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Federal Disaster Aid for Alabama Reaches More Than $43.6 Million

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Federal aid provided to Alabama residents affected by the April 28 through May 5 severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding has reached more than $43.6 million.

The following numbers, compiled July 25, provide a snapshot of the Alabama/FEMA disaster recovery to date:

Funds approved:

$20.8 million for Housing Assistance grants to help with recovery rental expenses and home repair costs.
$4.2 million for Other Needs Assistance to cover essential disaster-related needs, such as medical expenses and lost personal possessions.
$16 million approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration for low-interest loans to eligible homeowners, renters and businesses.
$6.8 million for Public Assistance programs to help the state and local governments with the costs of recovery. Of that amount, $1.9 million has been allocated for debris removal. Another $575,000 will go toward storm response and $4.1 million has been obligated for infrastructure repair and replacement.

Survivor Recovery

16,113 damaged homes and properties have been inspected (99 percent of requests).
9 counties designated for Individual Assistance.
21 counties designated for Public Assistance.

FEMA’s mitigation outreach program at nine Home Depot and Lowe’s home improvement stores provided 1,600 shoppers with information on rebuilding/repairing homes in a safer and resilient manner. Thank you letters are being presented to participating stores.

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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.

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Federal Disaster Aid for Alabama Reaches More Than $43.6 Million

Flood Insurance is an Essential Ingredient for Protecting Your Family

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In 2013, the National Weather Service issued 332 flash flood and flood watches/warnings for the state. The state also reported one tropical storm in the Gulf Coast. More severe weather came this spring with tornadoes and more than two feet of rain.

Between the Gulf Coast’s tropical storms and the numerous rivers and streams, the potential for flooding in Alabama is ever present, according to the National Weather Service Office in Birmingham.

“Flooding due to heavy rains is a serious threat to all residents of our state,” said Alabama Emergency Management Director Art Faulkner. “Many of the homes and businesses flooded in the recent historic rain events were not in a flood zone. For the best protection, a flood policy available through the National Flood Insurance Program is a wise investment. Flood insurance will not keep rising water out of your home or business, but it will protect the investment you have in them.”

Flood insurance is important regardless of your flood zone. In fact, people outside high-risk areas file more than 25 percent of flood claims nationwide. And according to the flood insurance program, from 2003 to 2012, the agency averaged $4 billion in claims per year nationwide.

In Alabama, only 57,000 of the estimated 1.8 million households have flood insurance. Yet, the state is highly susceptible to the ravages of flooding, according to FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer in charge of Alabama’s disaster recovery Joe M. Girot.

“Here are two important points people need to understand,” he said. “First, homeowner insurance policies do not cover flooding. Second, flood insurance policyholders can file a claim even if a storm doesn’t trigger a federal disaster declaration.

“Flood insurance is available to homeowners, business owners and renters in communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and enforce their local flood damage prevention ordinances,” Girot said.

Homeowners in a floodplain (or Special Flood Hazard Area) must buy flood insurance if they have a mortgage from a federally regulated lender. An interactive guide to determine your flood risk is available online at FloodSmart.gov. The site also provides information on the NFIP.

Flood insurance, with an average premium running about $600 per year, can save homeowners thousands of dollars in repairs. Just three inches of floodwater in a home will require replacing drywall, baseboards, carpets, furniture and other necessary repairs that can cost an estimated $7,800, according to the National Flood Insurance Program.

The deeper the floodwater, the more it will cost – 18 inches of water means repairs to the electrical system and the heating and cooling system. It also means replacement of doors, appliances and cabinetry, adding another $26,000 to the bill.

Homeowners can insure their homes for up to $250,000 and contents for up to $100,000. Renters can cover their belongings for up to $100,000. Nonresidential property owners can insure a building and its contents for up to $500,000 each.

There is normally a 30-day waiting period when purchasing a new policy. Flood insurance is sold through private companies and agents and is backed by the federal government.

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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-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for childcare, medical, dental expenses and/or funeral expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, those who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, transportation, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

For more information on Alabama’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or http://www.ema.alabama.gov/. For the joint Facebook page, go to www.facebook.com/AlabamaEMA. To receive Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/AlabamaEMA or www.twitter.com/femaregion4

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Flood Insurance is an Essential Ingredient for Protecting Your Family

CERT: Prepared for the Worst When Disaster Strikes

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Community Emergency Response Teams prepare for the worst, then when disaster strikes, they help themselves, their families, their neighborhoods and their communities.

