Major Cyber Attack at OMV Vendor, Louisianans Should Act Urgently to Protect Their Identities

June 15, 2023

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana’s Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) is one of a still undetermined number of government entities, major businesses and organizations to be affected by the unprecedented MOVEit data breach.

MOVEit is an industry-leading third party data transfer service used to send large files. It is widely used across the country and around the world, and reports are rapidly emerging of newly discovered exposures of sensitive data in this major international cyber attack.

There is no indication at this time that cyber attackers who breached MOVEit have sold, used, shared or released the OMV data obtained from the MOVEit attack. The cyber attackers have not contacted state government. But all Louisianans should take immediate steps to safeguard their identity.

OMV believes that all Louisianans with a state-issued driver’s license, ID, or car registration have likely had the following data exposed to the cyber attackers:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Social Security Number
  • Birthdate
  • Height
  • Eye Color
  • Driver’s License Number
  • Vehicle Registration Information
  • Handicap Placard Information

Gov. John Bel Edwards met with the Unified Command Group at 11 a.m. Thursday to be briefed on the incident, where he instructed the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV), Louisiana State Police (LSP), and the Office of Technology Services (OTS) to act to inform Louisianans of the breach and their best next steps as soon as possible.

We recommend all Louisianans take the following steps immediately:

  1. Prevent Unauthorized New Account Openings or Loans and Monitor Your Credit

Individuals can freeze and unfreeze their credit for free, which stops others from opening new accounts and borrowing money in your name. Freezing your credit does not prevent the use of any existing credit cards or bank accounts. Freezing your credit may be done quickly online or by contacting the three major credit bureaus by phone:

Experian
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/freeze
Equifax
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
TransUnion
(888) 909-8872
www.transunion.com/credit-freeze 

Please also request and review your credit report from these agencies to look for suspicious activity.

  1. Change All Passwords

As an additional precaution, consider changing all passwords for online accounts (examples: banking, social media, and healthcare portals) in the event your personal data was used to access these accounts. Utilize multi-factor authentication when able. Learn more about password protection at www.CISA.gov.

  1. Protect Your Tax Refund and Returns with the Internal Revenue Service

To prevent someone else from filing returns or receiving your federal tax refund, request an “Identity Protection Pin” from the Internal Revenue Service by signing up at: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin or calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. 

  1. Check your Social Security Benefits

All individuals who are eligible, applied for, and/or are receiving social security benefits (including disability), please consider registering for a ssa.gov account at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ to stop others from stealing your benefits. If you suspect Social Security fraud, call the Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-269-0271, Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or file a complaint online at oig.ssa.gov.

  1. Report Suspected Identity Theft

If you suspect any abnormal activity involving your data, including financial information, contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or visit www.ReportFraud.FTC.gov immediately.

The State of Louisiana will be issuing additional information in the coming days. Additional tips on protecting your data and identity can be found at nextsteps.la.gov and www.IdentityTheft.gov.

GOHSEP Director Casey Tingle will hold a press conference 6/16/23 at 10:30 a.m. to take media questions.

10:30 a.m. – Press Conference
GOHSEP Press Room
7667 Independence Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Private Sector Preparedness Response and Recovery Seminar Series

Private Sector Preparedness Response and Recovery is holding a monthly seminar series titled, “Mass Casualty Impact and Recovery,” which examines how businesses can better prepare, respond and recover from active shooter and other mass casualty events.

See all dates and register – PSPR2 Seminar Series | Eventbrite

Preparing to Apply: Disaster/Hurricane Assistance

Monday, August 15th

5:30 pm -7:30 pm CST

Monroe Civic Center

401 Lea Joyner Memorial Expy.

Monroe, LA 71201

To register :

Preparing to Apply: Disaster/Hurricane Assistance (lsbdc.org)

FREE and OPEN to the Public

 

TOPIC: DISASTER MITIGATION

As Hurricane Season approaches, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continues to prioritize equitably supporting impacted communities through disaster assistance, mitigation, and business preparedness efforts. It is more important than ever for residents and small businesses to remember that the best course of action to limit damage from natural disasters is preparing before the disaster hits.

