Aug. 29, 2007

DHS announces supplemental grant funds
The Department of Homeland Security announced $260 million in supplemental FY07 funding for three grant programs: the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program, the Transit Security Grant Program and the Port Security Grant Program.

• EMPG: The Commonwealth will receive more than $1.1 million in supplemental funds. States will focus these funds on addressing shortfalls and sustaining capabilities as identified through either the Emergency Management Accreditation Program process, the Nationwide Plan Review, FEMA Gap Analysis Program, or other emergency management assessment processes, with a specific focus on planning for catastrophic events.
• TSGP: The National Capital Region and the Baltimore Urban Area Security Initiative will share $11.1 million in supplemental funds for training. In addition, Hampton Roads Transit, eligible to apply for a portion of $8.7 million for Teir II UASIs, has applied for $412,000 in supplemental funds. TSGP funds go to the nation's key high-threat urban areas to enhance security measures for their critical transit infrastructure, including bus and rail systems.
• PSGP: Hampton Roads will receive nearly $1.5 million in supplemental funds. PSGP funds are primarily intended for the protection of critical port infrastructure from terrorism.

Norfolk to host national 9/11 exhibit
The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation has chosen the city of Norfolk to host the "9/11 Memorial Exhibit" Sept. 19-20. The exhibit lets visitors examine the events of September 11 and hear stories from first responders at the scene through a timeline of the events, photographs, artifacts and a short film. The exhibit also includes two massive steel beams that will be used in the construction of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum; visitors will be permitted to sign them. Norfolk is the second stop on the exhibit's tour of 14 cities across the country and the only stop it will make in Virginia. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Read more on Norfolk's Web site: http://www.norfolk.gov/News/Press/prdetails.asp?PressID=1003.

New guide outlines disaster laws for people with disabilities
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has developed a new reference guide that outlines existing legal requirements and standards of access for people with disabilities. "Accommodating Individuals with Disabilities in the Provision of Disaster Mass Care, Housing and Human Services" is the first in a series of disability-related guidelines to be produced by FEMA for disaster preparedness and response planners and service providers at all levels. The guide explains how applicable federal laws relate to government entities and non-government, private sector and religious organizations. A full copy of the guide is available at http://www.fema.gov/oer/reference.

National Preparedness Month
Throughout National Preparedness Month in September, national, regional, state and local organizations will distribute educational information, host events and sponsor activities across the country to promote emergency preparedness. In Virginia:

• Virginia Beach Citizen Corps Council will host Disaster Preparedness Day 2007, open to the general public, where attendees can get training and information about emergency preparedness, Sept. 15.
• Virginia Union University will host "Panther Preparedness," an interactive preparedness fair for students, Sept. 18.
• The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold the State Employees' 2007 Preparedness Expo to educate state employees and their families about emergency preparedness, Sept. 21.

If your organization or local government has scheduled an event in support of NPM, join the National Preparedness Month Coalition by registering online at http://www.citizencorps.gov/cc/showEvent.do?submitCalendar. More than 1,600 Coalition organizations participated in more than 900 events nationwide in 2006.

Ready.gov releases new videos
The Department of Homeland Security's Ready Campaign has released three new demonstration videos designed to highlight the specific steps older citizens, individuals with disabilities and pet owners should take to prepare for emergencies. DHS worked with AARP, National Organization on Disability and The Humane Society of the United States to develop messages for each group about the three basic steps to emergency preparedness: get a kit, make a plan and stay informed. The videos are available online at http://www.ready.gov/america/about/instructional.html.

2008 Emergency Response Guidebook
VDEM is taking orders for the 2008 Emergency Response Guidebook, which will be available to local first responders next spring. To avoid duplicating orders, only the designated Hazmat Coordinator should place the order for each locality. Contact Greg Britt, deputy director of VDEM's Technological Hazards Division, at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6578 or gregory.britt@vdem.virginia.gov, or place an order online at http://www.vaemergency.com/library/techhaz/.

Nursing home and hospital emergency planning tools online
An atlas from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is now available to support local/regional planning and response efforts in the event of a bioterrorism or other public health emergency. "Emergency Preparedness Atlas: U.S. Nursing Home and Hospital Facilities" can help local communities identify the health care facilities that could be used to provide assistance under emergency conditions in their communities. The atlas contains case studies and state-specific maps that display the location of hospitals and nursing homes, as well as their geographic relationship to a variety of emergency management and bioterrorism preparedness regions, such as HAZMAT response regions, emergency management regions and Red Cross chapters.

