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The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters.

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The Latest in Disaster Resilience

FLASH Turns 25: Celebrate a Quarter-Century of Resilience with Us!

In 1998, a select group of public and private organizations established the Florida Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) as a volunteer committee of emergency managers, insurers, meteorologists and product experts. The small, dedicated group defined the FLASH mission to strengthen homes and safeguard families from hurricanes.

Today, we are the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), the country's leading nonprofit advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters of all kinds. Our partnership includes more than 100 diverse and innovative organizations with a vision of making America a safer, more resilient nation. Together, we have achieved tremendous success in pursuing our shared mission.

We look forward to celebrating our 25-year milestone at the 2023 National Disaster Resilience Conference (NDRC23), November 6–9, 2023, in Clearwater Beach, FL. Please join us as we will bring together longstanding as well as new partners to chart our course for the future.

Bringing it Home: #NDRC22 Recap

Resilience leaders gathered in Clearwater Beach, FL in early November at the 2022 National Disaster Resilience Conference to share industry best practices in science, engineering, policy, and practical experience.

With a focus on forging a stronger disaster resilience movement for the future, conference-goers from a variety of public, private, and nonprofit organizations reported afterward that they were most excited about “the diverse program, networking and collaboration opportunities, excellent location, and very impressive list of presenters.”

FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson opened the conference with a welcome keynote emphasizing the central focus of NDRC22—the home.

Eric Vaughn, Executive Vice President - FLASH

Leslie honored those lost and recovering from Hurricane Ian — commending the effort and dedication of those rebuilding in the affected areas. She reminded attendees that FLASH’s movement is inspired by communities gathering together to rebuild after disasters, highlighting how the Strong Homes program helps communities affected by disasters build back affordably and resiliently.

The first presenter panel of the conference was a unique, double-header building codes panel. It included speakers from FEMA, FIMA Risk Management Directorate, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (Tribal Nation), National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Labor, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The panel showcased our federal partners’ progress on the FEMA Building Codes Strategy and The White House National Initiative to Advance Building Codes.

Adapting to Our Changing Climate

On October 18, FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson joined Irina Faskianos, Vice President for National Program and Outreach - Council on Foreign Relations, and Judge Alice Hill, Catastrophic Risk & Resilience Expert, as part of the Council on Foreign Relations webinar series.

The well-attended event, designed for state and local officials from across the nation, focused on building codes and how they work to save lives and prevent damage during disasters.

Leslie's presentation featured consumer research that informed the creation of the No Code. No Confidence. - Inspect2Protect.org initiative. Attendees demonstrated a high level of interest in building codes, especially the importance of factoring the risk of changing climate conditions into policy planning.

QuakeSmart & ShakeOut: Practicing Earthquake

Resilience Around the World

On October 20, International Shakeout Day, FLASH Executive Vice President Eric Vaughn and Project Coordinator Sarah Chason co-presented a free QuakeSmart Preparedness Workshop with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD). In addition to the in-depth and informative QuakeSmart workshop agenda, 86 in-person attendees joined millions of people across the world practicing earthquake safety: Drop, Cover, and Hold On!

Attendees included PNC Bank leaders from their Pittsburg HQ and regional Charlotte offices, geologists from UNC and North Charlotte, local utility providers, builders, and more. Six news stations attended and did statewide stories about the approximately 354k SC ShakeOut participants and the QuakeSmart program content.

Workshop presenters included:

Derrec Becker, SC CEM, Chief of Public Information & External Affairs at SCEMD
April Chaffins, Emergency Manager, Business Industry at South Carolina Department of Commerce
Leslie Chapman-Henderson, President & CEO - FLASH
Michael Eldrige, Territory Manager, Central/Western North Carolina & South Carolina at Simpson Strong-Tie Co.
Glen Granholm, Vice President at SAFE-T-PROOF
Steven C. Jaume, Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at the College of Charleston
Jim Johnson, Senior Business Consultant at the South Carolina Small Business Development Center
Ines Pearce, Principal at Pearce Global Partners
Dave Perry, Logistics Manager at SCEMD
Melissa Potter, Chief of Preparedness at SCEMD
Eric Vaughn, Executive Vice President - FLASH

Three More Days to Cast Your Vote for NWP!

Help us select the 2023 National Weatherperson of the Year Award winner by voting today. The annual honor recognizes an outstanding weatherperson for leadership in promoting disaster safety and resilience.

The 2023 nominees are:

Matthew Cappucci, Meteorologist/Storm Chaser - FOX5DC, MyRadar
Amy Freeze, Meteorologist - FOX Weather
Paul Goodloe, On-Camera Meteorologist and Co-Host, "Weekend Recharge" - The Weather Channel
John Patrick, Chief Meteorologist - ABC7 News - Fort Myers, FL
Erik Salna, Meteorologist/Associate Director for Education and Outreach - Extreme Events Institute and the International Hurricane Research Center

Click here to cast your vote and learn more about the nominees.

