KAMM
Ky Association of Mitigation Managers

Kentucky Watches, Warnings or Advisories – Weather Alerts  Follow the alerts, link here.

 

KAMM Membership – 2021

Membership is $25.00 and based on the calendar year (January – December).  Link to Join KAMM.

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Save the Date

KAMM 2021 Virtual Conference 

September 21 – 23, Annual Conference, 9am – 3pm EST.

September 20, Preconference Workshops and KAMM Committee meetings.

Conference Rate— $100 for members, $125 non-members.

Registration will open in July.

 

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KAMM’s Summer Newsletter

Check it out, we have a lot going on.  

• A Note from the Chair
• A Note from the Vice Chair – Conference Updates
• Announcing Nominations Open for KAMM Mitigation Awards
• KAMM Regions
• KAMM Committees
• KAMM’s Community Mitigation Grant Fundraising
• Kentucky Division of Water Updates
• Nature-Based Solutions in Kentucky
• Endangered Species in Kentucky Overview
• CRS Program Updates
• Grant Funding and Resources
• Program Updates and Releases
• Earthquake Program Updates and Releases
• Thanks 2020 KAMM Conference Sponsors!

Link to the KAMM Newsletter Summer 2021

 

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KAMM’s Nature Based Solutions Survey

Complete our Short Survey

We are planning a series of 2-hour nature-based solutions webinars in the summer and we would like your feedback on topics of interest.

The goal of this short, 9 question survey is to engage stakeholder interests, concerns, and ideas.  Responses will be anonymous and used to tailor training material that best fit your needs and interests.

Link to the survey:  http://www.kymitigation.org/nature-based-solutions-hazard-mitigation-survey/.

June 25, deadline to submit a survey.

Save the Date

Nature Based Solutions Webinars 

Nature Based Solutions Webinars are being developed in partnership with EPA Region IV, Kentucky Emergency Management and the University of Kentucky Martin School, Kentucky Division of Water, The Nature Conservancy, and KAMM. 

Tuesday mornings – 10:00 am – Noon (EST)

• July 13
• July 20
• July 27
• August 3

Registration will open in July.  Certificates of Attendance will be provided.

Link for more information Nature Based Solutions – Hazard Mitigation Survey 

 

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Announcing Nominations Open for KAMM Mitigation Awards

KAMM is pleased to announce that it is receiving nominations from KAMM members for the 2021 KAMM Mitigation Awards! 

KAMM will recognize a Mitigation Manager of the Year and a Mitigation Project of the Year.  Do you know an individual, a representative of a community or agency, or a project that exemplifies mitigation?  If so, please nominate them for an award. 

Link to 2021 Mitigation Awards Announcement

Link to 2021 Mitigation Awards to Nominate 

 

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KAMM Regional Training Webinars Overview

Thank you for joining us during March for our Regional Training in all four KAMM Regions. We had a great attendance and awesome speakers.  

Link to KAMM Regional Webinar Training Overview and Presentations.  

 

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Announcement of DR-4592 and DR-4595 Mitigation Funding

May 26, 2021

Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) announced today about the availability of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding as a result of DR-4592 Severe Winter Storms, Landslides and Mudslides, February 8-19, 2021, and DR-4595 Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides and Mudslides, February 27- March 14, 2021.

Link to both Notices of Funding DR4592_NOFA_2021 and  DR4595_NOFA_2021.

To be considered for funding, the Mitigation Actions Forms (MAF) must be submitted in the Community Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Planning System (CHAMPS) by Friday, July 16, 2021. 

CHAMPS can be accessed at this website address:  https://kyem.ky.gov/recovery/Pages/CHAMPS.aspx

For more information contact– Geni Jo Brawner, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Kentucky Emergency Management, geneva.j.brawner.nfg@mail.mil.

 

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Training Opportunities

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A Pathway to Energy + Disaster Resilience: An ICF Symposium and Training Event

June 21 – 24, 2021

Virtual Training Event

This education event demonstrates how to achieve dramatic energy savings and disaster resiliency provided by insulated concrete forms (ICF).  The webinar will describe why and how ICFs optimize the building envelope and minimize property losses due to disasters.

Register at: https://www.nrmca.org/conferences-events/.

Learn more, link the announcement NRMCA_Kentucky Virtual Training Event

 

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CRS Webinars and EMI courses

Link to our CRS webpage for detailed schedule  http://www.kymitigation.org/crs-webinars/ 

 

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Program Updates and Releases

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FEMA Funding to Make Homes More Durable

June 11, 2021

The additional funds for mitigation measures are subject to the Stafford Act limit for Housing Assistance, which is $36,000 for FY2021. 

As part of its commitment to make communities stronger and more resilient, FEMA is providing mitigation assistance to homeowners under the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) for several hazard mitigation measures.  The additional funding will help eligible homeowners in areas covered by Presidential Disaster Declarations repair their homes in ways that will reduce the likelihood of future disaster damage.

