Fellow Emergency Managers,

First, let me thank you for all the incredible things you have done, and continue to do, for the American people. I am thankful for your tireless efforts under these unprecedented and demanding circumstances and for embrace of the guiding principle: locally executed, state-managed, and federally supported emergency response and recovery. Your heroic and extraordinary efforts across the country inspire me daily.  Please keep up the great work. 

The priority of the federal agency are projects that have a direct impact on communities

WASHINGTON – The whole-of-America response to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic continued today, as medical supplies from FEMA’s Project Airbridge flights were distributed nationwide.  South Carolina Army National Guardsmen maintained their readiness with medical pre-screening, while medical and nursing students at the Uniformed Services Univ. of the Health and Sciences received COVID-19 training – a new requirement as part of their coursework.

WASHINGTON – FEMA has published a public notice of proposed policy in the Federal Register outlining the agency’s new Building Resilience Infrastructures and Communities, or BRIC, grant program.

The new program will replace the existing Pre-Disaster Mitigation program. It is envisioned to support states, local communities, tribes and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects to reduce the risks they face from disasters while providing proactive investments in community resilience.

WASHINGTON – The whole-of-America response to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic continued today, with more than 7,000 COVID-19 test kits being shipped from South Korea to the United States.  Hospital corpsmen on board USNS Mercy are treating non-COVID-19 patients, and National Guardsmen continue supporting response efforts in Connecticut, helping distribute masks, gloves and face shields to local residential care homes, nursing homes and long-term care facilities in North Haven.

DENTON, Texas –– New revised preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are available for review by residents and business owners in all communities and unincorporated areas of Orange County. Officials encourage property owners to review the latest information to learn about their flood risks and potential future flood insurance requirements.                                                                                                             

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — FEMA has approved $48,827,629 for the State of Florida to reimburse Panama City for debris removal costs following Hurricane Michael.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — FEMA has approved nearly $70 million to reimburse the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for Hurricane Michael recovery work.

PONCE, Puerto Rico – Free legal assistance and crisis counseling services are available to residents affected by the Dec. 28 to Feb. 4 earthquakes.

Crisis counseling is available to residents of Adjuntas, Cabo Rojo, Corozal, Guánica, Guayanilla, Jayuya, Lajas, Lares, Maricao, Peñuelas, Ponce, San Germán, San Sebastián, Utuado, Villalba and Yauco.

WASHINGTON - The scarcity of medical resources in the fight against COVID-19 is a global issue. The United States is competing for the same resources as many other countries.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA are announcing the funding notice for an additional $100 million in supplemental Emergency Management Performance Grant Program funds.

DENVER – Built in 1904, Rattlesnake Creek Dam played an integral part of the water supply for the City of Missoula, Montana. But at more than a century old, the dam is no longer in use and is a potential hazard to its environment and local community. Without its removal, FEMA estimates Rattlesnake Dam could cause more than $6 million in damages if it failed.

WASHINGTON – The whole-of-America response to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic continued throughout the weekend and today, as FEMA Project Airbridge flights arrived in Chicago with essential medical supplies, and National Guardsmen helped deliver food to needy families in Cincinnati and served at COVID-19 testing sites in Jacksonville, Fla.  Over the weekend, U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy held Easter services aboard the ship’s flight deck while it’s stationed in Los Angeles. 

Due to actions adopted to combat the coronavirus, earthquake survivors will receive more time to apply for disaster assistance.

Puerto Rico residents who had losses or damage to their homes or property from the earthquakes have until May 31 to apply for FEMA disaster assistance.

Even a slight chance of flooding can pose too great a threat to the delivery of services provided by a temporary critical facility.  Examples include temporary medical services which are not limited to hospitals, medical sheltering, and mortuary facilities.  In many situations, these critical facilities are likely to have occupants who may not be sufficiently mobile to evacuate in order to avoid injury or death during a flood. Site considerations for such facilities must include an evaluation of flood risk.

The Office of Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation is committed to facilitating timely and prompt compliance reviews for COVID-19 activities. This includes identifying activity types where the applicant will need to provide minimal information or documentation in order to conduct an environmental and historic preservation review.

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA and the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience, or COR3, have obligated an additional $19.4 million in funds for 105 projects related to the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico due to Hurricane María. These funds were obligated between April 3 and April 9.

FEMA’s Office of Equal Rights will be hosting regular teleconferences concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response, to share information and to hear civil rights-related concerns. OER will be joined by FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) who will provide updates on their regional coordination activities, as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

DENVER – This week, FEMA approved Colorado’s Mitigation Plan.  For the first time the plan meets the criteria for “enhanced” status, signifying the state’s commitment to hazard mitigation and making the state eligible for increased federal mitigation funding. Colorado will be the third state in FEMA Region VIII and the fifteenth nationwide to achieve the designation.

Established by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the International Reagent Resource provides resources for surveillance of and detection of influenza and other respiratory pathogens to laboratories with documented training and competency. The organization acquires, authenticates, and produces reagents that scientists need to carry out basic research and develop improved diagnostic tests, vaccines, and detection methods. The IRR is under contract by American Type Culture Collection (ATCC).