The Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) invites residents to join the “Ready Montgomery Seminar” at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. The seminar and training session will encourage residents to think beyond the traditional steps for emergency preparedness. It will introduce ways they can be active participants in their safety and the safety of those around them in the event of an emergency or during a disaster.
The Wheaton Community Recreation Center is located at 11701 Georgia Avenue Silver Spring. Registration for the event is required. Residents 14-and-over are encouraged to participate.
“From weather-related hazards like flash flooding and heat to personal health emergencies, being trained and prepared can mean the difference between life and death,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The Ready Montgomery Seminar will raise the level of preparedness in our community and make Montgomery County a safer place for all of our residents.”
The Ready Montgomery Seminar will be presented in partnership with the Montgomery County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and will provide abridged demonstrations and hands-on breakout training sessions on Narcan administration for opiate overdose; hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); bleeding control; active assailant response; and how to make an emergency plan, assemble an emergency kit, prepare for a changing climate and other emergency preparedness measures.
“The Ready Montgomery Seminar and emergency preparedness training day is about empowering Montgomery County residents with the skills they need to act swiftly and effectively when an unexpected event occurs,” said OEMHS Director Luke Hodgson. “By learning hands-on techniques like Narcan administration, hands-only CPR bleeding control and how to prepare families for disaster, our community members are taking the necessary steps to help our community during emergencies or disasters.”
OEMHS is encouraging residents and members of community organizations and other Montgomery County entities to attend the event.
The impact of climate change is already being felt in our
community, with more frequent heat emergencies, severe storms, flash floods and
droughts posing the greatest threats. Those threats can disproportionately
impact some of our highest risk communities, those with a reduced capacity to
adapt because of historical disinvestment and the marginalization of people of
color, immigrants, refugees and low-income residents. These communities can
experience more exposure and risk from climate hazards with limited resources
to mitigate the impacts. Resilience hubs can help.
As Montgomery County continues its work to reduce Green
House Gas (GHG) emissions and address climate-related risks through the Climate Action Plan, it
will hold a free workshop on Tuesday, May 21, on the role resilience hubs can
play in helping our community adapt and thrive. The “Resilience
Hub Workshop” will be from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic
Building, which is located at 1 Veterans Pl. in Downtown Silver Spring.
Resilience hubs are trusted gathering spaces that are
enhanced that are enhanced with solar microgrids and energy efficiency
improvements to ensure they stay operational during interruptions to the power
grid. They support and engage residents, distribute resources and reduce carbon
pollution while enhancing quality of life and assisting communities before,
during and after emergencies to minimize impacts and recover quickly. A
resilience hub may be located at a recreation center, faith-based or nonprofit
facility or multi-family housing building. They are designed to help
communities adapt to a changing climate and thrive.
The County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland
Security, in partnership with the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency
Response System and guidance from the Urban Sustainability Directors Network,
will host the workshop.
The workshop will be a dynamic, participatory training about
the underlying concepts and framework for building out effective resilience
hubs. It will feature discussions with experts about what a great resilience
hub looks like, and what is already happening locally. Panels will focus on how
to forge partnerships and maneuver logistical and financial hurdles in the
development of resilience hubs. Participants from County agencies, as well as
local nonprofit and faith-based partner organizations, are encouraged to
attend.
Learn more here about the workshop and register
now.
September is “National Preparedness Month” and Montgomery County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) are joining with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) in encouraging residents to be prepared for all emergencies.
This year’s national preparedness campaign theme is “A Lasting Legacy: The life you have built is worth protecting. Prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family.”
Preparing before an emergency is one of the best means of protection from the financial and emotional effects of an emergency.
During National Preparedness Month, residents should build an emergency kit, make a plan, educate and involve young family members in preparedness and know how to take practical safety steps like shutting off water and gas in your home.
National Preparedness Month also is a good time to check insurance policies for what types of coverage are included. Residents should know the levels of coverage they have for possible incidents such as floods, earthquakes, extreme heat and tornadoes. Flooding is the most common hazard in Maryland. The best financial protection is to be properly insured for property owners and renters. Typically, flood damage is not covered by property insurance.