The winner will be announced on February 3, 2023, ahead of National Weatherpersons Day on February 5. National Weatherpersons Day is celebrated on the birthday of pioneering weather observer John Jeffries whose work in the 1780s paved the way for many aspects of meteorology today.

Previous winners include:

2014 - Jim Cantore, On-Camera Meteorologist, and Co-Host, "AMHQ" - The Weather Channel
2015 - Max Mayfield, former National Hurricane Center Director
2016 - Alex Garcia, Chief Meteorologist - KABB Fox 29 - San Antonio, TX
2017 - Dr. Richard Knabb, Hurricane Expert and National Tropical Program Manager - The Weather Channel
2018 - Ada Monzon, Chief Meteorologist - WIPR-TV, Noticias 24/7, Univision Radio (WKAQ 580 AM)
2019 - James Spann, Chief Meteorologist - ABC 33/40, Birmingham, AL
2020 - Joe Snedeker, Morning Meteorologist - WNEP - Newswatch 16, Scranton, PA
2021 - Ginger Zee, Chief Meteorologist - ABC News
2022 - Ken Graham, Director - National Weather Service

Voting will close on Friday, January 13, so click here to cast your vote before it's too late!

FLASH Featured at the 2022 Florida Chamber Annual Insurance Summit

FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson joined Joy Ryan, Shareholder - Meenan Law Firm; Jennifer Rupert, Regional Resilience Officer - East Central Florida Regional Planning Council; and Roy Wright, President and CEO - Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, in the presentation Now and Then: 30 Years of Florida Resiliency at the 2022 Florida Chamber Annual Insurance Summit.

Leslie focused on building codes, sharing examples of challenges and successes from Hurricane Ian and FLASH’s building code lookup tool, InspectToProtect.org. She covered the four resilience opportunity moments: building, buying, rebuilding, and retrofitting.

Honoring Two Resilience Champions

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of two great men, Ronald Bacon and David Halstead. We are grateful for Ron and David’s dedication to the disaster safety and resilience movement and their years of service as part of the FLASH Partnership.

Ronald Bacon

Ron's career started in 1960 at Central Illinois Roofing, a family roofing business, where he became president several years later.

Ron then went on to represent State Farm Insurance Company for many years. After retiring from State Farm, he became Vice President of Construction Technology for FLASH. He was also active as an instructor, developing several State Farm classes and teaching Roofing Technology for AHP Research, Inc., as well as developing and teaching classes on asbestos removal in Denver, CO.

David Halstead

David’s career began as a Volunteer Firefighter for Fern Park Volunteer Fire Department, where he worked his way up to Assistant Chief over 28 years. He served as the chair of the Florida Fire Chiefs Association Statewide Disaster Response Committee and Chair of the Fire and Emergency Services Foundation.

David served on the FLASH Board of Directors and also held high-level positions with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, State Emergency Response Team, and State Working Group on Domestic Preparedness.

Come See Us at Upcoming Events

2023 National Disaster Resilience Conference Call for Presentations Now Open

You are cordially invited to the 2023 National Disaster Resilience Conference (NDRC23), hosted by FLASH, where the nation’s foremost voices in the disaster safety and resilience movement will come together November 6-9 in Clearwater Beach, FL.

NDRC23 will feature keynote presentations, discussion panels, spotlight topics, and stories of resilience that will help create more resilient buildings and disaster-resilient communities in the face of earthquakes, floods, hail, hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, wildfires, and other natural hazards.

Submissions should bring new insights and vision to one of these principal focus areas:

Innovation in Science and Engineering – to support preparedness, response, recovery, or mitigation.

Policy – to advance resilience through strong modern building codes, smart finance, marketplace incentive programs, tax benefits, or innovation.

Practice – to bring together advocates, building and fire code officials, communicators, emergency managers, insurance professionals, journalists, leaders, merchants, meteorologists, product manufacturers, public officials, researchers, scientists, and more.

Stories of Resilience – to showcase the cause of disaster safety through stories of human resilience and recovery in real-life case studies.

The abstract submission deadline is Friday, March 31, 2023.

Click here to learn more and submit an abstract or contact info@flash.org for more information.

Partner News

DFS Announces the Return of the My Safe Florida Home Program

The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced the launch of the My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) program and the opening of the application process for free wind mitigation home inspections and up to $10,000 in storm mitigation grants for Florida homeowners. In October, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis directed the program to be expedited during the procurement process for home inspectors to ensure Floridians can fortify their homes quickly and obtain premium reductions as soon as possible. The agency conducted a soft launch earlier in the month, and the agency has already received over 400 applications by homeowners for inspections. DFS encourages Floridians to take advantage of the home mitigation grant program to harden their home against storms and help lower their property insurance premiums through mandatory storm mitigation discounts. Read More >

Ed Laatsch Named Recipient of Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award

Committee Presented Award At U.S. Celebration Of World Standards Day On October 13

Ed Laatsch, director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA) Planning, Safety, and Building Science Division, has been selected by the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day Planning Committee as the recipient of the prestigious Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award. Members of the U.S. standards and conformance community honored Laatsch during the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day (WSD) on Thursday, October 13, 2022. Read More >

Federal Support for Hurricane Ian Tops $3.69 Billion

WASHINGTON -- More than $3.69 billion in federal grants, disaster loans, and flood insurance payments have been provided to the state of Florida and to households after Hurricane Ian to help survivors jumpstart their recovery.

