Esparanza: A Daily Outsider Public Service Initiative

   FEMA Advisory Act Quickly to Prepare for Hurricane Ida Hurricane  Ida is forecast to make landfall along the U.S. northern Gulf coast as a dangerous major hurricane on Sunday. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin late Saturday night or early Saturday morning.  The National Hurricane Center is forecasting an increasing risk of life-threating storm surge along the Gulf Coast. Additionally, there is an increasing risk of dangerous hurricane force winds and extreme rainfall. A few tornadoes will be possible Sunday through early Monday across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden approved Louisiana’s request for an emergency declaration. This declaration authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts by identifying, mobilizing, and providing equipment and resources necessary to alleviate hardship and suffering of the local population. Additionally, it authorizes FEMA to provide appropriate assistance fo...

  As we honor all who've served in Afghanistan, we present the following as we join in saying you're not alone in all our properties: Veterans from all eras are reacting to the events in Afghanistan, such as the U.S withdrawal and the takeover by the Taliban. You are not alone. Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service.  It’s normal to feel this way.  Talk with your friends and families, reach out to battle buddies, connect with a peer-to-peer network, or sign up for mental health services. Scroll down for a list common reactions and coping advice.   Resources available right now Veterans Crisis Line  -  If you are having thoughts of suicide, call  1-800-273-8255, then PRESS 1 or visit  http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ For emergency mental health care, you can also go directly to  your local ...

 While out & About in our World, we present the following #RandomThoughts on our @FEMA Watch with a remembrance of all we're thankful for : National Level Exercise (NLE) Session Focused on Cascadia Region – July 30, 2021 The 10 th  Annual Building Resilience Through Private-Public Partnerships Conference culminates with a virtual breakout information session on National Level Exercise 2022 – Cascadia on Friday, July 30th from 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM Eastern Time.  The National Level Exercise is the nation's cornerstone exercise for validating progress toward achieving the national culture of preparedness required to prepare for and respond to catastrophic events. This session will provide robust information for FEMA’s private sector partners as we continue to strengthen our information sharing. Register  here . 2021 Southeast Private-Public Partners Summit, August 3 – 5, 2021 “Ten Years of Small Steps and Giant Leaps” Please join us for the fifth annual South...

 As we begin a new week, we present some #RandomThoughts on the State of Emergency Preparedness as we look forward to our continued journey of service:  Now Available: Informational Webinars & FAQs for the FY 2022 Coping with Drought Competitions  For Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, NIDIS is hosting two separate  Coping with Drought competitions : Ecological Drought and Building Tribal Drought Resilience. Both competitions are currently open and accepting letters of intent. FY 2022 Coping With Drought: Ecological Drought Letter of Intent Deadline: August 9, 2021  (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) Full Proposal Deadline: October 18, 2021 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) This competition will focus on research to improve our understanding, early warning, and management of drought risk in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to inform more deliberate and expanded decision-making that supports sustainable, healthy, and resilient ecosystems. Pending the availability of funds in FY 2022, NIDIS a...