Applicants who are approved for IHP assistance for home repairs may receive additional funds for select mitigation measures. In addition to the funds they need to repair their roof, eligible homeowners may also receive money above the cost of basic repairs to make their roof more resistant to high winds or flood damage. 

For example, applicants are able to install asphalt shingles designed to withstand wind speeds up to 116 miles per hour to help increase a roof’s durability.  For non-shingle roofs, applicants may use the additional funds for design and installation techniques that can improve the roof’s performance against risks for their specific geographic area.  Homeowners may also be found eligible for funds to elevate their water heater, furnace, or electrical panel.

The mitigation measures are limited and will only be provided for specific components that were present and functional prior to the disaster and were damaged by the disaster.

This additional assistance will be available for all Presidential Disaster Declarations occurring on or after May 26, 2021.

 

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FEMA Updates the Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide

May 26, 2021

FEMA has updated the “FEMA Individual Assistance Program Policy Guide,” a comprehensive guide for all FEMA Individual Assistance programs. The updated guide reiterates FEMA’s commitment to increasing the equitable execution of our programs.

The Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide, version 1.1, includes several changes that incorporate additional assistance for disaster survivors, as authorized in the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018, aligns policy to current processing guidance and addresses lessons learned from recent disasters and demonstrates FEMA’s commitment to providing assistance to under-served communities.

As mandated by the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, FEMA’s Individuals and Housing Program and Other Needs Assistance program now have separate maximum funding amounts to prevent survivors having to make tough decisions about the kind of help they need most. 

Major updates to the guide include:

• Clarifying assistance available to applicants residing in non-traditional housing.
• Delegating authority for rental assistance rate increases.
• Detailing new authorization and eligibility criteria for Critical Needs Assistance.
• Updating the real property verified loss threshold for direct housing referral criteria to $12 per square foot, from the previous $17,000 threshold, to capture a wider range of survivor circumstances regardless of event type, location, or size of their dwelling.
• Separate financial assistance maximum award amounts for Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance.
• Updated Multi-Family Lease and Repair property eligibility requirements.
• Specific disaster-damaged accessibility items covered under Home Repair or Personal Property Assistance are not limited to a financial maximum award. This means a survivor who lost their wheelchair would not have to decide between their critical equipment and housing repairs.
• Increases to the Group Flood Insurance Policy coverage and premium.
• Waiver authority for debts meeting specific criteria.

The guide provides a comprehensive policy resource for all stakeholders engaged in post-disaster recovery and can be found online at FEMA.gov. This version applies to all disasters declared on or after May 26, 2021 and will supersede the previous version of the IAPPG published in March 2019.

 

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Cyanotoxins Preparedness and Response Toolkit

May 2021

EPA posted a Cyanotoxins Preparedness and Response Toolkit (CPRT) online. The CPRT will help EPA’s state and tribal partners prepare for potential harmful algal blooms in freshwater bodies and respond to protect public health.  Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (CyanoHABs) can cause fouling of beaches and shorelines, economic and aesthetic losses, taste and odor problems in drinking water, and direct risks to human, fish, and animal health.  The CPRT includes:

• A template to develop Cyanobacteria/Cyanotoxins Management Plans, including worksheets and checklists to assist before and during a bloom event.
• Frequently Asked Questions on cyanoHABs, drinking water health advisories, and EPA’s Recommended Recreational Water Quality Criteria or Swimming Advisories for Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsin.
• Links to key tools relevant to the development of management plans and effective communication during cyanotoxin events.
• A cyanoHABs incident response questionnaire to use when a cyanotoxins event is suspected or confirmed.
• A post-incident technical support questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of the response.

The resources in the toolkit can be completed electronically, downloaded, and shared.  The CPRT does not cover long-term management actions or the control and mitigation of cyanoHABs.

To learn more about cyanoHABs, visit EPA’s website at: https://www.epa.gov/cyanohabs/cyanotoxins-preparedness-and-response-toolkit-cprt.

 

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Earthquake Mitigation Activities Dashboard is Live!

The “FEMA NEHRP State Assistance Grant Program: A History of Mitigation Activities” dashboard was recently released to provide the public an overview of how grant money is spent. The activities detailed in the dashboard support local earthquake safety, mitigation, and resilience activities. 

The FEMA NEHRP State Assistance Grant Program makes funding available through annual, non-competitive grants for individual states and territories, and competitive grants to non-profit organizations and institutions of higher education. The purpose is to support the establishment of earthquake hazards reduction programs and the implementation of earthquake safety, mitigation, and resilience activities at the regional, state, and local level. 

The data detailed in the dashboard will be useful for the public to learn more about the earthquake mitigation activities completed over the country in the last several years and to assist State Earthquake Program Managers for ideas as they respond to the Individual State Earthquake Assistance (ISEA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).  

