Central HAZUS User Group (CHUG)

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Contact CHUG

Kevin Mickey
Director, Professional Education and Outreach
The Polis Center
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
1200 Waterway Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46202
p: 317.278.2582
f: 317.278.1830
e: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Jonathan Sorg, CFM
Environmental Specialist
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Water
Flood Management Program
2045 Morse Road
Columbus, OH 43229
Phone: 614-265-6780
Fax: 614-265-6767
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

What We Do

The CHUG (Central HAZUS Users Group) was formed with the intent of providing a means of collaboration between HAZUS users within FEMA Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin).  This group looks at software problems, HAZUS projects, and the overall general use of the HAZUS software.  Sharing the successes and failures between users helps to bring the entire region together in planning for natural disasters.

CHUG Mission

The overall goal of the CHUG is to maximize the potential of HAZUS and to get the most out of its results within the region.

News from Region V

FEMA Team Deploys to Michigan to Support State’s Vaccine Distribution Program
FEMA Team Deploys to Michigan to Support State's Vaccine Distribution Program

CHICAGO– A FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) team has deployed to Michigan to assist the state’s efforts in expanding COVID-19 vaccination capacity across the state. The DSA team—consisting of ten FEMA staff with expertise in community outreach—will support state health strike teams across the state starting this week.

“This FEMA team is prepared to fully support Michigan’s vaccine distribution plan,” said Kevin M. Sligh, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “These specialists are an important resource to the state’s overall COVID-19 response, helping to ensure everyone in Michigan who wants a vaccine can get one.”

The DSA team's mission will include assisting the state with creating county health profiles to expand vaccine capacity at the local level and staffing state health strike teams to help communities address shortfalls and expand the vaccine program across Michigan.  

“We truly appreciate the support from our federal partners as we continue our efforts to distribute these vaccines across the state of Michigan,” said Capt. Kevin Sweeney, deputy state director of Emergency Management and commander of the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division. “This will help us to achieve our goal of providing a safe and effective vaccine to everyone who wants one.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, DSA teams were used to build community outreach to educate disaster survivors about the availability of federal disaster assistance and services. DSA teams were virtually deployed to support the mid-Michigan flood disaster last year and these teams also assisted disaster survivors after the 2017 central Michigan flooding.

DSA team members hail from throughout the nation. Like all FEMA personnel, DSA team members can be identified by their official federal photo ID badge. If in doubt, immediately contact your local law enforcement or local emergency number for assistance.

For information on how to make an appointment to receive the vaccine, updates on the state’s plan and eligibility, and answers to frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, go to Michigan.gov/covidvaccine. To learn more about FEMA’s vaccine support mission, go to www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/vaccine-support.

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FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

troy.christensenWed, 02/17/2021 - 16:08
Brown County Residents Invited to Attend Virtual Coastal Flood Map Open House
Brown County Residents Invited to Attend Virtual Coastal Flood Map Open House

CHICAGO– On Feb. 22 and 24, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will host two sessions of a Virtual Coastal Flood Map Open House for the Lake Michigan shoreline communities in Brown County, Wisconsin. The open house will give residents the chance to review preliminary versions of a recently completed Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report and its accompanying preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).

This FIS report and FIRM provide information on the base flood (also known as the 1-percent-annual-chance event) and the shoreline areas that are subject to significant flood hazards. They also offer information that public officials will use when managing development in the floodplain.

At the virtual open houses, representatives from various local, state, and federal agencies will be available to provide the most current information about flood risk, flood insurance, floodplain development regulations, and the process used to map Brown County’s floodplains. The newly prepared maps can be reviewed. Once these maps become effective, they will be used as the basis for flood insurance rates and for local floodplain management ordinances adopted under the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA also encourages public officials to use the effective maps as tools to assist planning processes and outreach efforts and to prepare the community to quickly respond to and recover from future events. Details for the Brown County meetings are as follow:

WHAT:             Brown County, Wisconsin – Virtual Coastal Flood Map Open House meeting

WHEN:            February 22 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. CT

                        Meeting ID: 952 3987 3338, Password: FEMA21

                        February 24 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. CT

                        Meeting ID: 952 3987 3338, Password: FEMA21

                        Note: the same information will be provided at both sessions

WHERE:           https://zoom.us/join

In the United States, 98 percent of counties have experienced a flooding event. Property owners, real estate agents, lenders, and insurance agents are urged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about coastal flood risk and hazard mitigation within their community. Digital files of the Preliminary FIRM and FIS report can be downloaded from www.fema.gov/preliminaryfloodhazarddata. For more information, contact the FEMA News Desk at FEMA-R5-News-Desk@fema.dhs.gov.

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FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

troy.christensenTue, 02/16/2021 - 16:02
FEMA Provides $7.9 Million to Indiana for Vaccine Distribution Support
FEMA Provides $7.9 Million to Indiana for Vaccine Distribution Support

CHICAGO– The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) announced today that $7,973,169 in federal funding has been made available to the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) for costs related to the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic under the federal disaster declaration of March 27, 2020.

This funding is an advance payment to ISDH for eligible reimbursable costs associated with operating more than 200 vaccination sites across the state to rapidly distribute and administer available COVID-19 vaccines.  

“FEMA’s Public Assistance Program is an important resource for states in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kevin M. Sligh, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “This expedited grant funding will increase access to COVID-19 vaccines for individuals in Indiana, helping ensure anyone who wants a vaccine can get one.” “This FEMA assistance will allow Indiana to continue its charge to vaccinate all eligible people as quickly as possible,” said Steve Cox, executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. “Hoosiers are waiting anxiously to get vaccines and move beyond this pandemic, and this assistance will play an important role in helping us to return to some sort of normalcy.”

FEMA provides funding at a 100 percent federal share of eligible reimbursable expenses for this project.

FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides funding to local government jurisdictions and eligible private non-profits for the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged infrastructure as well as costs incurred for emergency actions taken to protect lives or property.  To learn more, visit FEMA’s website at www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit. For more information about FEMA’s COVID-19 vaccine support efforts, visit www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/vaccine-support.

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FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

troy.christensenFri, 02/12/2021 - 20:47

Last updated: March 29, 2024 - 2:48 AM

HUG Announcements

Next CHUG Conference Call is:

May 30, 2012
2:00-3:00pm Eastern Time
“Flood-loss Modeling of Levee Protected Floodplains” by Dr. Jonathan W.F. Remo of the Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
To view the slides, open a web browser and access http://connect.iu.edu/levee/ .  Sign in as a guest.
To listen to the audio portion of the presentation dial in to (317) 278-7008 - Password 746967#

July 18, 2012 1pm Eastern Time
September 6, 2012 1pm Eastern Time
November 15, 2012 1pm Eastern Time

IUPUI Director Earns Homeland Security Award for Emergency Management Education

Book Chapter Published
Emergency Management in Higher Education: Current Practices and Conversations includes a chapter by the 3RiversHUG and CHUG leaders.

 

HUG Resources

Meeting Minutes
View and download minutes from past CHUG meetings.

CHUG Best Practices - HAZUS-MH Project Documentation
Part of the Central HAZUS-MH Users Group Best Practice Series.

New Madrid and Wabash Valley Scenarios

USGS U.S. Earthquake Scenarios and actual earthquakes…

Note to find the shapefiles/geodatabase shake maps for HAZUS click the desired scenario or event (U.S. Only) and then the download link.  These files are towards the right.

View all resources

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