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This Hurricane Season, Flood Insurance is a Wise Investment

AUSTIN, Texas – Flooding is a familiar and frequent natural disaster in Texas. Heavy rains are a consistent threat across the state, while hurricanes have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in flood damage to Texas homes and businesses in just the past few years.

A flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program offers Texas residents their best protection against loss. It takes 30 days for a new NFIP policy to go into effect.

Hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30. Will you have flood insurance in time?

“During hurricane season, Texas residents and businesses are at risk,” said Federal Coordinating Officer William J. Doran III, who is in charge of FEMA’s operations in Texas. “A policy with the NFIP is one of the best ways to supplement federal assistance and protect your home and livelihood.”

Flood damage is not covered under homeowner insurance policies and there is no guarantee that federal disaster assistance will be available when a flood occurs.

Flood insurance is available to homeowners, business owners and renters. Policies offer up to $250,000 coverage for homeowners, up to $100,000 for personal property and up to $500,000 each for business contents and buildings.

Property owners who already have flood insurance policies are encouraged to check their policy each year, update as necessary and make sure premiums remain paid in full.

For more information or to find an insurance agent near you who sells flood insurance, visit floodsmart.gov, or call the NFIP’s toll-free number at 1-888-356-6329 (1-888-FLOOD29). Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 1-800-427-5593.

Download fema.gov/mobile-app to locate open shelters and disaster recovery centers, receive severe weather alerts, safety tips and much more.

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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.

Download fema.gov/mobile-app to locate open shelters and disaster recovery centers, receive severe weather alerts, safety tips and much more.

Originally posted here –

This Hurricane Season, Flood Insurance is a Wise Investment

FEMA Grant to Fund Seawall Project in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach

Eatontown, N.J. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently obligated $28,358,886.60 in additional grant funding for the repair of the Hurricane Sandy-damaged seawall in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach, bringing the total FEMA funding obligated for the project to date to $31,344,834.00

That amount represents 90 percent of the total project cost of $34,827,594.00. The State of New Jersey will fund the remaining 10 percent.

Storm damage atop Sea Bright seawall in 2012.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will perform the work.

The grant represents the latest major multi-million dollar project along the coast of New Jersey to receive FEMA funding for Hurricane Sandy-related repairs.

Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach were heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy after the historic storm made landfall in Brigantine, New Jersey on October 29, 2012. The National Weather Service reported storm surge of up to 11 feet along the New Jersey Shore with wave heights in excess of 14 feet.

In Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach, raging storm tides destroyed beach clubs along the shore, and displaced and eroded portions of the seawall. In areas where there was a break in the seawall, the surging flood tides inundated the low-lying communities, causing extensive damage.

Design specifications for the repair and mitigation project include the construction of 3,188 lineal feet of new sea wall in accordance with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers design protocols. The new segments of seawall will connect with the existing seawall, providing a strong barrier that will protect vulnerable areas of both towns should a similar storm strike in the future.

The existing seawall extends 4.7 miles, from Valentine Street in Monmouth Beach to the Highlands Bridge in North Sea Bright. In mid-November, U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez and Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ-06) hailed the funding of the project, with Menendez noting that “The seawall in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach is the first line of defense against Mother Nature for these communities, protecting them from potential devastation caused by severe flooding. This federal funding will help ensure the seawall is rebuilt to safeguard residents and property from more prevalent and powerful Nor-easters and Atlantic storms threatening the Jersey Shore.”

Work on the project is expected to get under way early in 2016.

For more information on New Jersey’s disaster recovery, visit fema.gov/SandyNJ.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/FEMASandy,www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/fema, www.fema.gov/blog, 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.”

Continued here:

FEMA Grant to Fund Seawall Project in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach

Three Years after Sandy: FEMA Funding for Recovery in New Jersey Exceeds $6.8 Billion

EATONTOWN, NJ. — In the three years since Hurricane Sandy scored a direct hit on New Jersey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been actively engaged in the recovery effort, providing $6.8 billion to date to help the state recover and rebuild.

