Connecticut Division Emergency Management & Homeland Security

09/02/2026

Course Offering!!

DEMHS will be offering Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Training later this month.

This course provides guiding principles for developing, designing, and running exercises for emergency management classes. This course will be held at DEMHS Headquarters and run Sept 28-29, 2026 from 8-5pm. Register through the following link https://www.train.org/connecticut/course/1120551/live-event

09/01/2026

September is National Preparedness Month!

For the last 20 years, the United States has recognized September as National Preparedness Month, a month-long campaign designed to help residents, businesses, and communities better prepare for potential disasters.

This year, we want residents, visitors, and business owners in Connecticut to know a few key takeaways to stay prepared and make their communities more resilient to disaster.

Make a Plan.
Planning for possible emergencies can be as easy as just starting a conversation with your family, friends, and neighbors. What would you do if your house caught on fire? Where would you evacuate to if your neighborhood flooded? Is your business insured if a hurricane comes? Opening these conversations helps you and your loved ones create a plan and know what to do before an emergency happens.

Be in the know.
Staying aware of what is happening in your community has never been easier than it is now in 2026. Emergency alerting systems are integrated in all sorts of communities, from towns to cities and schools to hospitals; chances are there is an alerting system in place that could notify you of an ongoing emergency. For statewide emergency alerts, sign up for CT Alert online at ctalert.gov

Engage with your community.
Understanding how your community will respond to an emergency is critical for resilience and recovery. Doing things such as volunteering after disasters is significantly more effective and helps the greatest number of people if you know where to go before a disaster strikes. Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) is a great place to start if you are interested in disaster volunteerism. You can see which volunteer organizations are active in CT by visiting ctvoad.org.

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

The school year is starting back up across Connecticut and over the next few weeks, college students will be moving into their dorms on campus. Whether it is your first year living independently or you are returning to the dorm life, here are a few safety tips to keep in mind as you make your new home.

- Check out your dorm's evacuation route. If an emergency happens while you're sleeping, you'll want to already know how to leave the building and alternate routes if main stairwells become crowded.

- Know where to find help during an emergency. From your resident assistant (RA) to campus security, know where you can access help at any time of the day in case of an emergency in the dorm.

- Sign up for your school's alerting systems. Many schools across CT use platforms to send texts and emails to their students with information regarding ongoing events or emergencies. Stay in the know by signing up.

- Always stay aware of your surroundings. College campuses are open to the public, and while security patrols college campuses in CT, staying aware of your surroundings is always a good idea.

- Report any suspicious behavior to school authorities or local police departments. If you notice someone or something that looks out of place, tell someone. You can never be too safe.

Staying prepared and staying safe on campus play a huge part in fostering a safe community on (and beyond) campus! We wish Connecticut students a safe, successful, and exciting school year!

08/25/2026

Looking for a course on how the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) works? Check out this course offering!

Registration is open for the E0431: Understanding the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) Course.

📅 Dates: November 3 - 5, 2026
✈️ Travel Days: November 2 and 6, 2026
📍 Location: National Emergency Training Center (NETC), Emmitsburg, MD

View the attached Training Opportunity for details and registration instructions. Use this link to register for the course https://training.fema.gov/netc_online_admissions/

Participants from a wide range of disciplines have found this course valuable - including local, state, and federal emergency managers; finance and administrative staff; resource providers; law enforcement; search and rescue; fire and EMS; animal services; building inspectors; volunteer organizations; the private sector; and the National Guard. We continue to broaden the variety of disciplines represented in the course.

One of the highlights participants consistently mention is the networking that happens throughout the course, along with gaining a deeper understanding of EMAC. The final day features a tabletop exercise that fosters robust discussion and collaboration across sectors.

08/19/2026

What is a disaster declaration?

This question has come up a lot recently. Over the last two months, Connecticut has seen widespread damage from multiple storms that will take time, resources, and support to recover from. But do these storms qualify for a disaster declaration? How do we determine if they do?

