WELCOME BACK TO DISASTER DISCOURSE MONTHLY!
Welcome back to Disaster Discourse Monthly. This month, we provide on the COVID-19 pandemic; the first hurricane of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, Hurricane Elsa; and the wildfires that continue impacting the Western United States (US).
The COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine distribution…
The US has reported that more than 35.17 million people have been infected with COVID-19; while more than 608,288 Americans have died from the virus. To date, over 70.1% of adults in the US have been vaccinated either partially or fully. The highly-transmissible Delta variant continues to spread across the country at a rapid pace causing businesses, cities, and states to reimplement mask mandates, at the suggestion of the CDC. Some areas of the country are experiencing surges in hospitalizations causing some hospitals to cancel elective procedures. Additionally, President Biden recently announced that Federal workers will now be required to sign forms attesting they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or else comply with new rules including mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing, and more.
Extreme weather, fires, and heat waves in the West are affecting the whole country…
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported over 100 large fires active in mostly the Western US, burning more than 1.94 million acres across 14 states, fueled by continued extreme heat and drought conditions. The ongoing impacts of extreme heat in the West have been deadly; last month, Washington state’s health officials revised its death count to 112, nearly matching the 116 heat-related deaths in Oregon. In British Columbia, officials estimate more than 580 heat-related deaths this summer. Amidst extreme drought, late last month, Arizona experienced flash floods, monsoonal moisture, and dust storms. Numerous wildfires have impacted Arizona this year, exacerbating flooding concerns as burn scars and damaged vegetation are unable to absorb water.
Hurricane Elsa, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season…
Elsa became the first Atlantic hurricane this season, and the fifth named storm in the Atlantic this year. After gaining strength as a Category 1 hurricane on Friday July 2, Elsa was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in the Caribbean. Elsa made landfall in Florida on July 7 bringing rain, strong winds, and power outages to southeastern states.
Are you ready?…
With the historical peak seasons for hurricanes and wildfires just around the corner, now is the time to ask yourself: are you prepared? Find out here with Hagerty’s readiness checklist.
Featured Grants:
Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP) – Continuing Training Grants (CTG)
Through its Continuing Training Grants (CTG) program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FY 2021 Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP) plays an important role in the National Preparedness System (NPS). The CTG program supports building, sustaining, and delivering core capabilities through the development and delivery of training to achieve the National Preparedness Goal, which is “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.” Learn More:
- Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Funding Opportunity Number: DHS-21-NPD-005-00-04
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $6,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $6,000,000
- Application Due Date: August 16, 2021
- Eligible Applicants: City or township governments, county governments, state governments, nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – other than institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), public and state controlled institutions of higher education.
Evaluation of Citizens Crime Commission’s (CCC) Disruption and Early Engagement Program (DEEP) Initiative
The US DHS is committed to using cutting-edge technologies and providing scientific expertise in its quest to make America safer. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) mission is to enable effective, efficient, and secure operations across all homeland security missions by applying scientific, engineering, analytic, and innovative approaches to deliver timely solutions and support Department acquisitions. To fulfill this mission, the Public Safety and Violence Prevention (PSVP) program within the Office of Mission and Capability Support (MCS) aims to conduct evidence-based research to better understand an evolving threat landscape to enhance and/or build tools and techniques when it comes to enhancing public safety while preventing act of violence from impacting our communities. The goal of the PSVP program is to develop high quality data and evidence to better inform policy and practice by improving the effectiveness of public safety and violence prevention efforts implemented by federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and non-governmental stakeholders. This research will enable policy makers and operational end-users to make informed decision to divert vulnerable individuals, prevent potential offenders, mitigate vulnerabilities, and enhance community resilience in the face of various social and behavioral threats. Learn More:
- Source: DHS
- Funding Opportunity Number: DHS-ST-21-208-FR06
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $150,000
- Award Ceiling: $150,000
- Application Due Date: August 16, 2021
- Eligible Applicants: Small businesses, nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS – other than institutions of higher education, public and state controlled institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS –other than institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education.
Eviction Protection Grant Program
This grant is provided to support experienced legal service providers to provide legal assistance at no cost to low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction. Learn More:
- Source: Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Funding Opportunity Number: FR-6500-N-79
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $20,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $3,00,000
- Application Due Date: September 10, 2021
- Eligible Applicants: State, city, county, and Native American tribal governments, private and public institutions of higher educations, and other entities such as state or local public defenders’ offices, law schools, and legal aid services.
FY 2021 Broad Agency Announcement: Minority Colleges and Universities
This grant is for programs aligned with the Minority Business Development Agency’s strategic plans and mission goals to service minority business enterprises. The goal of this grant is to establish a pilot program for each of the eligible institution types above, to lay the foundation for a future generation of entrepreneurial leaders and innovators that will help strengthen US global competitiveness, job creation, and the overall US economy. Learn More:
- Source: Department of Commerce (DOC)
- Funding Opportunity Number: MBDA-OBD-2021-2006874
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,500,000
- Award Ceiling: $300,000
- Application Due Date: August 16, 2021
- Eligible Applicants: The following institutions of higher education: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Service institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (NHSIs), and Alaska Native Serving Institutions (ANSIs), or higher learning with existing minority entrepreneurship or related programs.
Promoting Vaccine Confidence in Local Communities through Partnership with Regional Health Offices
This grant will be granted to expand traditional immunization partnerships to plan, implement, and evaluate evidence-based practices and develop novel approaches to increase confidence in vaccines in local communities, particularly partnerships with minority-serving or other advocacy organizations that work with populations with low vaccination rates. Learn More:
- Source: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)– Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
- Funding Opportunity Number: NV-VSR-21-001
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $750,000
- Award Ceiling: $125,000
- Application Due Date: August 17, 2021
- Eligible Applicants: Any public of private entity located in a state or territory of the US, including state and local government, faith-based organizations, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American organizations.
US Platform to Measure Effectiveness of Seasonal Influenza, COVID-19, and other Respiratory Virus Vaccines for the Prevention of Acute Illness in Ambulatory Settings.
The purpose of this grant is to provide funding to institutions that can (a) conduct testing for laboratory-confirmed disease due to influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and other respiratory virus infections, (b) obtain reliable vaccination information for enrolled patients, and (c) provide accurate estimates of effectiveness of the vaccines against these viruses. Learn More:
- Source: HHS – CDC – ERA
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-IP-22-004
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $58,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $11,600,000
- Application Due Date: February 1, 2022
- Eligible Applicants: For-profit organizations, state, county, city, Governments, Native American Tribal organizations, nonprofits, public housing authorities, and public and private institutions of higher learning.
Questions? We welcome your feedback.