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FEMA V Regional Administrator Andrew Velasquez III submitted his resignation toDHS and FEMA management this week. As Andrew begins the next chapter in hislife, I want to share my thoughts about the impacts he has had both on me and theemergency management profession.

I met Andrew in 2010 at the IEMA conference when I was an emergency managementcoordinator for DuPage County. It was a brief conversation but I remember it vividly,because who forgets meeting a man with such hair – especially when you’re like meand have so little! Fast-forward five years to early 2015, when Andrew called tocongratulate me on my appointment as IEMA director.

Andrew has been a source of knowledge, history and guidance for me and ourrelationship has grown stronger, both professionally and personally. He and his teamat FEMA V have supported our needs in times of crisis and steady state. I’vewitnessed many times his unwavering passion for the profession and the impact hehas had on homeland security, emergency management and public safety.

Many of the programs he implemented at FEMA V have become national models,including his leadership on the first national Improvised Nuclear Device planning andexercise, the use of technology, and the path to recovery in the absence of a majordisaster declaration.

But perhaps more importantly, was Andrew’sability to single handedly keep the Aqua Nethairspray line alive (sorry – I had to get one morein there!).

Above all, Andrew has been someone I amhonored and privileged to call my friend. While wedidn’t always agree on everything when it cameto the profession, we have many of the samepersonal values that bonded us quickly. Hisloyalty to friends, family and his faith make him agood man, in addition to his amazing sense ofhumor. He was always willing to teach me a thingor two, and I still plan on calling him to learn, butalso to laugh. So this isn’t good-bye to a manwhose career has spanned from director atChicago Police, to executive director of OEMC, toIEMA director, to Regional Administrator at FEMA– this is ‘talk to you soon my good friend, talk toyou soon.’

In this issueIllinois Participates in ShakeOut Drill ........................2Effingham County Meeting........................................2Rend Lake Project Complete.....................................3Mobile Command Helps IDHS Office ..........................3Godfrey is Ready to Respond ....................................4Restaurant Reopens After Tornado ............................4Region 7 Holds Tornado Exercises.............................5Senior Staff Spotlight: Kay Foster .............................6Klinger Briefs Group on Radiation Safety ...................6Staff Participate in Radiological Training...................7Health Care Preparedness Rules Set .........................7IEMA Comments on IA Proposal................................8New Guidance on IHP ...............................................9IEMA Forms Summit Advisory Group .........................9Staff Tours IDOT Facility in Carbondale......................9

From IEMA Director James K. Joseph

October 2016Illinois Emergency Management Agency

FEMA V Regional AdministratorAndrew Velasquez and Director JamesK. Joseph enjoy a moment at therecent IEMA Training Summit.

Go CUBS!2016 World Series

Governor Bruce Rauner declared Oct. 20 GreatShakeOut Day in Illinois to encourage people toparticipate in the international earthquake drill. Nearly500,000 people in Illinois registered for the event,including approximately 400,000 school children fromacross the state.

Director James Joseph and IEMA staff joined fourthgrade students at Jefferson Elementary School inMarion for the ShakeOut. Director Joseph led a livelydiscussion about the risk of earthquakes in Illinois andthe importance of being prepared with the students,who had been studying earthquakes in their class.

At 10:20 a.m., as an announcement that the ShakeOutwas beginning was broadcast into each classroom,students practiced the ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’actions that should be taken when the earth starts toshake.

In addition to preparing Illinois residents for a potentialearthquake along the New Madrid and Wabash Valleyseismic zones, the ShakeOut drill teaches people howto stay safe if they ever experience an earthquakeanywhere in the world.

Illinois Residents Join Millions in Great ShakeOut Drill

Students took refuge under their desks during the drill.

Even Director Joseph practiced his “Drop, Cover and Hold On.”

Director Joseph led a lively discussion with the students beforethe drill began.

At the invitation of Effingham County EmergencyManagement Agency Director Pam Jacobs, DirectorJoseph and several IEMA staff members met withmore than 30 officials from Effingham County andthe city of Effingham on Oct. 19. The meeting gaveIEMA staff the opportunity to interact with localofficials and discuss ways the agency can continueto assist them with emergency preparedness andresponse issues.

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Rend Lake Hazard Mitigation Project CompleteThe water supply for nearly 40,000 people in JeffersonCounty is more secure now thanks to a HazardMitigation Grant Program (HMGP) grant awarded byIEMA in 2013. The project involved relocation of morethan 29,000 feet of a water main that previously wasunderneath Rend Lake north of Whittington.

