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HEADLINES
 
REGISTER NOW!
9/11 Workers' Compensation Registration Deadline Aug. 14  NYDIS urges 9/11 chaplains, recovery workers and volunteers to register now to protect their right to workers' compensation benefits. NYDIS and NY Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) in collaboration with other agencies is mounting a media campaign to inform workers throughout the country about the necessity of registering now.
Download the brochure (pdf): English | Español Call for registration guidelines: 866.WTC.2556 NYDIS NEWS AND EVENTS NYDIS Receives 90K CRWRC 9/11 Recovery Grant  The Christian Relief Reform World Relief Committee presented NYDIS with a $90,000 grant check on Monday, March 12th during a ceremony at NYDIS's office. These funds are earmarked specifically for the VISTA Program, outreach for the WTC Workers' Compensation Registration Deadline and on other of 9/11 recovery issues.
www.crwrc.org NYDIS Welcomes 4 New Member Agencies  On March 8 the NYDIS Board of Directors welcomed four new member agencies to our Network. Asociación Tepeyac, represented by Joel Magallan, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee-NE Region, represented by Al Santino, United Chaplains of New York (no website currently), represented by Rev. Elvis Santiago, and World Vision - New York, represented by Rahsaan J. Graham.
www.crwrc.org www.tepeyac.org www.worldvision.org NYDIS ED Participates in HSC Tabletop  The American Red Cross-Greater NY hosted a tabletop exercise March 5 that engaged executives from non-profit organizations in disaster recovery with government agencies responsible for emergency preparedness to discuss implementing a coordinated response for NYC residents during a local disaster. It was conducted by the Human Services Council (HSC), of which NYDIS is a member. HSC coordinates preparedness activities and coordinated case management of the human services sector. Attendees included representatives from Black Equity Alliance, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of NY, FEMA, NYC OEM, NYDIS, The Salvation Army, and Safe Horizon. The exercise was a hypothetical scenario of a major hurricane causing extensive damage to the NYC region. Participants assessed the situation in order to make optimal use of their resources to help those impacted most effectively. As a result of the exercise, the human services sector will improve its planning and be better prepared to respond when help is needed.
www.humanservicescouncil.org NYDIS Presents to Judson's New Disaster Task Force  On March 4, NYDIS' Community Outreach & Training Coordinator, Autumn Brown, attended a meeting of the Disaster Task Force at Judson Memorial Church to present information about NYDIS programs, educational materials, and trainings. Judson's Task Force hopes to find creative and practical ways to use their facilities and volunteer base to help the community in a disaster. Look for a Community Preparedness Seminar to take place at Judson Memorial Church in the coming months.
www.judson.org NYDIS Welcomes New Office Assistant You will be seeing a friendly face upon visiting our NYDIS offices. Kanda Golding joins us as Office Assistant. She comes to NYDIS after spending most of her administrative career in the health and human services arena. She was Senior Secretary at Emory University's School of Medicine; Office Assistant at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD; and Administrative Assistant at the Food and Drug Administration, in the Office of the Director, Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention. Kanda can be reached at: 212.669.6100 kgolding@nydis.org NYDIS ED Tours Florida's Tornado Impacted Counties  From February 26 to March 3 Peter Gudaitis, NYDIS's Executive Director, traveled to Florida at the invitation of FIND (Florida Interfaith Network in Disaster) to address a statewide recovery conference for the Ground Hog Day tornados that devastated three counties just north of Orlando. Gudaitis also visited the JFO in Lake County to assist the local recovery interfaith effort in developing long-term recovery strategies. He also met with two Florida foundations that are considering expanding NYDIS' HOWCALM™ database for use in Florida.
www.FINDflorida.org NYC 9/11 Recovery Resources Online
A comprehensive list of news, updates and resources for 9/11 victims and injured recovery workers, updated weekly:
www.nydis.org/recovery/11.php NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable Updates 
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Case managers working with Katrina or Rita survivors are required to attend an in-service training prior to presenting at the Roundtable. The purpose of these trainings is to provide case managers with a better understanding of the workings of the Roundtable and to help increase the likelihood that a client's needs could be funded. 
The WTC Medical Monitoring Program offers free, complete medical examinations. To date, 30,000 responders have been screened under the Program, which is open to responders in NY and across the country who served at Ground Zero. Eligible responders who have not yet been screened are urged to enroll in the program. What doctors learn from monitoring the health of thousands of these workers will help future disaster relief workers.
More than 13,000 enrollees in the WTC Health Registry completed the follow-up survey about their physical and mental health after 9/11. The NYC Health Department (DOHMH) urges all remaining enrollees to complete the re-survey as this is the first opportunity for enrollees to inform the Registry about their physical and mental health since 2004. Data collection will continue for the next several months, and findings will be released to the public. The results should help health experts recognize and treat conditions potentially associated with exposure to 9/11 and its aftermath.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released $194 million to help states and local governments prepare and implement emergency management activities through the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) program. State emergency management agencies use EMPG funds to enhance their emergency management capabilities in areas that include planning, equipping, and training, conducting exercises, and providing for all-hazards emergency management operations. In addition, EMPG funds are used to pay personnel who write plans, conduct training and exercise programs, maintain emergency response programs, and educate the public on disaster readiness.
In light of recent actions relating to disaster declarations and response, the US House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing on March 15 entitled "Disaster Declarations: Where is FEMA in a Time of Need?" Chairman Bennie Thompson said, "After all of the hearings, reforms, criticisms and lessons that should have been learned by Hurricane Katrina, it appears that FEMA is still struggling. We simply cannot allow communities in need to languish in a time of crisis."