This money has helped to restore critical facilities, clear debris, replace boardwalks along the Jersey Shore, rebuild public infrastructure, and reimburse municipalities throughout the state for the enormous costs of clearing debris and restoring public safety in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

FEMA’s National flood Insurance program has paid out more than $3.5 billion in claims to flood insurance policyholders whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm. Through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP), the agency approved $422.9 million in payments to Sandy survivors.

FEMA Public Assistance, which provides funds for repair and rebuilding of infrastructure and public facilities as well as necessary work such as debris removal and emergency response, has obligated $1.809 billion in Public Assistance funds towards repair and rebuilding projects in New Jersey.

As the work of rebuilding continues, FEMA is helping to strengthen the state’s capacity to withstand a future disaster. Thirty-nine percent of all Public Assistance (PA) projects have accompanying mitigation projects. FEMA is funding projects that protect vulnerable facilities from inundation by storm waters, raise homes above the flood plain and convert neighborhoods that have experienced repeated and devastating flooding to public, open space. Eighty-six percent of all New Jersey PA projects over a half-million dollars have a mitigation component.

To date, the FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program has obligated $258,456,164 million for a series of mitigation measures that includes voluntary property acquisitions in communities subject to repetitive flooding, energy allocation, retail fuel, infrastructure, home elevations and planning projects, including $30.9 million for home elevations in flood-prone areas and $9.7 million for the Retail Fuel Station Program. The RFS is a voluntary grant program designed to enhance the operational resiliency of retail fuel stations statewide by funding the installation of back-up generators capable of operating fuel pumps when power outages occur.

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

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Three Years after Sandy: FEMA Funding for Recovery in New Jersey Exceeds $6.8 Billion

Three Years after Sandy: New Jersey’s Private Sector Continues the Work of Recovery

EATONTOWN, N.J. — The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy left survivors and businesses in New Jersey with large-scale recovery needs. In the three years since, the state’s private sector has made significant contributions to strengthen recovery efforts.

Immediately after Sandy struck, Private Sector specialists with FEMA’s External Affairs division deployed to New Jersey to work with chambers of commerce, industry associations, individual companies, colleges and universities, the medical industry and other organizations.

An outside shot of the Panini Bay Restaurant

Panini Bay Restaurant in Tuckerton built an innovative elevator for wheel chair accessibility

Response was immediate. Utility companies inserted disaster assistance information in utility bill inserts, reaching 3.3 million customers. The South Jersey Transportation Authority featured registration information on its Vehicle Messaging Systems at toll plazas as well as on its website ticker messaging system, reaching an estimated 2.9 people a month.

Through utility bill inserts, newsletters, signage, advisories and other means, FEMA’s Private Sector specialists successfully distribute some 14 million disaster assistance messages to New Jersey residents.

One fast food chain that requested anonymity handed out disaster assistance messaging along with 7,000 sandwiches they distributed at 32 locations throughout New Jersey. “That’s just one example of how essential the private sector is to a strong recovery effort,” noted Gracia Sczech, who served as Federal Coordinating Officer for FEMA’s Joint Field Office in Lincroft during the early days of the disaster.

Chambers of commerce, associations and businesses shared FEMA’s electronic newsletter, the E-News Update, with their memberships and contacts. This access to recovery information proved invaluable to their members and had far-reaching effects.

FEMA’s Private Sector worked with The New Jersey Association of Realtors to present a series of seminars and question and answer sessions on recovery issues. These events updated and advised the real estate community on issues pertinent to Sandy recovery, including, Flood Mapping, the National Flood Insurance Program, Home Elevation, Business Continuity, Federal and State recovery programs, and grant and loan opportunities.

