FEMA Awards Nearly $15 Million in Public Assistance Grants to Local Governments

New York City Department of Transportation, New York City Parks and Recreation, Nassau County and the Town of Babylon receive FEMA funds.    

NEW YORK – This week the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced four additional Public Assistance grants totaling nearly $15 million to reimburse New York City Department of Transportation, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Nassau County and the town of Babylon for costs associated with debris removal following Hurricane Sandy.

The hurricane’s strong winds and heavy rains brought down trees, tree limbs and power lines creating hazardous conditions, impeding traffic and leaving behind more than six million cubic yards of debris. Collecting and clearing out that debris has been one of the most difficult and time-consuming challenges of the recovery. Statewide, 76 percent of storm-generated debris has been picked up.

“FEMA is committed to getting people back into their homes,” said Michael F. Byrne, FEMA federal coordinating officer. “Debris removal has cleared the way for people to move out of hotels and shelters and begin repairing their homes and communities. As the New Year begins, FEMA will continue to work with our partners in state and local governments to rebuild New York stronger.”

“Debris poses one of the greatest obstacles to repairing homes, rebuilding infrastructure, and helping the survivors of Hurricane Sandy,” said Jerome M. Hauer, Commissioner of the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. “These agencies make it possible to get necessary equipment, emergency response, and other vital services to hard hit areas blocked by millions of pounds of debris. We are thankful for the countless hours and phenomenal work provided.”

The FEMA Public Assistance program reimburses state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations at least 75 percent of eligible debris-removal costs. The remaining 25 percent comes from non-federal funds.

For debris removal to be eligible, the damage must be a direct result of Hurricane Sandy, and the work must be necessary to:

  • Eliminate an immediate threat to lives, public health and safety;
  • Eliminate immediate threats of significant damage to improved public and private property when the measures are cost effective; or
  • Ensure the economic recovery of the affected community to the benefit of the community-at-large.

This week the New York City Department of Transportation received $4.7 million, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation was awarded $4.1 million, Nassau County was granted $3.8 million, and the town of Babylon received $2.1 million.

Since Hurricane Sandy made landfall, FEMA has provided more than $334 million in Public Assistance grants in New York State.

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/SandyNY, www.twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.

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FEMA Awards Nearly $15 Million in Public Assistance Grants to Local Governments

Three Weeks Left to Register for Disaster Assistance

NEW YORK – The Jan. 28 deadline is approaching for Hurricane Sandy survivors in 13 designated New York counties to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance.

FEMA

Federal disaster assistance for individuals and families can include money for rental assistance, essential home repairs, personal property losses and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

Nearly 261,000 New Yorkers have contacted FEMA for help or information and more than $827 million in total individual assistance grants has been approved.

The deadline affects Sandy survivors living in counties designated for individual assistance: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.

Ways to register with FEMA:

  • Register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
  • Via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov.
  • Call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585.
  • For 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) call 800-621-3362.
  • The toll-free telephone numbers operate 24 hours a day seven days a week until further notice.

The U.S. Small Business Administration

Survivors who have registered with FEMA and received a loan application from the SBA are urged to complete and return it. The information could lead to other FEMA help. No one is required to accept a loan.

SBA has approved more than $420 million in loans for homes and businesses.

The deadline to return the SBA application is Jan. 28, the same as the deadline for registering with FEMA.

SBA assistance includes:

  • Home Disaster Loans – Loans to homeowners or renters to repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate or personal property. Renters are eligible for personal property losses, including automobiles.
  • Business Disaster Loans – Loans to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property, including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Businesses of any size may apply. Certain private, non-profit organizations may also be eligible.
  • Economic Injury Disaster Loans – Working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, nonprofit organizations meet their ordinary financial obligations that cannot be met because of the disaster. The deadline for economic injury loan applications is July 31. 

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/SandyNY, http://twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.

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Three Weeks Left to Register for Disaster Assistance

Preliminary Flood Maps in Jefferson County, Texas Ready for Public View

Public Open House Scheduled to Share Map Changes and Flood Risk Information

DENTON, Texas –Homeowners, renters and business owners in Jefferson County, Texas are encouraged to look over newly released preliminary flood maps in order to determine their flood risks and make informed decisions.

Jefferson County officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are presenting the preliminary maps to communities and unincorporated areas in order to help leaders and residents identify known flood risks and use that information to make decisions about buying flood insurance and how the community should move forward with any development.

The Texas-based coastal flood mapping effort follows the release of a new, comprehensive storm surge study from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that gives updated information on coastal flood risks. To share that data, a public workshop has been scheduled in the county where interested citizens can obtain more information about the proposed changes.

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013                                     

Ford Park Exhibit Hall                

5115 I-10 South

Beaumont, TX 77705

2 p.m. – 8 p.m.

“As we work together with our state and local partners to bring this critical information to the county, we ask that everyone review the maps to understand what flood risks are involved,” said FEMA R6 acting Regional Administrator Tony Robinson. “The role of the community as an active partner in the flood mapping process is very important.”