Begun in Los Angeles in 1985, the CERT program consists of specially trained volunteers who are called into action during and immediately following major disasters before first responders can reach the affected areas. They work closely with fire and emergency management departments in their communities.

More than 2,200 CERT programs are available in the United States. In Alabama, 10 counties offer CERT training and maintain teams. During a disaster, Alabama CERT members may self-deploy in their neighborhoods, be mobilized by a sheriff’s office or report to a pre-determined location.

“CERT groups provide immediate assistance to people in their areas and lead spontaneous volunteers before we can get to the area and inform emergency management of what the needs are,” said Art Faulkner, director of Alabama Emergency Management.

Billy Green, Deputy Director of Emergency Management for Tuscaloosa County, had just finished a training class for Hispanic CERT volunteers the week before the tornado outbreak of April 2011 in Alabama.

“We finished on the Saturday before the tornadoes hit,” he said. “These Spanish speakers took exactly what they learned and put it out in the field. The City of Holt has a high Hispanic population, and this team was able to go out there and do search and rescues.”

Holy Spirit Catholic Church set up its own shelter for the Hispanic population, he added. “Those guys were in that shelter helping and making sure everyone was all right.”

This April’s severe weather and flooding caught many Mobile County residents by surprise, said Mike Evans, Deputy Director of Mobile County Emergency Management Agency.

“Mobile gets the most rainfall of anywhere in the continental United States with 67 inches per year,” he said. “This wasn’t like during hurricane season; getting a lot of rain and thunderstorms is pretty common. But areas that normally flood didn’t, it was urban areas.”

Since the ground was already saturated, the rain had nowhere to go so roads that were low flooded, he said.

“People tried to drive through and we had to get them out,” Evans said.

CERTs distributed commodities and one team knocked on doors asking who was going to leave the area and who was going to stay, he said. After the storm, his teams notified people who left the area of the status of their property.

CERTs can also work with crowd and traffic control, work at water stations at large events, help community members prepare for emergencies, and assist with fire suppression and medical operations as well as search and rescue operations.

Initially, CERT members take training classes that cover components of disaster activities, including disaster preparedness, fire suppression, medical operations, search and rescue and disaster psychology and team organization. Additional training occurs twice a year with mock disasters. Refresher courses are also held. The Federal Emergency Management Agency supports CERT by conducting or sponsoring train-the-trainer and program manager courses for members of the fire, medical and emergency management community, who then train individual CERTs.

CERTs are organized in the Alabama counties of Dale, DeKalb, Shelby, Morgan, Tallapoosa, Jefferson, Colbert, Calhoun, Russell and Coffee.

To join an existing CERT program in your community, go online to www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams. Click on the “find nearby CERT programs” link and enter your zip code. If there is a team near you, you will see the name and phone number of a contact person as well as pertinent information about the local program.

That site can also provide information on how to build and train your own community CERT, the curriculum for training members as well as how to register the program with FEMA.

Aside from providing a vital community service, CERT members receive professionally recognized training and continue to increase their skills.

“CERTs complement and enhance first-response capabilities by ensuring safety of themselves and their families, working outward to the neighborhood and beyond until first responders arrive,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Albie Lewis. “They are one of the many volunteer organizations that we rely on during a disaster.”

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CERT: Prepared for the Worst When Disaster Strikes

Federal Firefighter Grant Helps Recoup Atlantic City Equipment Lost During Sandy

New York, NY, July 28, 2014 — In addition to its other widespread destruction, Hurricane Sandy also undermined the effectiveness of multiple sets of the Atlantic City Fire Department’s (ACFD) personal protective equipment via several feet of salt water, oil, gasoline, and sewage.

The ACFD has been awarded $489,060 from the Assistance to Firefighter Grants (AFG) program, however, to replace not only the Sandy-damaged equipment, but also more than 100 other protective suits that are eight years old, showing significant wear, and losing their ability to safeguard the first responders. The local share of the federal grant is $54,340, bringing the total to $543,400.

The announcement was made here today by Dale Mcshine, Grants Director for Region II of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. AFG is a FEMA program.

“During and after Hurricane Sandy, the Atlantic City Fire Department’s gear was exposed to harsh ingredients,” says the department’s Administrative Deputy Chief, Vincent Granese. “It’s unlikely that these contaminants can be removed, and the odds are that they have damaged the integrity of our personal protective equipment.”

Personal protective equipment includes coats, suspenders, helmets, gloves, and hoods. “This grant allows for state-of-the-art gear,” says Chief Granese. “We never would have been able to afford this generation of equipment. It will be made of far better materials, and will enhance our ability to fight fires and respond to other incidents.”

