Providing proper documentation is crucial to ensuring that your community will receive and keep funding assistance following a disaster. Yet, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the detailed documentation requirements for FEMA, HUD’s program and other funding programs. It’s always a good idea to enroll in a FEMA or CDBG-DR training course prior to… Read more
At no time in your community will communications be as critical — or as problematic — as during a disaster. Making improvements and plans during disaster planning that address the communications challenges your community is likely to face in a natural disaster will save you time and headaches when a disaster does strike. Furthermore,… Read more
Amateur radio operators and organizations can play a key role in natural disaster communications. Even if cell, landline and internet service are knocked out, radio messages can still get through. IBTS spoke with Janelle Haible, public information officer for the St. Louis Metro Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) about her experiences assisting her community during… Read more
You never know who you will need to call on for assistance during a disaster; unforeseen issues will arise, and you may need to call on a neighboring city or county, your state, or even your Congressman for assistance. Although it’s difficult, near impossible, to predict who will be able to provide what your… Read more
Without a comprehensive debris management plan, the debris removal process can escalate into one of the most difficult and expensive response tasks after a natural disaster. To reduce costs and accelerate the process, FEMA introduced debris removal alternative procedures. Yet despite cost benefits and incentives for quicker debris removal, few localities have taken advantage… Read more
State and local officials responsible for disaster planning and management should always keep abreast of changes in the Stafford Act, especially those related to reimbursement. Debris removal, for example, is one of the most expensive operations in a disaster recovery effort. To keep costs down, FEMA introduced four new alternative procedure pilot projects that… Read more
The following FEMA online independent study courses introduce the fundamental framework of federal disaster response. In addition, specialized courses focusing on the and National Response Framework (NRF) from the perspective of specific roles are listed below: IS-2900 — National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) Overview IS-100.b — Introduction to Incident Command System, ICS-100 IS-700.a — National Incident Management… Read more
The Federal Highway Administration provides basic information and a wide range of resources to inform localities and states on the administration’s Emergency Relief Program. States must apply to the Federal Highway Administration, not FEMA, for funding to supplement state and federal assistance to repair damage to federal highways or roads on federal land caused by natural disasters.… Read more
If properly managed and engaged, local elected officials can be a great asset to disaster response and recovery operations. Below, Ken Parker, retired city manager of Port Orange, Florida, provides advice for localities on how best to engage elected officials and use their strengths to boost morale across the community. “Don’t be afraid to use… Read more
Although EMS professional’s day-to-day activities will cross-over into disaster response, they will likely encounter responsibilities out of the ordinary, in addition to the heightened emotional and physical stress that comes with disaster response. Emergency managers should work with EMS managers and supervisors during disaster planning and response to provide stress relief for first responders… Read more
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