MDEM Newsroom - Page 43 MDEM Newsroom
Howard County Included in Disaster Declaration
November 2nd, 2011REISTERSTOWN, Md – Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal aid has been made available to support local recovery efforts in Howard County as a result of the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.
The jurisdiction was added to the October 5, 2011, Public Assistance disaster declaration, which included Anne Arundel, Cecil, Charles and Prince George’s Counties.
State and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in these jurisdictions are eligible to apply for funding for emergency services related to the disaster, debris removal and repair or replacement of damaged roads, bridges, buildings, utilities, recreation areas and other public facilities.
Under the cost-share program, FEMA funds 75 percent of the cost for eligible work.
Fall Back on Sound Advice: Time to Change Your Clock AND Your Smoke Alarm Batteries
November 1st, 2011Emmitsburg, MD. – As our nation moves back to Standard Time beginning this weekend, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to mark the occasion as a time to test your home smoke alarms and replace the batteries if more than one year old.
Every day in the United States, needless home fire deaths occur. Working smoke alarms significantly increase your chance of surviving a deadly home fire. A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert scanning the air for fire and smoke.
In addition to changing your smoke alarm batteries this weekend, the USFA recommends following these simple steps to protect your life, your loved ones, and your home:
- Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries.
- Test alarms once a month using the test button.
- Replace the entire alarm if it’s more than 10 years old or doesn’t work properly when tested.
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, and both inside and outside of sleeping areas.
- For the best protection, equip your home with a combination of ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor alarms.
- Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout your home so that when one sounds, they all sound. Interconnected alarms are available at most stores that sell smoke alarms.
- Make sure everyone in your home understands the warning of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.
Finally, prepare and practice an escape plan so that you and your loved ones can get out of your home safely should there be a fire. Plan to meet in a place a safe distance from the fire and where first responders can easily see you.
For more information on smoke alarms, fire escape planning, and fire prevention, visit the USFA website at www.usfa.fema.gov/smokealarms
RESIDENTS, TRAVELERS IN NORTHERN, WESTERN MARYLAND URGED TO BE PREPARED FOR EARLY-SEASON WINTER STORM
October 28th, 2011REISTERSTOWN, MD (October 28, 2011) – Residents and people travelling in northern and western sections of Maryland should be prepared for hazardous conditions this weekend as an unusual October snow storm is predicted. A dusting to perhaps eight inches of snow is predicted from Friday night until Saturday afternoon in the northern tier of Maryland counties, with more predicted in far western Maryland.
The biggest concern for this storm will be the weight of snow on trees, which still have significant leaf cover. That could lead to injuries and property damage because of falling trees and power outages if trees fall on utility wires. There also is potential for some icing on roadways and sidewalks in northern areas of the state – especially in the overnight hours — and perhaps some snow accumulation on road surfaces in the western portion of the state.
Moderate flooding is also possible in Ocean City and Worcester County due to coastal flooding along the Atlantic Ocean and the inland bays Saturday.
Residents and travelers should tune to weather forecasts throughout the next 48 hours and can check on the condition of state roads around Maryland by dialing 511 or visiting http://www.md511.org/. Also be careful of wet leaves making roads slippery.
This is also a good time to make sure your vehicle is ready for winter travel. Add a blanket, water or sports drinks, energy bars, a flashlight, a small shovel and kitty litter, sand or road salt (for traction in snow) to your car’s emergency kit and always make sure to have at least a half a tank of gas in your car in case your vehicle becomes disabled or stuck in traffic. Consider carrying a cell phone charger or spare cell phone battery when you travel.
Make sure your home kit is ready in case of a power outage. Water, a battery operated or crank radio, non perishable food items and other essentials should be on hand, and the kit should be portable if you must evacuate.
Baltimore County and the City of Baltimore Included in Disaster Declaration
October 27th, 2011REISTERSTOWN, MD – Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal aid has been made available to support local recovery efforts in Baltimore County and the City of Baltimore as a result of Hurricane Irene.
These jurisdictions were added on to the September 16, 2011 Public Assistance disaster declaration, which included Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties.