Additional information is available, including links to the interactive mapping website on www.txchart.com. Residents can also contact the Jefferson County Floodplain Administrator for more details.

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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.    Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

            

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Preliminary Flood Maps in Jefferson County, Texas Ready for Public View

Advisory Flood Elevation Maps on the Web

TRENTON, N.J. — For Hurricane Sandy survivors who want to rebuild stronger, safer and smarter, knowing their risk of flooding is paramount. Property owners can find the data they need online in new advisory base flood elevation maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Advisory maps containing recommended building elevations are available for these counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union. To learn more, visit the following web sites:

Advisory maps show, based on the best available information, how high structures should be elevated   to minimize damage from future flood events.  The maps  show that portions of communities are in new flood zones, which may impact insurance rates and building practices.

  • For information on federal flood insurance visit www.floodsmart.gov.You can also call 888-379-9531 or contact your insurance agent.
  • FEMA provides flood insurance resources including publications and frequently asked questions online at www.fema.gov/nfip.

Communities are encouraged to adopt advisory base flood elevation maps to reduce future flood risk  and to decrease the cost of flood insurance. Property owners should work with local building officials   to fully understand all requirements – including advisory maps – to rebuild stronger, safer and smarter.

Contact your local officials if you have questions about advisory base flood elevation maps and how they affect you and your community.

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.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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Advisory Flood Elevation Maps on the Web

FEMA Obligates $2.4 Million to St. Charles Parish for Hurricane Isaac Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La. – St. Charles Parish will receive a nearly $2.4 million federal grant to help the parish recover from Hurricane Isaac, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Friday.

The FEMA Public Assistance grant, totaling $2,339,648, helps reimburse the parish for costs to remove and dispose of hurricane-related debris and downed trees from public streets and parish-owned property.

“FEMA strongly supports the parish’s efforts to clean up the community after the storm,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar. “Removing piles of debris not only eliminates a threat to public health and safety, it also marks an important milestone in recovery for all residents.”

The grant covers the federal share of the parish’s eligible costs for the work. Under a cost-sharing formula, FEMA reimburses the state for 75 percent of the total costs, while the state and/or applicant pay the remaining 25 percent.

The newly obligated funds are a portion of the more than $171.2 million in total Public Assistance recovery dollars approved for the state since the Aug. 29, 2012, disaster declaration.

Once FEMA reimburses the state of Louisiana it is the state’s responsibility to manage the funds, which includes making disbursements to local jurisdictions and organizations that incurred costs.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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FEMA Obligates $2.4 Million to St. Charles Parish for Hurricane Isaac Recovery

Dickinson, Texas Celebrates a Safer Community

DENTON, Texas – Residents and business owners in Dickinson, Texas can now enjoy a 5 to10 percent reduction in flood insurance premiums because of the city’s active participation in the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS). In addition to lower premiums, the CRS program has helped reduce the threat of damage due to flooding.

“The flood insurance program rewards communities for implementing programs and policies that protect their residents from flooding,” said Tony Robinson the Region 6 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acting regional administrator.  “Dickinson’s higher regulatory standards, public education and outreach, buyout programs and open space preservation initiatives, among other activities, have earned the city lower premiums as a CRS Class 8 Community.”

The city of Dickinson’s flood insurance policyholders who reside in Special Flood Hazard Areas will receive a 10 percent reduction on flood insurance premiums and policyholders located outside Special Flood Hazard Areas will enjoy a 5 percent discount. The reduction in flood insurance premiums represents an annual savings in premium costs for Dickinson’s policy holders and will take effect at the time a new policy is written or an effective policy is renewed. Those individuals and business owners with a Preferred Risk Policy will not receive premium rate credits under the CRS because it already has a lower premium than other policies.

The city’s participation in the CRS is beneficial in many respects.  In addition to the reduction in insurance premiums, Dickinson officials are more knowledgeable about floodplain management and its residents are more knowledgeable about mitigation and flood insurance.   The CRS program has helped make Dickinson a safer place to live, reduced the economic impact of flood hazards and saved their citizens money on their flood policy premiums.

The community rating system (CRS) is a voluntary program for NFIP-participating communities.  The intended goals of the CRS are to reduce flood losses; facilitate accurate insurance ratings; and to promote the awareness of flood insurance.  For more information on the NFIP’s CRS program, go to http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/crs.shtm.

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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.   Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6, and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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Dickinson, Texas Celebrates a Safer Community

FEMA Obligates $4.5 Million to Jefferson Parish for Debris Removal

BATON ROUGE, La. – A $4.5 million federal grant has been awarded to Jefferson Parish to help with costs for cleaning up debris created by Hurricane Isaac’s high winds and flooding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Thursday.

The FEMA grant, totaling $4,510,862, helps reimburse the parish for work to remove and dispose of debris from the public rights of way. That includes more than 203,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris and nearly 54,400 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris.

“This grant demonstrates FEMA’s strong support for Jefferson Parish’s efforts to clear debris after the storm,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar. “The funds go to the parish but ultimately they will help the whole community recover from Hurricane Isaac.”

