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Disaster Recovery Centers Open in Howard, Jefferson Counties

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – Disaster recovery centers will open in Howard and Jefferson counties at noon on Wednesday, July 8 to help those whose homes or businesses were affected by the severe storms of late spring.

Representatives from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Small Business Administration and other agencies will be at the centers to explain disaster assistance programs and help survivors apply for aid.

The disaster recovery centers are located at the following addresses:

Howard County
Carter Day Training Center
200 Lake Nichols Drive
Nashville, AR 71852

Jefferson County
Pine Bluff Convention Center
(Entrance D)
500 East 8th Ave
Pine Bluff, AR 71601

After opening at noon on Wednesday, July 8, hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. until further notice.

Those seeking disaster assistance should register with FEMA before going to a disaster recovery center. Individuals and families who suffered losses as a result of the late spring storms may register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or those without access to the internet, can call FEMA’s toll-free registration number at 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.

Each disaster recovery center has assistive technologies for people with disabilities. Other reasonable accomodations may be available upon request at the site.

Anyone who sustained damage in Crawford, Garland, Howard, Jefferson, Little River, Miller, Perry, Sebastian, or Sevier counties designated for federal disaster assistance can visit any disaster recovery center.

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

Low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) are available to help with residential and business losses not covered by insurance. The SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the 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.

For more information on SBA programs, 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 www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.
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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Disaster Recovery Centers Open in Howard, Jefferson Counties

Storm Survivors Can Register for Assistance Online 24/7; No Change to Holiday Hours for Phone Lines

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – Residents of nine Arkansas counties included in a federal disaster declaration can register for assistance anytime online. Recovery officials also announced phone lines will maintain regular hours during the July 4 holiday weekend.

Those affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding May 7 to June 15, 2015 in Crawford, Garland, Howard, Jefferson, Little River, Miller, Perry, Sebastian, and Sevier counties may be eligible for assistance.

Individuals and business owners can register online, 24/7 at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with any web-enabled mobile device, tablet or smartphone at m.fema.gov. Follow the link to “Apply Online for FEMA Assistance.”

FEMA’s toll-free telephone line, 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA), will remain open through the holiday, with no change in hours. The lines are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.

Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.

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 SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the 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 www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.

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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Storm Survivors Can Register for Assistance Online 24/7; No Change to Holiday Hours for Phone Lines

America’s PrepareAthon! National Day of Action Set for Thursday

DENVER – Thursday, April 30, is America’s PrepareAthon! National Day of Action, a grassroots campaign for action to get families, organizations and whole communities better prepared for emergencies. The campaign offers easy-to-use preparedness guides, checklists, and resources to help individuals prepare for common natural hazards and to take action, including downloading alerts and warnings, holding a drill, or safeguarding critical documents.

Despite the devastation that tornadoes, wildfires, and other natural disasters have caused in recent years, nearly 60 percent of surveyed Americans have not participated in a preparedness drill or exercise at their workplace, school, or home in the past year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Denver-based regional office joins the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming in encouraging the whole community to participate in the America’s PrepareAthon! campaign by performing one of these simple preparedness actions:

Sign up for local text alerts and warnings and download weather apps to your smartphone.
Stay aware of worsening weather conditions. Visit ready.gov/prepare and download Be Smart: Know Your Alerts and Warnings to learn how to search for local alerts and weather apps relevant for hazards that affect your area.
Gather important documents and keep them in a safe place.
Have all of your personal, medical, and legal papers in one place, so you can evacuate without worrying about gathering your family’s critical documents at the last minute. Visit ready.gov/prepare and download Be Smart: Protect Your Critical Documents and Valuables for a helpful checklist.
Create an emergency supply kit.
Bad weather can become dangerous very quickly. Be prepared by creating an emergency supply kit for each member of your family. Visit ready.gov/kit for information on what to include in your kit.
Develop an emergency communication plan for your family.
It’s possible that your family will be in different locations when a disaster strikes. Come up with a plan so everyone knows how to reach each other and get back together if separated. Visit ready.gov/make-a-plan for communication plan resources.

Every state in FEMA Region VIII has shown support for America’s PrepareAthon! this spring by aligning a variety of preparedness activities with the campaign. The National Weather Service in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming held statewide tornado drills to prepare residents for severe spring and summer weather; nearly one million Utahns participated in earthquake drills during the Great Utah ShakeOut; and communities throughout Colorado and Montana will hold wildfire preparedness events on May 2 for Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, an America’s PrepareAthon! partner event.