The lake is in southern Illinois, which has an elevatedrisk for earthquakes due to the New Madrid andWabash Valley seismic zones. In the event of a majorearthquake in the area, the original water main wasexpected to break in locations underneath the lake.Repairs would have been extremely difficult, takingseveral weeks and leaving residents of Mt. Vernon andseveral other area communities without drinking waterfor extended periods.

The project involved construction of a bypass aroundthe lake that provides easy access to the water mainfor future repairs.

IEMA originally awarded $1.8 million for the project,which was 75 percent of the expected $2.3 million

project cost. The Rend Lake Conservancy Districtpaid the required 25 percent local share. However, theproject came in under budget, so the final federalshare was $1.3 million.

After a fire damaged offices at the IllinoisDepartment of Human Services (IDHS) inMurphysboro, IEMA coordinated the deploymentof a mobile command unit from the Mt. VernonEmergency Management Agency (EMA) toprovide temporary workspace for IDHS workers.The vehicle allowed the agency to continueproviding services to clients in Jackson Countyuntil alternative facilities were established.Operations of the mobile command unit weresupported by Mt. Vernon and DuQuoin EMAs.

Director Joseph joined Rend Lake Conservancy District GeneralManager Keith Thomason and community leaders at an event Oct.18 commemorating completion of the water main relocationproject.

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Godfrey Attains Ready to Respond Community DesignationThe village of Godfrey recently became the secondmunicipality in Illinois to achieve the Ready toRespond Community designation. The programrecognizes communities that attain an enhanced levelof preparedness through successful completion ofrigorous criteria.

The Ready to Respond Community initiativeemphasizes a “whole community” approach topreparedness that involves elected officials,government entities, volunteers and not-for-profitorganizations, private industry and residents. Theprogram is voluntary and open to all communities inthe state.

Communities seeking Ready to Respond Communitystatus must meet all 11 program criteria, such as acounty-approved Emergency Operations Plan (EOP),completion of National Incident Management Systemcourses by community leadership, public outreachcampaign for community and individualpreparedness, participation in the county hazardmitigation planning process and more.

Godfrey Public Safety Administrator ChristopherSichra credits the detailed EOP required for Ready toRespond Community accreditation with enhancing thevillage’s response and recovery operations duringhistoric flooding in December 2015.

“The process also was a tremendous asset during ourlocal preparations to handle the logistics of a nearly1,000-vehicle funeral procession for St. Louis CountyOfficer Blake Snyder, who was laid to rest in Godfreyearlier this month,” said Sichra, who also serves asdeputy director for the village’s Emergency Servicesand Disaster Agency.

The Ready to Respond Community designation isvalid for three years, at which time Godfrey officialscan submit updated documentation in order to renewits status. Charleston was recognized for achievingthe Ready to Respond Community designation inJanuary.

The Ready to Respond Community program is part ofIllinois’ Ready to Respond initiative. To date, fivecolleges and universities have received the Ready toRespond Campus designation after meeting thatprogram’s requirements.

Communities interested in pursing the Ready toRespond designation may contact Abby Damm at217-558-4779.

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Director Joseph (center) presented the Ready to RespondCommunity certificate to Godfrey Mayor Michael McCormickduring a village board meeting. Also pictured are Godfrey PublicSafety Administrator Christopher Sichra (left), Godfrey Fire ChiefErik Kambarian (2nd from right), and Abby Damm, coordinatorfor the Ready to Respond program.

During a grand reopening event on Nov. 7 forGrubsteakers restaurant near Rochelle, DirectorJoseph recognized owner Ava Mirtoska for her quickactions that saved several lives on April 9, 2015, whenthe building was hit by an EF-4 tornado. Mirtoskaensured employees and customers got into the stormcellar just moments before the monster stormdestroyed the restaurant.

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Counties Prepare for ‘Bad Day in Region 7’Nearly three years of planning, including tabletop andfunctional exercises, went into two full-scale exercisesheld in early October in IEMA Region 7. The “Bad Dayin Region 7’ exercises centered around a scenario inwhich a tornado outbreak in central Illinois impacted10 counties, with Logan and Woodford countiesbearing the brunt of the storm.

The first full-scale exercise took place on Oct. 5, withChampaign, Douglas, Livingston, Logan, Macon,Piatt, Tazewell and Vermilion counties participating.Logan County Emergency Management Agency(EMA) Coordinator Dan Fulscher said coordinationamong the counties throughout the planning processwas one of the biggest benefits of the exercisebecause the emergency managers got to know eachother better, which, in turn, enhanced theirunderstanding of response capabilities in neighboringcounties.

