DfRR committee members complete Hurriplan training.

Hurriplan: Resilient Building Design for Coastal Communities is a two-day training course for planners, design professionals, state and local officials, and property owners.  This recent session, held at Pratt Institute - Manhattan Campus, was conducted through The National Disaster Preparedness Training Program (NDTPC) and sponsored by FEMA.  In attendance were DfRR committee members, Illya Azaroff (co-chair), Jack Suben, Deborah Gans, Cynthia Barton, and Dean Sakamoto.

Post-Sandy Recovery Grant Deadline this Wednesday

From The New York Landmarks Conservancy:   Dear Friend of the Conservancy:   Last Friday, the Landmarks Conservancy was contacted by FEMA officials because of our work disbursing Emergency Grants in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  So far, the Conservancy has provided grants to nearly a dozen landmarked nonprofit and religious institutions damaged by the storm.  Officials at FEMA were eager to know about these projects and were tapping our knowledge about other post-Sandy restoration efforts involving historic properties. They reminded us that the deadline to apply for a grant from FEMA is Wednesday February 27, 2013 and asked us to help get the word out that the deadline is fast approaching. They have the ability to help eligible historic landmarks receive funding through a $50 million National Park Service Hurricane Sandy recovery program. On our website is information from the New York Joint Field Operation of FEMA regarding their grants including the applications handbook, and specific guidelines for FEMA’s public assistance program. If you work with or know of a historic landmark damaged by Hurricane Sandy, please contact Jenny Bernstein, at the division that is charged specifically with landmark properties. She can be reached at   Jenny Bernstein Federal Disaster Recovery Coordination Natural and Cultural Resources Liaison Forest Hills Tower JFO DR-4085-NY Forest Hills, NY  11375   Jenny.bernstein@fema.dhs.gov 609-480-1462   Sincerely,

Peg Breen President

Presentation on Construction Standards in Flood Zones and Procedures for Rebuilding After Sandy

On January 22nd, 2013, The Building Code Committee of the New York Chapter of the AIA presented a practical course, Construction Standards in Flood Zones and Procedures for Rebuilding After Sandy.  The presented course covers construction standards in flood zones, including new construction, substantial damage, substantial improvement, alterations, and repairs. Also covered, are the regulatory framework for design and construction in flood zones, including areas regulated by the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation.

Click Here to download the presentation.

NYC Risk Assessment Mapping

The following maps were compiled by DfRR committee member Richard Gonzalez.  These maps analyze NYC's vulnerabilities to a Hurricane Impact as it relates to Critical Infrastructure, NYC High Risk Flood Zones, FEMA High Risk Flood Zones, Estimated Sea Level Rise in 2080, and Single Story Height Structures.

NYC, OEM, and FEMA Test New Cell Phone Emergency Alert System

From FEMA: PLAN Details

From Washington Post: PLAN in DC and NYC

Photo by congressmannadler on flickr

www.nyc.gov/oem

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011 11-27
OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ADVISES NEW YORKERS ABOUT UPCOMING TEST OF WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS FOR MOBILE PHONES


Test Another Step Toward Implementing Free Wireless Emergency Alerts, Also Known as the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN)

On Thursday, December 15, 2011, the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM), in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)  and Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system – a new, free emergency notification service that will allow authorized government officials to send geographically targeted emergency alerts to enabled mobile devices on the AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon wireless networks. On Thursday, between 10 AM and 3 PM, OEM will send six test messages to WEA-enabled mobile devices prepositioned around New York City by OEM and FEMA. Those wireless devices that receive the test message(s) will emit an audible notification, regardless of the user’s ring tone or volume settings. A notification will be displayed on the screen of the device with text that reads: "Severe Alert" or "Extreme Alert." Users will see the following test alert when they open the WEA message: "This is a test from NYC Office of Emergency Mgmt. Test Message 1. This is only a test." Some WEA-capable mobile devices may receive more than one message.

In addition to the OEM and FEMA test phones, a number of newer mobile devices sold to the public by participating carriers may be WEA-capable and may receive one or more of the test messages. People who do not have WEA-capable mobile devices will not receive the test message(s). Due to the limited nature of this test, it is likely that most members of the public will not see the test message(s).

WEA, also referred to as the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN) or the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), was announced by Mayor Bloomberg, FEMA, the FCC, and the four nationwide wireless providers in May 2011. On January 1, 2012, a pilot of the WEA system is scheduled to go live in New York City. When the pilot program begins, mobile users on participating wireless networks will receive three types of alerts from WEA: alerts issued by the President, alerts involving imminent threats to safety of life or property, and AMBER Alerts. Participating carriers may offer devices that allow subscribers to block all but Presidential alerts. There is no charge to the mobile users receiving these alerts. www.nyc.gov/oem

In 2006, Congress passed the Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) Act, requiring the FCC to adopt rules allowing mobile carriers to voluntarily transmit emergency alerts to their subscribers. The FCC rules required participating mobile carriers to begin deploying WEA technology by April 2012. WEA alerts will not be stalled by user congestion, which may happen with standard mobile voice and texting services. Users are not required to register or opt-in for the WEA program. Many new phones on participating carriers will be equipped to receive WEA messages.

In addition to WEA, New Yorkers can receive text, e-mail, and phone alerts about emergencies and special events in their neighborhoods through Notify NYC. Notify NYC launched citywide in May 2009 after a year-long pilot program, fulfilling a commitment made by Mayor Bloomberg in 2005. Residents in all five boroughs can register an e-mail address, text message account, or phone number for up to five zip codes to receive Notify NYC advisories for free.

For more information on WEA, visit the Federal Communications Commission website at www.fcc.gov. For more information about Notify NYC visit www.nyc.gov or call 311.

FEMA Funding Divides House and Senate

Photo by: gemapublicaffairs

On Thursday the House approved a stopgap spending bill to finance the federal government into the beginning of October. Disagreement over the bill had stemmed from funding for FEMA disaster relief.  Resolution on the FEMA funding issue was postponed after it was discovered that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had enough money to continue operations through the upcoming end of the fiscal year.

NYT: House Approves Stopgap Spending Bill, 09.29.11
NYT: Stop-Gap Bill Tied Up Over Disaster Aid Feud, 09.20.11
USA Today: Congressional stalemate puts federal disaster funds at risk

Post by: Anne Marie Chance

Resilience: Volunteer for Preparedness

Image by: FEMA Ready Kids

New York State's program website, New Yorkers Volunteer - Disaster Preparedness, offers opportunities for volunteers to get involved in community disaster planning and response.

Their steps, borrowed from the American Red Cross:
Get a Kit
Make a Plan
Be Informed.