EM Update - June 29, 2011

June 29, 2011

Governor requests SBA loan assistance for tornado recovery

Gov. Bob McDonnell has asked the U.S. Small Business Administration to make emergency low-interest loans available to homeowners, renters and businesses who had major damage from the April tornadoes.

The governor requested SBA assistance for Pulaski and Washington counties.  If the request is approved in these areas, then residents with damage in adjacent localities are automatically eligible to apply for these loans as well.  Unfortunately, other areas in the Commonwealth that experienced damage in the April storms do not meet SBA requirements for assistance, according to information collected during earlier damage assessments.

Virginia could not move forward with a request for SBA assistance until the completion of the FEMA appeal.  Last week, FEMA declined the governor’s appeal to grant individual assistance to people and businesses affected by the storm.

Volunteer groups have been active in affected areas since the first severe weather hit on April 8. To assist charitable groups in their efforts to help Virginians recover, Gov. McDonnell established the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund and authorized a state contribution of $600,000.  A website has been created to process credit card donations at http://disasterrelief.vi.virginia.gov/.  Those who wish to write a check can do so by making checks payable to the Treasurer of Virginia with “tornado relief” noted in the memo line.  Send checks to Comptroller’s Office, P.O. Box 1971, Richmond, VA 23218-1971.  Donations are tax deductible. 

VDEM fundraiser

VDEM raised $1,000 for the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund during three fundraisers held June 21-23:

• “Bring Your Kids to Work” Employees paid $5 to bring their children to work; additional donations allowed kids to take part in face painting and balloon animals. 
• “Bring Your Pet to Work” Employees paid $5 to bring their pet to work; an additional $1 allowed pets to compete in a costume contest.  Prizes were donated by pet store.
• A $5-plate barbecue feast included food donated by Q Barbeque and by VDEM employees.

National Capital Region selects homeland security projects to fund

The National Capital Region has announced how it will spend $59 million in federal homeland security grant funds.  Some of the projects to be funded include:

• Chemical/biological sensors for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
• Bomb squad equipment
• Medical surge capacity
• Information sharing/fusion center support regional fusion/intelligence analysis centers
• Situational awareness and transportation management tool
• Personal preparedness 

In May, DHS awarded the NCR money through the Urban Areas Security Initiative Grant Program.  The NCR is comprised of the District of Columbia and 11 local jurisdictions in Virginia and Maryland, which work together to determine how to best and most equitably allocate scarce resources such as UASI funds. 

Survey shows that most Americans would rely on social media during disasters

A recent study shows that 45 percent of Americans said they would rely on social networking to communicate with friends and loved ones in the event of a natural disaster; another 24 percent said they might.  The “Get Ready, America” survey, commissioned by The National Hurricane Survival Initiative, also found that women are more likely than men to use social networking platforms and that more than half would turn to these platforms to communicate in a disaster. 

The report says, “More than 50 percent of Americans said they would rely on a cell phone or home phone to communicate with family members in a disaster, although these tools often are not operational in the immediate aftermath of a storm.  Only 8 percent said they would rely on text messaging, although this has proven to be one of the most reliable forms of communication in a disaster.”

Key findings and poll results are available at http://hurricanesafety.org/2011/06/22/%E2%80%9Cget-ready-america%E2%80%9D-survey-residents-relying-more-on-social-media-texting-in-natural-disasters/

Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security announces governor’s plans

Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security Terrie L. Suit announced Gov. McDonnell’s plans to make Virginia the “most veteran-friendly state in the nation” while continuing to serve as the all-hazards homeland security liaison between the governor and DHS.

The 2011 General Assembly passed legislation that changed the name and re-organized the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness into the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security. The new law also elevated the administration’s focus on Virginia’s veterans’ issues and clarified the homeland security duties the office has been tasked with for many years. 

Details about recent accomplishment in preparedness, interoperability, critical infrastructure protection and continuity of operations are available at http://www.governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=807

Rockbridge CERT supports sales tax holiday

Rockbridge County CERT held a public education event during Memorial Day weekend at a local Lowe’s store to help promote Virginia’s Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.  Visitors received a pen and a checklist; a special gift was given to anyone who came back to show that they had purchased a checklist item.  Ready Virginia puzzle worksheets and Spanish literature were also available.  For more information, contact Peggy Selden at PASSLEX@wmconnect.com

2011 National Preparedness Month begins coalition registration

The Ready America campaign, Citizen Corps and the Advertising Council have begun registration for the eighth annual National Preparedness Month Coalition.  NPM is designed to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities. 

Ready recently held a webinar about this year’s education effort, “A time to remember.  A time to prepare.” Copies and a recording of the presentation, along with a fact sheet and a list of the 4,859 organizations that joined the coalition last year, are available at http://www.ready.gov/america/npm11/index.html

2011 USACE Flood Risk Management and Silver Jackets Workshop

August 15-19 in Nashville, Tenn.

Registration is now open for the 2011 USACE Flood Risk Management and Silver Jackets Workshop at http://www.nfrmp.us/frmpw  The workshop will bring together more than 200 flood risk management partners and provide:

• An overview of interagency flood risk management, including those of FEMA, the USACE Flood Risk Management and Silver Jackets programs, and state and local efforts
• Discussion of program policy, strategies, successes and challenges
• Networking and collaborative problem solving
• Information-sharing among partners at all levels

Highlights and registration instructions are available online.

Training…

MGT-362: Collaborative Leadership in Homeland Security

This free, FEMA-recognized, five-week program provides mid- and high-level local and state leaders with critical thinking skills and collaborative leadership abilities.  The course involves four weeks of online discussion and one week of face-to-face interaction hosted by the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy.  Details and registration are available at http://www.vaemergency.gov/em-community/training/Special-Training-Opportunities

CERT 101: Basic CERT for Program Managers/Trainers

This hands-on, 20.5-hour Community Emergency Response Team course teaches personal preparedness and emergency response techniques for use at work, home and places in between. Eight modules and a disaster simulation on the final day include disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, cert organization, disaster psychology, and terrorism and CERT.  The class is intended for: 

• CERT program managers/trainers for newly forming programs 
• CERT program managers/trainers with an established CERT program who have not already graduated a CERT course 
• CERT program managers/trainers who want a refresher in the 2011 updated curriculum 
• Other participants as approved by the Virginia Citizen Corps Office 

Course materials are available athttp://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/training_mat.shtm  Registration is available through The Knowledge Center at https://covkc.virginia.gov/kc/login/login.asp?kc_ident=kc0001&strUrl=https://covkc.virginia.gov/vdem/Default.asp  For more information, contact Judy Vaughan at judy.vaughan@vdem.virginia.gov

VDEM Training Calendar

Due to budgetary constraints, VDEM must cancel a class if a minimum of 15 students have not enrolled two weeks before the class begins. Sign up early.

The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Learning Management System Knowledge Center provides information and enrollment for each class. Students who do not already have an account through any state agency Learning Management System domain must register for a VDEM LMS account (a one-time process) in order to enroll. Students who have an account through any state agency should log in at that agency’s LMS address and enroll in the desired course(s). Help videos for registration and enrollment processes are provided on the VDEM LMS login page at https://covkc.virginia.gov/vdem/external/. Assistance is available from VDEM’s LMS Help Desk at lmshelp@vdem.virginia.govor (804) 897-9995.

The table below lists VDEM courses for the next quarter:

*Open to Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and University of Virginia Emergency Management Personnel only.

** Open to VDEM Region 5 Emergency Management/Emergency Response Personnel only.

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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.

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