OEMHS recommends four steps for emergency preparedness:
Stay Informed: Know what kind of hazards you are susceptible to, and how to get information about emergencies that are occurring in your area. Subscribe to Alert Montgomery, which sends emails and texts to cell phones so that you stay informed about severe weather, traffic disruptions, power outages and floods.
Make a plan: Take time to figure out how to reach your family in times of disaster. Do you have an in-town contact, as well as an out-of-town contact? These are important because it may be easier to reach someone out of town during an emergency due to potential overloaded phone lines in the affected area. Have two places for the family to meet in case you need to evacuate—one outside the home in a safe location and one outside the neighborhood in case you cannot return home. Be sure the plan considers children, older adults, pets and those with access and functional needs. More information about emergency planning can be found on the OEMHS Planning for Emergencies website.
Make a Kit: Think about needs for basic survival and make an emergency supply kit to have those needs readily available in case of the need to evacuate or shelter in place. Items that should be in the kit include water, batteries, flashlight, food, clothes and shoes, can opener, hygiene products, medication and others. For a more complete list, Check the OEMHS Make a Kit website.
Get Involved: Help others prepare. Once your plan and emergency kit are ready, contact older relatives, neighbors and friends to assist them with emergency preparations. Plan to check on them after an event. Support neighborhood associations that are involved in emergency response or join an emergency volunteer association. Getting CPR and first aid certified are good ways that could help in an emergency. More information about community preparedness can be found on the OEMHS Get Involved website.
Throughout the month, emergency preparedness tips will be provided on County and OEMHS twitter feeds and County and OEMHS Facebook pages.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, County Council President Gabe Albornoz and members of the Council joined nonprofit and faith leaders this week to announce 61 recipients received grants totaling $700,000 to improve security and deter hate crimes through the County’s Nonprofit Security Grants program.
The County Council approved $700,000 in May 2021 to be available in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget for nonprofit organizations and facilities that have experienced, or are at high risk of experiencing, hate crimes. The grants were made available to augment funds for security personnel or other security planning and training measures. Faith-based facilities at risk of hate crimes were also eligible to apply. The funds are administered by the County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS).
“Coming on the heels of the terrifying hostage-taking at a synagogue in Texas, recent vandalism at a mosque here in our community, and acts of violence against Asian-Americans across the country, these nonprofit security grants are further affirmation of Montgomery County’s unwavering support for our neighbors of every religion, race and ethnicity, and for those organizations who serve them,” said County Executive Elrich. “These grants demonstrate our steadfast commitment to protect basic human rights. Sadly, hatred, stirred further by dangerous rhetoric and conspiracy theories, continues to engender threats and acts of violence. These grants will provide nonprofit and faith organizations with additional resources to enhance the security of their facilities and the safety of our residents and neighbors.”
Council President Albornoz said: “In the wake of recent attacks of hate and domestic terrorism in communities across our country, we in Montgomery County are stepping up to help our partners who are at risk of violence. By providing additional funding to these organizations, we aim to help and protect them against targeted acts of hate and violence. Our diversity is our strength, and no one should be under attack based on race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. This is the Montgomery Way.”
Councilmember Andrew Friedson said: “Locally and nationally, we continue to see an alarming rise of abhorrent acts of hate, bigotry and violence, including recent events like the Congregation Beth Israel hostage situation in Colleyville, Texas, and the distribution of antisemitic fliers in the Forest Estates community of Silver Spring. In Montgomery County, we have a community of diverse residents who wish to practice our faiths and cultures freely. Schools and places of worship should be sanctuaries of peace and acceptance, not fear and violence. While we regret that this program is so needed at this time, I am proud to have worked with the Executive Branch and community partners to establish this grant program so we can provide added security for our residents.”
In addition to the grant funding, OEMHS and County Police continue to provide support to all organizations who indicate the need for assistance with security. The County provides classes, assessments and training specifically designed for nonprofit and faith-based facilities. OEMHS regularly offers a Securing Houses of Worship training for local religious facilities.
