July 30, 2003
DHS
grants totaling $33.7 million allocated to state, localities
Gov. Mark Warner has announced detailed allocation plans for
the $33.7 million Department of Homeland Security grant check he received
on behalf of the Commonwealth June 5. Of the $33.7 million, approximately
$4.5 million will be made available to help offset state and local costs
associated with the heightened threat period during the conflict in Iraq.
Virginia cities and counties will receive 80 percent of the remaining
$29.2 million, with the rest going to meet state and regional level preparedness
priorities. Localities must still apply to receive these funds, which
may be designated for specific preparedness initiatives to include improving
first responder communications interoperability, implementing a standardized
Incident Management System, acquiring new and better equipment and additional
training for first responders, and pursuing scenario-driven exercises.
VDEM worked with local governments to develop the distribution formula
of $50,000 per locality plus $2.07 per person. These funds supplement
a $7.1 million base grant announced in June.
Read
more
Allocation
details
Mitigation grants now and down the road:
Virginia receives planning grant
Virginia has received a $248,375 grant to help three Planning District Commissions (PDCs) develop multi-hazard mitigation plans to reduce the loss of life and property from disasters. Funded through FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation program, these plans will soon be a pre-requisite for receiving certain types of federal mitigation funding and disaster assistance. Virginia was among five states and two U.S. territories receiving funds in this round of grants, bringing to 33 the number of approved allocations nationwide since May.
The new Virginia grant will help PDCs 8 (Northern Virginia) and 9 (Rappahannock/Rapidan)
develop mitigation plans to fulfill Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requirements.
PDC 22 (Eastern Shore) will receive funding for hazards identification
and risk assessment. In other regions, pre-disaster mitigation planning
projects are in various stages of completion. PDCs 1 - 6 in flood-prone
western and southwestern Virginia have made substantial progress with
their programs.
Read
more
See related
map
Competitive grants available
FEMA has announced that a total of $131.5 million in fiscal 2003 pre-disaster
mitigation grants, technical assistance and program support will be made
available to states and localities. The Competitive Pre-Disaster Mitigation
Program is designed to proactively reduce overall risk from natural and
manmade hazards. This fiscal year, FEMA will award the competitive funds
with a priority on projects that address repetitive flood loss properties
under the National Flood Insurance Program. However, the grants still
may be used for other types of mitigation and mitigation planning projects.
Localities will have until mid-September to submit their applications
electronically to VDEM. VDEM then will review the applications and submit
them to FEMA by Oct. 6.
For further information, contact Richard Dameron, hazard mitigation
program manager, at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6525, or by e-mail at rdameron@vdem.state.va.us.
State
excels in Surry Nuclear Power Station exercise
FEMA evaluators praised the performance of state and local
governments in the full-scale Virginia Operations Plan Exercise (VOPEX)
conducted July 15-17 to test the ability of the Dominion Generation facility
and state and local governments to respond to a nuclear power station
emergency. A total of 74 FEMA evaluators at 79 locations graded 566 criteria
for plume, host and ingestion pathway localities within the 50-mile emergency
planning zone surrounding the Surry plant. Forty problem areas previously
identified were corrected. Seven new problems were identified during the
exercise, of which four were corrected immediately. FEMA will release
a final report in October. A full-scale exercise is conducted every six
years at one of Virginia's two nuclear power stations.
For further information, contact Amy Ettinger, VDEM radiological planner,
at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6585, or by e-mail at aettinger@vdem.state.va.us.
'Ready' draws strong public response
The "Ready"
campaign encouraging Americans to learn what to do in the event of a terrorist
attack has drawn a strong public response, according to the Advertising
Council. The campaign, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security
and the Ad Council, resulted in 15.4 million visits to the Ready.gov
Web site between Feb. 19, when the campaign began, and May 23. A total
of 138,247 calls were recorded on the toll-free telephone line featured
in the ads. The Martin Agency of Richmond created the campaign pro bono.
In the first three months of the campaign, the media donated more than
$10 million in ad time and space.
Minor league baseball
teams and the Boy Scouts are also teaming up to play ball in promoting
the "Ready" program. The Bristol White Sox are one of more than
15 minor league baseball teams across the country committed to featuring
these campaign materials and to hosting the Boy Scouts as they distribute
brochures. The Virginia team is slated to highlight the program during
its Aug. 15 game.
Read more
Hot
means hot under NOAA heat index
Unveiled last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Mean Heat Index is now the standard used to warn citizens and local
health and emergency officials of advancing heat waves up to seven days
before their onset. While the traditional heat index averaged the hottest
and coldest times each day, the Mean Heat Index measures how hot temperatures
actually feel to a person over the course of the day. This system combines
such factors as surface and ambient heat with humidity and other environmental
factors to identify potentially fatal heat waves that occur when nighttime
temperatures don't drop very much from the daytime high. Indices are issued
to the public in two ways: a daily graphic representation of the contiguous
United States with color-coded overlays and more localized text forecasts
for select cities across the country.
Learn more
In Training News . . .
VEMA
to spotlight school crisis teams in summer meeting
The Virginia
Emergency Management Association summer meeting and training session will
be held Aug. 13-15 at the Holiday Inn Select Koger South Conference Center
in Richmond. Presentation topics include "Private Sector Challenges
to Emergencies," "Setting up a School Crisis Team and Working
with Emergency Management," "EMS Task Force Teams and Critical
Incident Stress Management (CISM) for Emergency Management Workers"
and "Search & Rescue Resources."
Register
online (Deadline for hotel reservations is Aug. 1.)
For more information, contact Conventions Plus Inc., by phone at (757)
242-3692 or e-mail ConventionsPlus@charter.net.
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