NEW YORK STATE GETS OVER $7 MILLION FROM FEMA FOR HURRICANE IRENE RECOVERY EFFORTS

Photo Credit NASA
FROM:  FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced over $7 million in Federal grant funding to the State of New York for expenses associated with Suffolk County’s recovery from Hurricane Irene.

FEMA recently approved three debris removal projects within Suffolk County. Applications were approved for the Town of Smithtown, Town of Brookhaven, and Suffolk County. Combined, FEMA approved more than $7 million in federal funds to assist with these debris removal projects. The funds represent 75 percent of the total cost of the projects.

“FEMA is pleased to provide funding for these important projects in support of New York State’s recovery from Hurricane Irene,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Philip E. Parr.

Town of Smithtown:  During the period from Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, 2011, Hurricane Irene's high winds and soaking rains caused 1,855 tons of debris within the Town of Smithtown. FEMA has approved $1,009,769 in funding to reimburse the Town for the federal share of the project to remove debris.

Town of Brookhaven:  On Aug. 26, 2011, Hurricane Irene’s heavy rain and gale force winds caused over 16,894 tons of debris throughout the Town of Brookhaven. FEMA has approved $4,296,116 in funding to reimburse the Town for the federal share of the project to remove debris from within the Town limits.

Suffolk County: During the initial response to Hurricane Irene, Suffolk County activated personnel from all departments to assist in cleanup operations, utilizing its own equipment as well as hiring additional contractors with specialized equipment to provide additional help to collect, reduce and dispose of debris. The county submitted an application for reimbursement for costs associated with the emergency debris removal. FEMA has approved the county’s application, granting $1,745,715 to Suffolk County for a major debris removal project.  

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

IT'S HURRICANE SEASON, BE PREPARED.

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
110828-N-ZZ999-001 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 28, 2011) A GOES-13 infrared satellite image provided by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, Calif., showing the status of Hurricane Irene at approximately 6 a.m. EST Sunday, Aug. 28. Hurricane Irene made landfall near Cape Lookout, N.C. as a Category 1 hurricane and spun north along the Eastern seaboard. The storm made a second landfall near Coney Island, N.Y., and is expected to affect the New England region later today. (U.S. Navy photo/Released) 

Prepare Now For Hurricane Season 
By April Phillips, Naval Safety Center Public Affairs
NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- June marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season and the time to prepare is now, before the season heats up, according to the commander of the Naval Safety Center.

Rear Adm. Brian C. Prindle, commander, Naval Safety Center, says preparations should include the whole family during the hurricane season, which continues through the end of November.

"While the forecast calls for a relatively light hurricane season, it only takes one storm making landfall on our coast to wreak havoc," Prindle said. "The time to prepare for a hurricane is now, not the day before a storm hits when store shelves are bare and checkout lines are long."

The National Hurricane Center advises there are two stages to hurricane safety. Prepare for a storm well ahead of time and then act on those preparations when alerted by emergency officials. The preparedness stage starts now with having a basic disaster kit on hand, including items such as: water, non-perishable food, flashlight and batteries, manual can opener and solar cell phone charger

Once it appears likely that a hurricane landfall is imminent, add items such as prescription medications, glasses, pet food and extra water, cash or traveler's checks, and important family documents.

"Involve the entire family in disaster plans as well, and know where you will all evacuate to should it become necessary. A little planning now will ensure the safety of your family with fewer headaches later," Prindle said.

                    Photo:  Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Credit:  Federal Emergency Management Agency 

The dangers posed by a hurricane are not just high winds, but also heavy rains and flooding and tornados. Tropical storm Beryl, which recently made landfall in Jacksonville, Fla., proved that even smaller storms can cause problems. It weakened to a slow-moving tropical depression soon after making landfall, but heavy rainfall caused flash flooding up the eastern seaboard. The storm is blamed for four fatalities, with one person still missing.

THE VERMONT RECOVERY FROM HURRICANE IRENE PARTLY INVOLVES GETTING READY FOR NEXT DISASTER

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Woodstock, Vt., May 23, 2012 -- The reopening of the Woodstock Farmers Market. The market sustained severe damages from Hurricane Irene. Photo by Wendell Davis/FEMA 

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- With the 2012 hurricane season officially starting on June 1 and the effects of Tropical Storm Irene still visible in many areas of Vermont, federal, state, and local officials worked together this week to get ready for the next time a disaster strikes the state.

Community leaders from Richmond and Huntington took part in a two-day course offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross on Community Mass Care and Emergency Assistance.  Community agencies, public and private organizations, and businesses are trained to work together with emergency management and traditional mass care providers to provide services to those affected by a disaster.
The course in Richmond on May 23–24 was a pilot program. This is only the second time it has been held anywhere in the United States.

“This was an ideal location to pilot the Mass Care and Emergency Assistance training,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer James N. (Nick) Russo. “Irene and last spring’s storms are still fresh in people’s minds and this is when it is easier to commit time to doing something that will have long-term effects.”

Across Vermont, every Secretary and Commissioner in state government went through special in-depth emergency training at Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) this week to prepare for the next emergency event.

