National Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) Webinar

Thank You to All who attended!

The Center for Disaster Research and Education is pleased to present:

The National Hazard Mitigation Association webinar, on October 28, 2022 from 11:00-12:00 PM Eastern will provide the following:

Part I - Overview & Update of the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group by Aly Briscoe, FEMA HQ Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG)

Part III - Proposed 2022 FEMA Hazard Mitigation Policy & Guidance Document overview, by Erin Kehoe, Program Analyst, FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Policy, Tools and Training Branch

Part III -  Session will be provide information on the Building Science Disaster Support Program by Daniel Blass, FEMA Building Science Disaster Support, Dan Bass, Mitigation Assessment Team Project Manager, FEMA Building Science Branch


Part I

Aly Briscoe, FEMA HQ, Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (or MitFLG) will be providing an overview of this coordination structure that works across federal governmental agencies.  Understanding that mitigation is a cornerstone of a culture of preparedness against disasters, the MitFLG’s mission is to strengthen the nation’s disaster resilience by expanding mitigation awareness and coordination that leads to effective action(s).  In 2019, the MitFLG published the National Mitigation Investment Strategy (Investment Strategy), which is the single national strategy for advancing mitigation investment. The Investment Strategy’s goal is to identify, prioritize, and guide investments in pre- and post-disaster resilience and hazard mitigation-related activities. The Investment Strategy is risk-informed; grounded in data; and incorporates state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) and private-sector perspective.

It remains a guiding document for the MitFLG and its project-focused task forces, focusing its efforts on achieving the document’s three goals and their supporting recommendations.

Bio

Aly Briscoe is a Program Analyst and MitFLG Secretariat with FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Policy, Tools, and Training Branch. She joined FEMA from the disaster recovery and resilience nonprofit sector. There she started in development and database management before transitioning to government advisory services working where she worked with recovery leaders from across the US, including West Virginia, Puerto Rico, Florida, and South Carolina. Prior to this, she worked in both the private and public sectors ranging from software project management to primary school education. She holds an M.S. in International Development from Tulane University and B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Washington - Seattle.
 

Part II

Erin Kehoe, FEMA HQ, will provide an overview of the proposed 2022 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program and Policy Guide, which FEMA recently released for public comment.  Once finalized, the HMA Guide will replace the 2015 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance and Addendum.  FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs provide funding for eligible mitigation activities that reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disaster damages.  The HMA Program and Policy Guide covers the following hazard mitigation assistance programs: (1) the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program; (2) the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP); (3) the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Post Fire (HMGP Post Fire); and (4) the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. FEMA implemented the BRIC program following the passage of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018, which amended Section 203 of the Stafford Act.

Bio

Erin Kehoe is a Program Analyst with FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Policy, Tools, and Training Branch. Prior to joining HMA in 2020, Erin worked in FEMA’s Public Assistance Division for several years. She began with FEMA in Region 2, where she led a team of project specialists in the New York Sandy Branch. Erin later moved to FEMA HQ to join the PA Program Delivery Branch. Before joining FEMA, Erin worked at the New York City Office of Management & Budget, where she headed up the Policy Unit within the HUD Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Task Force.


Part III

Dan Bass, FEMA Building Science Directorate, will be providing information on the Building Science Disaster Support Program that evaluates the performance of building and related infrastructure in response to the effects of natural hazards; these activities focus on local impacted areas, but lessons learned are carried forward to support nationwide resilience.

Bio

Daniel Bass works in the building science branch at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, DC. He is a licensed professional architect and practiced in the private sector for 22 years before working for FEMA. Bass was recruited by FEMA following Hurricane Katrina and worked extensively in the recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast for several years before working numerous other flood and tornado disasters around the country. Bass joined the building science branch in 2012 and specializes in disaster-resistant construction, FEMA 361 safe rooms, and flood and wind mitigation measures. Bass currently serves as the mitigation assessment team program manager.