In all, more than 2,000 realtors received the latest information regarding Sandy recovery. “To have the opportunity to interact directly with FEMA representatives, ask questions and get answers has helped not only members, but their clients as well,” said New Jersey Association of Realtors Chief Executive Officer Jarrod Grasso. “The recovery process in the aftermath of Sandy has not been easy, but getting the correct facts to our members has relieved a great deal of uncertainty related to flood maps, insurance and elevation that so many New Jersey residents felt.”

Two FEMA program areas, Private Sector and the Federal Disaster Recovery Coordination group, facilitated an Insurance Industry Roundtable, forming a public-private partnership that resulted in a series of four meetings to explore how to enhance and expedite the disaster assistance process. A roundtable work group identified issues impeding the process and then developed recommendations that were submitted to President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force.

A view of the info tables at Home Depot on Preparedness Day

FEMA’s Mitigation and Private Sector teams man tables at Home Depot’s Preparedness Day

The private sector reached out in more basic ways as well. Sometimes, it was as simple as speaking at a local chamber of commerce meeting or a single business, staffing information tables at business and industry functions or offering work space for businesses displaced by the storm.

Operation Photo Rescue, a nonprofit organization of volunteer photojournalists from around the nation, came to New Jersey to help Sandy survivors restore treasured photos. The organization began helping disaster survivors during the Hurricane Katrina recovery in Louisiana. Operation Photo Rescue volunteers needed to set up a temporary site close enough for survivors to access their free services.

“Finding a place for us to host our copy run was turning into a major problem as we could not secure a building close enough to where Sandy hit,” recalled Operation Photo Rescue President Margie Hayes.

“We were coming up empty-handed until Chris Spyridon, regional pro sales manager for Home Depot, offered us a space at Home Depot in Seaside Heights.”

Another area in which the private sector played an important role was in the academic arena. FEMA offers a disaster preparation program to elementary schools titled “FEMA for Kids,” which helps children recover from the stress and uncertainty of the unknown that a disaster can bring by teaching them skills that serve to alleviate that uncertainty, including developing a family communications plan for disasters and determining what items their family should plan to have on hand to prepare for disaster, such as canned food, medications, water and pet supplies.

With the success of FEMA for Kids came a similar prepared program aimed at high school and college-age students titled “Ready, Steady, Strong.” Designed and developed by a FEMACorps team at the NJ Sandy Joint Field Office in Lincroft, Ready, Steady, Strong teaches the same principles as FEMA for Kids at a more sophisticated level, including a tabletop exercise simulating a disaster in which the students practice emergency management skills.

Thousands of students throughout New Jersey participated in the two programs, gaining the attention of the Mayor of Newark, who invited FEMA to present the program in the Newark school system. More than 45,000 elementary and high school age students as well as teachers and administrators participated.

The business of recovery is long-term, and an important part of recovery is preparedness, which not only helps individuals survive a disaster but can help businesses endure as well. FEMA’s Private Sector specialists have traveled throughout the state to help executives and officials understand the need for a business continuity plan to implement in an emergency to ensure the business can survive and continue once the emergency is over. Montclair State University recorded FEMA’s preparedness webinar to share with all of New Jersey’s colleges and universities.

As we mark the third year of Hurricane Sandy Recovery, the work of our Private Sector partners continues to benefit residents and businesses throughout New Jersey.

“We are proud of the contributions that members of New Jersey’s business communities made toward the goal of recovery,” said NJ Sandy Recovery Office Director Christopher Hartnett. “Their efforts have made a difference for thousands of residents and businesses across the state.”

Please be sure to watch the following video-links for two success stories: Partnering for Preparedness: Jenkinson’s Aquarium Continuity Plan Works at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/81998#details and Serenity Spa Open for Business at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/82055.

You may also enjoy two FEMA links called Ready Steady Strong Visits East Side High School at www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/99359 and First Avenue Elementary School is Prepared for Emergencies at www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/99488.