In the Logan County scenario, Fulscher’s home wasdestroyed by the tornado. If this happened in real-life,his involvement in the response would be severelylimited. To reflect that reality, EMA coordinators fromneighboring counties served as emergencyoperations center (EOC) manager periodically duringthe exercise.

Another highlight of the Logan County exercise wasimplementation of the Joint Reception, Staging,Onward Movement and Integration (JRSOI), whichwas a first for the county. Logan County EMA providedposition-specific training to 64 people who mannedthe JRSOI during the exercise. Fulscher said thisexperience will be valuable during incidents whenregional deployments of personnel and resourcesoccur.

Fulscher said he believes local EMAs shouldparticipate in or observe EOC operations duringexercises in other counties. He said he received greatfeedback from local coordinators who took part in theexercise, as well as from two new county coordinatorswho observed.

A devastating tornado was also the scenario for a full-scale exercise in Woodford County on Oct. 8. Morethan 150 participants representing emergencymanagement, law enforcement, fire services, publichealth, hospitals, search and rescue, emergencymedical technicians, ham radio operators, the countycoroner, Eureka College, the American Red Cross and

Salvation Army took part in the exercise.

Local officials play an important role in real-lifeemergencies but getting them to participate inexercises can be difficult. McCanless said he waspleased eight officials representing state, county and local government took part in this exercise.

The exercise played out like a real event, beginningwith call-outs activated by the tornado watch andwarning, to full activation of the county’s emergencyoperations center and response efforts.

An exercise of this magnitude takes a lot of work, butMcCanless said the experience of everyone workingtogether has enhanced the county’s ability to respondand recover if a large-scale event occurs in WoodfordCounty.

IEMA’s Region 7 staff coordinated planning for the twoexercises and other IEMA personnel served asevaluators.

Mock victims were transported to the hospital as part of theWoodford County exercise.

Exercise participants in the Logan County EOC. (Photos by T.A. Bergin, courtesy of the New Herald News)

When she first started with the state ofIllinois in 1986, Kay Foster thought she’dstay for a few years to obtain good workexperience and then move on, hopefullyback to her sunny home state of Florida.Thirty years later, Foster, who serves aschief of IEMA’s Bureau of NuclearFacility Safety, admits it would havebeen difficult to find another job thatoffered the experience and challengesshe found here.

Foster joined the Illinois Department ofNuclear Safety in 1986 after graduatingfrom the University of Florida’s Collegeof Nuclear Engineering with a bachelor’sin health physics. While she has held several positionsthroughout her three decade-long career with thestate of Illinois, she has always been involved with theBureau of Nuclear Facility Safety and as a healthphysicist in the agency’s Radiological EmergencyAssessment Center. Foster estimates she’s beeninvolved in well over 100 exercises related to theIllinois Plan for Radiological Accidents during hertenure in state government.

Her first position got her involved in the early stagesof the agency’s development of the RemoteMonitoring System (RMS), which monitors and sendscritical information about conditions in and aroundcommercial nuclear power reactors in the state.Foster’s computer programming skills enabled datafrom the Gaseous Effluent Monitoring Systemcomponent of the RMS to be displayed on more user-friendly screens.

Over the years, Foster moved throughout the bureau

to work on various programs andprojects in engineering, computerprogramming and emergencyplanning, all of which were aimed atenhancing the agency’s ability toprotect people from radiation thatcould be released during anaccident at any of the nuclearpower plants in the state.

In October 2010, Foster was namedchief of the Bureau of NuclearFacility Safety, just months beforethe Fukushima nuclear accident.That incident led to legislativeapproval of temporary fees on

nuclear power reactors, enabling the agency toundertake a major update of the RMS, which isnearing completion.

Foster says she would find it challenging to work inanother state that doesn’t have access to the wealthof information provided by Illinois’ unique system forgathering data from inside the reactors and in theenvironment surrounding each plant. Foster has beeninvolved in developing and updating that systemthroughout her career.

Foster received her Health Physics certification in1999 and her master’s in health physics from GeorgiaTech’s College of Mechanical Engineering in 2002.

She lives in Rochester with her husband and twocollege-age daughters. In her spare time, Foster usessewing and quilting skills learned from hergrandmother to benefit local charities, her church andother local organizations.

Meet IEMA’s Senior Staff: Kay Foster

Bureau of Nuclear Facility SafetyChief Kay Foster

Assistant Director Joe Klinger recently gave apresentation on radioactive materials safety andsecurity to the Chicago Chapter of the Association ofThreat Assessment Professionals. Klinger’spresentation included basic health physics, adiscussion of the safe use of nuclear and radiologicalmaterials in Illinois, U.S. and internationally, globalevents and efforts to enhance security of thesematerials throughout the world.

