Federal assistance available for state and local jurisdictions
President Bush approved Public Assistance for the Commonwealth and 21 local jurisdictions to assist in the recovery from severe weather and Tropical Depression Ernesto. Public Assistance covers eligible government and certain private nonprofit costs for damage to critical infrastructure, debris removal and related emergency services. The eligible jurisdictions are: the counties of Accomack, Caroline, Charles City, Dinwiddie, Essex, Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northampton, Northumberland, Richmond, Surry, Sussex, Westmoreland and York and the cities of Poquoson and Richmond.

The governor is appealing FEMA's decision to deny Individual Assistance for Virginians affected by the storm. Individual Assistance would make funds available to homeowners and renters in the form of low-interest loans and grants, unemployment assistance, disaster housing assistance and crisis counseling.

Hazard Mitigation Grant program funds were also approved for the entire Commonwealth. The Hazard Mitigation program provides funds for government projects that help reduce disaster risks by protecting homes and businesses against future damage.

More information about federal assistance and recovery efforts is available online.

NOAA distributes weather radios nationwide
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration will distribute approximately 80,000 NOAA Weather Radios to public schools throughout the country. The radios broadcast warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. They can also signal different types of alerts, ranging from child abductions to chemical accidents and acts of terrorism. The National Office of Citizen Corps is requesting that Citizen Corps Councils around the nation contact area schools to ensure that the radios are received, registered and programmed appropriately. A Project Support Request to Citizen Corps Councils and more information is available online.

Anti-terrorism grants awarded to ports and transit systems
The Department of Homeland Security has awarded more than $399 million to ports, transit and intercity bus systems throughout the country through the Infrastructure Protection Program. The IPP consists of seven programs aimed at emergency planning for terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies. Virginia received funds for projects that fall under two of the programs.

• The Buffer Zone Protection Program ($945,000) provides funding (specifically for planning and equipment) to state and local governments to secure critical infrastructures, including chemical facilities, nuclear and electric power plants, dams, stadiums, arenas and other high-risk areas.
• The Port Security Grant Program (more than $3.5 million) supports efforts to protect seaports listed on the U.S. Coast Guards most critical seaport list. Awards are based on the port's relative risk and the relationship of each project to security priorities.

In addition, the National Capital Region received and will share more than $14 million through the Intercity Passenger Rail Security Grant Program and the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program. Information about the awards is available online.

2006 hurricane season forecast downgraded
In the September update of its 2006 hurricane forecast, the Tropical Meteorology Project staff at Colorado State University significantly reduced the number of potential named storms to 13, down from its original forecast of 17 named storms. In the four previous updates, project staff called for above-average hurricane activity; it now predicts below-average activity due to the small number of named storms through August. The September update forecasts eight named storms to form after Sept. 1.

FEMA allows for increased housing assistance
Under a new interim policy, FEMA will be able to increase the authorized amount of rental assistance to disaster victims when higher market rates have affected the availability of affordable rental housing. This applies to localities designated for Individual Assistance in a disaster declaration and to non-designated counties that are hosting eligible disaster victims. Usually FEMA bases its rental assistance rates on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's published Fair Market Rent rate for existing rental units. This interim policy corrects for rate increases that occur in and near disaster-stricken areas.

Get Ready brochure updated
VDEM has updated its "Get Ready" disaster preparedness brochure, designed for the general public. The brochure covers essential information that families and individuals should know about preparing for emergencies, including how to make a disaster supply kit, how to create a family disaster plan and how to stay informed during an emergency. Download a copy from the VDEM Web site, or request copies from the VDEM Public Affairs Office at (866) 782-3470. A Spanish version will be available early next year.

Training...
ICS Train-the-Trainer
A few seats remain in three sessions scheduled across the Commonwealth to certify a select group of instructors to teach the Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Incident Command System courses. Students will become familiar with the content of each course and be certified to deliver them in time blocks that meet the needs of their organization. The free classes are for authorized representatives of local governments, state agencies, criminal justice academies, certain private industries and volunteer groups involved in emergency response and recovery. Applicants must have the approval of their agency head and be available as an ICS instructor for their organization during the 12 months following course completion. Prerequisites and enrollment applications are available online.

For subsequent training delivered by graduates, VDEM will provide all instructional materials, student materials, VDEM Certificates of Completion for each student and continual updates on any changes to instructor and student materials. Instructors are expected to report to VDEM the date, location and number of students who successfully complete each session.

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