For more information on FEMA’s NEHRP Program please visit: https://www.fema.gov/national-earthquake-hazards-reduction-program.

 

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FEMA Releases Shelter-in-Place Guidance

May 25, 2021

FEMA released fema_shelter-in-place_guidance_5-25-2021 for 10 hazards and three building types.  

The pictograms provide clear, visual guidance to the public on shelter-in-place actions, classified by hazard and building type, to ensure the public takes effective protective actions when instructed to shelter-in-place during emergencies.

The guidance provides recommended interior locations for specific hazards, additional actions for protection and the recommended duration for staying sheltered-in-place.

The ten hazards are:

• Active shooter.
• Chemical hazard.
• Earthquake.
• Flooding/flash flooding.
• Hurricane.
• Nuclear/radiological hazards.
• Pandemic.
• Thunderstorm.
• Tornado and winter storm.

The three types of buildings are:

• Manufactured or mobile home.
• One- or two-story buildings.
• Multistory buildings.

The shelter-in-place pictograms can be used by community partners in multiple communication channels, such as posters, websites, just-in-time social media posts and emergency managers for Integrated Public Alert & Warning System messages

 

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Community Incentives for Nature-Based Flood Solutions

A Guide to FEMA’s Community Rating System For Conservation Practitioners

2021

Nature-based solutions—such as open space protection and wetland restoration— can effectively reduce flood risk and are creditable components of the CRS. The conservation community can and should partner with municipalities to plan and design “nature-based solutions” that restore and protect natural areas, reduce flood risk and earn citizens a discount on their flood insurance rate.

Link to Community Incentives for Nature-Based Flood Solutions – A Guide to FEMA’s Community Rating System For Conservation Practitioners.

 

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New HMA Fact Sheet: Summary of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Programs

March 23, 2021

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Division has published a new fact sheet entitled, Summary of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Programs, that:

• Provides an overview of HMA grant programs;
• Discusses the authorities under which the programs operate;            
• Explains who is eligible to apply, and how to apply for HMA grants;
• Summarizes cost share requirements; and
• Shares information about how applications for HMA grants are evaluated.

 

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FEMA Updates the NFIP Flood Insurance Manual

March 2021

The latest update to the National Flood Insurance Program’s “Flood Insurance Manual” is now available at FEMA.gov.  The update is effective April 1.

FEMA regularly updates the manual to enhance the customer experience and evolve the NFIP into a world-class organization.  The Flood Insurance Manual incorporates the minimal program changes announced in October 2020 and the effective April 1 changes. 

Updates include: 

• The list of eligibility requirements to the Community Rating System.
• The premium rates for policies written or renewed by April 1.
• The severe repetitive loss premium and reserve fund assessment percentages for policies written or renewed on or after April 1. 

Two additional updates will be effective as of Jan. 1, 2022:

Base premiums for preferred risk policies and newly mapped rated policies written or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2022. 

• Premium multiplier tables for policies rated under the newly mapped procedure written or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2022. 

The April 2021 edition also replaces outdated content, clarifies guidance and replaces physical mailing addresses with email addresses.  The manual does not change flood insurance coverage or supersede the terms and conditions of the standard flood insurance policy.

 

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FEMA Releases Updated NFIP Technical Bulletin 3 and 6 that Focus on Dry Floodproofing

January 27, 2021

FEMA Technical Bulletins (TBs) provide guidance about how to comply with the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) minimum floodplain management requirements for building performance.  The TBs are primarily for use by state and local officials responsible for interpreting and enforcing building codes and NFIP regulations.  They are also helpful to design professionals, builders and homeowners.

The updated TBs will include information from the latest International Codes® (I-Codes®) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Standards.  They will also have information about best practices and input from stakeholders about a variety of issues.  The TBs added the updates to improve usability, credibility and streamline content.

To download the Technical Bulletins, link to TB 3 and 6. 

 

NFIP Technical Bulletin 3

Requirements for the Design and Certification of Dry Floodproofed Non-Residential and Mixed-Use Buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas in Accordance with the NFIP

TB 3 provides guidance on the NFIP requirements for the design and certification of dry floodproofing of non-residential and non-residential portions of mixed-use buildings.  The current version of TB 3 was last published in April 1993.

Updates include: 

• Discussion of the factors and planning considerations that influence the decision-making process when determining the feasibility of dry floodproofing a building.
• Step-by-step instruction regarding dry floodproofing design requirements.
• An example about seepage calculation that illustrates how to determine if the structure can be considered substantially impermeable.
• Instructions for the NFIP Floodproofing Certificate

 

NFIP Technical Bulletin 6

Requirements for Dry Floodproofed Below-Grade Parking Areas Under Non-Residential and Mixed-Use Buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas in Accordance with the NFIP

TB 6 provides guidance on the NFIP requirements for the design and certification of dry floodproofed below-grade parking areas.  The current version of TB 6 was last published in April 1993.