Topics Include:

* Setting up login.gov for SBA portal

* eligibility requirements for assistance

* required documents

* best practices for approval

* roles for SBA and FEMA

St. Charles Parish officials hope new weather tech will help in storm response and recovery

ST. CHARLES PARISH (WVUE) – It’s been nearly one year since Hurricane Ida made landfall and many are still trying to rebuild. In St. Charles Parish, officials are preparing ahead of the next big storm. They say a new interactive weather station will not only help parish officials with response, but help residents in recovery.

“This is one of 20 weather stations we’ve put out throughout the parish we use internally to help us make decisions when we have severe weather,” said St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell. “So whether that’s being able to monitor rain rates and rain accumulations and being able to use that information when we’re engaging our pumping stations or whether we’re in extreme heat advisories and we need to make sure our employees are aware who are working out in the field.”

Jewell said the new weather station technology by WeatherSTEM was installed at the parish’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), thanks to a grant from the Department of Homeland Security – State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), “which provides funding that supports the implementation of instrumentation dedicated to enhancing resilience against manmade and natural disaster threats.”

He said it will not only help parish officials in making real-time decisions but it’s also public facing, meaning residents will have access to the technology as well.

“One of the big things we saw last year during Hurricane Ida is these insurance companies telling our residents that the weather never got as bad as it did or the wind didn’t get above 80 or 90 mph which simply wasn’t true,” said Jewell.

The new weather station will also store data from past weather events that officials and residents can access.

“This weather station here is ready for 180 mph winds, we have backup generation on it so we know we will be able to collect data from this weather station, we know it’s not going to go down and we know we can give residents the information they need to help fight these insurance companies who are really trying to work over some of these residents.”

When it comes to recovery in St. Charles Parish, Jewell said it’s a long process.

About 80 percent of it got done pretty quickly, and I feel like we’re in that last 20 percent, which is just a day-to-day battle,” he said. “Whether you’re battling with your insurance company or a contractor, or if you didn’t get enough from your insurance company, now it’s not enough to cover materials under this inflation. It’s a constant battle and I think this last 20 percent is going to take a while but we’re taking it one day at a time and that’s just how you gotta get through it.”

In addition to the new weather system, Jewell said the parish is working to repair and enhance all of its technologies and response tools ahead of any major storm that might arise this hurricane season.

“We’re trying to beef up all of our repairs so that they can withstand a Hurricane Ida type of event and we’re also working on a lot of resiliency and redundancy in our critical infrastructure to make sure that when I storm hits, those critical infrastructures don’t go down and we can remain more resilient during the future.”

The weather station offers free weather education for those interested in learning about meteorology and weather events. Click here for more.

Published: Jul. 16, 2022 

Policyholder Bill of Rights

From our friends in the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

The Office of Consumer Advocacy, within the Department of Insurance, is charged with informing, educating, assisting, and inspiring citizens to become more aware of the important role insurance plays their lives. We exist to serve the citizens of Louisiana.

With yet another storm season approaching, the time for citizens to prepare is now. Given the increase in frequency and strength of storms, we recognized the need for a more aggressive, proactive approach to reach as many people as possible. There is a real need to explain how components of an insurance policy, like coverages and limits or exclusions and deductibles, work and why they are critical to protecting their dearest asset. We cover practical ways to minimize or avoid risk. Perhaps most enlightening, we take the mystery out of the claims process and show policyholders what they can do in advance to ensure they are well prepared to navigate it safely, and with less stress. We deliver this service through in-person meetings, multimedia presentations, and virtual events as we continue to explore other channels. We want our citizens to know we are here to help and protect them through the “Policyholders Bill of Rights”.

We have helped thousands of citizens with their post disaster issues. Through our formal complaint process, we have the regulatory power to ensure agents, adjusters, and insurance companies perform ethically under the Louisiana Insurance Code. Our work has been well received and our sessions have provided real, measurable help to citizens.

For more information see link below.

 

Louisiana Department of Insurance

 

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell Speaks at National Hurricane Conference

Release Date:
April 13, 2022

WASHINGTON — Today, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell delivered a speech on hurricane and disaster preparedness at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Below is the Administrator’s speech as prepared for delivery.

Hello, again! It is great to be with you today.

I would like to thank the conference committee for inviting me to speak, and as always, this truly has turned out to be a spectacular event.

I would also like to thank Directors Graham, Guthrie, and Tingle for your leadership and outstanding work you are doing in service to your communities. On behalf of FEMA, we thank you for your trust and your partnership in our shared missions.

