergency.com/grants/grantDetails.cfm?desiredGrantID=40 or contact Matthew Wall at Matthew.Wall@vdem.virginia.gov or (804) 897-6500, ext. 6541.

Winter Preparedness Week is Nov. 30-Dec. 6
Although this year's winter forecast is for above normal temperatures and near normal precipitation, Virginians should be prepared for severe winter weather by following a few simple steps to keep their families safe.

• Plug space heaters directly into wall sockets, not extension cords.
• Fireplaces and wood stoves should be prepared for winter by having professionals inspect and clean them. Residue can build up that can cause fires.
• Driving is most dangerous when the temperature is at or under 32° F, and most vehicle crashes occur within the first two hours after a storm begins. For road conditions call 511 or go to http://www.511Virginia.org.

For more winter weather preparedness tips, go to http://www.ReadyVirginia.gov.

Emergency planning assistance available for home care and hospice providers
The National Association for Home Care and Hospice's Emergency Preparedness Workgroup has released the "Emergency Preparedness Packet for Home Health Agencies." The packet includes templates to assist agencies, agency staff, and patients and their families in creating an emergency plan that addresses their specific needs. In addition, the packet outlines the Incident Command Structure to educate homecare and hospice providers about state and local emergency response.

The packet is available for download at http://www.nahc.org/regulatory/home.html.

2009 Virginia Terrorism Threat Assessment underway
The Virginia Fusion Center is collecting data for the 2009 Virginia Terrorism Threat Assessment. This annual product provides state and local agency leaders with an overview of the known and suspected threats facing each region of the Commonwealth. In order to provide the most accurate and useful information, the Virginia Fusion Center requests that each local, state and federal agency designate a knowledgeable person to complete the online survey disseminated in October. Participants should report various groups, trends and potential targets of interest to the Commonwealth even if they have already been reported to the Virginia Fusion Center or Joint Terrorism Task Force. The survey also includes questions on potential suspicious activity and concentrations of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources in each jurisdiction. A copy of the report will be made available to every participant upon completion. Any agency which needs another copy of the survey can request the link or PDF form from vfc@vsp.virginia.gov.

Training...
Managing Floodplain Development
January 12-15 at the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is offering FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program course, which provides training to local officials who are responsible for administering their local floodplain management regulations. The course will focus on NFIP concepts of floodplain management, maps and studies, administration, and the relationship between floodplain management and flood insurance. Students can submit this class to the Association of State Floodplain Managers for 12 core Certified Floodplain Manager continuing education credits. To register, contact DCR Floodplain Program Engineer Charley Banks at (804) 371-6135 or charley.banks@dcr.virginia.gov.

Teen CERT Train-the-Trainer
Nov. 14-15 at the Virginia Beach Fire and EMS Training Center
Teen CERT Train-the-Trainer builds upon the basic Community Emergency Response Team curriculum and includes information and guidelines for teaching and implementing CERT for teenagers. Participants are given ideas and direction to maintain and sustain local Teen CERTs - such as partnering with local emergency management and securing ongoing financial and political support. The curriculum is not meant to replace those of previously established initiatives, rather it incorporates them in their entirety and places focus on increasing knowledge and skill development

This course is for public safety, fire service, EMS, emergency management, security officers, any state/local agency or non-governmental organization, teachers or secondary educators who may be called upon to train or lead Teen CERT programs. In addition to and Basic CERT training, students should complete IS-100, IS-200, IS-700 and IS-800 prior to attending. Online versions of these classes are available online at http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp.

Online registration closes Nov. 5, though late registration is available by contacting Contact Citizen Corps Program Specialist LaWanda Christian at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6602 or lawanda.christian@vdem.virginia.gov. Detailed information about the class is available online at http://www.vaemergency.com/train/calendar_course.cfm?id=91.

EM Update is the best way to communicate best practices and to get a heads up on issues that might affect you. Articles include case studies, cost/resource-saving local programs, examples of partnerships and regional cooperation and recognition of emergency managers who receive awards and honors in the field.

Please don't hesitate to contact the editor whenever you have a project that might benefit localities or want to highlight an important issue concerning Virginia's emergency response community. Contact Jolie Shank at (804) 897-6510 or by e-mail at pio@vdem.virginia.gov.

Produced by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236