OCS DCL 2022-18 OCS Launches the Disaster Flexibilities Hub and Celebrates National Preparedness Month

Publication Date: September 14, 2022
Current as of:

Office of Community Services

Dear Colleague Letter

DCL#:  OCS-DCL-2022-18

DATE:  September 14, 2022

TO:  OCS Grant Recipients, Partners, and Stakeholders

SUBJECT:  OCS Launches the Disaster Flexibilities Hub and Celebrates National Preparedness Month

ATTACHMENT(S):  N/A

Dear Colleagues,

The Office of Community Services (OCS) is committed to supporting grant recipients with disaster relief and recovery efforts that address the critical needs of people and communities with low-incomes. The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) is to notify grant recipients, partners, stakeholders, and other interested parties that OCS has released a novel Disaster Flexibilities Hub  to help support grant recipients, individuals, and families during emergencies and natural disasters. The Disaster Flexibilities Hub is an information management tool that visually tracks and displays key data, guidance, and resources on declared disasters, disaster preparedness efforts, and the flexibilities built into OCS’ block grant programs. The hub includes spotlight videos showcasing how OCS grant recipients have utilized program flexibilities during water crises, heat waves, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. It also includes a tab to help individuals and families find assistance in their communities.

Navigating Disasters with the Office of Community Services

Did you know that OCS provides grant recipients with the flexibility to adjust and redirect funding in the event of a disaster? Last year, OCS also started connecting the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Low Income Household Water Program (LIHWAP), and Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) program administrators to aid them in leveraging funding across OCS programs and in developing integrated emergency preparedness plans. The Disaster Flexibilities Hub will help to continue these efforts by providing resources and information about OCS program flexibilities in one centralized location and encouraging grant recipients and subrecipients throughout the country to break down siloes by proactively engaging with one another on disaster preparedness and recovery efforts.

This release comes at an important time, as the country recognizes National Preparedness Month and continues to grapple with the increasing frequency of natural disasters due to climate change.

Key Features

The hub includes tools to help with disaster preparedness and recovery, including:

  • A Live Weather Activity Dashboard, searchable from a national to county level, which includes:
    • Detailed information on current weather activities and warnings
    • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared incidents
    • Population characteristics, including key identifiers for social vulnerability
  • A searchable program locator to identify the nationwide network of OCS-funded grant recipients and subrecipients that are ready to assist during a disaster
    •  Featured OCS programs include CSBG, LIHEAP, LIHWAP, and SSBG
  • An inventory of OCS’ disaster flexibilities guidance for all applicable OCS programs
  • Informational videos on OCS program basics and how the programs help communities following a disaster
  • Current social media content from the National Weather Service , the Federal Emergency Management Agency , ACF’s Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response , and ACF’s Office of Community Services
  • Program contacts at the state, Tribal, and local levels for OCS programs
  • Links to tips from Ready.gov and other federal sources to support disaster preparation
  • Disaster preparedness checklists for supporting beneficiaries
  • A sample self-attestation template
  • An Individual and Family Assistance tab that provides pertinent information for program beneficiaries, including:
  • And much more…

Accessing the Disaster Flexibilities Hub

To access the Disaster Flexibilities Hub , OCS recommends using either a Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser to ensure all content properly loads.

Please share this new resource widely and be sure to follow OCS (@OCS_ACFgov ) on Twitter as we continue to celebrate National Preparedness Month this September.

We encourage you to explore all of the exciting features the hub has to offer, and we invite you to share it widely. The hub will continue to update as situations evolve and new data becomes available, so we recommend bookmarking it for continued, future use.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS partners.

/s/
Dr. Lanikque Howard
Director
Office of Community Services