In a new report of survey results, nearly a quarter of businesses felt natural disaster preparations helped them address COVID-19. They tended to find preparations of broad applicability during natural disasters, such as telework readiness, more useful than hazard-specific measures. The survey also identified areas of hardship for businesses, including uncertainty and a lack of guidance and resources.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a crowdsourcing challenge to spur new methods to ensure that important public safety data sets can be de-identified to protect individual privacy. The Differential Privacy Temporal Map Challenge includes a series of contests that will award a total of up to $276,000 for differential privacy solutions for complex data sets that include information on both time and location. 

EMA will open applications on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 for two hazard mitigation grant programs totaling $660 million. The two grant programs, the Flood Mitigation Assistance grant and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant, or BRIC, will provide funds to states, local communities, tribes and territories for eligible mitigation activities. These programs allow for funding to be used on projects that will reduce future disaster losses and strengthen our nation’s ability to build a culture of preparedness.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released an update to its Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers Guidance. Version 4.0 provides guidance on how jurisdictions and critical infrastructure owners can use the list to assist in prioritizing the ability of essential workers to work safely while supporting ongoing infrastructure operations across the nation.    

Coastal communities across the U.S. continued to see record-setting high-tide flooding last year, forcing their residents and visitors to deal with flooded shorelines, streets and basements — a trend that is expected to continue into 2021. The elevated water levels affected coastal economies, tourism and crucial infrastructure like waste and stormwater systems, according to a new NOAA report.

Mission 500 and The New Jersey Electronic Life Safety Association (NJELSA), teamed up for the second year in a row during the NJELSA Annual Symposium, held March 11-13 at Harrah’s Atlantic City for a School Backpack Building Event.

The University of Central Arkansas Police Department has hired Carol Walton as campus emergency management coordinator. 

Northwest local schools in Cincinnati, Ohio were closed for safety training following a recent fatal shooting that prompted a lockdown at a local high school.