“These trainings help facilities evaluate and better secure their physical structures, develop plans for responding to threats and emergencies and better prepare to protect themselves and their communities,” said Marianne Sounders, acting director of OEMHS. “Everyone has a right to work, live and worship in safety and security and we are happy to do our part to help.”
For information on CRASE trainings or facility assessment assistance, contact the Police Dppartment’s Community Engagement Division at MCPD_Engaged@Montgomerycountymd.gov.
To qualify for grant funding, applying facilities were required to be in Montgomery County and be nonprofit organizations or religious facilities experiencing threats or hate crimes or at significant risk of being targets of a hate crime as representatives of frequently targeted groups.
All grant awardees are IRS registered 501(c)3, tax-exempt nonprofit organizations in good standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation or religious organizations in good standing. Funds can only be used to provide security support for facilities located within the County. Organizations with more than one facility in the County were permitted to apply for grants separately for each physical location.
Recipients of
the Nonprofit Security Grants were:
Facility
Grant Award
Alef Bet Montessori School
$16,000.00
Alim Academy
$16,000.00
Bender JCC of Greater Washington
$16,000.00
Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah
$16,000.00
Bethesda Jewish Congregation
$13,392.00
B'nai Shalom of Olney
$16,000.00
Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church
$14,000.00
Bridge City Church
$3,510.00
Chabad Lubavitch of Upper Montgomery County
$8,000.00
Chabad of Bethesda
$13,600.00
Chabad of Potomac Village
$13,600.00
Chabad of Silver Spring
$6,800.00
Chabad Shul of Potomac
$13,600.00
Chinese Culture and Community Service Center
$8,840.00
Chinese Culture and Community Service Center Academy
$2,250.00
Colesville United Methodist Church
$6,750.00
Congregation and Talmud Torah B’nai Israel of the Washington DC Metro Area
$13,600.00
Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County
$16,000.00
Congregation B'nai Tzedek
$16,000.00
Congregation Har Tzeon-Agudath Achim
$8,000.00
Ezras Israel Congregation of Rockville
$13,600.00
Garden of Remembrance Memorial Park
$4,488.00
Hebrew Home of Greater Washington
$13,600.00
HIAS
$3,400.00
Islamic Center of Maryland
$16,000.00
Islamic Education Center
$16,000.00
Islamic Society of Germantown
$3,400.00
Jewish Residents of Leisure World
$5,850.24
Kehila Chadasha
$2,550.00
Kehilat Pardes -- The Rock Creek Synagogue
$13,600.00
Kol Shalom
$15,206.40
Kunzang Odsal Palyul Changchub Choling_The World Prayer Center
$8,800.00
Magen David Sephardic Congregation
$13,600.00
Melvin J Berman Hebrew Academy
$13,600.00
Menare Foundation
$10,000.00
Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless
$4,500.00
Montgomery County Muslim Foundation
$7,280.00
Muslim Community Center
$16,000.00
Ohr Kodesh Congregation
$16,000.00
Orthodox Congregation of Silver Spring
$14,000.00
Shaare Torah
$13,600.00
Southwest Hebrew Congregation
$9,000.00
Temple Beth Ami
$16,000.00
Temple Emanuel
$13,600.00
Temple Shalom
$3,519.00
The Charles E Smith Jewish Day School of Greater Washington - Lower School
$16,000.00
The Charles E Smith Jewish Day School of Greater Washington - Upper School
$16,000.00
The Ivymount School
$1,350.00
The Kemp Mill Synagogue
$13,600.00
Tikvat Israel Congregation
$13,840.00
Torah School of Greater Washington
$16,000.00
US International Development Center
$9,000.00
US Zen Institute
$16,000.00
Woodside Synagogue Ahavat Torah
$6,500.36
Yeshiva of Greater Washington - Boys High School
$13,600.00
Yeshiva of Greater Washington - Boys Middle School
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