Updates include:

• Identification of issues specific to dry floodproofing below-grade parking areas.
• References to TB 3 for extensive guidance on design requirements.
• Updated discussion on design considerations such as protecting points of entry, managing internal flow of seepage and equalization of flood loads vertically in multi-level below grade parking areas.

 

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FEMA Releases Addendum for the Community Rating System Manual

January 2021

FEMA recently released the Community Rating System 2021 Addendum, a companion guide for the current Coordinator’s Manual. Together, these documents establish and explain various elements of the Community Rating System program including an official description, how the program operates, and how class ratings (Class 10 to Class 1) are determined.  The documents will remain effective until a fully revised edition of the Coordinator’s Manual is issued in the future.

The program provides incentives to encourage local jurisdictions to implement floodplain management best practices that exceed the minimum community-based floodplain management requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program.  In return, NFIP flood insurance policy holders can receive reductions in their flood insurance premium.

With the 2021 Addendum, FEMA incorporates three new opportunities for communities to earn credit for a reduction in NFIP policy premiums.  These include:

• Protecting threatened and endangered species.
• Mitigating substantial damage.
• Promoting flood insurance.

In addition, new prerequisites allow for both new credit opportunities and simplification for communities.  These prerequisites include:

• A plan for managing floodplain-related construction certificates (including elevation certificates) to reach Class 9.
• The implementation of 1-foot of freeboard to reach Class 8. 

Link to the 2021 Addendum – fema_community-rating-system_coordinator-manual_addendum-2021.  Or for more information, view the  on the FEMA website. 

Frequently Asked Questions- Link to the FAQs – fema_community-rating-system_coordinator-manual_addendum-2021_FAQs

 

 

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FEMA P-2090/NIST SP-1254 – Recommended Options for Improving the Built Environment for Post-Earthquake Reoccupancy and Functional Recovery Time

January 1, 2021

This report provides a set of options in the form of recommendations, tasks, and alternatives for improving the built environment, which have been developed and assessed by the Committee of Experts.  It describes community resilience, defines the concepts of reoccupancy and functional recovery, and explains the relationship among these three ideas.  It explains why reoccupancy and functional recovery concepts are needed, describes a target performance state, and identifies potential cost and benefits associated with implementing enhanced seismic design.

Link to the Report fema_p-2090_nist_sp-1254_functional-recovery_01-01-2021

 

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FEMA P-2139: Short-Period Building Collapse Performance and Recommendations for Improving Seismic Design

December 30, 2020

FEMA P-2139, Short-Period Building Collapse Performance and Recommendations for Improving Seismic Design, is a four-part technical resource that provides the findings and conclusions related to this paradox.  The document recommends how to improve seismic design for short-period buildings.  It includes documents of a multi-year investigation of the response behavior and collapse performance of different structural systems to identify causes and develop solutions for short-period buildings.

The three studies presented in this series investigate three structural systems: wood light-frame, special reinforced masonry shear wall and steel special concentrically braced frame systems.  Based on the analyses of the select structural systems, the document recommends a new approach to model seismic collapse performance and ways to resolve the paradox.       

The recommendations aim to strengthen short period buildings across the nation by improving design, predicting collapse potential and enhancing building codes.  The four volumes consist of

Volume 1 – Overarching Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations summarizes results, conclusions and recommendations from the three-system specific studies and presents a common understanding of the seismic response and collapse performance of short-period buildings.

Volume 2 – Study of One-to-Four Story Wood Light-Frame Buildings summarizes results, conclusions and recommendations from the study of wood light-frame systems.

Volume 3 – Study of One-to-Four Story Special Reinforced Masonry Shear Wall Buildings summarizes results, conclusions and recommendations from the study of special reinforced masonry shear wall systems.

Volume 4, Study of One-to-Four Story Steel Special Concentrically Braced Frame Buildings summarizes results, conclusions, and recommendations from the study of steel special concentrically braced frame systems.

To download FEMA P-2139 and for more information on FEMA’s Earthquake and Wind Program Branch click here.

 

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FEMA Building Science Resources to Assist with Reconstruction After an Extreme-Wind Event

December 9, 2020

FEMA has produced numerous publications detailing best practices for natural hazard mitigation associated with extreme-wind impacts.  This Fact Sheet summarizes a few of the readily available publications and resources that can be used by homeowners, as well as design and construction professionals, during reconstruction following extreme-wind events.

Link to the informative Fact Sheet – https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_building-science-resources-assist-reconstruction-after-extreme-wind-event.pdf

Mitigation Matters!  

Have questions, contact us at help@kymitigation.org.

Don’t forget to join the KAMM group on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

KAMM is a non-profit 501 (c) (3).

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