Risk, resilience, innovation, and partnerships – this is what I want to talk to you about today.

Risk is something to embrace.

Resilience is our endgame.

Innovation is what will carry us into the future.

And partnerships are something we simply cannot do our jobs without.

After the last few years, the fast-approaching 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season might cause us to feel a sense of hesitation – a sense of “can we just hold off for a couple of more months?”

Perhaps it is because the 2021 season still feels fresh for some of us.

The National Hurricane Center last week issued its final report on Hurricane Ida – a relentless storm that made a calamitous trek from southeast Louisiana all the way up the eastern seaboard.

The report had Ida, Laura and the 1856 Hurricane tied for the strongest storms to hit Louisiana.  Damages from Ida totaled $55 billion dollars in Louisiana – over half of the $75 billion that encompassed damages recorded by 8 other states.

Is this our new normal? Data seems to indicate that it is.

Last week, two other reports were released outlining both the fiscal and physical impacts we can expect to face in this country due to the changing climate.

The Office of Management and Budget estimated climate change could lead to an annual Federal revenue loss at the end of the century of 7.1 percent, which in today’s dollars would equal $2 trillion per year.

And the United Nations Climate Science Panel’s report said that unless global greenhouse gas emissions peak no later than 2025, and are cut by 43% in 2030, the world will likely experience extreme climate events.

Now, does this information cause us to sink back into our seats? Perhaps

But I encourage us to embrace this information – not discount it as alarmist.

We have the world’s top climate scientists working hand-in-hand, nation-to-nation, to arm us with information that can help save lives and protect property.

So, let’s leverage this data and act.

Let’s use it to inspire a collective shift to a future-based mindset across all levels of government and communities nationwide.

Let’s use it to anticipate, plan for, and mitigate risks that are 10, 20, 30 years down the road.

And most importantly, let’s consider this as an opportunity to provide our future generations – like our children and grandchildren – with the chance to thrive in safe, strong, and resilient communities.

Whether rural, urban, or suburban, we are a country of diverse landscapes and diverse people.

Our communities all have unique vulnerabilities, populations, and needs – so we deliver our assistance to meet their needs, not ours.

We must commit ourselves to reducing longstanding barriers to assistance and delivering equitable outcomes for all survivors.

We have done this at FEMA in part through bold policy changes to our individual assistance program.

For instance, we expanded the types of ownership and occupancy documentation we can accept from survivors who previously struggled to provide the information due to a property being informally passed down through heirship.

This policy change led to over $300 million dollars in the pockets of almost 95,000 survivors who, previously, would have been ineligible for assistance.

We also changed the way we calculate the threshold for property losses to qualify for our Direct Housing program – such as a trailer or mobile home. A review of our policy found that it was regressive, and negatively impacted those who reside in lower-valued homes.

That change resulted in over 1,400 families receiving assistance who would have been considered ineligible for direct housing in the past.

These changes did not require an act of Congress. They required us to take a hard look at our policies and make sure we were putting people first.

My leadership team will continue to examine FEMA’s programs and policies to identify areas where we can continue to enact positive and effective change to meet the needs of survivors.

And more good news is on the way.

Last week, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation called the Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster or SPEED Recovery Act.

If passed by the Senate into law, the SPEED Act will raise the statutory small projects threshold to $1 million dollars.

This means more recovery projects would qualify as a “small project” under the Stafford Act, in turn streamlining processes and paperwork for many projects, reduce administrative burdens, and provide more certainty in the recovery process for communities.

FEMA is committed to leading the way in reaching nationwide climate resilience – and we are committed to doing it right.

I believe one of the biggest mistakes we can make is to blanket the nation with a one-size-fits-all approach to disaster mitigation.

That is why we must tailor mitigation strategies to meet every community’s unique needs.

A story I often like to share is one that proves mitigation works, that it matters, and that it saves lives.

Last November, tremendous rainfall impacted Mount Vernon, Washington, causing the Skagit River to crest at nearly 37 feet. A flood wall installed in 2017 was put to the test – and passed with flying colors. The flood wall kept water out of the downtown neighborhood, sparing businesses and homes from untold damage.

Seeing images like this emerge from communities in the aftermath of an extreme weather event– houses still standing – roads accessible – communications up –stop lights functioning – people alive –proves again that mitigation works, that it matters, and that it saves lives.

