FEMA ADVISORY – April 19, 2020                                                                         

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic:
Whole-of-America Response

Attached you will find today’s FEMA Daily Briefing Points for the Whole-of-America response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These briefing points include Topline Messages, as well as Supply Chain Task Force; By the Numbers; FEMA and Department of Health and Human Services Response; and Guidance from Federal Agencies.

Topline messaging includes:

• On April 16, President Trump released Guidelines for Opening America Up Again, providing a plan for rolling back social distancing measures and reopening the country’s economy in several phases, depending on location.
  • Under the guidelines, states will need to meet six metrics that include demonstrating a downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases over a 14-day period and a robust system for testing health care workers before they can proceed to a phased opening.
  • The guidelines also outline state responsibilities to have in place before moving into a reopening plan: protecting workers in critical industry, particularly protecting the most vulnerable, those who live and work in senior care facilities, and having a plan for testing symptomatic individuals with a focus on vulnerable populations. 
  • The federal government will continue to work with governors across the country to ensure that they have the equipment and the supplies and the testing resources to reopen safely and responsibly. 
• As of April 18, FEMA, HHS, and the private sector combined have coordinated the delivery of or are currently shipping: 55.8 million N95 respirators, 77.1 million surgical masks, 6.1 million face shields, 11.4 million surgical gowns, 564 million gloves, 10,998 ventilators and 8,450 federal medical station beds.
  • FEMA continues to expedite movement of commercially pre-sourced and commercially procured critical supplies from the global market to medical distributors in various locations across the U.S. through Project Airbridge.
  • On April 17, Vice President Pence issued a letter to the nation’s governors summarizing all the medical equipment and supplies that have been distributed to each state from FEMA between the first of this month and April 14th through Project Airbridge and through the commercial supply network.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), an immediate relief program that provides $19 billion in support to farmers and ranchers, maintains the integrity of our food supply chain and ensures access to food for those in need.
  • Direct support to farmers and ranchers provides $16 billion based on actual losses for agricultural producers.
  • USDA will partner with regional and local distributers to purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat products. The distributers and wholesalers will provide these items to food banks, community and faith-based organizations and other non-profits serving people in need.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact FEMA Office of External Affairs, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Division:

• Congressional Affairs at (202) 646-4500 or at FEMA-Congressional-Affairs@fema.dhs.gov
• Intergovernmental Affairs at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-IGA@fema.dhs.gov
• Tribal Affairs at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-Tribal@fema.dhs.gov
• Private Sector Engagement at (202) 646-3444 or at nbeoc@max.gov.

Follow Us

Follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA online, on Twitter @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol, on FEMA Facebook page or FEMA Espanol page and at FEMA YouTube channel.

Also, follow Administrator Pete Gaynor on Twitter @FEMA_Pete.

FEMA Mission

To help people before, during and after disasters.

• ESF15_DailyBriefingPoints_20200419 FINAL.pdf
• FEMA_Advisory_COVID19DailyBriefingPoints_20200419.pdf

FEMA ADVISORY – April 19, 2020   

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Best Practices  

FEMA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are collecting and sharing best practices and lessons learned from the whole-of-America response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  The best practices are intended to help medical practitioners, emergency managers, and other critical stakeholders learn from each other’s approaches and apply solutions to current response and recovery operations.

The  FEMA Coronavirus Emergency Management Best Practices page provides a one-stop shop to explore best practices and lessons learned across all levels of government, private sector, academic institutions, professional associations, and other organizations.  HHS has a comprehensive Novel Coronavirus Resources page that highlights technical resources and information for the medical community and emergency responders. 

Best practices are organized around five themes:

• Helping People, which includes best practices on topics such as crisis counseling resources and anticipating and attending to civil rights;
• Government Operations best practices such as public information and continuity of operations considerations;
• Private Sector and Infrastructure, which includes best practices for commercial trucking and food stores;
• Recovery Planning and Implementation, to include the newly released FEMA Disaster Financial Management Guide and economic recovery considerations; and
• Medical Supplies and Equipment, including best practices for the preservation of personal protective equipment while ensuring workers are protected.

Please visit www.coronavirus.gov for current health-related guidance and information on COVID-19.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact FEMA Office of External Affairs, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Division:

• Congressional Affairs at (202) 646-4500 or at FEMA-Congressional-Affairs@fema.dhs.gov
• Intergovernmental Affairs at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-IGA@fema.dhs.gov
• Tribal Affairs at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-Tribal@fema.dhs.gov
• Private Sector Engagement at (202) 646-3444 or at nbeoc@max.gov.

Follow Us

Follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA online, on Twitter @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol, on FEMA Facebook page or FEMA Espanol page and at FEMA YouTube channel.

Also, follow Administrator Pete Gaynor on Twitter @FEMA_Pete.

FEMA Mission

To help people before, during and after disasters.

• FEMA_Advisory_COVID19_Best Practices_20200419.pdf