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

Original post:

Three Years after Sandy: New Jersey’s Private Sector Continues the Work of Recovery

Three Years after Sandy: Recovery and Resiliency at Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission

EATONTOWN, N.J. — Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s Newark Bay Treatment Plant is New Jersey’s largest sewer treatment plant and the fifth largest sewage treatment facility in the nation.

An outside shot of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission Newark Bay Treatment Plant Situated on a low-lying, 140-acre site at the edge of Newark Bay, the PVSC plant treats the wastewater, municipal sewage sludge and drinking water sludge from 3.43 million residents of New Jersey and New York. This represents approximately 25 percent of New Jersey and 15 percent of New York City wastewater treatment.

When Hurricane Sandy made landfall along the coast of New Jersey on Oct. 29, 2012, a twelve-foot wall of water pushed across the PVSC’s Newark Bay Treatment Plant. The saltwater flooded a network of tunnels and equipment, knocking out the plant’s main power feeder lines and disabling the backup emergency generators.

A shot of the interior pipe system within the plant. With raw sewage backing up into the pipes that normally transfer sewage from homes and businesses to the plant for treatment, plant operators acted to prevent a widespread public health emergency by opening the plant’s discharge gates, allowing the untreated sewage to flow into Newark Bay.

Before operations could be restored, eight hundred and forty million gallons of raw sewage flowed untreated into the Passaic River. The plant would remain inoperable for 48 hours. On November 3, workers succeeded in restoring primary wastewater treatment and disinfection capabilities.

The Newark Bay facility had sustained an estimated $200 million in damages to vehicles, buildings, inventory, equipment and contents on the ground level as well as catastrophic damages to plant facilities located below ground. The resulting damages caused an extended loss of treatment capability with severe economic impacts on the region. The facility would not achieve full permit compliance until July 2013.

A view of the Achimedes screws used in the plant. Over the past three years, FEMA has obligated 46 projects for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority to date for a total obligated amount of $443,288.037. Three amendments are under review and several more are being written for a total of $8.8 million.

PVSC applied for approximately $800 million in grants to underwrite a long term mitigation plan for this facility. The plan called for the construction of a flood wall capable of withstanding a 500-year flood event. Mitigation funds will pay for the flood wall to be built around the entire perimeter of the facility. These major mitigation initiatives are intended to prevent a recurrence in any future events. The time frame for design and construction of the flood wall is estimated to be 5 to 7 years.

The Plant is also undertaking short term mitigation measures that include the installation of ‘muscle walls’ (temporary flood barriers) around critical infrastructure, elevation of high-voltage electrical lines on 27-foot utility poles, adding pump stations and installing three natural gas-fired turbines as a backup power source in a similar emergency. PVSC is awaiting a determination from FEMA on this application.

When approved, PVSC Mitigation project will be the largest mitigation project in the state of New Jersey.

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

Originally posted here:

Three Years after Sandy: Recovery and Resiliency at Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission

Last Day to Request a Review of Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims is Three Weeks Away

Three weeks remain for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insurance policyholders to submit their Hurricane Sandy Claims for review by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The last day to submit claims is Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced that any additional flood insurance proceeds up to $20,000 will not be treated as duplicative, and will not be recouped by HUD or its grantees. To date, approximately three out of four NFIP claimants have received less than $20,000 in additional compensation from FEMA, and will not face any possible repayment of HUD-funded grants.

Policyholders can call the NFIP’s Hurricane Sandy claims center at 866-337-4262 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), Monday through Friday, to request a review. It is important to have your policy number and insurance company name ready when you call. As of Sept. 16, more than 14,000 policyholders have requested reviews of their Sandy flood insurance claims.

Policyholders also can go online to www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-nfip-claims to download a form requesting a review. The downloaded form can be filled out and emailed to FEMA-sandyclaimsreview@fema.dhs.gov or faxed to 202-646-7970 to begin the review process. For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and use 711 or VRS, please call 866-337-4262. For individuals using a TTY, please call 800-462-7585 to begin the review process.