It is success stories like this which help us gain the support in our mission to achieve nationwide climate resilience.

When FEMA received a historic $5.8 billion dollars in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dedicated solely to hazard mitigation funding, it was clear we had the support of President Biden and of Congress to do this important work.

With this support, FEMA recently announced the launch of our new Swift Current initiative – a program grounded in equity and designed with the survivor in mind.

Through our Flood Mitigation Assistance program, we are providing $60 million dollars to flood-prone homeowners in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – 40% of which is headed to underserved communities.

This initiative – the first to be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – will help homeowners plagued by severe and repetitive loss retrofit, elevate, or even relocate their homes.

And this is just one step we are taking to make climate resilience a reality for all people in all communities.

We know that small and disadvantaged communities continue to face barriers in taking on mitigation projects.

This is because the development of plans and getting through the application process takes time, it can be costly, and it can be overwhelming.

Many of you know this.

This is especially difficult for emergency management offices with limited staff and small budgets.

I personally know what it was like to have a team of two fulfilling our day-to-day duties while trying to navigate bureaucratic federal assistance programs – the issue is a lack of capacity, not of interest.

To break down these barriers, we are deploying Direct Technical Assistance to the communities who need our help the most.

Provided through our BRIC program, and designed to provide holistic mitigation planning support at the earliest stages to communities, FEMA is assisting with both project or application-specific needs and community-wide resilience needs for up to three years.

We are seeing tremendous growth in the interest of the program.

For context, we went from 12 applications submitted in the first year to over 70 submitted this year.

This can be attributed to, intentional and aggressive outreach to communities who need this assistance, and also, the call for nationwide resilience being answered.

I would like to thank all of you in this room who helped get the word out on our Direct Technical Assistance program – it truly has been a team effort.

We also know that strong, hazard-resistant building codes are a cornerstone of loss reduction. They save property, but more importantly, they save lives.

Through FEMA’s landmark building codes study, we found that the U.S. communities that chose to adopt modern building codes will avoid paying $132 billion dollars in damages by the year 2040.

We also found through the study that 65% of our country’s counties, cities, and towns still have not adopted modern building codes.

So, we have a way to go.

That’s why we have been working over the past two years to coordinate, prioritize, and advance the adoption and enforcement of disaster-resistant building codes and standards for agency programs and communities nationwide.

This work has culminated into the release of FEMA’s Building Code Strategy, which I am proud to announce for the first time today.

FEMA’s Building Code Strategy will do a few things:

It will Guide our efforts to integrate building codes and standards across the agency.

It will strengthen nationwide capability for superior building performance.

It will support vulnerable communities.

And it will drive public action to increase the adoption and enforcement of hazard-resistant building codes to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.

I have visited many communities recovering from hurricanes in this role.

Like Grand Isle, Louisiana for example.

I stood in between houses in which one was standing strong, while the other was reduced to rubble.

The difference? The adoption of modern building codes – our best defense in defying the elements.

And it is partners such as the International Code Council who are here today, that are making the difference.

I would like to thank the ICC for their advocacy and partnership in promoting and educating communities on the critical importance of modern building codes and standards.

And to be successful in meeting the missions of the future, we need the tools and resources to help get us there.

That is where innovation comes in – what will carry us into the future.

Just think about the tools and technology that have advanced our work in the last 10 years.

From unmanned aircraft measuring debris piles with LiDar technology – to drones completing damage assessments in the days after a disaster.

But what if we could simulate the impacts of a category 6 hurricane?

Florida International University’s Extreme Events Institute is doing just this.

Through funding provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation, FIU will be leading a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners from eight other universities and the private sector to design the “Cat 6” prototype facility.

The national full-scale testing facility is capable of simulating wind speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, combined with a water basin to simulate storm surge and wave action.

This kind of cutting-edge research and testing capabilities are what we need to meet the nation’s evolving risks – to help us adapt to future conditions – and to protect life and property.

I know we have our FIU friends here in the audience, and I would like to thank them for their great work helping advance the technology and the tools we need to become a more prepared and resilient nation.

Being able to predict the impacts of climate change requires understanding the science driving the change – and agencies like NOAA are helping lead the way.