In denouncing the way the Administration has denied aid to tens of thousands of victims of Katrina and Rita, a federal judge in Washington, exposes a mystery within the nation's costliest natural disaster: What has happened to 2.6 million households that applied for disaster assistance but have been largely shed from the rolls? FEMA projects that fewer than 4,700 families will reach a $26,200 cap on all post-disaster aid by March, when an 18-month statutory cutoff takes effect, less than ¼ of 1%. The figures are all the more surprising given the storms' scope. FEMA's policies, combined with inadequate computer systems and support staff, pushed thousands of disaster victims toward homelessness, slowed the recovery of NO and saddled cities such as Houston and Austin with housing crises.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has developed a web-based National Housing Locator system to help state and public housing authorities and other first responders quickly identify the available housing during a disaster. The locator combines federal housing resources with three commercial apartment locators and housing websites to offer one platform that allows housing agency personnel and emergency responders immediately access available rental housing resources nationwide.
The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) provides leadership and support for a comprehensive program of research related to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities.
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets' Commissioner Patrick Hooker March 2 announced the launch of a new training and education program conducted by the Empire State Animal Response Team (ESART), which provides assistance to local municipalities for mitigation, planning, preparedness response and recovery activities for animals. The Commissioner said, "ESART will train local response teams in order to ensure swift and effective response and recovery assistance to homes and businesses with animals."
Johns Hopkins emergency medicine specialists have developed a tool to help hospitals prepare for disasters with the potential to overwhelm services. The Electronic Mass Casualty Assessment & Planning Scenarios (EMCAPS) computer program calculates the impact of such crises as a flu epidemic, bioterrorist attack, flood or plane crash, accounting for such elements as numbers of victims, wind direction, available medical resources, bacterial incubation periods and bomb size. The program depends heavily on population density estimates to derive "plausible estimates" of what hospitals may expect in the first minutes or hours of a disaster.
The NY Annual Conference (NYAC) of the United Methodist Church offers Disaster Response Academy Workshops for clergy and laity.
NYC's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is expanding into the private sector with the creation of a Corporate Volunteer Emergency Response Team, or CoVERT, at BNP Paribas. Almost 40 BNP Paribas employees are taking the 11-week CERT training in disaster preparedness and basic response skills. Upon completion of the course in May, they will become the city's first private response team.
Ali Gheith, an Advisory Member of the NYDIS Board of Directors and the Resiliency Coordinator at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), is on the faculty of the Metropolitan College's Emergency Management HLS team and was the featured Professor in this month's issue of its student publication, stating, "Prof. Gheith brings to this position his vast experience in the area of mental health and advocacy for populations affected by disasters." He is teaching the Values and Ethics course at MCNY that examines the ethical challenges that constrain emergency managers' efforts to do good.
OEM's Ready NY preparedness campaign is designed to help New Yorkers better prepare for all types of emergencies. The following Ready NY preparedness guides and brochures are available online, most in multiple languages:
Take the "Are We Ready" Readiness IQ-RQ test, a survey that will measure the preparedness of individuals, families and communities. Along with giving you a score, this tool will provide informative tips to help you improve. The Council for Excellence in Government has created this online program to determine Americans' level of preparedness.
The American Red Cross Greater NY chapter provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Volunteer this month and do more than your part to prepare and protect NYC.
ARC offers community outreach programs, including how to prepare for unexpected emergencies.
Mayor Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Scoppetta announced March 9 that the NY Fire Department (FDNY) will be distributing more than 150,000 free 9-volt batteries for smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors throughout the City.
Scientists and public health officials, wary that the H5N1 avian influenza virus could trigger an influenza pandemic, have looked to past pandemics, including the 1918 "Spanish Flu," for insight into pandemic planning. Dr. David M. Morens, and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conclude that studies of the 1918 pandemic, which killed 50 to 100 million people around the world, raise more questions than they answer. "Today, nearly a century after the 1918 influenza pandemic, its mysteries remain largely unexplained," says Dr. Fauci, NIAID director. "These studies must be part of our preparedness efforts as we face the prospect of a future influenza pandemic."
Do you have a useful resource for caseworkers, recovery providers and clients that you would like to submit? The 
DHS urges those with disabilities and special needs to start preparing now in case of a disaster or an emergency. The "Preparing Makes Sense" guide outlines common sense measures, such as making a supply kit, making a plan with a personal support network, and how to stay informed.
For the Citizen Corps Council Calendar:
In the event of a catastrophic incident, one of the greatest needs is for the continuation of essential services supported by an effective leadership infrastructure. Published by the Homeland Defense Journal.
March 6, the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) released a new Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) Study Guide that contains answers to commonly asked questions about the CEM examination. The CEM Program is an internationally recognized program that certifies achievements within the emergency management profession.
Subscribe to this bi-monthly e-newsletter offering views on Professional Practice, Advocacy, Education & Research, and Spiritual Development. Sponsored by the HealthCare Chaplaincy in NYC and edited by NYDIS Board President The Rev. Dr. Martha Jacobs.
Tuesday, April 17 - Friday, April 20
Friday, April 20
Friday, June 8 - Monday, June 11
The Humane Society of the US' (HSUS) National Disaster Animal Response Team (NDART) consists of animal care professionals, emergency services and rescue professionals. Team members are trained in community disaster response and preparedness as well as specialized response techniques for rescuing animals affected by disasters. To prepare yourself to help animals in a disaster, there are courses offered by FEMA and ARC.
The duties of the Director of Emergency Disaster Services will include recruiting, training, and supervising the staff and volunteers of the Emergency Disaster Services; developing and maintaining an efficient Operating Procedures Manual and Strategic Plan; preparing the department budget and monitor same; and serving as liaison to local, city, county, state and federal Disaster agencies.