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.

Original source:

Last Day to Request a Review of Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims is Three Weeks Away

This First Week of National Preparedness Month, Make a Plan for Floods

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – This is the first week of National Preparedness Month (NPM) and in the Midwest it’s off to a roaring start with active outreach and conversations meant to inspire individuals and families to take action and prepare for flooding—the most common and costly disaster in the United States. Yes, it can happen where you live!

During this first week of NPM, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 10 regional offices; county and local emergency managers; other federal agencies; businesses; voluntary and other organizations; as well as families and individuals will use news releases, social media, educational activities and events to promote the message that preparing for floods is important for protecting lives, livelihoods and properties.

“Flooding is fresh on the minds of many people in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. With so much flooding during the past few months, it’s a good time to consider the true risk,” said FEMA Region VII Regional Administrator Beth Freeman. “But it’s not enough to simply realize flooding is a real threat for us all. This month, this week, today, we hope everyone will take action to develop and practice a family emergency communication plan for hazards like flooding. This year our theme is, ‘Don’t wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today.’”

Fewer than half of Americans have taken the time to plan what they will do if there is an emergency. Sitting down and developing a communication plan with loved ones doesn’t cost a thing, but can save a lot if a flood or another disaster impacts you and your family.

In addition to floods, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and earthquakes also occur frequently and devastate lives across the country every year. To encourage disaster planning for all hazards, FEMA and the Ad Council just launched a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish, at www.ready.gov/september, The PSAs direct audiences to www.ready.gov/communicate for tools and resources to help develop and practice a family emergency communication plan.

Managed and sponsored by the Ready campaign, National Preparedness Month is designed to raise awareness and encourage Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, schools, organizations, businesses, and places of worship. National Preparedness Month is an opportunity to share emergency preparedness information and host activities across the country to help Americans understand what it truly means to be ready.

National Preparedness Month Weekly Themes

•Week 1 (September 1–5) Flood

•Week 2 (September 6–12) Wildfire

•Week 3 (September 13–19) Hurricane

•Week 4 (September 20–26) Power Outage

•Week 5 (September 27–30) Lead up to National PrepareAthon! Day, September 30

National Preparedness Month culminates with National PrepareAthon! Day on September 30 when cities and counties across the country are planning community-wide events bringing together schools, their business community, government, faith leaders, hospitals, individuals and families, and others to participate in preparedness drills and activities for hazards that are relevant to their area.

For more information visit Ready.gov/September or follow the campaign on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/readygov, on Twitter, at https://twitter.com/Readygov, or for FEMA Region VII, www.twitter.com/femaregion7. For more information about events for America’s PrepareAthon throughout September, and for National PrepareAthon! Day information, visit www.ready.gov/prepare.

Quick facts to consider as you plan:

•Text messages and social media can be better ways to communicate during an emergency when phone lines are tied up, or even not working.

•Homeowners and renters insurance don’t cover floods

•Talking to children about emergencies and involving them in the planning process helps children feel they have some control over what could happen during an emergency. It can also make recovery much easier on everyone.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Find regional updates from FEMA Region VII at www.twitter.com/femaregion7. 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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Starting your Sandy Claims Review is as Simple as Making a Call

Some policyholders have already received additional payments on their claim

It takes only a few minutes to ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to review a flood insurance claim filed as a result of Hurricane Sandy. And it doesn’t cost anything.

More than 11,500 policyholders of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) have entered the review process and some policyholders have already received additional payments on their claim. The deadline for requesting a review is Sept. 15, 2015.

To be eligible, flood insurance policyholders must have experienced flood damage between

Oct. 27, 2012 and Nov. 6, 2012. Policyholders can call the NFIP’s Hurricane Sandy claims center at 866-337-4262 to request a review of their claim. This review may result in additional payment to the policyholder.

