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Response and Recovery

Last Updated: October 16, 2022 | Press Releases

Statement by Secretary Mayorkas on the Approval of a Jones Act Waiver for Puerto Rico

Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas released the following statement announcing that the Department of Homeland Security has approved a temporary and targeted Jones Act Waiver in order to address Puerto Rico’s needs as recovery efforts from Hurricane Fiona continue.

Last Updated: September 28, 2022 | Press Releases

Statement by Secretary Mayorkas on the Approval of a Jones Act Waiver for Puerto Rico

Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas released the following statement on the announcement that the Department of Homeland Security will approve a temporary and targeted Jones Act Waiver in order to address Puerto Rico’s immediate needs in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.

Last Updated: September 21, 2022 | Press Releases

Readout of Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas’ Participation in FEMA’s Daily Interagency Briefing on the Federal Response to Fiona’s Impact on Puerto Rico

Today, as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) teams fanned out across Puerto Rico to assess the damage from Hurricane Fiona, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas joined FEMA Associate Administrator for Response and Recovery Anne Bink and senior FEMA leadership at the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters for a briefing on the latest disaster response actions underway in support of the government of Puerto Rico.  

Last Updated: August 1, 2022 | Publication

Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Emergency Relief Truck Fact Sheet

Through an interagency collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Defense, and Cummings, Inc., an advanced hydrogen (H2) fuel cell truck prototype—known as H2Rescue—is being developed and testedy.

Last Updated: May 19, 2022 | Site Page

Disaster Recovery

Natural disasters are a significant cause of fatalities and economic loss in the United States with recovery as the most expensive and time-consuming phase of disaster management. DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Community and Infrastructure Resilience Program (C&IR) began the Disaster Response project to develop new processes, products, and standards that will improve operations and outcomes within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its state, local, tribal, and territorial partners.

Last Updated: February 10, 2022 | Publication

ST-Radiological Data Quality Assessment Toolkit

To help assure data quality in the aftermath of a radiological or nuclear incident, S&T’s NUSTL in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is developing a set of manuals, quick reference guides, spreadsheets, checklists, and other tools and technical guidance.

Last Updated: February 10, 2022 | Publication

S&T-Wide-Area Background Radiation Survey

S&T’s NUSTL, in conjunction with DOE National Nuclear Security Administration and several DOE national laboratories, is developing a set of processes and procedures that will make it easier to plan and perform wide-area background radiation surveys. 

Last Updated: January 5, 2022 | Publication

S&T Preparing for Rad Incident Recovery Fact Sheet

Following a radiological incident – such as a radiological dispersal device (RDD) detonation – community leaders would face many challenges, from determining the boundaries of potential radioactive contamination spread to restoring public access to those areas. 

Last Updated: August 6, 2021 | Blog

OBIM Biometric Examiners Identify 19 Victims of Surfside Building Collapse

As local, state, and federal agencies converged to assist in recovery efforts, the Miami-Dade Police Department contacted the DHS Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) Biometric Support Center (BSC) to help provide positive identification of residents during the recovery efforts.

Last Updated: April 15, 2020 | Publication

ST-Single Automated Business Exchange for Reporting Factsheet

The Single Automated Business Exchange for Reporting (SABER) is a tool that allows organizations to share real-time business status information directly with response and recovery agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency.