Serving AK, ID, OR, WA
September is National Preparedness Month and a good reminder that we all have a responsibility in protecting ourselves and families. All of us.
This year, National Preparedness Month is focused on taking important preparedness steps including: Get an Emergency Supply Kit; Make a Family Emergency Plan; Be Informed about the different types of emergencies and their appropriate responses; and Get Involved in your community’s efforts. These are simple steps you can take to be prepared.
Not only does it make sense to prepare to protect ourselves and our families, we need to be able to go to work with the firm conviction that we have done everything prudent to protect our own home base.
I encourage everyone to take a look at the attached family emergency plan template, and emergency supply kit checklist, not from a perspective of delivering a presentation to others, but with the objective view of how it applies to you personally. And don’t forget any children within your span of responsibility (Ready Kids).
Yes, we are busy. Yes, we are often on travel. But the biggest yes is the affirmation that we’ve done right by our own families. And if not during September, while promoting National Preparedness Month, then…when?
Residents of Nome, Alaska are enjoying reduced flood insurance premiums, thanks to the city’s active participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System. FEMA Regional Administrator Susan Reinertson visited Nome on 14 July 2008 to personally acknowledge the achievement. (Read More)
FEMA was well represented at the popular Grays Harbor Trade Show, in Aberdeen, Washington in early February. Mitigation specialists talked with hundreds of interested residents about how to prepare for the next possible disaster by re-building safer, smarter and stronger.
More than 650 mitigation publications were distributed to those who visited the Mitigation booth. In terms that people could understand, FEMA specialists talked about best practices, what's available on the market, and what's the best siding, roofing, insulation, etc. for extreme weather.
Community Relations representatives also had a booth, which was visited by 112 people. They answered general questions about disaster assistance and were able to refer people to the SBA, the Mitigation booth or the nearby DRC. The CR specialists discussed FEMA programs with attendees and provided informational handouts in English and Spanish.
Several radio stations broadcast live from the Trade Show all day long. During the day, representatives from Mitigation, CR and PIO were interviewed and presented information about mitigation practices and FEMA disaster assistance programs.
The annual Trade Show, sponsored by the Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce, attracted an estimated 10,000-15,000 people, who visited over 80 booths. It was held February 2nd at the South Shore Mall in Aberdeen.
Administrator Paulison traveled to Monterey, Calif., to participate in events marking the fifth anniversary of the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS). The Center's homeland security master's degree and other education programs are supported by FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate.
Speaking at the anniversary reception January 29, Paulison described the Center as "a national resource for hundreds of other academic and government organizations around the nation." He said the alumni's research, interagency and intergovernmental networking and ongoing leadership are "helping to shape the evolution of homeland security."
Susan Reinertson, FEMA's Region X Administrator and a CHDS graduate, served as a moderator for the panel discussion Homeland Security: The Past Five Years and Looking Forward Five Years. Representatives of other DHS components, the FBI, NORTHCOM and the Department of Defense also participated in the panel.
For more information on CHDS and its homeland security master's and other programs, which are free to DHS employees, see the website at www.chds.us.
Over 80 state homeland security advisors, emergency managers and federal partners met in Portland, Oregon on 30 January 2007 to report out on operational capabilities and the new National Response Framework. The new FEMA Region X RISC structure consolidates the Alaska RISC and the Northwest RISC into one robust Regional RISC for Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington State.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Region 10 announces the creation of a Regional Advisory Council for the Pacific Northwest, to advise the Regional Administrator on all aspects of emergency management in an effort to ensure close coordination with all involved.
The council is made up of elected officials, emergency managers, and emergency response providers from state, local and tribal governments from the four-state region which includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. According to FEMA Regional Administrator Susan Reinertson, a primary goal of the council will be to improve communication and understanding among the various organizations involved in emergency management and response.
"Our goal was to attract the most knowledgeable and dedicated people with practical experience in management and on the ground to make sure we can all work together more effectively when disaster strikes," said Reinertson. "We can't wait until a disaster strikes to start creating common understanding and shared sense of purpose."
RX Administrator Susan Reinertson chaired the first meeting of the RX Regional Advisory Council (RAC) in Bellevue, WA on November 28, 2007.
FEMA awards a $313,500 AFG to the City of Dillingham Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad. FEMA's Deputy Assistant Administrator for Disaster Operations Robert Powers presented this grant to Dillingham's Fire Department Chief Norman Heyano. The Dillingham AFG grant will be used to purchase a new pumper/tanker fire truck.
From its offices in Bothell, FEMA's Region X works in partnership with the emergency management agencies of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Region X's most common challenges are severe storms and winter storms that can cause flooding, flash-flooding and landslides throughout the region, and earthquakes and tornados.
Constructed on the site of a decommissioned Nike missile site, the Bothell Federal Regional Center (FRC) is one of six similar operations centers built during the late 1960s. Total cost of design, construction, etc. was $1,860,000 (estimated cost of constructing a similar building in 1983 was over $25 million, and the cost today would easily exceed $40 million). The building itself is a subterranean office structure designed to be reasonably survivable in the event of foreseeable natural or man-made disasters.
The Region employs 85 full-time employees, and can draw on a cadre of over 425 Disaster Assistance Employees (DAEs) or "reservists" during a Presidential Disaster Declaration.
Regional organization includes six directorates, or divisions:
Regional Administrator's Office
National Preparedness Division
Mitigation Division
Disaster Operations Division
Disaster Assistance Division
Administration & Resource Planning Division
Region X Contact Information
State Offices and Agencies of Emergency Management
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Last Modified: Friday, 29-Aug-2008 16:35:39 EDT