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Several staff members from the bureaus of RadiationSafety and Nuclear Facility Safety recentlyparticipated in an intensive week-long AdvancedRadiological Incident Operations (ARIO) course atFort McClellan in Anniston, Alabama. The course,sponsored by the U.S. Department of HomelandSecurity, focused on emergency operations centerresponsibilities during multiple radiological events.

The course included a review on radiation physics,radiological concepts, instrumentation, transportation,plume modeling software and incident planning.Participants also coordinated with students from theRadiological Emergency Response Operations(RERO) course during two interactive exercisescenarios, one involving a nefarious actor’s acquisition

of radioactive material and the other involving asimulated release of a radioactive plume from afictitious nuclear power station.

During these exercises, participants in the ARIO classcoordinated data collection, developed protectiveactions, provided recommendations and exerciseinstruction to the RERO students, who were acting asfield monitoring teams and first responders.

IEMA’s participants in the course are involved in theagency’s preparedness and response efforts forincidents involving the six nuclear power reactors inthe state, as well as radiological incidents that couldoccur anywhere in Illinois.

RadResponder Training

Two staff members from the Bureau of Nuclear FacilitySafety recently had the opportunity to attend trainingon RadResponder, the national standard formanagement of radiological data, as well as observethe state of Iowa’s annual nuclear power plant training.

The training focused on the latest updates toRadResponder, including recently added functionalitythat could be used for coordinating sampling andlaboratory use and lessons learned about effectiveuse of RadResponder from the state of Iowa’s minidrill.

Staff Participate in Radiological Response Training

The ARIO course included classroom work and two interactiveexercises. (CDP courtesy photo)

New Federal Rules for Health Care Preparedness FinalizedIn September, the Centers for Medicare and MedicaidServices (CMS) finalized rules to establish consistentemergency preparedness requirements for healthcare providers participating in Medicare andMedicaid, increase patient safety during emergenciesand establish a more coordinated response to naturaland man-made disasters.

These new rules will require certain participatingproviders and suppliers to plan for disasters andcoordinate with federal, state, tribal, regional and localemergency preparedness systems to ensure facilitiesare adequately prepared to meet the needs of theirpatients during disasters and emergency situations.

The effective date will be Nov. 16, 2016, and theimplementation date will be Nov. 16, 2017.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Servicesanticipates health care entities that have not previouslyengaged in community preparedness will seek to doso through participation in healthcare coalitions(HCC). The CMS rules offer HCCs an opportunity toachieve greater organizational and communityeffectiveness and financial sustainability through amore inclusive preparedness community.

The finalized CMS rules can be accessed here:https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.

Editors note: the following comments were submitted to theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by IEMAChief Legal Counsel Jenifer Johnson.

October 24, 2016

Re: Docket ID FEMA-2014-0005The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA)submits these comments to the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency’s (FEMA) proposed IndividualAssistance Declarations Factors Guidance. This draftguidance is based on the proposed rulemaking to 44 CFR206.48(b), in which FEMA is proposing to change theevaluation factors for a request for a major disasterdeclaration authorizing Individual Assistance (IA). Thosenew proposed factors are as follows:

1. State Fiscal Capacity and Resource Availability

2. Uninsured Home and Personal Property Losses

3. Disaster Impacted Population Profile

4. Impact to Community Infrastructure

5. Casualties

6. Disaster Related Unemployment

The self-stated purpose of the draft guidance is “to provideadditional clarity regarding the circumstances, in particularthe severity and magnitude relative to state capacity, underwhich FEMA is likely to recommend (or not recommend) adeclaration authorizing IA.” Thus, although all six factorsare purportedly evaluated by FEMA in considering a State’sdeclaration request seeking IA, the guidance placesconsiderable emphasis as a threshold matter on the State’sfiscal capacity and resource availability.

Under the proposed guidance, the tool by which FEMA willdetermine a State’s fiscal capacity is the Total TaxableResources (TTR) of the State calculated by the U.S.Treasury. According to the Treasury Department, TTR is acomprehensive measure of all the income flows a State canpotentially tax. While TTR may be an appropriate tool toanalyze fiscal relations between the Federal, State, andlocal governments in some instances, it is an inadequategage of a State’s ability to provide immediate assistance tovictims of disasters.

