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Preliminary Flood Maps in Galveston Co, TX Ready for Public View: Public Open House Scheduled to Share Map Changes and Flood Risk Information

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

Galveston 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 that gives updated information on coastal flood risks. To share that data, public workshops are scheduled in the county where interested citizens can obtain more information about the proposed changes.

Tuesday, Feb. 19 Wednesday, Feb. 20

Moody United Methodist Church League City Civic Center

2803 53^rd Street 400 W. Walker Street

Galveston, TX 77551 League City, TX 77573

2 p.m. – 8 p.m. 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 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 Galveston 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 www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

Preliminary Flood Maps in Galveston Co, TX Ready for Public View: Public Open House Scheduled to Share Map Changes and Flood Risk Information

FEMA, Federal Partners Continue to Monitor Storm Conditions

Individuals Urged to Continue to Follow Direction of Local Officials and Check on Neighbors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its federal partners, including the National Weather Service, continue to closely monitor the major winter storm systems impacting the Northeast and developing across the Northern and Central Plains. FEMA’s regional offices in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, New York City, and Philadelphia are in contact with state emergency management counterparts and with tribal emergency managers in the path of the storm. FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. continues to monitor the situation and hold regular operational briefings with regional and federal partners as the severe winter weather continues.

At the state’s request, FEMA liaisons have been positioned in state emergency operations centers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York (both in Albany and New York City), Rhode Island, and Vermont. A National Incident Management Assistance Team is deploying to the Northeast to provide support if additional support is requested to help with emergency response coordination and other needs. These personnel are in addition to the joint state and federal field office staff already in place supporting ongoing disaster recovery efforts in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont following Hurricane Sandy. Other teams and personnel are ready to support, if needed and requested.

According to the National Weather Service, blizzard conditions, heavy snow and high winds are expected to continue today into tonight in portions of the Northeast and will produce moderate to locally major coastal flooding. The wet heavy snow may cause downed tree limbs and power lines, creating power outages. Additionally, the National Weather Service forecasts that snow, and in some areas, blizzard conditions are expected across parts of Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming through the weekend into Monday, in some areas.

“Everyone has a role to play in the response to this winter storm,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “Follow the direction of your state, local and tribal officials, and if you are told to stay off the roads, stay home, and when it is safe, check on your neighbors or friends nearby who may need assistance or extra support. Older adults and individuals who are dependent on life-sustaining medical equipment or assistive devices such as a ventilator or mobility devices, may need additional support in areas that have lost power.”

FEMA echoes the warnings issued by the National Weather Service and local elected officials in the affected region, and asks citizens and visitors in areas with severe winter storms to avoid all travel both during and immediately following the storm and to heed all advice and safety information provided by state, tribal and local emergency officials. Individuals in the path of the storm should monitor their NOAA weather radio and local weather forecast office or www.weather.gov for the latest information, including additional or changing weather watches and warnings.

Individuals in areas affected by the storm, are reminded of these safety tips during the storm:

Stay indoors during the storm.
Walk carefully on snowy, icy walkways.
Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. If you must shovel snow, stretch before going outside.
Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat.
Use generators outdoors, away from doors, windows and vents.
Check on your neighbors or friends nearby who may need assistance or extra support.

For more information on what to do after winter storms, visit www.ready.gov.

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FEMA, Federal Partners Continue to Monitor Storm Conditions

New Jersey Disaster Recovery Centers Closed Saturday

TRENTON, N.J. — All disaster recovery centers in New Jersey will be closed Saturday, Feb. 9, due to forecasted severe weather. Centers will reopen Monday, Feb. 11, at 9 a.m.

Help and information are always available online or by phone. Survivors can check on the status of their disaster assistance applications at DisasterAssistance.gov, by using a smartphone or tablet at m.FEMA.gov, or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 800-462-7585 or 711/VRS.

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.

Source:

New Jersey Disaster Recovery Centers Closed Saturday

FEMA Urges New England Residents to Prepare Now For Severe Winter Weather

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges citizens and visitors to the Northeast or New England states to prepare now for an intense and potentially dangerous winter storm forecast for the area.