State and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in these jurisdictions are eligible to apply for funding for debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster and repair or replacement of damaged roads, bridges, buildings, utilities, recreation areas and other public facilities.
Under the cost-share program, FEMA funds 75 percent of the cost for eligible work.
SBA Disaster Loans Available in Maryland Following Secretary of Agriculture Disaster Declaration
October 24th, 2011ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration announces today that federal economic injury disaster loans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes located in Maryland because of drought and excessive heat that occurred on June 1 through Aug. 30, 2011.
These loans are available in the counties of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Wicomico and Worcester in Maryland.
“These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in Delaware. The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.
“When the Secretary of Agriculture issues a disaster declaration to help farmers recover from damages and losses to crops, the Small Business Administration issues a declaration to assist eligible entities affected by the same disaster,” Skaggs added.
Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquacultural enterprises, agricultural producers, farmers and ranchers are not eligible to apply to SBA, but nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.
Loan amounts can be up to $2 million, with interest rates of 3 percent for non-profit organizations and 4 percent for small businesses. Terms can be up to 30 years. The SBA determines eligibility based on the size of the applicant, type of activity and its financial resources. The agency sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition. These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.
Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET or by sending an email to [email protected]. Loan applications can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
Those affected by the disaster may also apply for disaster loans electronically from SBA’s website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.
Completed loan applications must be returned to SBA no later than May 30, 2012.
National Preparedness Goal – What Corporate Citizens Need to Know
October 14th, 2011The Federal Government just released the first edition of theNational Preparedness Goal. The Goal is intended to help create “a secure and resilient Nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.” The Goal establishes core capabilities for the execution of five mission areas: prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. A major theme throughout the document is that preparedness is the shared responsibility of the whole community.
So what does that mean for corporate citizens?
The following is a list of recommendations that come from the National Preparedness Goal that I believe has direct implications for corporate citizens.
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The Goal encourages local governments to assess their risks. Many local emergency managers are proactive and have been assessing community risks for years. Unfortunately, this is not always this case. Whenever possible, corporate citizens should have relationships with their local emergency managers and encourage them to assess the broad community risks. This is currently going on in Palm Beach County, where they recently had a Business Disaster Preparedness Symposium to talk about issues throughout the county. Where this doesn’t exist, corporate citizens can take a leadership role in creating it.
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A third suggestion is that members of the community “train, exercise, and partner with emergency management officials.” Employees often want to be a part of helping a community respond to a disaster, but haven’t had formal training that would make them effective volunteers. Some companies have a taken a leadership role in training their employees to volunteer after disasters. Grainger built a partnership with the Red Cross called “Ready When the Time Comes” to train volunteers. The partnership is a finalist for BCLC’s Partnership Award this year, and you can read more about it (and vote) here.
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The Goal suggests that “strengthening the health and social services, social fabric, historic and cultural resources…enhance[s] the resiliency of the entire community.” Corporate citizens can play a major role in this. For example, the Office Depot Foundation only gives grants to nonprofits if the nonprofit has at least a simple business continuity plan. By ensuring that the nonprofits are prepared for a disaster, the Office Depot Foundation is helping protect the social services of the community.
The National Preparedness Goal establishes some important concepts for preparing for disasters. As leaders in their communities, corporate citizens can play a major role in ensuring the whole community is prepared and ready for whatever strikes. For more ideas on how businesses can play a bigger role in their communities, our disaster reports throughout the years have many great examples and ideas.
SBA’s Deadline for Physical Damage Disaster Loans in Maryland For Private Non-Profit Organizations is Nov. 15
October 14th, 2011SBA’s Deadline for Physical Damage Disaster Loans in Maryland
ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration reminds eligible Private Non-Profit Organizations (PNPs) of the Nov. 15 deadline to submit disaster loan applications for physical damage in Maryland. These loans are available as a result of a Presidential disaster declaration for Public Assistance resulting from damages caused by Hurricane Irene that occurred between Aug. 24 and Sept. 5, 2011.
PNPs located in the following counties that provide non-critical services of a governmental nature are eligible to apply: Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Saint Mary’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester in Maryland. Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers and colleges.