First, because TTR is a measure of income flow, highpopulation states like Illinois have a high TTR. Accordingto the draft guidance, FEMA assumes a State with a higherTTR has a higher threshold for requiring supplementalFederal assistance because its economy is more resilient

against the increased financial burdens that are attributedto a large disaster. Although a higher-population State hasmore income flow due to a larger tax base, TTR by definitionignores a State’s corresponding operational expenses,which are likely also higher than a State with a lower TTR.It is inherently flawed to consider ability to pay based onpotential revenues alone without considering companionexpenses.

Moreover, a State’s potential ability to impose a new taxover a larger base does nothing to provide immediate cashprograms to facilitate recovery for disaster victims if the taxis not currently in effect. When disaster strikes, survivorsdeserve an expedited recovery process by which they canbegin to rebuild their lives. They need immediateassistance, regardless of the population of the State inwhich they reside. Protracted but legally requiredlegislative activity to impose new revenues would becounterproductive to this goal.

Not only is TTR a troubling factor for consideration of aState’s fiscal capacity in and of itself, the erroneous relianceon TTR is further compounded in the proposed guidance’sintroduction of an IA calculation that would be used todetermine a State’s need for the Individuals andHouseholds Program (IHP). The equation uses only twonumbers: a State’s TTR and FEMA’s estimated cost of IHPfrom the Preliminary Damage Assessment. According tothe proposed guidance, FEMA will use these two figures tocalculate an IHP Cost to Capacity (ICC) ratio. A statisticalchart is provided in the proposed guidance to demonstratethe number of past requests from 2008-2013 that wouldhave been approved under this new methodology.

Because this IA calculation relies on the flawed premise ofa State’s TTR, states like Illinois will not fare well under thenew methodology. For example, Illinois received a majordisaster declaration in 2011 after severe flooding insouthern Illinois along the Mississippi, Ohio and WabashRivers. As a result, 15 counties were included in the IAprogram. There were about $15.3M in IHP costs with 2,287applications approved for assistance. Yet, under themethodology proposed by FEMA in this guidance andusing the State’s 2011 TTR, it is questionable whether thisdisaster would still have received a major disasterdeclaration and been granted IA.A State’s fiscal capacity to fund disaster recovery is farmore complicated than a single income flow figure.However, this number appears to be the basis for theultimate decision of whether IA is approved for disastersurvivors. In considering whether a disaster is beyond thecapabilities of State and local governments to respond andrecover effectively, FEMA must evaluate the true ability of aState to fund recovery based on actual numbers, notartificialities.

IEMA Submits Comments on Proposed IA Declaration Factors

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State of IllinoisIllinois Emergency Management Agency

For more information on this newsletter, contact:Patti Thompson • Public Information Officer: (217) 557-4756

IOCI 17-0047 9-16 Web

Previous issues of Inside IEMA are available at:http://www.illinois.gov/iema/Info/Pages/Newsletters.aspx.

IEMA Seeks Members for Summit Advisory CommitteeWhile the 2017 IEMA Training Summit is still 10 monthsaway, planning for the event is already underway. Theagency currently is seeking members for an externaladvisory committee to assist with those planningefforts.

The advisory committee will work with the internalIEMA Summit working group to ensure the needs ofthe summit’s diverse attendees are met. The internal

working group will coordinate with the agency’sleadership to implement ideas and recommendationsbrought forth from the advisory committee.

Individuals interested in serving on the advisorycommittee must fill out an informational survey athttps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/adviscomm no laterthan Nov. 14.

Dawn Oestreicher of the Illinois Departmentof Transportation’s (IDOT) District 9 office inCarbondale, shows Director Josephemergency food and water supplies in IDOT’searthquake-resistant emergency operationscenter during a tour of the facility on Oct. 20.The stockpile is just one of the manymeasures in place to ensure IDOT operationscan continue to function in the event of amajor earthquake in southern Illinois.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)recently released the Individuals and HouseholdsProgram Unified Guidance (IHPUG). According toFEMA, the guidance clarifies FEMA’s Individual andHouseholds Program (IHP) to help state, local andtribal officials better serve disaster survivors througha clear understanding of disaster programs.

The IHPUG compiles FEMA policy for each type ofassistance under IHP into one comprehensive

document, including all stand-alone policies andpolicy statements. It also catalogs lessons learnedfrom disaster operations and FEMA’s decisionsrelated to the IHP and increases transparency byclarifying past practices.

The IHPUG applies to disasters declared on or afterSept. 30, 2016. More information about the guidanceis available at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/124228.

New Guidance Issued for Individuals, Households Program