It will be helpful if policyholders have a few key pieces of information when they call:

The name on the flood insurance policy,
the address of the damaged property,
the name of the insurance company, and
the policy number that was in effect at the time of the loss.

When they call, policyholders will be asked a series of questions to determine whether they qualify for review. Once qualified, policyholders will be called by an NFIP-certified adjuster, who will serve as a caseworker through the review process. The timing of the adjuster’s initial call may be affected by the volume of requests for review. Our goal is to complete most reviews within 90 days of the initial call.

“Getting started in the Sandy Claims Review is as simple as making a call and answering a few questions,” said Roy Wright, Deputy Associate Administrator for FEMA’s Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, which runs the NFIP. “We will review the claim file and let the policyholder know whether they are due any more money.”

Policyholders also can go online to www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-nfip-claims to download a form to request a review. The completed form may be e-mailed to FEMA-sandyclaimsreview@fema.dhs.gov or faxed to 202-646-7970 to start the process. For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and use 711 or VRS, please call 866-337-4262. For individuals using a TTY, please call 800-462-7585 to begin the review process.

Policyholders who have already requested their review can call 866-337-4262 if they have questions or need more information. They can also choose to drop out of the review process at any time.

The Sandy claims review process is intended to be simple for the policyholder and does not require paid legal assistance. Additionally, there are several nonprofit service providers ready to offer free advice and answer questions policyholders may have. A list of these advocacy groups can be found at www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-nfip-claims.

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

Link to original:

Starting your Sandy Claims Review is as Simple as Making a Call

Louisiana Recovery Update: Katrina and Rita by the Numbers

BATON ROUGE, La. – Nearly a decade after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated Louisiana, hard-hit communities are coming back stronger than ever. To date, assistance to Louisiana’s residents and communities from the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency totals more than $19.6 billion.

“Louisiana is more prepared today than ever before,” said GOHSEP Director Kevin Davis. “That’s a tribute to the local, state and federal partnership we have created in Louisiana, focused on preparedness and resiliency.”

The more than $19.6 billion in federal disaster assistance has made its way to Louisiana cities, parishes and citizens through FEMA’s Individual Assistance, Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation grant programs.

That includes nearly $5.8 billion in Individual Assistance grants provided to nearly 916,000 individuals and families affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana. More than $5.5 billion of the total was provided within a year of the storms, giving residents a helping hand in rebuilding their lives and restoring livelihoods.

The total also includes nearly $12.4 billion obligated in Public Assistance reimbursements to the state and local governments, and eligible private nonprofit organizations; and more than $1.4 billion obligated for mitigation projects to build stronger, safer, more resilient communities. FEMA continues to reimburse the State of Louisiana for 100 percent of the costs for projects under the Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant programs.

To date, nearly 80 percent of the currently projected repair and replacement costs under the Public Assistance program for Katrina have been disbursed to applicants. Under Hurricane Rita’s Public Assistance program, 90 percent of the repair and replacement costs have been disbursed.

Separately, the state and FEMA provided more than $321.5 million in Disaster Unemployment Assistance to nearly 185,000 survivors who lost jobs as a result of the hurricanes, and $17.9 million in Relocation Assistance so more than 10,000 families could return home to their communities.

In addition, FEMA funded one of the largest crisis counseling programs ever – providing more than $68.5 million to Louisiana Spirit to help adults and children identify ways to deal with the trauma and stress of surviving and recovering from the hurricanes. Louisiana Spirit is a federally-funded crisis counseling and stress management program for individuals, families and groups affected by presidentially declared disasters across the state of Louisiana.

In addition to the $19.6 billion in grant program funding, the FEMA-administered National Flood Insurance Program paid more than $16.2 billion in claims to more than 215,000 policyholders in the state, while the U.S. Small Business Administration provided nearly $6.9 billion in low-interest disaster recovery loans to help homeowners, renters and businesses rebuild.

