NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — Since Hurricane Sandy struck New York, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved more than $338 million to help individuals and families recover from the disaster.

FEMA provides the following snapshot of the disaster recovery effort as of Nov. 12:

• More than 176,000 New Yorkers have contacted FEMA for information or registered for assistance with FEMA and more than $338 million has been approved.  More than 91,000 have applied through the online application site at www.disasterassistance.gov.
   
• 30 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) are open in the nine declared counties.  These include mobile sites as well as fixed sites, and to date more than 12,000 survivors have been assisted at DRCs in New York.
   
• More than 1,100 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.
   
• 1,126 inspectors in the field have completed more than 44,000 home inspections.
   
• 70 Points of Distribution (PODs) are open and providing supplies to the affected residents.
   
• 11 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) and 1 (Rapid Deployment Force) RDF team from the Department of Health and Human Services are deployed in New York.
   
• New York’s major disaster declaration was amended so that the thirteen declared counties are now approved for all categories of Public Assistance, which includes reimbursement for eligible costs of emergency response services, debris removal and repairs to public infrastructure. 
   
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, acting on a mission assignment from FEMA, has removed more than 270 million gallons of saltwater from tunnels, underpasses and other areas throughout New York City – enough to fill all of Central Park two feet deep.
   
• The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continues to operate five Business Disaster Recovery Centers in New York. As of November 12, the SBA has issued more than 100,000 home disaster loan applications, and more than 26,000 business disaster loan applications in New York.