For more information about America’s PrepareAthon!, visit ready.gov/prepare. Follow America’s PrepareAthon! on Twitter using the handle @Prepareathon and #PrepareAthon.

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America’s PrepareAthon! National Day of Action Set for Thursday

Stay Prepared: Hurricane Season Doesn’t End with Summer

Eatontown, N.J. — Hurricane season officially begins each year on June 1, but unlike firemen’s fairs, cookouts and fun at the beach, the season for hurricanes doesn’t end along with the summer.

As a new school year begins, now may be a good time to check your stock of batteries, bottled water and other emergency supplies that may be needed should New Jersey experience an autumn hurricane.

While storm frequency tends to peak in August and September, hurricane season in the United States extends to November 30, and while the risk of a Thanksgiving storm may seem remote, it could happen.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy only missed it by a few weeks.

Sandy made landfall in New Jersey as a tropical cyclone on October 29, flooding coastal communities, taking down trees, tearing up infrastructure and demolishing homes and businesses throughout the state. Forty New Jersey residents lost their lives.

Two years later, the ongoing expenses of repair, rebuilding and recovery from Sandy have made it the second costliest storm in United States history after Katrina, an August 29 storm that devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005.

Like Sandy, many of the most destructive storms in United States history have occurred after Labor Day, causing massive loss of life and property damage in the billions.

On September 8, 1900, a category 4 hurricane engulfed Galveston Island, Texas. Storm tides as high as 15 feet swept away homes and businesses, killing an estimated 8,000 people.

On September 18, 1920, a category 4 hurricane bearing the highest sustained winds ever recorded at that time slammed into Miami Beach and downtown Miami. Believing the storm was over, thousands of people emerged from their homes during a half-hour lull at the eye of the storm and were trapped without shelter as it regained its ferocity. Every building in downtown Miami was either damaged or destroyed and hundreds of people were killed. The storm then crossed into the Gulf of Mexico, where it destroyed virtually every pier, vessel and warehouse on the Pensacola coast.

In the end, more than 800 people were reported missing after the storm and though records are incomplete, the Red Cross recorded 373 deaths and 6,381 injuries as a result of the hurricane.

On September 20 and 21, 1938, a fast-moving hurricane struck the Mid-Atlantic and New England with such force that thousands of people were taken by surprise. On Long Island, some 20 people watching an afternoon movie at a local cinema were swept out to sea and drowned. One of the victims was the theater’s projectionist. In downtown Providence, Rhode Island, flood waters rapidly flooded streets, submerging automobiles and street cars as their occupants fled to the high floors of office buildings to escape drowning. The record-breaking storm was responsible for 600 deaths, causing $308 million in damage in the midst of the Great Depression.

On October 14, 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Calabash, North Carolina, inundating the coastline with an 18-foot storm surge on a lunar high tide. When the storm passed, only 5 of 357 buildings in Long Beach, North Carolina were still standing. The Raleigh, North Carolina Weather reported that “all traces of civilization on the immediate waterfront between the state line and Cape Fear were practically annihilated.” Nineteen people were killed in North Carolina, with several hundred more injured; 15,000 homes were destroyed and another 39,000 were damaged.

On September 11, 1960, Hurricane Donna barreled across Florida, then traveled east through North Carolina, the Mid-Atlantic states and New England, causing $387 million in damage in the United States and $13 million elsewhere along its path.

Accounts like the ones above illustrate the importance of making a plan to protect your family and property from the potentially devastating effects of a hurricane or tropical storm.

With that in mind, why not take a minute to inventory your emergency supplies and schedule a trip to the store to stock up on items that you may need in an emergency.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s website, www.ready.gov, has as wealth of information on how to plan, prepare and protect your family should another disaster like Sandy occur in the coming months.

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.”

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Stay Prepared: Hurricane Season Doesn’t End with Summer

Be Disaster Aware. Take Action To Prepare

ATLANTA – September is National Preparedness Month, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages everyone to make disaster preparedness a priority.

“National Preparedness Month reminds us that we all need to be ready for disasters and emergencies,” said FEMA Region IV Acting Regional Administrator Andrew Velasquez III. “September is also the height of hurricane season, so preparing now is even more critical for families and businesses in the Southeast.”