The National Water Model for example, a cornerstone of NOAA’s Water Initiative, forecasts the flow of rivers and streams throughout the entire continental United States, in turn helping us make life saving decisions and increasing our resilience to water risks.

This serves as an especially important tool as we continue to see hurricanes maintain their strength well inland while causing rivers to crest well above flood stage.

These kinds of events continue to prove that you do not have to live on the coast to suffer impacts from a coastal event.

And I thank our partners in the room who are helping advance the way we inform and warn threatened communities through social science and hard-science weather prediction.

From the American Meteorological Society, to NOAA, to The National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center, and the LSU Hurricane Center, thank you for leading us into the future through innovation and great partnership.

And let’s talk partnerships – something we cannot do our jobs without.

Take an Emergency Operations Center for example.

Disaster happens, EOC activates, everyone shows up.

Local, state, federal, voluntary, and private sector partners are all in the same room solving complex problems and making decisions, together.

And throughout the event–we are building partnerships – building trust – and even making lifelong friends.

But how do we inspire this kind of connection left of boom?

How can we build strong partnerships during mitigation and preparedness that carry over into response and recovery?

I am not saying this is not already happening, but it is not yet an industry norm – and it needs to be.

We need more people sitting at the table when preparedness and mitigation are being discussed.

More people ready to lean in – ready to pull mitigation and preparedness out from behind the shadows of response and recovery.

Some of you in this room are already doing this, and I encourage you to share your success far and wide.

Because if there is one thing we know, and President Ford may have said it best, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

I leave you today with a call-to-action.

And it is this: Let’s not only understand our future risk, let’s embrace it.

Our time is now to affect real, generational change in this country.

But it won’t be easy. It will require us to push boundaries and to be innovative.

It will require us to expand our network, bring new partners to the table, and work toward our common goal of building a safer, stronger, and more resilient nation.

It will require us to identify what works and elevate it.

Because the truth is, our challenges cannot be solved by one group or one industry – a silver bullet simply does not exist.

We are in the business of partnerships – and if nationwide climate resilience is our endgame – we simply cannot act alone.

Thank you for all that you do for your communities, and for allowing me to speak to you today.

Webinar Alert: Join DHS SBIR Showcase for First Responders!

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program invites you to attend the SBIR Showcase for First Responders on Wednesday March 30, 2022 from 1 – 4:30 p.m. ET.

Register now!

Our nation’s first responders are a vital component to keeping our nation safe and face challenging and life-threating situations every day.  DHS works hand-in-hand with members of all first responder disciplines—law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services and emergency management officials, as well as innovators and industry—to develop innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges faced by first responders as they respond to these hazardous situations.

Through the DHS SBIR Program, small business innovators are developing new technologies to keep first responders, emergency managers, and incident commanders better protected, connected, and prepared to safeguard the homeland and respond to disasters. Join us and learn how SBIR awardees are responding to first responder technology needs!

For a list of participating SBIR companies and technology presentations, see below.

About the DHS SBIR Program

DHS uses the SBIR program to fund the development of innovative solutions to help address homeland security needs. SBIR is an excellent opportunity for agile, innovative small businesses to support and advance homeland security technologies. Administered by DHS Science & Technology Directorate, the DHS SBIR Program supports a full spectrum of SBIR initiatives serving all DHS components.

For more information about the DHS SBIR Program, visit the program portal at https://oip.dhs.gov/sbir/public or email STSBIR.Program@hq.dhs.gov.

Storm Prep: View our Important Links & Resource Page

The LABEOC did the work for you! Check out our Important Links page (lnkd.in/dxDZjiUK) for all the resources and info you need to prepare and recover from a disaster.

Don’t forget to sign up for the email updates too – https://labeoc.org/join-the-labeoc-network/

 

Biden Administration Commits Historic $3.46 Billion in Hazard Mitigation Funds to Reduce Effects of Climate Change

from the FEMA newsroom here

Release Date:
August 5, 2021

FEMA makes hazard mitigation program funds from coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic available nationwide

WASHINGTON – President Biden today approved more than $3.46 billion to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change nationwide. This significant investment will be available for natural hazard mitigation measures across the 59 major disaster declarations issued due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

