March 26, 2008

Roanoke raises insurance rating
National Flood Insurance Program policy holders in Roanoke will be able to pay less for their required flood insurance. The city has earned a better flood insurance rating due to its efforts to mitigate the impacts of flooding through storm drain maintenance, public education and updated response plans. These efforts continue the pro-active floodplain management that began 20 years ago during recovery operations for the catastrophic 1985 Election Day and Hurricane Juan flood events that devastated the Roanoke Valley. The FEMA Community Rating System Program allows local governments to achieve discounts through a thorough evaluation of their flood plain management programs. The new rating means a 5 percent decrease in flood insurance rates in Roanoke.

2008 Virginia Emergency Response Team Exercises
This year, instead of a single exercise, VERTEX will comprise a series of eight different exercises and drills to address various elements of the state's response plans. VERTEX began March 20 with a tabletop exercise to examine the response to an ice storm with widespread power outages. The remaining exercises will address topics such as evacuation and sheltering, distributing supplies, a reversal of I-64, and pandemic influenza.

During each exercise, Response personnel from state and local government and volunteer groups will role-play their emergency operations functions in order to review and practice the skills needed during an actual emergency.

The Virginia General Assembly mandates VERTEX to occur annually. Last year, it was expanded from a one-day exercise to a three-day exercise.

Four Virginia localities deemed StormReady
The National Weather Service recognized the Arlington, Chesterfield and Page counties and the city of Portsmouth in its "StormReady" program, adding the city to its list of more than 1,325 qualified localities in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam. In the Commonwealth, these localities join the StormReady counties of Campbell, Fairfax, Gloucester, Greene, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities of Chesapeake, Colonial Heights, Danville, Hampton, Newport News, Richmond and Virginia Beach. The city of Norfolk is StormReady as well as TsunamiReady. The voluntary program encourages emergency planners to develop severe weather and flood response plans using a grassroots approach in order to meet standards set forth by the NWS with state and local emergency managers. The standards include establishing a 24-hour warning point or emergency operations center, conducting community outreach seminars, developing response plans that include exercises and training weather spotters.

Visit the StormReady site at http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/.

NRF webcast available
Those who did not view the FEMA National Response Framework webcast held live on March 5 can view the presentation online. Go to http://www.vodium.com/goto/fema/nrf.asp; submit your information and the broadcast will begin. A slide version and a transcript are also available.

Terrorism prevention grants awarded
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services has awarded a total of more than $260,000 in grants to 53 Virginia localities through the Department of Homeland Security's Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program. Localities can use the grants to buy personal protective equipment. Localities applied for the grants and selection was based on the project description and need. Funds were capped at $5,000 per locality and no match was required.

A list of localities is available at http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/viewRelease.cfm?id=628.

Conferences…
FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Conference
A goal of this conference is to encourage and support the dissemination of hazard, disaster and emergency management-related information in colleges and universities across the country. Attendees should include representatives of colleges and universities that have an existing hazard, disaster, emergency management program in place, or are attempting to develop one on their campus.

The conference will be at FEMA's National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Md., June 2-5. Information and registration is available at http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/educonference08.asp.

Training…
Disaster Damage Assessment Training
VDEM has scheduled four Disaster Damage Assessment Training workshops for 2008. Local government personnel and volunteers with specific responsibility for field damage assessments and recording damages in the field should attend this class. The workshops will train personnel on the Federal Emergency Management Agency standard for conducting damage assessments.

Although online registration has closed for the first two classes in Henrico County on April 1 and in Salem on April 3, space is still available. To register for either the April 1 or the April 3 session, contact Larry.Braja@vdem.virginia.gov.

To register for the remaining two classes in Newport News on April 21 and in Fairfax on April 23, visit VDEM's Training Calendar at http://www.vaemergency.com/train/calendar_course.cfm?id=101. Online registration for the April 21 and the April 23 sessions closes April 10.

All workshop materials and damage assessment forms are available in VDEM's Recovery Center at http://www.vaemergency.com/recover/index.cfm.

Alzheimer's Training for First Responders and Search Management
More than 60 percent of Alzheimer's patients wander, become lost and often are seriously injured or die if not found within 24 hours. The Department of Criminal Justice Services and VDEM will offer six training classes to first responders who may have contact with Alzheimer's patients and those suffering from dementia. The seminar will present a system of skills and attitudes for handling of this specific population group and teach attendees how to pass this training on to other agency staff.

• March 20: Caroline County Community Services Building
• March 27-28: Crater Criminal Justice Training Academy in Prince George County
• April 10-11: Earlysville Satellite Training Facility in Albemarle County
• May 8-9:Williamsburg/James City County Community Center
• May 22: Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Va.
• June 4-5: Knuckles Hall in Tazewell, Va.

One-day sessions count for seven in-service credits, and two-day sessions count for 13 credits toward continuing law enforcement education. In addition, the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services has approved this program for 10.5 hours of continuing education credits.

Contact the DCJS Alzheimer's Training Coordinator Julie Ana Skone at (757) 692-0108 or at julie.skone@dcjs.virginia.gov.

IFLOWS training
VDEM is offering two training sessions on the benefits and use of the Integrated Flood Observation & Warning System at the Salem Fire Department on April 22. This training opportunity is for those organizations that are currently running IFLOWS. The morning session is a basic overview for those responsible for the daily review of the system. The afternoon session is for advanced users who are already familiar with the basic system, but not necessarily familiar with how IFLOWS can be customized.

Class is free, but space is limited. For more information, contact Mark.Slauter@vdem.virginia.gov or Ray Bristow at rbristow@salemva.gov by close of business April 11. Each session is limited to 20 participants.

Emergency Management Institute training
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Management Institute offers Integrated Emergency Management Courses that place individuals in a realistic crisis situation within a structured learning environment. IEMCs allow individuals to rehearse their real-life roles in functional exercises that simulate a realistic emergency situation. More information and a schedule are available at http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIGrams/iemcann.asp.

In addition, EMI has announced the following two classes:

• Basic Crisis Counseling Grants: This course provides state-level mental health departments with the knowledge and tools necessary to complete the Crisis Counseling Program grant application and manage a Crisis Counseling Program during a federally declared disaster. For more information, visit http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIGrams/gramdetails_trng.asp?id=33.
• Recovery from Disaster: The Local Government Role: This resident course is for local disaster recovery teams consisting of emergency managers, city/county administrators, public works directors, building inspectors and community planners. The course focuses on the roles and responsibilities of each team member, and provides guidance on developing a local disaster recovery plan. For more information, visit http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIGrams/gramdetails_trng.asp?id=32.

EM Update is the best way to communicate best practices and to get a heads up on issues that might affect you. Articles include case studies, cost/resource-saving local programs, examples of partnerships and regional cooperation and recognition of emergency managers who receive awards and honors in the field.

Please don't hesitate to contact the editor whenever you have a project that might benefit localities or want to highlight an important issue concerning Virginia's emergency response community. Contact Jolie Shank at (804) 897-6510 or by e-mail at pio@vdem.virginia.gov.

Produced by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236