Across the Nation, disasters are occurring with greater frequency, and are larger and more complex. Severe weather and other emergencies can strike with little or no warning and can have disastrous impacts. Already this year, states across the Southeast have experienced destructive severe storms, including the winter storms that affected Alabama, Georgia and North and South Carolina. Spring tornadoes and flooding also affected several states. Four named tropical cyclones, Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, and Dolly have already formed this summer, and they serve as a reminder to be ready for hurricanes.

“Take the steps necessary to make preparedness a part of your everyday life,” said Velasquez. “Prepare for the hazards that are most likely to occur where you live and work. Talk to your family and make a family disaster plan. But don’t stop there. Practice your plan. Practicing in advance of a disaster makes you better prepared to handle any emergency you may encounter.”

Make disaster readiness manageable by taking one step at a time— start by learning your specific risks, then gather supplies for an emergency kit, and finally develop a family communications plan. By taking these small, but critical steps, over time you can be prepared for disasters. A useful guide to prepare for hurricanes is located at FEMA’s America’s PrepareAthon! website.

Throughout the month, FEMA will offer tips to help you be disaster ready, including ways you can stay safe during a disaster. Follow FEMA Region IV online at twitter.com/femaregion4 and www.facebook.com/fema, to receive the latest preparedness updates.

For detailed information about how to be ready for severe weather in your area, including a list of items you will want to have in your emergency kit, visit http://www.ready.gov/, or our Spanish site at www.listo.gov.

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Be Disaster Aware. Take Action To Prepare

A Decade After 2004 Storms, FEMA Urges Hurricane Preparedness

ATLANTA – September’s National Preparedness Month reminds us of the importance of preparing for hurricanes. While the southeast is no stranger to life-changing hurricanes, this September marks 10 years since hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne affected Florida and other states, 15 years since Hurricane Floyd crossed North Carolina’s coast and 25 years since Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina. Each storm left its own unpredictable mark on the people and communities they touched. Some hurricanes brought fierce winds that tore through everything in their path, and others, storm surge and flooding that destroyed coastlines and infrastructure. Several had the wicked combination of dangerous wind and rain.

The most valuable lesson each of those storms provides for us today is that – the time to prepare for the next hurricane is now. Each week in September, FEMA will focus on a specific area of preparedness. National Preparedness Month culminates on September 30 with America’s PrepareAthon!, a national day of action to encourage individuals, businesses, organizations and communities to take part in preparedness activities.

Visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov for emergency preparedness resources such as a family emergency plan and a guide on building emergency kits. Find events near you, and register your preparedness activity at www.ready.gov/prepare.

Below is a recap of the storms:

The Florida Four—August 13, September 5, 16, and 26, 2004

Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, known as the “Florida four in ‘04,” had widespread impact beyond just the Sunshine State. However, their impact on Florida was particularly unique. It was the first time four hurricanes hit a single state in one year since the 1886 Texas hurricane season.

Hurricane Charley, a fast and windy storm, struck Punta Gorda, Fla. on Friday, Aug. 13 and later moved through South Carolina. Hurricane Frances was a slow-moving, large storm that made landfall on Sept. 5 and brought notable storm surge to both Florida coasts. In addition to creating more than 100 tornadoes, Frances dumped heavy rain across the eastern U.S. causing near-record flooding.

On Sept. 16, Hurricane Ivan made landfall just west of Gulf Shores, Ala., with its strongest winds over the southern Alabama/western Florida panhandle border. The storm also brought significant rain and tornadoes across much of the southeastern United States. Ten days later, on Sept. 26–seven weeks after Hurricane Charley–Hurricane Jeanne made landfall just east of Stuart, Fla. Jeanne moved across central Florida then across Georgia with heavy rain.

In Florida alone, FEMA provided nearly $4 billion to individuals and communities for the recovery from the four storms. This included grants for rental assistance, home repair, and other disaster related expenses, crisis counseling, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, manufactured housing, debris removal, and the repair or replacement of infrastructure. At the time, FEMA’s response to the four hurricanes was the largest in the agency’s 26-year history.

Hurricane Floyd—September 16, 1999

Slow-moving and massive, Hurricane Floyd hit the North Carolina coast near Cape Fear weakening from a Category 4 to a Category 2 hurricane just before landfall. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina experienced the largest evacuation effort in American history at that time. Traffic engineers estimated 3 million people took to the highways creating the largest, longest, and most incredibly snarled traffic jam ever known.

