Disasters can strike anywhere, anytime and can impact anyone, so Wireless Emergency Communications project at Georgia Institute of Technology, to discuss the next Think Tank topic. Serino reminded participants that “FEMA needs to use the best technology available to communicate with disaster survivors and those with disabilities and access and functional needs.”

He also noted that the Emergency Alert System test held in November of 2011 revealed several areas of improvement necessary for modernizing our national alerting systems, including problems with speed of the content and message accessibility. As FEMA develops the next-generation system, lessons from the test will be applied to ensure a more accessible experience for everyone.

In her remarks, Dr. Mitchell noted that the explosion of devices and software platforms in the market gives wireless manufacturers and developers “a perfect opportunity for [them] to involve end users in creating new devices that will have accessible features at the front end.”

Dr. Mitchell also noted with the explosion of social media, 65% of all Americans and 63% of those with disabilities use platforms like Facebook and Twitter, emergency managers have begun looking at those systems for enhancing the delivery of emergency alerts.

As I mentioned during the conversation, when people have access to emergency alerts, they can actively participate in preparedness efforts. This, in turn, optimizes emergency response resources for individuals who truly need assistance.

During the event, folks on Twitter joined the conversation with over 100 tweets using the hashtag #FEMAThinkTank:

• Everyone should have access to emergency alerts – @mkelly007

• Incorporating social media into emergency communications systems – @CACPGT

Serino closed the session by saying, “Community is a crucial part of all preparedness plans. It requires effort from the whole community to get through a disaster.”

He also encouraged people to continue participating in the Think Tank, sharing and discussing the ideas posted. A full transcript of the event will be posted at www.fema.gov/thinktank shortly.

Last Tuesday, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate met Maj. Gen. Eyal Eizenberg, the current commanding general of Israel’s Home Front Command, who is visiting the United States for a series of key governmental meetings.

The Home Front Command and Israel’s National Emergency Management Authority (FEMA’s Israeli counterpart) have collaborated with us for over four years under an memorandum of understanding with DHS. The MOU provides the mechanism through which FEMA and Israel established an Emergency Management Working Group.

The working group seeks to develop exchanges of information and support between the two countries as they strengthen their emergency management systems to respond to disasters. Representatives from FEMA and NEMA meet annually to evaluate the past year’s activities under the MOU and identify items of interest for the year to come.

This meeting focused on national preparedness and developing resilient communities and families. Both countries face a wide variety of disasters and crises challenges. Israel is prone to earthquakes, droughts and wild land fires. In 2011, massive wild land fires ravaged Israel’s northern areas.

FEMA, HFC and NEMA have key missions to develop and implement programs that help all sectors of society to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Maj. Gen. Eizenberg shared new initiatives in Israel involving family preparedness that include looking at ways of working with families to enhance resiliency through education and training, while Administrator Fugate discussed the whole community initiative that FEMA has implemented.

The visit to FEMA headquarters was the first for Maj. Gen. Eizenberg, who praised the relationship between the two agencies.

The meeting served as a precursor to the 2012 FEMA-Israel Emergency Management Working Group meeting, scheduled for April in Washington.

Small and minority business owners recently gathered in Dallas, Texas, to learn how to do business with FEMA and other federal and state agencies, in essence, becoming contractors. The dozens of business owners received critical information from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. General Services Administration and the Texas State Procurement Division.

As part of an effort to diversify the agency’s contractors, FEMA is actively seeking ways to strengthen partnerships with the private sector, and wants you to be a part of the process. You can access information online on how to become a federal contractor. The website provides a link to the Central Contractor Registration site, which collects, validates, stores and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions.

Additionally, the FEMA website contains information that will assist in identifying possible contracting opportunities with FEMA. Here you will be able to access the Federal Business Opportunities website, the governments' single point of entry where vendors and government buyers are invited to post, search, monitor, and retrieve opportunities solicited by the Federal contracting community.

In addition, FEMA seeks small businesses through the GSA Federal Supply Schedule program, which allows agencies to buy commonly used supplies and services. If you have not already done so, I encourage registering with the CCR, FBO and GSA.

I also encourage you visit the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation website for information on Federal agencies that may have procured the same or similar services, as well as contracts awarded during disasters.