The ACFD is a full-time career department with members assigned to six fire stations that operate on a 24-hour basis 365 days per year. Its services include fire suppression, fire prevention, public safety education, fire investigations, first-responder EMS, level III hazardous material response, and all phases of technical rescue. The department also provides regional support throughout the southern half of New Jersey for Hazmat and Technical Rescue Team response.

The city is a historic beach resort, operating 12 casinos and numerous first-name hotels. It is home to almost 40,000 residents with daily influxes of 110,000 to 600,000 people.

“With its multitude of capabilities, our fire department serves not only our bustling, populated city, but also the state. I have long been proud and impressed by their capabilities and this AFG grant serves only to boost their strengths,” observes Atlantic City mayor, Donald Guardian.

FEMA’s AFG program has been aiding firefighters and other first responders since 2001. “The program provides critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards,” said Tania Hedlund, FEMA’s Grants Branch Chief. The AFG provided funding of $25,340,000 for FEMA’s Region II (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) in 2012.

For further information, contact William H. Douglass at 212-680-3665/917-561-3223.

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Federal Firefighter Grant Helps Recoup Atlantic City Equipment Lost During Sandy

FEMA Deadline Not the End of Flood Recovery in Florida

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Those affected by the spring storms and flooding will still be able to reach the Federal Emergency Management Agency for follow-up questions and will have access to other disaster services and resources after today’s registration deadline of July 21.

Florida survivors in designated counties of Escambia, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties who still haven’t registered for disaster assistance, should contact DisasterAssistance.gov or m.fema.gov on a smartphone by 11:59 p.m. EST or by calling 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585 by 10 p.m. EST.

Applicants who have registered before the deadline, but discover that their insurance has not covered all losses, have up to a year to submit additional documentation to FEMA. Assistance may be available for essentials, such as septic systems, if they are not covered by homeowner insurance policies.

Those who would like to contact FEMA after the deadline for additional information can call FEMA’s helpline at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Helpline hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.

The U.S. Small Business Administration also has a customer service line for survivors who have questions about their low-interest disaster loans. For information, call 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339, or send an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.

Since the May 6 disaster declaration, the SBA has approved more than $37.6 million in low-interest disaster loans for qualified homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations. More than $33 million from FEMA’s Individual Assistance program has been approved for homeowners and renters. This includes more than $27.3 million in rental expenses and essential home repairs, and nearly $5.7 million to help cover other expenses, such as lost or damaged personal property.

Other resources and services available after the deadline include:

Disaster Legal Services

For survivors who need help with disaster-related legal issues, but can’t afford a lawyer, free legal services may be provided.

To request free legal assistance, survivors can call 866-550-2929.

Disaster-Related Stress Help

Survivors who are experiencing stress as a result of the spring storms and flooding can call the disaster distress helpline any time at 800-985-5990. Residents can also text “TalkWithUs” to 66746.

Dial 2-1-1

Survivors who need additional help can call the 2-1-1 information helpline to connect with more than 2,000 local health and human service programs. Residents may also text their zip code to 898-211. For more information, visit the Heart of Florida United Way website at hfuw.org/United_Way_2-1-1.php or send an email to uw211help@gmail.com.

United Way retains an online directory with information that could help residents with their individual needs. This may include information on how to receive donated clothing, food and other supplies; how to request other in-kind services; how to report fraud; how to contact recovery organizations; and who to talk to about disaster-related stress.

To view the online directory of community resources, go to referweb.net/211CommunityResources/.

Anyone with information about individuals who may have defrauded the government in connection with the spring flooding in Florida should call the FEMA fraud hotline at

800-323-8603 or email DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV. This can include information on contractors, inspectors, disaster survivors or anyone posing as any of these.

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FEMA Deadline Not the End of Flood Recovery in Florida

Other resources and services available after the deadline include:

Disaster Legal Services

For survivors who need help with disaster-related legal issues, but can’t afford a lawyer, free legal services may be provided.

To request free legal assistance, survivors can call 866-550-2929.

Disaster-Related Stress Help

Dial 2-1-1

To view the online directory of community resources, go to referweb.net/211CommunityResources/.

Anyone with information about individuals who may have defrauded the government in connection with the spring flooding in Florida should call the FEMA fraud hotline at

800-323-8603 or email DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV. This can include information on contractors, inspectors, disaster survivors or anyone posing as any of these.

