FEMA Region 5

There's a new champ in FEMA Region 5. Fredric Kaehler, snagged the top prize during our annual Chili Cookoff and Holiday party. He says one of the keys to the win was just tossing the ingredients into the pot until the flavor seemed right. "I didn't measure at all," Fred said, as he accepted his award. And, if you're looking to replicate it, be sure to toss in a bit of brown sugar and cumin. Shoutout to all who entered the cookoff! The annual holiday party is one of the few times a year where our staff comes together to laugh, offer a hug or two, recognize milestones, and share pics and stories about what matters most - our families. It's been a busy year, Region 5, and catching up was truly a breath of fresh air. We're sending holiday cheer to each of you - including all of our state, local, and Tribal partners across the region. Take some time to rest as you wrap up the year and plan for what's to come in 2025. #FEMARegion5 #chilicookoff #holidaycheer

We're rounding out the year hiring multiple people to fill various roles in FEMA Region 5. If you've got experience managing grants and staff, check out the Grants Management Specialist position that's currently open. The person who fills this role will supervise a team, review financial status reports, manage disaster funds, write financial closeout reports, and more. Check out the full listing at https://lnkd.in/eHSeNB8A and apply by Dec. 23rd. We're also looking for a few Grants Management Specialists. On any given day, this person might review and evaluate grant applications, analyze grant portfolios and provide guidance to ensure the grants are in compliance with federal regulations and policies. This position closes Dec. 16th. Apply at https://lnkd.in/eDZatuZB Another Grants Management Specialist will serve similar functions but will work alongside our partners in Wisconsin at the state's Emergency Management Agency. If you're interested in this position, check out the job details at https://lnkd.in/eQTe333W and apply by Dec. 23rd. We're also hiring a Management & Program Analyst to work with our Environmental and Historic Preservation team. The ideal candidate will have experience analyzing and presenting data, providing recommendations for process improvements, and managing program budgets. If you or someone you know is interested, apply at https://lnkd.in/eYKRDs8d by Dec. 26th. If you're a Planning expert, join our Incident Management Assistance Team to help survivors before, during, and after major disasters. We are looking for a Planning Unit Leader to implement the planning process by collaborating with diverse groups of stakeholders during disasters. This role requires extensive travel to support disasters response and recovery. Get more details at https://lnkd.in/ehNDGcaY and apply by Dec. 23rd. #Career #EmJobs #JoinOurTeam #FEMA

Thank you Tanita Williams, Shelley Mutrie and Nick Biggs for your steadfast dedication to helping storm survivors in Illinois - who have been navigating a way forward after severe storms, floods, tornadoes and straight-line winds hit their homes earlier this year. Special shout out to the FEMA staff from other areas of the country who have joined us on this mission. Your efforts to reach out to survivors directly to answer their questions, work their cases, and ensure our systems are operating appropriately have helped put an additional $861,000 in their hands. This is what our work is about - helping people. Before, during, and after disaster. Your work is extremely meaningful, and we appreciate having you on the FEMA Region 5 team. #WeServe #SupportingSurvivors #WhereIsFEMARegion5

Our teams have been focused on helping disaster survivors find a way forward in their hardest days. More than 100 of our Regional personnel are deployed, assisting with recovery efforts in Illinois, Minnesota, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida. Our Regional Administrator, Thomas Sivak, has the details on what we've been up to both in the field and in the region. #HelpingSurvivors #BeforeDuringAndAfter #FEMARegion5

In FEMA Region 5, we're focused on serving survivors and helping them in their most challenging days. We offer resources to help them rebuild and insight on how they can prepare in multiple areas - before, during, and after disaster. We're looking for a few great people to join our mission. Our Mitigation Division is looking to hire someone in a supervisory role to serve as a Branch Chief. This person will manage staff, support disaster operations, oversee mitigation programs in the field, ensure that our program delivery is equitable, and more. If this sounds like an opportunity for you or someone you know, be sure to apply by November 4: https://lnkd.in/eV5E94wJ The Mitigation Division is also looking to hire an Environmental Protection Specialist who will assist in making program and operational decisions, assist with environmental planning, ensure mitigation projects are in compliance with applicable environmental laws, provide technical advice to leadership, and more. If interested, check out the full job description and submit your application by November 11: https://lnkd.in/ebyCtPWk. #Career #EmJobs #JoinOurTeam #FEMA