Whole North Carolina towns, such as Princeville in Edgecombe County and Seven Springs in Wayne County, were inundated. Water rose to rooftops and traffic lights and stayed there for weeks. In all, it is estimated that Floyd’s floodwaters damaged 57,000 structures in North Carolina — 7,000 of which were destroyed, and 17,000 classified as uninhabitable. The state opened 230 shelters and housed up to100,000 homeless flood survivors. Two-thirds of the state was declared a disaster.

Floyd continued along the coast of the Mid-Atlantic into New England bringing significant flooding to areas already saturated by Tropical Storm Dennis two weeks earlier. In addition to North Carolina, 12 states received federal disaster declarations from Florida to Maine. FEMA provided more than $2.4 billion for recovery in the 13 states.

Hurricane Hugo—September 21, 1989

Hurricane Hugo made landfall just north of Charleston, South Carolina, at midnight Sept. 21, 1989, as a Category 4 hurricane with 135 mph winds and rolled through South Carolina on a northwest path.

The storm’s high winds extended far inland and storm surge inundated the South Carolina coast from Charleston to Myrtle Beach. Hours later, the storm tore through much of North Carolina. It was

the strongest hurricane on record to hit South Carolina, and the second strongest hurricane (since reliable records began in 1851) to hit the East Coast north of Florida. Only Hurricane

Hazel of 1954 (Category 4, 140 mph winds) was stronger.

More deadly and destructive than Hurricane Hugo’s 135 mph winds were the surging tides accompanying landfall. The combination of high tide, the tidal surge preceding Hugo and waves generated by the storm inundated a wide area of coastal plain.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, residents lost power for up to 18 days as thousands of trees, broken limbs and debris severed power lines.

In South Carolina alone, FEMA provided $82 million to individuals and families for housing and other disaster-related expenses and $236 million for debris removal, public utility and infrastructure repair or replacement and emergency protective measures.

These storms remind us that the time to prepare for the next hurricane is now. Visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov for a wealth of emergency preparedness resources, including how to create a family emergency plan, build an emergency kit and take part in a community preparedness event.

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A Decade After 2004 Storms, FEMA Urges Hurricane Preparedness

FEMA Announces Emergency Food and Shelter Program Awards for 2014

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced $120 million in federal funding to assist organizations dedicated to feeding, sheltering and providing critical resources to our nation’s hungry and homeless.

Funding was made available by Congress for the national board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) for fiscal year 2014 to support social service agencies in cities and counties across the country.

“The Emergency Food and Shelter Program supports communities across the nation and some of their most vulnerable residents,” FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said. “The program enables our nonprofit partners to ensure that the most basic needs of these citizens are met.”

The national board governs the EFSP. It is chaired by DHS/FEMA and has representatives from the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, the Jewish Federations of North America, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, the Salvation Army and United Way Worldwide. The national board has selected United Way Worldwide to serve as secretariat and fiscal agent to the national board.

EFSP funding is allocated to qualifying jurisdictions based on thresholds involving population, unemployment and poverty levels both nationally and locally. Grants are then awarded to nonprofit community and government organizations that are chosen by local boards in the qualifying jurisdictions. This year’s award to the National Board brings the total aid disbursed in the EFSP’s 32-year history to more than $4.0 billion.

A state-by-state list of the eligible jurisdictions and award amounts is available at www.efsp.unitedway.org.

Congress placed the EFSP under FEMA in 1983 to underscore the emergency nature of the funding in getting assistance to those most vulnerable with food and shelter needs.

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FEMA Announces Emergency Food and Shelter Program Awards for 2014

FEMA Continues To Urge Preparedness Ahead Of Tropical Storm Arthur; Residents and Visitors Urged to Follow Direction of Local Officials

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), through its National Watch Center in Washington and its regional offices in Atlanta and Philadelphia and in coordination with the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center, is continuing to monitor the conditions of Tropical Storm Arthur off the east coast of Florida. FEMA remains in close contact with state emergency management partners in potentially affected states.

FEMA urges residents and visitors in potentially affected areas to closely monitor the storm and take steps now to be prepared in advance of severe weather. Most importantly, everyone should follow the direction of their state, tribal and local officials.