Download all or part of the report on the DHHS Web site: http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/nursinghomes/atlas.htm.

Also available from the AHRQ is "Nursing Homes in Public Health Emergencies," a report on disaster- and bioterrorism-related planning activities among nursing homes. It focuses on the roles that nursing homes could play in regional preparedness, such as transferring hospitals' less-critically ill or recovering patients to nursing homes.

Read the report: http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/nursinghomes/report.htm.

In addition, DHHS has announced that $25 million is available to hospitals and other health care facilities via a competitive emergency care grant program focused on hospital surge capacity, emergency care system capability, and community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies. Details about the Health Care Partnership Emergency Care Competitive Grants Program are available online at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/08/pr20070810a.html.

Training...
WebEOC training for local governments
This class offers an introduction to WebEOC, how to submit a local request for assistance and how to access situation reports, initial damages assessments and shelter information. VDEM continues to refine WebEOC functionality, and previous WebEOC training participants would benefit from attending this session.

Training for Region 5 is Aug. 30, 1-4 p.m., at the Newport News Emergency Operations Center, 513 Oyster Point Road. To register, please send an e-mail to Laverne McNair at Laverne.McNair@vdem.virginia.gov with the student's name and title, locality and agency, mailing address, e-mail address and the class date. Training will be scheduled for each region. Contact Sue Ann Curran for more information at SueAnn.Curran@vdem.virginia.gov or (804) 371-4505.

Introduction and Use of the National Incident Management System
This class is open to first responders and private corporations that provide support to first responders during a disaster. Topics include:

• The regional emergency management structure
• Emergency preparedness for employees and corporate administration
• The incident command system
• Business continuity planning
• An overview of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's emergency management courses
• Table top exercises

The Richmond Chapter of Infragard and the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness are sponsoring the free training, 8 a.m. to noon on Sept. 20. Infragard, lead by the FBI, seeks to strengthen critical infrastructure security in a collaborative effort with private businesses, academic institutions, and state and local law enforcement agencies. Please register by e-mailing bobby.vaughan1@infragard.org by Sept. 10.

Training packages
The Technical Support Working Group has developed two training packages that consist of an instructor and student manuals, CD-ROMs with PowerPoint presentations and manuals, and classroom videos.

• Improvised Explosive Device Awareness for First Responders: This package will teach state and local law enforcement and security personnel about current IED threats and countermeasures, how to recognize IEDs, IED components, potential targets and methods employed by terrorists using IEDs. Information about the package and ordering instructions are available online at http://www.tswg.gov/tswg/Prods_Pubs/iedatsp.htm.
• Inter-modal Supply Chain Security: This package will teach law enforcement and security personnel about WMD threat identification and current policies and regulations regarding inter-modal containers and security. Information about the package and ordering instructions are available online at http://www.tswg.gov/tswg/Prods_Pubs/ISCSTSPpub.htm.

The TSWG is a subgroup of the Interagency Working Group on Counterterrorism and falls under the Department of State's Coordinator for Counterterrorism. It focuses on rapid research, development and prototyping new technologies in the fight against terrorism.

Exercises...
Operation Highwater tabletop exercise
On Aug. 13, VDEM, the town of Pulaski and Pulaski County sponsored "Operation Highwater." The tabletop exercise was designed to test emergency response coordination, communications and interoperability, resource management, and evacuation and sheltering in response to a widespread flooding event caused by an inland tropical depression. Participants represented the counties of Giles, Pulaski and Wythe, the city of Radford, and the towns of Dublin, Pulaski and Wytheville. Also in attendance were representatives of Amateur Radio Operators, Appalachian Power Company, New River Valley Citizen Corps Council, Pulaski Community Hospital, Regional EMS, the Red Cross, various volunteer fire companies, Virginia Department of Health and Virginia State Police.

Conferences...
2007 Virginia Public Safety Outreach Conference
This year's conference, "Ready Virginia," will be Wednesday, Nov. 14 at the Newport News Omni. Conference sessions will focus on an array of topics, including how you can leverage the Ready Virginia campaign to improve emergency preparedness in your community. Sponsored by VDEM and Virginia Citizen Corps, conference registration information will be on VDEM's Web site in September.

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