PNPs may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. The SBA may increase a loan up to 20 percent of the total amount of disaster damage to real estate and/or leasehold improvements, as verified by SBA, to make improvements that lessen the risk of property damage by future disasters of the same kind. Economic Injury Disaster Loans are also available to PNPs to help meet working capital needs, such as ongoing operating expenses regardless of whether the entity suffered any physical property damage.
Interest rates are as low as 3 percent with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Disaster loan information may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) Monday through Friday from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET or by sending an email to [email protected]. Applications can also be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
PNPs affected by the disaster may also apply for disaster loans electronically from SBA’s website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is November 15, 2011. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 18, 2012.
You are Invited: The Virginia Public Safety Expo
October 11th, 2011Download the Flyer: SPS-EXPO-Invite.pdf (136.09 kb)
The Virginia Public Safety Expo
An event to benefit the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund
DATE: The Virginia Public Safety Expo will be held Thursday, November 10, 2011
Rain Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2011
TIME/LOCATION: 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. at the Virginia State Police Administrative Headquarters parking area
located behind the main building at 7700 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23235
DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this EXPO is to showcase Virginia’s Public Safety services and resources, and to
raise funds for the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund.
TRANSPORTATION: A shuttle will be available to transport attendees every 30 minutes to the Expo and back starting
at the corner of 9th and East Broad Street (Darden Memorial Garden), Richmond, VA 23219.
Applicants’ Briefings Scheduled for Maryland Counties
October 7th, 2011REISTERSTOWN, MD — Officials from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that Public Assistance applicants’ briefings are scheduled for areas included under President Obama’s disaster declaration issued for Maryland.
The briefings will help representatives from the state, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations (not households and individuals) apply for federal disaster assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Hurricane Irene during the period of August 24 to September 5, 2011.
After Hurricane Irene, a presidential major disaster declaration was issued for 13 counties for the Public Assistance program. As a result, federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Irene in the counties of Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester.
Below is a listing of locations, dates and times for the meetings:
October 14, 2011 – 10 a.m.
Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home
29449 Charlotte Hall Road, Charlotte Hall, Md 20622
October 19, 2011 – 10 a.m.
Harford County
Harford County Emergency Operations Center
2220 Ady Road, Forest Hill, Md 21050
October 20, 2011 – 10 a.m.
Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot Counties
Goodwill Fire Company
212 Broadway, Centreville, Md 21617
October 21, 2011 – 10 a.m.
Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties
Wor-Wic Community College, Student Center Building, Room SC-302
32000 Campus Drive, Salisbury, Md 21804
Representatives from local governments and private non-profit organizations (in the above counties) are encouraged to participate in the applicant briefings. Additional information about this disaster is availablehttp://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=15439
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Applicants’ Briefings Scheduled for Maryland Counties
October 7th, 2011REISTERSTOWN, Maryland (October 7, 2011) — Officials from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that Public Assistance applicants’ briefings are scheduled for areas included under President Obama’s disaster declaration issued for Maryland.
The briefings will help representatives from the state, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations (not households and individuals) apply for federal disaster assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Tropical Storm Lee during the period of September 6-9, 2011.
As a result of the declaration, federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Lee in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Charles, and Prince George’s Counties. All counties in the State of Maryland and the independent City of Baltimore are eligible to apply for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Below is a listing of locations, dates and times for the meetings:
October 12, 2011 – 9 a.m.
Anne Arundel County
Camp Fretterd Military Reservation, 29th Division Hall
5401 Rue Saint Lo Dr., Reisterstown, Md 21136
October 14, 2011 – 10 a.m.
Charles County
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home
29449 Charlotte Hall Road, Charlotte Hall, Md 20622
October 17, 2011 – 10 a.m.
Prince George County
Howard County Public Safety Training Center
2200 Scott Wheeler Dr., Marriottsville, Md 21104
October 20, 2011 – 10 a.m.
Cecil County
Goodwill Fire Company
212 Broadway, Centreville, Md 21617
Representatives from local governments and private non-profit organizations (in the above counties) are encouraged to participate in the applicant briefings. Additional information about this disaster is availablehttp://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=15439