NEW YORK — Since Hurricane Sandy struck New York, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $564 million to help individuals and families recover from the disaster.

FEMA is reaching out to all 13 designated counties with attention focused on the hardest hit areas of New York State. To date, more than $564 million has been approved. Assistance to the hardest hit areas includes:

• Bronx $1,043,794
• Kings $110,617,942
• Nassau $201,620,599
• New York $5,063,854
• Queens $152,299,955
• Richmond $57,956,106
• Suffolk $33,641,959

FEMA provides the following snapshot of the disaster recovery effort as of Nov. 20:

• Nearly 219,000 New Yorkers have contacted FEMA for information or registered for assistance with FEMA and more than $564 million has been approved. More than 112,000 have applied through the online application site at www.disasterassistance.gov, or on their smart phone at m.fema.gov.
   
• 34 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) are open in the affected areas. These include mobile sites as well as fixed sites, and to date more than 40,000 survivors have been assisted at DRCs in New York state.
   
• Nearly 1,300 inspectors in the field have completed more than 102,000 home inspections.
   
• 1,062 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.
   
• 6 Points of Distribution (PODs) are open and providing supplies to the affected residents and 10 fixed feeding sites are being operated by the New York City Office of Emergency Management. 
   
• 4 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs), 1 Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) 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 $11 million in disaster loans.
   
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is using sixteen 500-ton barges and one 2,200-ton barge to transport Hurricane Sandy debris from a temporary storage site at Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island to permanent disposal sites in upstate New York.
   
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has had field staff out in impacted areas to make sure that workers and businesses are aware of the hazards involved with the clean-up and recovery operations. As of Nov. 19th, OSHA personnel have performed 507 safety and health briefings reaching 12,423 workers, including 2,966 that don’t speak English. Additionally, OSHA has conducted 764 direct interventions at worksites that are involved in storm recovery operations, removing 2,656 employees from recognized hazards.
   
• Individuals can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via smart phone at m.fema.gov.  Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) should call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.