FEMA and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) creating the Job Corps Emergency Management Advance Training Program (EMATP) recently.  This program consists of approximately 12 weeks of advanced emergency management training for Job Corps students to become mission-ready emergency management specialists. The MOU establishes a framework for emergency management capacity building between the two agencies.

The RAND Corporation released results from a 2019 survey requested by FEMA which was designed to estimate the prevalence of workplace harassment and discrimination within the agency.

FEMA’s landmark study, “Building Codes Save: A Nationwide Study,” shows that modern building codes lead to major reduction in property losses from natural disasters. The FEMA report calculates losses from three types of natural hazard (earthquakes, flooding, and hurricane winds) for each state and Washington, D.C.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a series of webinars called FEMA Grant Outcomes (GO) for beginners that will be held starting October 27 through November 12, 2020. These webinars will present basic information about logging into FEMA GO, managing your organization, and creating a Hazard Mitigation Assistance subapplication. 

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 Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) was recently awarded $1,158,589 in the most recent round of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Port Security Grant Program.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO)'s recent report on the COVID-19 pandemic response and past work on other disasters has identified potential challenges the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) faces in responding to the pandemic and any future nationally significant biological incidents.

The Canaveral Port Authority has been awarded $908,015 in federal funding by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) FEMA Port Security Grant Program (PSGP).

FEMA released the “COVID-19 Pandemic Operational Guidance for the 2020 Hurricane Season” to help emergency managers and public health officials best prepare for disasters, while continuing to respond to and recover from coronavirus (COVID-19).

Dr. Stacey Hall has been named the new interim Director of The University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4), following the retirement of the center’s founder, Dr. Lou Marciani.