Dec. 2, 2009

SBA assistance available to southeastern Virginia
The U.S. Small Business Administration granted Gov. Tim Kaine’s request to make emergency low-interest loans available to homeowners, renters and businesses in southeastern Virginia who had major damage from the recent severe weather that occurred Nov. 12-15.

• Homeowners are eligible for Real Property Loans of up to $200,000 to repair or restore a primary home to its pre-disaster condition. Personal Property Loans can also provide homeowners or renters with up to $40,000 to help repair or replace personal property, such as clothing, furniture and automobiles lost in the disaster.
• Businesses suffering damage can apply for loans up to $2 million to help repair or replace damaged property as well as for loss of business.

The loans will be available to residents in the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach and the counties of James City and York.

Virginia is still awaiting a decision by FEMA on the governor’s request for public assistance to cover eligible government and private nonprofit costs for damage to critical infrastructure, debris removal and related emergency services.

Volunteer award program launched
Virginia Citizen Corps is accepting entries for the 2009 Superstar Awards, an opportunity to recognize exceptional volunteers and programs. Eight winners will be selected in the following categories: Outreach Activity, Teen CERT, Local Citizen Corps Council, Business, Campus or Community Training, Volunteer Superstar, Volunteer Instructor or Instruction Team, Volunteer Recognition Event or Program, and Virginia Citizen Corps Program. Entries are due Jan. 15, 2010. Contact Citizen Corps Program Manager Linda Rubin at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6594 or linda.rubin@vdem.virginia.gov for more information.

FEMA expands grant fund coverage
FEMA preparedness grant funds now may be used for maintenance contracts, warranties, repair or replacement costs, upgrades, and user fees under all active and future grant awards.

• To increase the useful life of the equipment, FEMA has determined that maintenance contracts and warranties may be purchased using grant funding from one fiscal year to cover equipment purchased with funding from a different fiscal year.
• The cost of repair and replacement parts for equipment purchased using FEMA preparedness grant funding is now an allowable expense.
• FEMA preparedness grant funding may be used to upgrade previously purchased allowable equipment.
• User fees are viewed as costs for specific services required for maintaining operation of equipment or systems.
• Requests for maintenance, repair, or replacement costs, upgrades, or user fees for equipment purchased with funds from FEMA preparedness grants that no longer exist are allowable.

Detailed information is contained in FEMA Grant Programs Directorate Information Bulletin No. 336.

Host state reimbursement rule finalized
FEMA has finalized an amendment to Public Assistance program regulations that helps host states seek reimbursement for sheltering and evacuation costs of sheltering evacuees from presidentially declared disaster areas. The new rule replaces an interim rule that has been in place since July 2006:

• Grantees may seek reimbursement for evacuation and sheltering costs incurred outside of the area designated under a presidential emergency or major disaster declaration, if they are otherwise eligible for FEMA Public Assistance. Historically, costs incurred outside of the disaster declared area were not reimbursable unless a state requested and was approved for its own presidential emergency declaration.
• Language in the interim rule has been clarified to make key language more consistent and precise and better define the entities eligible.
• Host states will be directly reimbursed by FEMA for the base salary costs for state and local employees providing assistance as part of the host-state sheltering grant from FEMA.

Mutual aid remains the appropriate option in most disaster situations. In the exceptional cases of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 45 states requested and received emergency declarations to recover sheltering costs for thousands of evacuees from the Gulf Coast.

The rule is available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-27883.pdf.

Williamsburg volunteers practice tornado response
Williamsburg's Neighborhood Response Teams conducted a mass casualty disaster drill that involved several tornadoes and unavailable public safety resources at the Quarterpath Recreation Center. The NRTs used the incident command system to conduct patient triage and to practice fire control and downed power line, gas leak and hazardous materials safety. More than 65 Community Emergency Response Team volunteers, student volunteers from Lafayette and Jamestown High Schools, and other volunteers participated in the disaster exercise. For more information about the drill, contact NRT Assistant Amy Stoll at (757) 220-6198.

Training...
Save the date: Emergency Management Procurement Forum
VDEM’s Procurement Office will host the 2010 Emergency Management Procurement Forum, May 2-4, 2010, to raise awareness about being better prepared to procure goods and services during emergencies. The conference will begin with an overview and tour of the Virginia Emergency Operations Center and continue with presentations and demonstrations that address Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprises Small, Woman- and Minority-owned certification, legal issues, Small Purchase Charge Cards, prequalified contracts, ethics and more. Attendees will be able to network with state and local emergency procurement personnel from all over Virginia and to see a vendor trade show. Additional details and registration will be available soon.

Upcoming VDEM training courses
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.

VDEM’s Learning Management System Knowledge Center provides information and registration for each class. Students must create an LMS account (a one-time process) in order to enroll. Step-by-step registration instructions are provided on the LMS login page at https://covkc.virginia.gov/vdem/external/. Assistance is available from VDEM’s Office of Training and Exercises at lmshelp@vdem.virginia.gov or (804) 897-6500, ext. 6557.

The table below lists VDEM courses for the next quarter.

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