Connecticut residents and businesses have undoubtedly felt major impacts from this summer’s harsh weather events. Some of these storms brought winds of 100+ mph and over 2” of rainfall per hour, causing building collapses, roadway washouts, and damage to homes and public spaces.

There are two types of disaster declarations: an Emergency Declaration and a Major Disaster Declaration (slide 2). Both of these declarations are made to request federal assistance to the state to support response and recovery. In order to make these declarations, the state has to do a damage assessment (conducted by DEMHS and local municipalities), that then advises the Governor’s office if we hit the expense thresholds to seek federal assistance (slide 3 & 5).

From the Governor’s office, the request goes to FEMA, then to the President of the United States for Approval (slide 3). Only then does a state see a disaster declaration take effect.

The short answer: it is complicated. There are multiple steps in place to request federal assistance when a state goes through a disaster. However, we can assure residents and business owners in Connecticut that the state works closely with each town, non-profits, local leaders, and elected officials to advocate, assist, and help everyone affected by a disaster.

08/19/2026

‼️ Course Announcement ‼️

Community Point of Distribution (CPOD) Operations and Practical Course
Course Information
Date: Thursday, September 3, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: DOT Headquarters at 2800 Berlin Turnpike. Newington, CT 06111
Register here: https://lnkd.in/gHWy9yYw

This training is designed to prepare emergency management personnel, public safety agencies, public works employees, CERT members and other volunteers, and community partners to effectively establish, operate, and manage a Community Point of Distribution during a disaster or large-scale emergency.

Participants will learn about CPOD planning and site selection, staffing and organizational structure, traffic and crowd management, resource distribution, safety considerations, communications, and coordination with local and regional emergency operations.

The training will include both a classroom session and an outdoor practical session. Participants should be prepared to be on their feet for an extended period of time and should dress appropriately for the weather and outdoor activities.

All participants must bring:
Safety glasses
Reflective safety vest
Work gloves (non-medical)
Appropriate footwear for outdoor activities

Important Information for CERT Volunteers: CERT volunteers who wish to attend this training must notify and receive permission from their local Emergency Management Director (EMD) prior to registering and attending.
Please see the attached flyer for additional information regarding this training opportunity.

Registration:
Community Points of Distribution Training and Practical Space may be limited, so early registration is encouraged.

08/14/2026

Beyond CERT: Engaging the Whole Community ‼️

CT CERT will be hosting another live webinar series on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 from 7pm-9pm.

We are excited to announce that Irene Valines, CERT Program Manager for the City of Miami Beach, Florida, will be guest speaking and delivering the lecture on how CERT can engage the whole community in disaster response and preparedness. We are very excited to have her and hope everyone can attend!

Use the form below to sign up for the lecture,

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=-nyLEd2juUiwJjH_abtziz_FO6KAuFpDjqmD1UEj-nxUMk05Qk00OVI3RVNVVTJCSzhDUjQ1UDlGWi4u&origin=lprLink&route=shorturl

08/13/2026

Most of the showers and thunderstorms have moved off to the east with drier conditions expected for the remainder of the day. Temperatures will be in the 80s today. Visit www.weather.gov/nyc for additional details.

08/12/2026

This week, a few of our team members have had an amazing opportunity to attend the annual National Homeland Security Conference! Better yet, two of our team members were selected to present on topics Connecticut excels exceptionally well at.

Planning and Grants Manager, Ian, presented his lecture “Bringing the Grants: Connecting Homeland Security with Cyber Security.”

Emergency Management Program Specialist, Michael, presented his lecture “CERT and Homeland Security: Strengthening Community Awareness and Preparedness.”

We are so proud of our team and everything they do and are so glad to see them recognized at a national event such as this.

Their ability to attend these conference not only benefits our agency, but benefits the residents and visitors of Connecticut as they bringing back new information to implement how we respond to and prepare for possible emergencies in the state.