The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) has established AVMF individual Reimbursement and Relief awards (grant programs) to assist veterinarians in the wake of a disaster. The Veterinary Practice Relief program and the Disaster Veterinary Animal Care Reimbursement program were created in 2005 in response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster to ensure veterinary care to the animal victims of a disaster.

Veterinarians affected directly by disaster can apply for up to $2,000 in assistance. Those who incur costs by offering veterinary medical services to the animal victims of disaster can apply for up to $5,000 in assistance.

Click for additional information on these grants:

• http://www.avmf.org/whatwedo/disaster-veterinary-practice-relief/
• http://www.avmf.org/whatwedo/disaster-veterinary-animal-care-reimbursement/

- Information provided by EDEN delegate, Extension Veterinarian Roberta Dwyer (KY).

The FEMA Mitigation Safe Room Policy provides guidance on the use of HMA funding for extreme wind mitigation activities including safe rooms under the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program (PDM) and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

• Mitigation Interim Policy, MRR-2-09-1, "Hazard Mitigation Assistance for Safe Rooms" - 04/30/2009
• Memo to waive elements of sections VII. D. and VII. E. of the Safe Room Policy  - 2/7/2012

"The 2012 waiver will allow costs associated with land acquisition to be an eligible project cost and eliminates the requirement for FEMA to review draft operations and maintenance plans prior to project approval. "  - FEMA email blast 3/8/2012.

March 6: Pat Skinner (LA) reported March 6 that Louisiana is using the EDEN Tornado page for Acadia Parish, where an EF2 Tornado struck Saturday, March 5 killing one and injuring a dozen. Over 120 building are reported to be severely damaged, including the local high school. The impact on Extension or its facilities was not known at the time.

For the March tornado and high, high wind events, please choose "Winter Storms - 2011" in the Response Notes "Event Name" drop box.

Spring Tornadoes

April and May  2011 tornadoes in the southeast and midwest set new records for death and destruction in the Unitied States.  June saw it's first deadly tornado touch down June 1 in Springfield, MA.

EDEN tracked the April, May and June events separately. See these subpages:

• April 2011 Series - Southeast U.S. most intense in Tuscaloosa, AL, multiple states in the sequence
• May 2011 Series - Midwest, most intense in Joplin, MO, multiple states in the sequence
• June 2011 Series - Northeast - began June 1 in Springfield, MA.

EDEN worked with the National Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) about a possible webinar on safe rooms, to involve FEMA, Extension and our VOAD state and national partners. While no webinar emerged, two fact sheets were produced.