FEMA has deployed liaisons to the emergency operations centers in North Carolina and South Carolina along with an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to North Carolina to coordinate with local officials, should support be requested or needed. FEMA’s regional office in Atlanta is in contact with its emergency management partners in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. FEMA also plans to activate its National Response Coordination Center in Washington D.C. on Thursday.

Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) personnel and equipment have been placed on alert to provide emergency management partners with secure and non-secure voice, video and information services in support of emergency response communications.

According to the National Weather Service, a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the entire coast of North Carolina and there is a Hurricane Watch from Bogue Inlet to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina and the Pamlico Sound. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for South Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the South Santee River.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm force winds may begin within 36 hours. A Hurricane or Tropical Storm Watch means that those conditions are possible within the watch area, in this case within 48 hours. Tropical Storm Arthur is forecast to intensify and become a hurricane by Friday. Visit hurricanes.gov and weather.gov for the latest storm track and local forecasts and warnings.

As the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Arthur serves as a reminder for residents in areas prone to tropical storms and hurricanes to refresh their emergency kits and review family emergency plans. If you do not have an emergency kit or family plan, or to learn about steps you can take now to prepare your family for severe weather, visit ready.gov.

At all times, FEMA maintains commodities, including millions of liters of water, millions of meals and hundreds of thousands of blankets, strategically located at distribution centers throughout the United States, that are available to state, tribal and local partners if needed and requested.

Safety and Preparedness Tips

As the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Arthur serves as a reminder for residents in areas prone to tropical storms and hurricanes to refresh their emergency kits and review family plans. If you do not have an emergency kit or family plan, or to learn about steps you can take now to prepare your family for severe weather, visit www.ready.gov.
Residents and visitors in potentially affected areas should be familiar with evacuation routes, have a communications plan, keep a battery-powered radio handy and have a plan for their pets. Individuals should visit ready.gov or listo.gov to learn these and other preparedness tips for tropical storms.
Know your evacuation zone and be sure to follow the direction of state, tribal and local officials if an evacuation is ordered for your area.
Storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. It poses a significant threat for drowning and can occur before, during, or after the center of a storm passes through an area. Storm surge can sometimes cut off evacuation routes, so do not delay leaving if an evacuation is ordered for your area.
Driving through a flooded area can be extremely hazardous and almost half of all flash flood deaths happen in vehicles. When in your car, look out for flooding in low lying areas, at bridges and at highway dips. As little as six inches of water may cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
If you encounter flood waters, remember – turn around, don’t drown.
Tropical Storms have the potential for tornado formation. If you are under a tornado warning, seek shelter immediately in the center of a small interior room (closet, interior hallway) on the lowest level of a sturdy building. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside.
Get to know the terms that are used to identify severe weather and discuss with your family what to do if a watch or warning is issued.

For a Hurricane:

A Hurricane Watch is issued when a tropical cyclone containing winds of at least 74 MPH poses a possible threat, generally within 48 hours.
A Hurricane Warning is issued when sustained winds of 74 MPH or higher associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in 36 hours or less. A hurricane warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves continue, even though winds may be less than hurricane force.

For a Tropical Storm:

A Tropical Storm Watch is issued when tropical cyclone containing winds of at least 39 MPH or higher poses a possible threat, generally within 48 hours.
A Tropical Storm Warning is issued when sustained winds of 39 MPH or higher associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in 36 hours or less.

For coastal flooding:

A Coastal Flood Watch is issued when moderate to major coastal flooding is possible.
A Coastal Flood Warning is issued when moderate to major coastal flooding is occurring or imminent.
A Coastal Flood Advisory is issued when minor or nuisance coastal flooding is occurring or imminent.
More safety tips on hurricanes and tropical storms can be found at ready.gov/hurricanes.

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FEMA Continues To Urge Preparedness Ahead Of Tropical Storm Arthur; Residents and Visitors Urged to Follow Direction of Local Officials

Ahead of Tropical Storm Arthur, FEMA Urges Residents to Take Steps to Prepare, Listen to Local Officials

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), through its National Watch Center in Washington and its regional office in Atlanta, and in coordination with the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center, is monitoring the conditions of Tropical Storm Arthur off the east coast of Florida. FEMA remains in close contact with state emergency management partners in potentially affected states.

According to the National Weather Service, a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the east coast of Florida from Fort Pierce to Flagler Beach. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, in this case within 24 hours. Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to move northwest today and then north on Wednesday. Arthur is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday near the coast of the Carolinas. Visit Hurricanes.gov and Weather.gov for the latest storm track and local forecasts.