FEMA’s partner, the National Weather Service, is warning of a major winter storm and blizzard for areas of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon. Areas of Vermont and Maine are also under winter storm warnings.

Blizzard conditions are extremely hazardous for travel and include sustained winds or frequent wind gusts to 35 miles per hour or greater, reduced visibility, and considerable snowfall and blowing snow. This snow will be wet and heavy and could lead to downed trees and power lines. Accompanying winds with this storm will be from the Northeast at 40-50 mph for many areas, with a potential for wind gusts up to 75 mph on Cape Cod and the offshore islands. Coastal flooding is possible along the Maine and Massachusetts coastlines and beach erosion is anticipated across the entire region.

Residents or visitors to these areas should follow guidance issued by emergency officials and check with their local weather forecast office or www.weather.gov for the latest information, including additional watches and warnings. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are currently being sent directly to many cell phones on participating wireless carrier networks. These alerts are sent by public safety officials such as the National Weather Service and are designed to get your attention and provide brief, critical instructions to warn about imminent threats like severe weather. More information on WEAs is available at www.Ready.gov.

Now is the time for residents and visitors to the area to prepare for intense cold, limited travel options, and the possible loss of electrical power. Prepare an emergency kit for your home and car with supplies such as a NOAA weather radio, plenty of clean water, and non-perishable foods.

Special items such as adequate clothing, warm boots and blankets to keep you warm, snow shovels and snow removal equipment, rock salt, flares, a cell phone charger, and a sleeping bag can save your life if you become stranded on the roads during a winter storm. Learn which items to include in an emergency kit at www.Ready.gov/build-a-kit.

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FEMA Urges New England Residents to Prepare Now For Severe Winter Weather

After 100 days, New York Communities on Road to Recovery from Sandy

NEW YORK – Most of the debris is gone. Communities are making plans for the future and survivors of Hurricane Sandy are receiving financial assistance for storm-related losses.

In New York, the recovery process is well under way 100 days after the storm made landfall Oct. 29, 2012. The whole community is involved in the recovery effort, including federal, state, tribal and local agencies, the private sector and voluntary and faith-based organizations.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved $888.5 million for individuals and households in New York to help eligible survivors with temporary rental costs and other uninsured losses resulting from the hurricane.

Many people have taken advantage of low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA has approved disaster loans for 12,991 homeowners, renters and businesses totaling $892.2 million.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid claims totaling $1.9 billion to 56,000 policy holders.

After a devastating storm, one of the priorities is to clean up the debris so neighborhoods can begin rebuilding. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local and state agencies have removed 5.2 million of the estimated 5.6 million cubic yards of debris. The Corps also drained 270 million gallons of water from subways, tunnels and underpasses within two weeks of the storm.

To ensure that everyone receives information about assistance, FEMA is providing information in 25 languages.

The private sector is playing a key role in spreading information about the kinds of assistance available. The business community has displayed the message on video screens in Times Square, Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Center, among other places. The Metropolitan Transit Authority placed posters at bus stops and subway entrances and on the Staten Island Ferry. The NYC Taxi Commission put the message on video screens in taxi cabs.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program so far has approved $606 million for the repair or replacement of public facilities, debris removal and emergency costs resulting from the disaster, among other expenses. These grants included $106 million to NYPD for personnel costs during the emergency, $46 million to

the New York Department of Sanitation for labor and equipment expenditures and $24 million to the City of Long Beach for debris removal.

More than 500 national, state and local voluntary and faith-based organizations are helping people in need. They are providing donations, volunteer management, home repair, child care, counseling services and removal of muck and mold from homes.

Mitigation specialists are counseling property owners on ways to rebuild structures so they are more resilient to future storm damage. So far, 21,000 have been provided information.

Because of a shortage of available rental units after the storm, FEMA temporarily housed 5,917 individuals and families in hotels and motels through its Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program. This is a short-term option for eligible survivors while they work on longer-term housing arrangements.