“This training is part of our mission to build back stronger following Irene. Training for emergency response will help our state hone its response for the next big storm,” said Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding. “Our state employees performed with great skill and dedication during and after Tropical Storm Irene, and have learned many lessons from that experience. We know that success in an emergency depends upon being well prepared for the next event.”

VEM staff ran the executives through Incident Command basics, Emergency Operations Plans, and Continuity of Operations Planning among many other tenets of emergency response.  The integration of all state agencies has long been an important part of Vermont’s emergency response, and those agencies have representatives at Vermont’s Emergency Operations Center during incidents.

In addition to government entities, individuals also need to take responsibility when damaging weather is moving in their direction.  Families need to keep an eye on the sky and have an emergency kit and a plan for communicating with each other if they are separated in a storm.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR GIVES FURTHER ASSISTANCE TO NORTH CAROLINA VICTIMS OF HURRICANE IRENE

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
US Department of Labor provides additional funding to assist recovery efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Irene damage from August 2011
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a National Emergency Grant increment of $375,200 that will fund 200 temporary jobs for eligible workers to continue cleanup and recovery efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Irene, which struck in August 2011.
“North Carolina’s rural areas have limited public transportation and were severely damaged.  Residents in those areas require assistance with continued removal of debris and restoration to public properties,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Jane Oates. “Today’s grant sends a clear message that displaced families along the North Carolina coast can depend on the federal government to help them restore their communities.”

On Aug. 31, 2011, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared 37 counties eligible for its Public Assistance Program: Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Sampson, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, Wayne and Wilson. More information on designated disaster areas in North Carolina is available from FEMA at http://www.fema.gov/news/eventcounties.fema?id=15532.
I
n September 2011, the Labor Department awarded a $2 million grant to the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Employment and Training, with $750,000 released initially. Today’s increment brings the total funds awarded to date to $1,125,200.

National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor’s discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state’s ability to meet specific guidelines. For more information, visit http://www.doleta.gov/NEG.

NEW YORK DISASTER AID FOR TROPICAL STORM LEE AND HURRICANE IRENE TOPS $1.3 BILLION

The following excerpt is from the U.S. FEMA website:

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Federal disaster assistance to New York communities recovering from floods caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee is projected to top $1.3 billion, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and New York State officials.

“These were huge storms which caused unprecedented damage to communities across the state,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Philip E. Parr. “FEMA continues to work aggressively to help these communities rebuild.”

Soon after Hurricane Irene hit, Public Assistance (PA) was federally approved for 31 counties from Long Island to the Canadian border. Tropical Storm Lee prompted a declaration that funded PA for 14 counties, eight of which had also been declared for Irene. To date, FEMA has reimbursed $32.2 million in PA funding for repairing roads, bridges, utilities, schools and other public facilities across the state. There are approximately 13,000 such repair projects from 1,974 eligible applicants in the 37 affected counties, and FEMA anticipates that its share of the cost of these projects will eventually exceed $1.3 billion.

During the height of the response effort last year, FEMA had 895 employees on the two disasters. At present, 485 FEMA employees are at work as recovery efforts continue. More than a fifth of the FEMA employees working on the two disasters today are local residents hired to help support the agency’s mission.

Helping the hardest-hit areas of the state recover continues to be a priority for FEMA. With the support of four other federal agencies, FEMA has three Long-Term Community Recovery teams engaged in 12 communities in Broome, Delaware, Greene, Schenectady, Schoharie and Tioga counties. The teams are focused on identifying any unmet needs in the wake of the storms and are assisting with developing long-term community recovery plans, strategies or technical assistance issues.

FEMA has also provided temporary housing units to 111 families and individuals who had no other housing alternatives while awaiting the repair or replacement of their storm-damaged residences.

Soon after Irene struck last year, FEMA and its state partners established a Joint Field Office in Albany. Temporary FEMA/state facilities were opened in Kirkwood, Lake Placid and Hewlett, N.Y.

Disaster assistance by the numbers

• To date, FEMA has approved a total of 33,073 registrations for Individual Assistance under the Individuals and Households Program, providing more than $155 million for housing grants, rental assistance, home repair costs and other disaster-related needs. Under Hurricane Irene, 28 counties were declared eligible for Individual Assistance; for Lee, 13 counties were receiving that assistance.
• Following Irene and Lee there were 743 claims for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, totaling $1,829,846.
• The Small Business Administration approved 2,501 applications for low-interest disaster loans totaling $136,537,300.
• Seventy-four temporary Disaster Recovery Centers were established at locations around the state to serve the needs of survivors.
• FEMA has approved more than $7.1 million in grants to provide crisis counseling to New York residents traumatized by the disasters.
• To facilitate its New York operations on both disasters, FEMA has signed 126 contracts worth approximately $12 million with nearly 100 suppliers and vendors, the great majority of which are local businesses.
• FEMA has provided $9 million so far in grant money to New York State to fund the Disaster Case Management mission to help survivors of Irene and Lee address their disaster-caused unmet needs.
• To date, 14,089 claims worth $417,002,602 have been paid under the National Flood Insurance Program for both disasters.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.