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FEMA Deadline Not the End of Flood Recovery in Florida

FEMA local hires and spending boost Alabama’s economy as tornado recovery continues

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Some Alabamians saw their homes and cars destroyed by this spring’s tornadoes and floods while others saw their jobs or businesses demolished.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is helping put the state’s economy back on track, not only by providing financial assistance to families and state and local governments, but also by hiring Alabama residents to help with the recovery efforts and spending money in the local economy.

The agency has hired 18 Alabamians in various positions around the state, according to Federal Coordinating Officer Albie Lewis, the head of FEMA’s recovery mission in Alabama.

“The positions are short-term temporary jobs working in numerous areas of the recovery operation but they are critical to our efforts and to helping the state get back on its feet,” Lewis said. “We take our responsibility to hire local people very seriously and we’re delighted with the quality of employees we’ve found.”

Alabamians have been hired to perform tasks that include performing administrative duties, serving as information technology specialists and couriers, and even assisting with media relations.

In addition, FEMA has roughly 230 personnel working around the state, most of them at the agency’s Joint Field Office in Montgomery where they share offices with U.S. Small Business Administration and state workers.

“This is the equivalent of a medium-sized business locating here in our downtown,” said Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange. “The impact on local businesses can’t be understated. It’s a huge boost to our economy.”

“We really want to put local people to work, not only to help Alabama’s economy but to take advantage of their knowledge of the communities in which we are operating,” said Alabama State Coordinating Officer Jeff Byard.

The Montgomery Joint Field Office has already signed contracts with local businesses for more than $500,000 worth of goods and services, as well as purchasing roughly another $48,000 more with cash or charge cards.

“We not only purchase supplies and services from local businesses but our staff rents cars, stays in hotels, shops in stores and eats in local restaurants. They have their families come to visit them,” said Albee. “That adds up to a tremendous economic impact.”

FEMA personnel have been in Alabama since late April and are expected to remain in the state until late summer, though the number of people will be declining as work is completed.

FEMA local hires and spending boost Alabama’s economy as tornado recovery continues

Volunteers: The Often Overlooked Backbone of Disaster Recovery

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The backbreaking work accomplished by volunteers in Alabama following the April 28 through May 5 severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding seems to have occurred out of the clear blue sky.

More than 25 Amish men traveled 70 miles to help a Madison County farmer clean up debris and help fix her home. They asked for nothing in return except a hot meal.
Nearly 100 volunteers showed up over a recent weekend to cut and remove 25,000 cubic yards of debris in Bessemer. But that’s just a drop in the bucket – one month after the disaster, volunteers had removed nearly 80,000 cubic yards of debris. All these volunteer’s wanted was a “thank you.”
In Coxey, Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian service and relief organization, brought in 471 volunteers who put in 5,900 hours in just three weeks. Also there, a local church was transformed into a storm relief center and overflowed with donations of clothes, food, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and pet and baby items for survivors. The look on survivors’ faces was ample payment for these workers.

Every year and in every disaster, volunteers fill an often overlooked role and seemingly arrive and leave the scene at just the right time. A further look will reveal a network of agencies choreographing volunteer groups with seamless precision to fill the gaps that the federal government cannot. They are called Long Term Recovery Committees or LTRC.

Charles “Larry” Buckner serves as a Federal Emergency Management Agency volunteer agency liaison in Alabama to help coordinate these efforts and provide advice. He also reviews benefit requests to make sure there is no duplication.

“As far as we know, there is $4.2 million in unmet needs in home repair in all nine designated counties in this disaster,” Buckner said. “Of these counties, seven have set up Long Term Recovery Committees, some of which had just barely shut down because of the tornadoes from 2011.”

The two remaining counties have not had LTRCs in the past but are now forming them.

While FEMA and the state can and have helped survivors, neither the federal nor state governments are empowered by law to make disaster survivors whole, that is, to fully replace all that is lost.

LTRCs pick up where FEMA leaves off. Their goal is to identify and meet as many reasonable needs as possible.

These committees are the boots on the ground determining what unmet needs exist. They, in turn, work with state Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters and other groups to attain what is needed, whether it is cash, workers or donated materials.

The committees are everywhere across the country, Buckner said. The concept has been in existence for more than 18 years.

These committees are made up from a variety of organizations – church denominations, local charities, community foundations and some independent groups, such as nondenominational “mega churches.” The one feature they all share is a calling to help serve those in need.

“United Way is providing case workers in some counties and may act as the fiduciary, the American Red Cross may provide case workers as does the Salvation Army,” he added.