FEMA urges residents and visitors in potentially affected areas to closely monitor the storm and take steps now to be prepared in advance of severe weather and most importantly, follow the direction of state, tribal and local officials.

FEMA has deployed liaisons to the emergency operations centers in North Carolina and South Carolina along with an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to North Carolina to coordinate with local officials, should support be requested, or needed. FEMA’s regional office in Atlanta is in contact with its emergency management partners in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. FEMA’s National Watch Center is at an Enhanced Watch.

As the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Arthur serves as a reminder for residents in areas prone to tropical storms and hurricanes to refresh their emergency kits and review family plans. If you do not have an emergency kit or family plan, or to learn about steps you can take now to prepare your family for severe weather, visit ready.gov.

Tropical Storm Safety Tips:

Residents and visitors in potentially affected areas should be familiar with evacuation routes, have a communications plan, keep a battery-powered radio handy and have a plan for their pets. Individuals should visit ready.gov or listo.gov to learn these and other preparedness tips for tropical storms.

Know your evacuation zone and be sure to follow the direction of state and local officials if an evacuation is ordered for your area.

Storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. It poses a significant threat for drowning and can occur before, during, or after the center of a storm passes through an area. Storm surge can sometimes cut off evacuation routes, so do not delay leaving if an evacuation is ordered for your area.

Driving through a flooded area can be extremely hazardous and almost half of all flash flood deaths happen in vehicles. When in your car, look out for flooding in low lying areas, at bridges and at highway dips. As little as six inches of water may cause you to lose control of your vehicle.

If you encounter flood waters, remember – turn around, don’t drown.

Tropical Storms have the potential for tornado formation. If you are under a tornado warning, seek shelter immediately in the center of a small interior room (closet, interior hallway) on the lowest level of a sturdy building. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside.

Get to know the terms that are used to identify severe weather and discuss with your family what to do if a watch or warning is issued.

For a tropical storm:

A Tropical Storm Watch is issued when tropical cyclone containing winds of at least 39 MPH or higher poses a possible threat, generally within 48 hours.

A Tropical Storm Warning is issued when sustained winds of 39 MPH or higher associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in 36 hours or less.

For coastal flooding:

A Coastal Flood Watch is issued when moderate to major coastal flooding is possible.

A Coastal Flood Warning is issued when moderate to major coastal flooding is occurring or imminent.

A Coastal Flood Advisory is issued when minor or nuisance coastal flooding is occurring or imminent.

More safety tips on hurricanes and tropical storms can be found at ready.gov/hurricanes.

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Ahead of Tropical Storm Arthur, FEMA Urges Residents to Take Steps to Prepare, Listen to Local Officials

Don’t Delay, Register Today

Don’t Delay, Register Today

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama Governor Robert Bentley requested and FEMA approved on Friday, June 27, to extend the deadline to apply for disaster assistance in the nine counties affected by the April 28 to May 5 severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding. The new deadline is Tuesday, July 15.

Counties approved for FEMA assistance through the Individuals and Households Program include Baldwin, Blount, DeKalb, Etowah, Jefferson, Lee, Limestone, Mobile and Tuscaloosa.

If you, a family member or a neighbor haven’t registered yet, this extension is for you. But don’t delay registration any longer. There are four ways to register:

Online at: www.disasterassistance.gov ;
Web-enabled phones at m.fema.gov;
Calling 800-621-3362 TTY 800-462-7585;
If using 711 Relay or Video Relay Services, call 800-621-3362.

FEMA phone lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time seven days a week; multilingual operators are available.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s deadline to apply for disaster recovery loans also has been extended to July 15.

SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Centers are located at:

Elberta Town Hall, 10352 Main Street, Elberta, AL 36540;
Fairhope Civic Center (Delchamps Room), 161 North Section Street, Fairhope, AL 36532;
Old Navy/Marine Corps Reserve Center, 4851 Museum Drive, Mobile, AL 36608.

Homeowners, renters and businesses can apply for an SBA disaster loan at the centers, which are open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through July 15. The centers will be closed Friday, July 4. FEMA representatives are located at these centers to answer questions.

Survivors also can go online to SBA’s secure site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela; or by calling 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339. For information on SBA disaster assistance, go to www.sba.gov.

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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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