NEW YORK, N.Y. — Since Hurricane Sandy struck New York, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved more than $500 million to help individuals and families recover from the disaster.
FEMA is reaching out to all the 13 declared counties with attention to the hardest hit areas of New York state. To date, more than $500 million has been approved. Assistance to the hardest hit areas includes:

• Bronx $998,825
• Kings $102,621,916
• Nassau $178,016,765
• New York $4,437,375
• Queens $134,415,479
• Richmond $55,414,997
• Suffolk $30,424,541

FEMA provides the following snapshot of the disaster recovery effort as of Nov. 18:

• More than 212,000 New Yorkers have contacted FEMA for information or registered for assistance with FEMA and more than $500 million has been approved.  More than 109,000 have applied through the online application site at www.disasterassistance.gov, or on their smart phone at m.fema.gov.
   
• 30 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) are open in the affected areas.  These include mobile sites as well as fixed sites, and to date more than  34,000 survivors have been assisted at DRCs in New York.
   
• 969 Community Relations (CR) specialists are strategically positioned throughout affected communities, going door to door explaining the types of disaster assistance available and how to register. More teams continue to arrive daily.
   
• Nearly 1,300 inspectors in the field have completed nearly 87,000 home inspections.
   
• 19 Points of Distribution (PODs) are open and providing supplies to the affected residents. 
   
• 9 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs), and 1 National Veterinary Response Team (NVRT) from the Department of Health and Human Services are deployed in New York.
   
• 13 New York counties are designated for both individual and public assistance, including: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.
   
• The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has staff members at 18 Business Recovery Centers in the New York area to provide one-on-one help to business owners seeking disaster assistance and has approved more than $3.5 million in disaster loans.
   
• Individuals can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via smart phone at m.fema.gov.  Applicants may also call 1-800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) should call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.