In Alabama, Buckner said the LTRC committees are working with Serve Alabama, part of the governor’s office, and has applied for a grant to be used to hire case workers.

“With the grant, they can hire 12 case workers for 18 months,” he said. “It asks for just shy of $1 million.” If approved, the grant will come from FEMA, he added.

The case workers meet with survivors and assess their unmet needs. They take into account what FEMA provided, but FEMA grants are capped at $32,400 per household. Anything beyond that amount is where the LTRC committees can assist.

The case worker will make a recommendation to a group of three to five committee members “in such a way that the board sees the facts but may never know who that individual is,” he explained.

“That is done to prevent favoritism or being passed over based on who the survivor is,” he said. “Then, the group gives a thumb’s up or down to entirely or partially meet the unmet need. You won’t see them replacing a swimming pool, but they may replace house siding and decide to paint it as well.”

While this is going on, other members of the LTRC are working to recruit volunteer organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Mennonites and others to come in and repair or rebuild homes. Still others are securing grants large enough to meet most, if not all, of the unmet needs.

“The dollars can go into the millions,” he said.

And any excess funding all goes to meet the needs of the survivors.

“If there is a surplus, they use the money to replace furniture, appliances and other things that will help people get back on their feet.

“They want to provide people with safe, sanitary and functional homes,” Buckner said. “In some areas of the country they are not as successful. But they are here because the southern culture dictates that communities take care of their own.”

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Volunteers: The Often Overlooked Backbone of Disaster Recovery

Being Alert to Fraud Helps Both Recovery and the Taxpayer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The great majority of people registering with Federal Emergency Management Agency for help have genuine needs.

Unfortunately, the rush to get assistance by those affected by the Alabama tornadoes, severe storms and flooding of April 28 through May 5 also may present opportunities to defraud taxpayers.

Fraud increases the cost of recovery after a disaster and gives money to those without disaster-related losses, say emergency management officials.

The Inspector General for FEMA investigates complaints of fraud, waste or abuse involving FEMA contracts, programs or personnel.

The office of the Inspector General maintains a toll-free Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721.

Potential cases of fraud or misuse can be referred to the U.S. Justice Department for prosecution. Penalties for felony offenses can be severe.

Here are some examples of complaints that are typically filed with the FEMA Office of the Inspector General:

Applicants used false names and multiple and/or fictitious addresses;
Applicants claimed losses they didn’t sustain or to which they were not entitled;
Applicants did not use FEMA grant money for the intended purposes;
Municipal officials used FEMA grant money for their own benefit;
FEMA checks were stolen; and
Applicants received duplicate payments from FEMA and their insurance companies.

Complaints also may be filed by writing to:

National Center for Disaster Fraud

Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909

Those who visit the Office of the Inspector General website at www.fema.gov/ig/hotline.shtm will find an option to submit a complaint using internet electronic mail. Those who submit complaints via email must waive confidentiality because of the non-secure nature of Internet electronic mail systems.

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Being Alert to Fraud Helps Both Recovery and the Taxpayer

FEMA Registration Period in Alabama Closes Tuesday

Tuesday, July 15 is the deadline in Alabama to register with FEMA and to return an application for physical damage to the SBA.

Persons who suffered damage in the spring storms of April 28 through May 5 who have yet to register with FEMA should do so as soon as possible. The registration process takes about 30 minutes. The ways to register are:

Go online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
Visit m.fema.gov from a Smartphone,
Dial 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585,
For those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services, call 800-621-3362.

The toll-free numbers are operated from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Centers remain open in Baldwin and Mobile counties 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays through tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15. These disaster centers are located in:

Baldwin County

Elberta Town Hall,10352 Main St., Elberta, AL 36530
Fairhope Civic Center (Delchamps Room), 161 North Section St., Fairhope, AL 36532

Mobile County

Old Navy/Marine Corps Reserve Center, 4851 Museum Dr., Mobile, AL 36608

Specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the SBA will be on hand to answer questions.

Survivors also can reach the SBA:

To complete an online application at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
Call the SBA customer service center with questions at 800-659-2955.
If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-877-8339.
For more information, visit www.sba.gov.

If you have registered with FEMA already but have questions about your application for assistance, about the eligibility letter you received from FEMA after you registered or any other questions, or if you have information FEMA has requested or that you wish to add to your application, dial 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Persons who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services also should dial 800-621-3362.

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FEMA Registration Period in Alabama Closes Tuesday

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