We at FEMA Region 6 and across the agency are committed to making sure local businesses and everyone in the private sector are part of the preparedness, response and recovery fabric of their communities; because, historically, you are traditionally the catalysts for an efficient and effective recovery in a community following a disaster.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve talked a lot about supporting several states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia) with joint preliminary damage assessments as a result of the recent wave of severe storms and tornadoes, and I wanted to provide a little information into what this means, and what a PDA team does when they are on the ground.

PDA Teams

Following a disaster, a Governor requests 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 what we call “PDA teams.” They are responsible for surveying damages in designated counties, and they do this by going city-by-city, street-by-street, door-to-door, until impacted areas identified by state, tribal, and local officials have been thoroughly assessed.

The joint PDA teams are not just looking at the numbers of damaged or destroyed homes, they’re also obtaining information on the impact to the community as a whole. In larger disasters or when affected areas are inaccessible, PDAs may be conducted by car or plane.

They talk to as many residents as possible to ensure detailed assessments are made. From walking door-to-door in neighborhoods that have experienced damage, to sometimes walking among debris piles and engaging one-on-one with survivors who have been personally impacted, the PDA teams conduct their assessments to fully understand how the disaster has and will impact you and your family. Even when the damage may not seem apparent, the team is looking for all types and signs of damage, such as water lines from flooding, damaged roof and windows, and damage to doors and windows.

Many of the questions the teams may ask are aimed to garner a clear understanding of the impacts, including: whether you have insurance; whether your utilities are out; whether you have a place to stay; was your job affected; did your children need to change schools; was your car damaged; and do you have special medical needs.

A PDA team may not need to talk to every survivor. If a disaster survivor has already reported their damages to local or state officials, those reports will be shared with the PDA team and cross-referenced with the street report, and then all of the information will be considered for the assessments.

Along with assessing the damages that affected individuals within a community, PDA teams consisting of state, federal, tribal and local officials will also assess the impact of the incident on public infrastructure. This includes the cost of emergency measures, such as debris removal, and repair or restoration of public facilities such as roads and buildings.

Once assessments for a jurisdiction such as a county or parish are completed, the team moves onto the next as the effort is consolidated to help out in other areas. The goal is to complete the job efficiently and thoroughly to ensure the teams have captured the total impact to the communities and area of the state affected by the disaster.

The Next Step

Once all of the data has been compiled, it’s turned over to the state’s Emergency Management Agency.

It is important to remember that PDA teams do not determine whether a major disaster declaration will be issued.

The information that is collected is provided to the state for a governor to determine if he or she will request federal assistance. If the Governor believes the damages “are beyond state and local capabilities,” he or she will submit the written request to the President and specify the type of assistance needed and which counties are affected. It is important to remember that FEMA assistance is supplementary in nature and will only be authorized when a disaster is of the severity and magnitude to be beyond the effective response of the state and affected local governments. Moreover, legally, FEMA cannot duplicate assistance received through any other source including insurance or other federal programs.

What Should I Be Doing Now?

What should you do while the Governor’s request is pending? As soon as possible, notify your insurance company and file a claim. Keep your receipts of any disaster-related expenses such as lodging, medical, repair and cleaning supplies, etc. You should also make a list of the major items that have been damaged such as utilities, appliances, furniture, and personal property.

If you have immediate needs such as shelter, food, water, clothing, etc., you should seek help from the local voluntary and faith-based groups in your area.

What is a Major Disaster Declaration?

If the President approves the request, the declaration will specify what forms of assistance are available. If the Presidential declaration includes Individual Assistance, then individuals can apply if their county was part of the declaration. Even if you have already reported your damage to the Red Cross, local, or state officials, and the PDA team stopped to talk with you – this IS NOT THE APPLICATION for FEMA assistance.

To be considered eligible for federal assistance, you need to apply with FEMA once a declaration has been made – either by calling our toll-free number (Call (800) 621-3362 / TTY (800) 462-7585) or registering on our full website or mobile site.

We understand that dealing with the aftermath of a disaster is a stressful and trying time, and we hope that you will never need to go through the process of assessing and reporting damages. The true fact is that disasters happen, and every bit of knowledge we have about the process arms us all in a way to make the recovery just maybe a small bit easier.