Vice President Kamala Harris, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced the selections for $1.16 billion in climate resilience funding through two competitive grant programs to help communities across the nation enhance climate and disaster resiliency.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Secretary Xavier Becerra has elevated the existing Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) from a staff division to an operating division, taking on the new name of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). This change will allow ASPR to mobilize a coordinated national response more effectively and efficiently during future disasters and emergencies in close collaboration with its sister agencies.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the Office of Health Security, a new office that will serve as the principal medical, workforce health and safety, and public health authority for DHS.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) have released new resources to help local officials and emergency managers protect older adults in their communities before, during and after natural disasters and support communities in mitigating the effects of extreme weather events.
In September 2021, DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, announced a new series of prize competitions focused on strengthening nationwide resilience to climate change. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the winners of the Cooling Solutions Challenge prize competition.
The Department of Homeland Security Science (DHS) and Technology Directorate announced that its Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) opened a new experimental Chemical Security Laboratory in partnership with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. This new space will help CSAC’s team of DHS and Army experts validate scientific data and produce findings that are essential to national readiness.
he U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced it will commit up to $24 million for research grants through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative and the National Science Foundation Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program. These grants will support research that directly aligns with APHIS’ American Rescue Plan strategic framework and will support APHIS and its One Health partners’ efforts to identify risks and plan effective interventions to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the human-animal interface and to prevent impacts to the food supply.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 to include use in children down to 6 months of age.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate funded the development of a cloud-based capability that enables first responders to review and analyze indoor floor plans in real-time when responding to incidents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has published the Resilient Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Reference Architecture. The document incorporates modern cybersecurity principles to provide concepts and examples for building Next Generation Resilient PNT systems against current and future threats.