FEMA has provided $814 million to households and $401 million to the state for emergency response, while the U.S. Small Business Administration has provided $1.2 billion in disaster loans, and the National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.25 billion in claims.

How FEMA is Helping Floridians

FEMA has made individual assistance available to 26 counties in Florida. Residents in Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia counties are eligible to apply for Individual Assistance. The deadline for applications is Jan. 12, 2023. Read More >

International Code Council and Interstate Renewable Energy Council Release Energy Storage Systems Guide

Washington, D.C. – The International Code Council, in collaboration with the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), has released a new guide, Energy Storage Systems: Based on the IBC, IFC, IRC, and NEC, which is now available on IREC’s Clean Energy Clearinghouse. The guide was developed with the help of building officials, emergency services, planners, architects, and engineers to safely plan, design, build, and permit energy storage systems (ESS) in the built environment.

The guide will serve as a reference to a variety of ESS technologies including:

Utility-scale and large commercial-scale ESS projects
Residential and small commercial-scale ESS projects
Fire and explosion risk in battery-based ESS
Key standards for ESS equipment and installations
Applicable codes
Reviewing and inspecting techniques for ESS

Printable checklists for document reviews and inspections are also included. The guide is available as a free PDF download or can be purchased in print. The Code Council will also make the guide available with an ICC Digital Codes Premium Singles or Premium Complete subscription. Read More >

Tune In: National Tropical Weather Conference Live Is a Can't-Miss Discussion

National Tropical Weather Conference Live is a weekly, one-hour livecast hosted by former National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read, Extreme Weather, and Disaster Scientist Hal Needham, KRGV-TV Chief Meteorologist and Vice President of the Storm Science Network Tim Smith, and FOX 29 Chief Meteorologist and CEO of the Storm Science Network Alex Garcia.

The show can be viewed on the National Tropical Weather conference website or on Roku channel NTWC Live on the BOXCAST TV app.

Listen to the podcast, HurricaneCenter on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

To keep up with NTWC programs, join the mailing list.

NOAA, NFWF announce record $136 million for coastal resilience

NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced a record investment in projects that will help communities prepare for increasing coastal flooding and more intense storms while improving thousands of acres of coastal habitats. The funding, in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DOD) and private sector partners, provides more than $136 million to support 88 natural infrastructure projects in 29 states and U.S. territories.

The grants awarded through NFWF’s National Coastal Resilience Fund offsite link will leverage more than $94 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $230 million. When combined with eight grants announced earlier this year, the new grants will push the fund’s total amount awarded to more than $144 million in 2022. Together, these 96 coastal resilience grants will leverage more than $97 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $241 million.

This year’s awards include $93.7 million provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Additional federal agency funding comes from NOAA and the DOD, and private funding is provided by Shell USA, TransRe, and Oxy, with additional funding from the Bezos Earth Fund.

Simpson Strong-Tie Donates $25,000 to Recovery Efforts After Hurricane Ian

Simpson Strong-Tie, the leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, is supporting relief efforts for Hurricane Ian victims in Florida with a donation of $25,000 to the American Red Cross.

On September 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall on the western coast of Florida, quickly becoming the state’s deadliest hurricane in decades, with the death toll at 68 and still rising. The Category 4 storm caused major flooding and high winds. Even well after the storm’s passing, about 430,000 homes and businesses remain without power, and thousands more do not have clean water or cell phone service.

The Red Cross has been providing food, shelter, and comfort to those affected by the storm. More than 80 Red Cross emergency response vehicles have been used to deliver hot meals and relief supplies in the hardest-hit areas. Read More >

USAA Named "Claims Champion of the Year" and "Policyholder Experience Knockout" Award Recipient at Excellence in Insurance Innovation, Sponsored by Insurity

Insurity, a leading provider of cloud-based software for insurance carriers, brokers, and MGAs, announced that USAA is the recipient of the "Claims Champion of the Year" and "Policyholder Experience Knockout" awards at Excellence in Insurance Innovation. The Excellence in Insurance Innovation awards ceremony took place in Las Vegas and recognized the outstanding performances of P&C organizations in categories including exceptional policyholder service, digital transformation, and excellence in data and analytics.

USAA is a Fortune 100 company and top five insurance provider, including personal lines auto and property insurance, and has over 13 million customer members. USAA’s mission is to facilitate the financial security of its members, associates and their families through provision of a full range of highly competitive financial products and services. In so doing, USAA seeks to be the provider of choice for the military community. Read More >