In the weeks after the storm, federal agencies deployed more than 5,000 personnel to New York. Many of those specialists are still on the job and FEMA has hired more than 500 local residents to help with disaster recovery operations. Storm survivors are still receiving face-to-face help in the recovery process at disaster recovery centers. So far, New Yorkers have visited the centers 151,116 times.

The federal disaster recovery coordinator for New York is working with public and private partners at federal, state and local levels to identify unmet needs and traditional and innovative resources that can be used to support rebuilding. These efforts will result in a strategy that will be used to guide development for years to come.

People who had losses resulting from the storm are urged to register with FEMA by Feb. 27. They can register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are available from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. EST, seven days a week.

For more on Hurricane Sandy recovery in New York, visit www.FEMA.gov/SandyNY.

Note: Photos of Hurricane Sandy and the recovery operation can be found at:

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4085/updates/100-days-after-hurricane-sandy-new-york-look-back-photos

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. 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 public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

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After 100 days, New York Communities on Road to Recovery from Sandy

FEMA and SBA Registration Deadline is Feb. 12

WINDSOR, Conn. — Homeowners, renters, nonprofits and businesses of all sizes have until Tuesday, Feb. 12 to register for FEMA disaster assistance or apply for disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today.

Residents of Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London counties, as well as the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribal Nations within New London County, are eligible to apply for assistance with Hurricane Sandy-related losses.

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. Survivors can also register, check status of applications or receive other assistance by calling FEMA at 800-621-3362, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern, seven days a week. The TTY number is 800-462-7585. Multilingual operators are available.

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 FEMA disaster assistance, nor does it disqualify anyone from applying for assistance. Flood insurance claims are handled separately.

More SBA disaster loan information may be obtained by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (TTY users, call 800-877-8339) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Apply online at SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/. For more information about the SBA disaster loan program, visit the SBA website at www.sba.gov/sandy.

So far, more than 12,000 Connecticut residents have registered for state and federal assistance and assistance approved is more than $41.5 million. Of that total is nearly $30 million in low-interest disaster loans through the SBA.

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.

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FEMA and SBA Registration Deadline is Feb. 12

The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut helps Mississippi Prepare for Earthquakes

ATLANTA – In two days, more than 2.5 million people are expected to participate in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake drill.

The ShakeOut will be held Thursday, February 7 at 10:15 a.m. local time. It is a multi-state earthquake drill for millions of people to simultaneously practice the recommended response to earthquake shaking:

DROP to the ground
Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
HOLD-ON to it until the shaking stops

Although people living in this part of the country haven’t experienced many earthquakes, scientists estimate that there is a 25-40 percent probability of a damaging earthquake occurring in the central U.S. within a 50-year timeframe.

Thursday’s drill marks the anniversary of the last of the powerful New Madrid earthquakes, a series of at least three magnitude 7-8.0 quakes that struck in the winter of 1811-12 and affected many parts of this region. If it happened today, an earthquake would cause injury and loss of life, and widespread damage and disruption to the nation’s economy and built environment.

Anyone can sign up to participate in Thursday’s drill at shakeout.org/centralus. The website offers many resources for participants to use including:

Drill Manuals
Audio and Video Drill Broadcasts
Earthquake Scenarios and more

The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is coordinated by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium, its Member and Associate States, FEMA, the U.S. Geological Survey and many other partners. States participating include Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

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The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut helps Mississippi Prepare for Earthquakes

The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut helps Kentucky Prepare for Earthquakes

ATLANTA – In two days, more than 2.5 million people are expected to participate in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake drill.

DROP to the ground
Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
HOLD-ON to it until the shaking stops

Kentucky Emergency Management Director John Heltzel said, “Earthquakes cannot be predicted and can occur anywhere at any time, which is why it is important to know what to do when one occurs. The ShakeOut is a great opportunity for people, and families, to practice and prepare.”