Although recovery from the storms has been a top priority, FEMA and local jurisdictions also considered the safety of residents in the future. With more than $23 million in FEMA assistance, Louisiana increased the number of jurisdictions with FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plans from just four to 68, including all 64 parishes in the state. Mitigation plans form the foundation of a community’s long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction and repeated damage.

While monetary assistance is vital to Louisiana’s recovery, it does not tell the full story of the state and federal family’s commitment to survivors since Katrina and Rita struck in 2005.

Through collaborative efforts, FEMA and GOHSEP conducted the largest housing operation in our nation’s history, providing temporary housing to nearly 74,000 families displaced by Katrina and another 11,000 families displaced by Rita. As of three years ago, all of these survivors had returned to longer-term housing.

“The success of Louisiana’s recovery so far has been all about solidifying and strengthening partnerships. It’s about coming together, finding common ground and focusing on rebuilding communities that are stronger and more sustainable for the future,” said Mike Womack of FEMA, director of the Louisiana Recovery Office.

For more information on Katrina and Rita recovery, including project highlights, photos, video and fact sheets, visit https://beta.fema.gov/katrina10. For further recovery information, photos and a calendar of Katrina and Rita anniversary events around Louisiana, visit GOHSEP’s Katrina 10th anniversary Web page at www.gohsep.la.gov/RECOVER/KATRINA-RITA-10-YEARS-LATER. Also visit FEMA on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion6 and on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMA for further Katrina and Rita anniversary content in the coming days.

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The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover 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. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.

Link to article:

Louisiana Recovery Update: Katrina and Rita by the Numbers

Thousands of Policyholders Taking Part in Hurricane Sandy Claims Review

FEMA Continues to Make Additional Payments to Eligible Policyholders

Over 11,000 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders who filed claims for damage are in the Hurricane Sandy Claims Review process, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today. FEMA has already validated and begun providing additional funds to policyholders taking part in the Hurricane Sandy Claims Review.

“If you believe your flood claim was underpaid for any reason, we encourage you to do what so many of your neighbors are doing and ask FEMA to take another look,” said Roy Wright, Deputy Associate Administrator for FEMA’s Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, which runs the NFIP.

FEMA reminds policyholders that September 15, 2015 is the last day to request a review of their Hurricane Sandy claims.

To be eligible, policyholders must have experienced flood damage between Oct. 27, 2012 and Nov. 6, 2012. Policyholders can call the NFIP’s Hurricane Sandy claims center at 866-337-4262 to request a review. Alternately, policyholders can go online to www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-nfip-claims to download a form requesting a review. The completed form may be emailed to FEMA-sandyclaimsreview@fema.dhs.gov to start the process.

For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and use 711 or VRS, please call 866-337-4262. For individuals using a TTY, please call 800-462-7585 to begin the review process.

When policyholders call, they should have available the name on the policy, address of the damaged property, the name of the insurance company and the policy number that was in effect at the time of the loss. Policyholders will be asked a series of questions to determine whether they qualify for review. Once qualified, policyholders will be called by an adjuster, acting as a case worker, to begin the review. The timing of the adjuster’s initial call may be affected by the volume of requests for review. Most reviews can be concluded within 90 days.

Files will be assigned to an NFIP-certified adjuster who will review the claim file. Adjusters will contact policyholders to guide them through the review process. Policyholders who have already requested their review can call 866-337-4262 if they have questions or need more information.

After a policyholder receives the results of their claims review in writing from FEMA, they may seek reconsideration by a neutral third party reviewer if they are dissatisfied with the result. The review is an optional process established by FEMA to give policyholders an opportunity to seek further reexamination of their claim file by a neutral third party reviewer. FEMA will give substantial weight to the recommendation made by the officials in making its final determination on the file.

Policyholders who have already requested a Hurricane Sandy claims review do not need to take any additional action and can expect to be contacted by their adjuster.

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

Link:

Thousands of Policyholders Taking Part in Hurricane Sandy Claims Review

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