With the growing climate change crisis facing the nation, FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will provide funding to states, tribes, and territories for mitigation projects to reduce the impacts of climate change. Every state, tribe, and territory that received a major disaster declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will be eligible to receive 4% of those disaster costs to invest in mitigation projects that reduce risks from natural disasters. This influx of funding will help communities prioritize mitigation needs for a more resilient future, including underserved communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. These projects can help address effects of climate change and other unmet mitigation needs, including using funds to promote equitable outcomes in underserved communities

“The Department of Homeland Security is committed to helping build stronger and more resilient communities that are prepared for future disasters,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “States, tribes, territories, and localities will now receive the funding needed to treat the climate crisis with the sense of urgency it demands. Through this funding, communities across the nation will have the critical resources needed to invest in adaptation and resilience, and take meaningful action to combat the effects of climate change. This funding will also help to ensure the advancement of equity in all communities, especially those that are disproportionately at risk from climate change impacts.”

“Climate change is our country’s biggest crisis. Our communities will continue to suffer from losses caused by extreme weather events unless we invest in mitigation efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change. This new funding is a tangible solution that we can implement today to help prevent against future risk disasters. It will allow us to provide direct aid to states, tribes, and territories to complete mitigation projects, strengthen our infrastructure, identify long term solutions to these hazards and ultimately make a real difference in our communities,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

Communities across the country have been impacted by the enormous effects of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and other events. The increasing duration, intensity, and severity of such disasters—which are exacerbated by climate change as well as changes in population, land use, and weather patterns—are alarming and devastating, especially for underserved populations.

For eligible mitigation projects, HMGP funding can cover 75% of total project costs and states or communities cover the remaining share. Preparing and mitigating for the impacts of climate change, which is one of the most important threats facing the United States, requires the full collaboration of the Federal Government to support state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.

The FEMA Mitigation Action Portfolio includes examples of innovative mitigation projects that address many types of natural hazards and emphasize the importance of collaboration between governments, private sector entities, and non-governmental organizations in order to achieve effective hazard mitigation and disaster resilience. For example, mitigation projects can:

  • Reduce risks associated with climate change, such as wildfires, drought, increased flooding, and coastal erosion, through the use of nature-based features, such as storm water parks, living shorelines, and land conservation.
  • Address persistent residential vulnerabilities by mitigating repetitive loss structures affected by flooding.
  • Help utilities or other critical facilities adapt to future conditions and reduce risks, through microgrids, seismic and wind retrofits, flood protection, and other infrastructure protection measures.

This one-time investment represents a 23% increase in the funding made available for declared disasters since the program’s inception. Over the past 30 years, this program has made more than $15 billion available to states, tribes, and territories to make communities more resilient and reduce risks from future disasters.

For more information, please visit FEMA.gov.

HMGP allocation by state, tribe, and territory:

DR # Recipient Total
4480DR New York $378,128,107
4481DR Washington $113,424,988
4482DR California $484,383,864
4483DR Iowa $19,463,694
4484DR Louisiana $78,005,056
4485DR Texas $666,134,283
4486DR Florida $185,056,086
4487DR North Carolina $63,758,987
4488DR New Jersey $148,647,976
4489DR Illinois $77,225,184
4490DR Missouri $25,107,641
4491DR Maryland $93,289,392
4492DR South Carolina $39,039,353
4493DR Puerto Rico $42,172,793
4494DR Michigan $51,792,820
4495DR Guam $6,052,983
4496DR Massachusetts $110,760,576
4497DR Kentucky $22,845,923
4498DR Colorado $70,395,919
4499DR Oregon $43,442,773
4500DR Connecticut $20,244,884
4501DR Georgia $78,691,416
4502DR District of Columbia $17,379,665
4503DR Alabama $27,226,688
4504DR Kansas $9,004,669
4505DR Rhode Island $26,828,651
4506DR Pennsylvania $63,714,713
4507DR Ohio $46,074,096
4508DR Montana $5,728,787
4509DR North Dakota $12,389,894
4510DR Hawaii $24,740,226
4511DR Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Island $3,133,540
4512DR Virginia $62,005,907
4513DR Virgin Islands $5,064,856
4514DR Tennessee $44,735,216
4515DR Indiana $25,472,504
4516DR New Hampshire $11,003,311
4517DR West Virginia $8,014,879
4518DR Arkansas $4,191,937
4520DR Wisconsin $32,749,999
4521DR Nebraska $18,073,516
4522DR Maine $4,726,703
4523DR Nevada $16,301,258
4524DR Arizona $40,260,428
4525DR Utah $25,112,074
4526DR Delaware $6,500,644
4527DR South Dakota $3,276,898
4528DR Mississippi $25,887,599
4529DR New Mexico $11,775,469
4530DR Oklahoma $10,562,604
4531DR Minnesota $17,566,656
4532DR Vermont $13,396,387
4533DR Alaska $4,886,382
4534DR Idaho $11,406,627
4535DR Wyoming $1,707,575
4537DR American Samoa $702,400
4545DR Seminole Tribe of Florida $462,364
4582DR Navajo Nation $322,578
4591DR Poarch Band of Creek Indians $168,000

