Resources

What Preliminary Damage Assessments Really Mean

Following a disaster, a governor requests preliminary damage assessments (PDAs) as the first step in the declaration process. Federal representatives, including the U.S. Small Business Administration, join state, tribal, and local officials to form “PDA teams” responsible for surveying damages in designated counties by going city-by-city, street-by-street, door-to-door, until impacted areas identified by state and… Read more

Tips for Homeowners: Understanding the NFIP

  After a flood, homeowners often struggle to understand the requirements and procedures of the , presenting unexpected challenges in an already dire situation. Homeowners must have a clear understanding of the detailed rules and processes of the NFIP — especially the concept of  — to accurately assess damage and know what actions will be required as… Read more

Tips for Project Managers: Getting Started with Contractors

  Review the Contract in a Face-to-Face Meeting.  Bring all stakeholders, including the contractor and your agency’s designated compliance administrator, together to ensure all parties have a clear understanding of the contract. At this time, it’s important to: Clarify the language in the contract and coach all parties through their questions and common mistakes. Ensure they… Read more

CDBG Disaster Recovery: Keys to Effective Grant Management

A PowerPoint presentation from that reviews the four keys to effective grant management — assessing capacity, procurement, monitoring and financial controls and procedures.    Keys to Effective Grant Management 

Natural Disasters: Guide to Insurance and Financial Preparation

This guide provides Floridians with actions to take before and after a disaster to make sure homeowners insurance coverage is adequate and that financial interests are up-to-date and protected.    Natural Disasters: Your Guide to Insurance and Financial Preparation in the Event of a Disaster

Ready New York: Reduce Your Risk

Ready New York: Reduce Your Risk outlines steps New York City property owners can take to prepare through — cost-effective and sustained actions taken to reduce the long-term risk to human life or property from hazards. The guide covers preparation for all types of perils that can impact New York City and identifies additional resources.… Read more

Earthquake Safety Checklist

This quick reference guide, developed by FEMA, helps individuals and families prepare for an earthquake and prevent earthquake-related damage to their homes. The brochure features instructions on conducting earthquake drills and “hazard hunts,” in addition to a checklist of disaster supplies, tips on what to do during and after an earthquake and additional resources.   Earthquake… Read more

FEMA: Tips for Managing Media Areas

At the scene of an incident, the news media’s most basic needs are access to information and images. Use these tips from FEMA to help anticipate what the media will want and to setup a media staging area that enhances communications to help guide information flow between the public information officer (PIO) and the media.  … Read more

FEMA Training: Public Information Officer Awareness

This course covers basic information about the role of a State or local Public Information Officer. The goal of this awareness course is to provide an orientation to the public information function and the role of the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the public safety/emergency management environment. Use this link to take the interactive web-based… Read more

Tips: Planning for Public Communications and Outreach

  Communicating with the public is one of the most important aspects of disaster response and recovery planning, yet in the wake of disaster public communications often get overlooked for the sake of getting other essential tasks completed. Make sure you have enough Public Information Officers (PIO) trained and on hand to keep residents and… Read more