Today, more than half of the FEMA Region 5 team is on the frontlines - in the field, working to bring a bit of hope to storm survivors across the nation who are facing some of their most challenging days. We're serving in essential roles across nearly every aspect of disaster response and recovery - from External Affairs and Logistics to Operations, Information Technology, Hazard Mitigation, Field Leadership, and Long-Term Recovery. We're even going door-to-door with Disaster Survivor Assistance crews to help survivors apply for assistance. We're working tirelessly to support our fellow regions and, most importantly, the survivors who are trying to find a way forward. More than 100 people from the R5 team are supporting disaster efforts in Illinois and Minnesota - alongside our incredible reserve staff, and nearly 50 staff members are providing critical support to Southern states that were impacted by Hurricane Helene. Our entire Incident Management Assistance Team is deployed and even those who serve in senior leadership roles are in the field working to ensure survivors have access to resources that will help ease concerns about where they will lay their heads, what they will eat, and how they can make it through the next few months. Our Regional Administrator, Thomas Sivak, supported these direct efforts, focused on innovative ways to help expand initial recovery conversations along with state and federal partners. Survivors have tapped into more than $800 million in areas where our teams are working. But for us, it's so much more than helping spur the process for financial relief. Our teams are driven by opportunities to offer a word of encouragement, an ear to listen, and some days even a hug to help survivors make it through the moment. We could not be prouder of our Region 5 team. Their dedication to FEMA’s mission is unwavering. FEMA’s core values are at the heart of the mission - Compassion, Fairness, Integrity, and Respect. It’s these values that continue to guide our commitment to service. THANK YOU, Region 5. #FEMA #Region5 #DisasterResponse #EmergencyManagement #FEMACoreValues #HurricaneHelene #DisasterRecovery #EmergencySupport #ProudToServe #MissionDriven

Rebuilding after disaster is often a long road. But our Hazard Mitigation teams are steadfast in making sure survivors have tips and tools that can help them build their homes and property stronger and more resilient than it was before disaster hit. Our teams are meeting survivors where they're at - they are in disaster recovery centers, at high school football games, community fairs, parades and other events, with a keen eye on helping those who need assistance. Thank you Celine Carus, Lauren E. Pruitt, Hjalmar Breit, Antowanna Carpenter, Yunsu Kim, Laurie Smith-Kuypers, Sam S., Josephine Helland, Tselane Hatter, Steve Cooper and all who are contributing to this mission. We value you and all you contribute to this team and to Illinois survivors. #WeServe #SupportingSurvivors #WhereIsFEMARegion5

Messaging is critical in the immediate aftermath of disaster and making sure survivors know how FEMA can assist on their road to recovery is an essential part of what we do. Thank you Dan, for working to put accurate and timely information in the hands of North Carolinians who are trying to navigate these very difficult days. Your efforts are certainly easing their burdens. To date, more than 77,000 survivors in North Carolina have received nearly $100 million to buy food, pay for a hotel, replace prescription medications that were lost in the storm, buy diapers for their babies, and so much more. Thank you for your commitment to this mission. We appreciate you and are thankful to have you on the FEMA Region 5 team. #WeServe #SupportingSurvivors #WhereIsFEMARegion5

THANK YOU to our Incident Management Assistance Team which hit the ground in South Carolina just days after Hurricane Helene hit with a force that left nearly 50 people dead across the state. The team had had just a few hours of sleep when they arrived in South Carolina but, they stepped off their planes with a mission to bring hope and resources to survivors who've lost so much. Our team worked closely with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division to coordinate plans that ensured power was restored and that roads were reopened and safe to travel. They're also helping build out recovery centers where survivors can speak face-to-face with a FEMA rep to get the help they need. To date, more than $106 million is in the hands of South Carolinians who are trying to piece their lives back together. We are just one part of this effort. And we are thankful to have a hand in this rebuilding process. To our team - Darrin Ricketts, Natalie Dybsky, Craig Browning, Don Wenschhof III, Daniel Fink, Warren Daniels, Miguel Ramos, Henry James, Rick Saucedo, Alex Fonteyn, Jenn Brewer, and Rob Cassas - THANK YOU for your unwavering support to this mission and for keeping your eyes on serving with compassion, fairness, integrity, and respect. #WeAreFEMA #WeServe #SupportingSurvivors #WhereIsFEMARegion5

About half of the FEMA Region 5 team is out in the field supporting recovery efforts for disasters that have rocked communities across the nation. From Illinois to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, our teams are focused on making sure storm survivors have access to grant funds that will help them pay for hotels, temporary housing, food, diapers, medication and other necessities. Our Regional Administrator, Thomas Sivak, is leading the team by example. After Hurricane Helene left North Carolina towns and cities in shambles, Tom deployed to support the state and other partners on a mission to assess damage and identify long term needs. Working with Jim McPherson, the goal is to build out a plan that will help North Carolinians put their lives and communities back together over the long haul. FEMA will be with them as long as they need us. This is who we are. This is what we train for. This is the mission we proudly push forward. Thank you, Tom. And to every single person who leaves their own family to serve those who are experiencing their hardest days. THANK YOU. #WeServe #SupportingSurvivors #WhereIsFEMARegion5