What is Doxing?

We have all heard the term doxing before, but what does it really mean? Why is it important to me?

Doxing refers to the internet-based practice of gathering an individual’s personally identifiable information (PII)—or an organization’s sensitive information— from open source or compromised material and publishing it online for malicious purposes.

Although doxing can be carried out by anyone with the ability to query and combine publicly available information, it is often attributed to nefarious actors, hacktivists, and extremists. Doxers compile sensitive information from compromises of personal and professional accounts and a wide range of publicly available data sources to craft invasive profiles of targets, which are then published online with the intent to harm, harass, or intimidate victims (CISA, 2021).

Organizations may be targets of doxing due to their stance on a particular issue, involvement in a certain industry, related organization policies, or grievances. Doxing attacks targeting senior leaders of an organization, often serve as “reputation attacks” and could lead to activities seeking to embarrass, harass, or undermine confidence. Incidents of doxing that target individuals often serve to harass, intimidate, or inflict financial damages, and can potentially escalate to physical violence (CISA, 2021).

Most businesses compile databases that contain personal information, whether suppliers, customers, or employees. Almost everyone, individuals and businesses has a presence on social media. Any of these databases can be breached and personal information gathered for use in doxing.

As you can see doxing can be and is dangerous.  How do you better protect yourself from doxing:

If you become a victim of doxing, take these steps

  1. Contact law enforcement, local first, then move up the chain to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
  2. Determine what information was leaked and how it was compromised.
  3. Delete the information from the source of the leak.
  4. Monitor signs of identity theft through financial institutions, unsolicited password changes, etc.

Works Cited

CISA. (2021, August). MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF DOXING ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. Retrieved from http://www.cisa.gov: https://www.cisa.gov/publication/mitigating-impacts-doxing-critical-infrastructure

 

 

One Week Remains for Homeowners, Renters and Businesses to Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance

Release Date:
July 26, 2021

Just one week remains for Louisiana homeowners, renters or business owners in Ascension, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Iberville and Lafayette parishes to apply for federal disaster assistance because of property damage or other eligible losses in May due to severe storms, tornadoes and flooding.

The deadline to apply for assistance from FEMA and to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is Monday, Aug. 2.

You should apply even if you have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but eligible homeowners and renters may be able to receive a grant from FEMA for losses not covered by insurance. FEMA grants can help pay for basic home repairs, temporary rental assistance and other needs such as replacing personal property. Disaster Assistance grants from FEMA’s Individual and Households Program do not have to be repaid.

You can apply in one of the following ways:

  • Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
  • Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY) 800-462-7585.
  • Download the FEMA Mobile App.

After applying, you may wish to visit the in-person, state-run Recovery Service Center (RSC) in Lake Charles. Experts there are assisting those affected by hurricanes Laura and Delta, the 2021 winter storms and May severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in Southwest Louisiana.

The RSC is located at Washington-Marion Magnet High School, 2802 Pineview St., Lake Charles and will remain open through July 30. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

FEMA and State specialists at the RSC can help survivors with appeals, answer questions about eligibility requirements, provide guidance on FEMA programs, refer individuals to other recovery resources, plus upload survivor documents that need to be added to their FEMA case.

 

For additional assistance, the SBA has established a Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center that is open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT. You can contact an SBA customer service representative via email at FOCWAssistance@sba.gov or by phone at 800-659-2955. SBA will answer specific questions about how a disaster loan may help each survivor with their disaster recovery and will provide one-on-one assistance in completing applications for these loans. You can apply online at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov.

For the latest information on severe storms, tornadoes and flooding visit fema.gov/disaster/4606. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6.

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