As we celebrate Black History Month, it's important to take a moment to reflect on the incredible contributions and achievements of Black Americans throughout history. FEMA joins the nation in celebrating the contributions of Black and African Americans and is committed to breaking down barriers and supporting all people in their efforts toward equity. Read the full blog at FEMA.gov. In addition, the U.S. Fire Administration celebrates Black History Month by reflecting on the successes and accomplishments of African Americans in the fire service. Read the full blog at FEMA.gov.  Last week, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited FEMA staff in Las Vegas supporting emergency communications for Super Bowl LVIII. During his visit, Mayorkas met with staff from FEMA and other federal agencies outside Allegiant Stadium, where the Super Bowl LVIII took place between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. He spoke with the Mobile Emergency Resource Support (MERS) team based in Bothell, Washington, among other FEMA staff. “Super Bowl LVIII was enjoyed yesterday, without incident, by tens of thousands in attendance and millions across the country and around the world,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “385 DHS personnel were on site, and many more were on duty, to help ensure the safety and security of this special event.” During big events, like the Super Bowl, FEMA coordinates closely with state and local governments to be prepared to respond in the event of an emergency. Last week, leading up to the Super Bowl, FEMA had a team close by to help keep fans safe by ensuring local, state and federal responders were prepared to respond to anything and keep the public informed. For more than two decades, DHS has led federal efforts to ensure the safety and security of employees, players and fans at the Super Bowl.  From left to right; Automotive mechanic Othmar (AL) Schneider, Telecom Specialist Evan Ray, Secretary Mayorkas, IT Specialist and MERS Coordinator Joseph Hohaia. FEMA updated the Mitigation Action Portfolio to include new, innovative hazard mitigation project examples and case studies categorized by hazard type that could potentially be funded under one of the Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs. The portfolio is a resource that showcases successful mitigation projects. The publication is intended to inspire new mitigation project ideas that could help applicants and sub-applicants apply for grants under the Hazard Mitigation Assistance’s grant programs. Projects highlighted in this portfolio are meant to exemplify successful hazard mitigation that also enhances a culture of preparedness and holistic disaster resilience. Case study additions to the 2023 portfolio updated include: - The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Levee, Breach Facility repair, using Engineered Earth Armoring System.
- Lower Arroyo de los Montoyas Stabilization.
- Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
- Cedar Heights Hazardous Fuels Reduction.
There are also two new Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities flood project examples: - New York City Housing Authority Breukelen Houses Stormwater Protection.
- Papio WP-4 Project in Omaha, Nebraska.
Other updates include extreme temperatures added to the hazards map as well as updated status of projects highlighted in the portfolio. Visit FEMA.gov to access the Mitigation Action Portfolio. FEMA published a Federal Register notice requesting public comment for the “National Flood Insurance Program: Standard Flood Insurance Policy, Homeowner Flood Form," intended to reduce barriers to flood insurance adoption by simplifying the form for homeowners. Consistent with ongoing efforts across the federal government to improve the customer experience, build policyholder trust and reduce disaster suffering, FEMA is seeking to improve the homeowner policyholder experience through a new proposed Homeowner Flood Form. The proposed form would provide homeowners with a more personalized, customizable product. The proposed form will use simplified language in a user-friendly format to allow homeowners of one-to-four-family residences—the majority of the NFIP’s approximate 4.7 million policyholders—to consider their specific flood risk at the point-of-sale and customize their coverage. Understanding flood risk at the point-of-sale shifts policyholder risk awareness to an earlier step in the flood insurance process. Part of creating a better customer experience for homeowner policyholders is allowing them to customize coverage to meet their needs. Along with the simplified form, FEMA is proposing to use five new endorsements. Endorsements are changes to the insurance contract allowing policyholders to modify coverage, which would be a new approach to flood coverage offered under the NFIP. The five proposed endorsements are: - Increased Cost of Compliance Coverage.
- Actual Cash Value Loss Settlement.
- Temporary Housing Expense Coverage.
- Basement Coverage.
- Builder’s Risk.
Prior to this form, the NFIP had only offered the Dwelling Form to serve the needs of homeowners of one-to-four family residences, landlords, renters, manufactured (mobile) homeowners, travel trailers, and condominium units. This one-size-fits-all approach diverges from other property insurance lines, which generally offer coverage specific to the type of property insured. FEMA will use public feedback to evaluate any needed changes to the current Dwelling Form. The agency will continue to use this form to provide an insurance option for other types of policyholders like landlords, renters and owners of mobile homes, travel trailers and condominium units. Comments can be submitted from Feb. 6 to April 8 on www.regulations.gov Docket ID: FEMA-2024-0004. Please follow the instructions on the page to submit comments and contact the Regulations.gov Help Desk if you have technical issues. FEMA will host a series of 60-minute webinar sessions this month designed to improve your organization’s exercise process. The webinars will focus on the relationship between the exercise cycle and continuous improvement activities. They will equip attendees with the skills to use both HSEEP (FEMA’s Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program) and NCIG (FEMA’s National Continuous Improvement Guidance) to support an ongoing culture of learning. The webinars are designed for state, local, tribal and territorial partners, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and other entities involved in emergency management functions or engaged in continuous improvement efforts or exercise and evaluation programs. All three offerings of this webinar will present the same information. To register for one of the webinars, click on the associated “Register Here” link below: - Webinar Session 1: 10-11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 14 - Register Here
- Webinar Session 2: 1-2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 20 - Register Here
- Webinar Session 3: 5-6 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 29 - Register Here
To download the National Continuous Improvement Guidance (NCIG) or read the guidance online, please visit https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/web/cip-citap/ncig. To download the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Plan (HSEEP) doctrine, please visit https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/web/hseep-resources/policy-and-guidance. For questions or issues in registering for a webinar, please contact FEMA-CITAP@fema.dhs.gov. FEMA’s Grants Program Directorate invites interested organizations to attend upcoming webinars regarding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The program uses a competitive process to award grants for facility hardening and other security enhancements to nonprofit organizations at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack. The webinars will be held on the following dates and times. Click on a webinar below to register: - Friday, Feb. 16, at 1 p.m. ET.
- Thursday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. ET.
- Thursday, Feb. 29, at 1 p.m. ET.
- Friday, March 8, at 2 p.m. ET.
- Thursday, March 14, at 4 p.m. ET.
- Friday, March 22, at 2 p.m. ET.
All interested organizations are required to register in advance for the webinars. Please note that the webinars will cover the same content and will not be recorded for future viewing. Following registration, a calendar invitation will be sent via email. The invitation will contain a link to join the webinar, which could take some time to arrive. The FEMA Grants Program Directorate recommends that registrants check their junk or spam folders in case the email is filtered. If you have any questions regarding these webinars or require special accommodations, please contact FEMA-NSGP@fema.dhs.gov. | 
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