The FEMA grant covers the federal share of the parish’s eligible costs for the work. Under a cost-sharing formula, FEMA reimburses the state for 75 percent of the total costs, while the state and/or applicant pay the remaining 25 percent.

The newly obligated funds are a portion of the $14.3 million in total Public Assistance recovery funds approved for applicants in Jefferson Parish since the Aug. 29, 2012, declaration for Hurricane Isaac. Statewide, Public Assistance grants total $171.2 million.

Once FEMA reimburses the state of Louisiana it is the state’s responsibility to manage the funds, which includes making disbursements to local jurisdictions and organizations that incurred costs.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

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FEMA Obligates $4.5 Million to Jefferson Parish for Debris Removal

Notice on National Flood Insurance Program Borrowing Authority: Payments for Claims Related to Hurricane Sandy As Well As Other Major Disasters in…

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), mandated by Congress to administer the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), today notified Congress that without the approval of additional borrowing authority, funds available to pay claims will be exhausted sometime around the week of January 7, 2013.

Supplemental legislation currently under consideration by Congress, based on the Administration’s request submitted to Congress last month and subsequently passed by the Senate in a bipartisan vote, includes $9.7 billion in additional borrowing authority to support the National Flood Insurance Fund to address claims resulting from Superstorm Sandy and other floods. The NFIP continues to pay out claims related to Sandy. To date, nearly 140,000 claims have been made and $1.7 billion has been paid out to survivors. 

“FEMA continues to work closely with Write Your Own (WYO) partner companies to meet the needs of survivors and accelerate partial payments for claims,” said Dave Miller, FEMA’s Associate Administrator for the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration.  “We urge timely congressional action with regard to the pending supplemental to continue to meet survivor needs.”

Payments on more than 115,000 claims in states across the country may be delayed until Congress increases the NFIP borrowing authority. The use of National Flood Insurance Fund monies are being closely monitored based on actual and anticipated claims.

NFIP policies allow up to approximately 90 days after receipt of a claim to make a payment.  Upon depletion of borrowing authority, FEMA will work to ensure any available funds, including ongoing premium payments, may be applied to claim payments.

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.

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Notice on National Flood Insurance Program Borrowing Authority: Payments for Claims Related to Hurricane Sandy As Well As Other Major Disasters in…

FEMA Helpline Still Available to Assist Hurricane Sandy Survivors in Connecticut

WINDSOR, Conn. — FEMA’s registration Helpline is still available for Connecticut residents who suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Although all FEMA-State Disaster Recovery Centers in Connecticut have closed, the Helpline remains available for survivors to register for federal disaster assistance. Sandy survivors who have already registered for aid can call to ask questions, update contact information or check the status of their applications.

Disaster survivors can call 800-621-3362 to register for assistance, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Those who use TTY can call 800-462-7585. Multilingual operators can be reached after the initial English message concludes.

The deadline to register with FEMA has been extended to Jan. 28.

Disaster survivors can register online anytime day or night at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or with a smartphone or other Web-enabled device at m.fema.gov.

Registering for disaster assistance with other agencies or organizations does not register survivors for FEMA disaster assistance. Having FEMA flood insurance does not register policyholders for disaster assistance; flood insurance claims are handled separately.

As of Dec. 28, 2012, more than 2,500 Connecticut residents have been approved for federal disaster assistance. FEMA offers financial help to survivors of federally-declared disasters to cover uninsured losses and critical expenses which cannot be covered by other means.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.  If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362. For TTY, call 800-462-7585.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and covers the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

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.

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FEMA Helpline Still Available to Assist Hurricane Sandy Survivors in Connecticut

National Flood Insurance Program Probation for Port Vincent, Louisiana

DENTON, Texas- Efforts are ongoing by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist the village of Port Vincent, Louisiana hold on to its National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) status; a status that it is in jeopardy of losing if it does not correct current floodplain management violations.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) makes flood insurance available in communities where minimum local floodplain management standards are adopted and enforced. FEMA recently issued a letter to Port Vincent that establishes a deadline of March 1, 2013 for the village to correct certain violations and program deficiencies.

The deficiencies cited in the probation letter include the failure to manage floodplain development in accordance with the village’s floodplain program and a lack of adequate administrative procedures and record keeping.

While the village works to correct these violations, property owners will still be able to purchase and renew flood insurance coverage during the probationary period. However, a $50 surcharge will be added to any policy sold or renewed in the community for the next year beginning on March 1, 2013. There are currently 103 flood insurance policies in the village.

If the village fails to make progress by Sept. 1, 2013, it could be suspended from the program. The result of suspension is the loss of federally backed flood insurance in the community.  Residents in the village will not be able to purchase or renew their flood insurance policies after the suspension occurs.

Additionally, if a flood disaster occurs in a suspended community, most types of federal disaster assistance for structures within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), including federal assistance to individuals and households is not available. Also, the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 prohibits federal agencies from making grants, loans, or guarantees for the acquisition or construction of structures located in a SFHA.

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 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.  Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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National Flood Insurance Program Probation for Port Vincent, Louisiana

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