Anyone can sign up to participate in Thursday’s drill at shakeout.org/centralus. The website offers many resources for participants to use including:

Drill Manuals
Audio and Video Drill Broadcasts
Earthquake Scenarios and more

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The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut helps Kentucky Prepare for Earthquakes

For continued rental assistance, survivors must re-certify

NEW YORK – The Federal Emergency Management Agency understands that some survivors may need additional temporary rental assistance to help them achieve their permanent housing goals.

Most eligible applicants initially received four months of rental assistance and may be eligible for additional help, if their damaged residence is still not livable.

Applicants with an ongoing need for temporary rental assistance who have signed a valid lease agreement should:

Complete the “Declaration for Continuing Need for Rental Assistance” they received in the mail with all the applicable information and mail it back to FEMA at the address printed on the form.

Applicants will need to provide information of both pre-disaster and current expenses that are applicable to their households, such as pay stubs to verify income.

They also must provide a copy of their lease and the name and phone number of their landlord.

Applicants who don’t have the form should contact FEMA’s helpline at 800-621-3362 (7-1-1 Relay or Video Relay Services are available) or (TTY) 800-462-7585.

The review process allows FEMA to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars by requiring applicants to demonstrate they have continuing housing needs.

FEMA recognizes this is a difficult time for Hurricane Sandy survivors and that some families need additional temporary assistance to assist them in their recovery. Therefore, families are encouraged to return to their repaired homes or to affordable housing as quickly as possible.

Applicants with any questions or concerns regarding temporary rental assistance should contact FEMA’s helpline, 800-621-3362.

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.

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.

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For continued rental assistance, survivors must re-certify

More than $1.7 billion provided by FEMA, SBA to New York Sandy survivors

NEW YORK — Federal disaster assistance to New York survivors of Hurricane Sandy totals more than $1.7 billion.

FEMA continues to reach out to all 13 counties designated for Individual Assistance, focusing on the hardest-hit areas. Assistance to residents in affected counties includes:

Bronx $2.5 million
Kings $194.8 million
Nassau $284.4 million
New York $13.2 million
Queens $224.3 million
Richmond $90.5 million
Suffolk $66 million

FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration have approved more than $1.7 billion for Hurricane Sandy survivors in New York. FEMA has approved nearly $881 million for individuals and households, including more than $770 million for housing assistance and nearly $111 million in assistance for other needs.

SBA has approved more than $772 million in disaster loans to homeowners and renters and more than $53 million in disaster businesses loans. The SBA has staff members at every FEMA/State Disaster Recovery Center and 17 Business Recovery Centers in the New York area to provide one-on-one help to business owners seeking disaster assistance.

More than 266,000 New Yorkers have contacted FEMA for information or registered for assistance, including nearly 144,000 who have applied through the online application site at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or on their smartphone at m.fema.gov.

17 Disaster Recovery Centers are open in the affected areas. These include mobile sites as well as fixed sites. To date, more than 147,000 survivors have been assisted at Disaster Recovery Centers in New York.

55 inspectors are currently in the field. To date, 176,448 home inspections have been completed, making a 99.5 percent completion rate.

13 New York counties are designated for both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance. These are Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. Greene County has been designated for Public Assistance only.

Nearly $1.9 billion has been paid to National Flood Insurance Program policy holders in New York for losses resulting from Sandy. The National Flood Insurance Program, administered by FEMA, offers flood insurance to all homeowners, renters and business owners if their community participates in the NFIP.

Since Hurricane Sandy made landfall, FEMA has provided more than $604 million in Public Assistance grants in New York State. The FEMA Public Assistance program reimburses state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations 75 percent of costs for disaster-related expenses associated with emergency protective measures, debris removal, and the repair and restoration of damaged infrastructure. In order to qualify, damage must be a direct result of Hurricane Sandy.

Individuals can register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585.

Applicants who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362.

The toll-free telephone numbers operate 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. EST, seven days a week.

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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More than $1.7 billion provided by FEMA, SBA to New York Sandy survivors

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