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Disaster Recovery Centers Open in Williamsburg, Orangeburg Counties

COLUMBIA, S.C. – New disaster recovery centers are open in Livingston and Kingstree to help South Carolinians who experienced losses from the recent floods.

Representatives from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Small Business Administration and other public and private agencies are at the centers to discuss disaster-assistance programs and help survivors find resources for recovery.

Locations and hours of the new recovery centers:

Williamsburg County

Williamsburg Recreation Center

2084 Thurgood Marshall Hwy

Kingstree

Seven day a week, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Orangeburg County

Neeses Town Hall

6357 Savannah Hwy

Livingston

Seven day a week, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It is not necessary to visit a center to register for and receive state-federal disaster assistance. If possible, survivors should register with FEMA before visiting a recovery center. To register go online any time to DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages, and phone lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

Disaster survivors who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585 to register. Those who use 711 or VRS (Video Relay Service) or require accommodations while visiting a center may call 800-621-3362. All disaster recovery centers are accessible and equipped with tools to accommodate disaster survivors who need disability-related communication aids.

Federal and state disaster assistance for eligible individuals and families can include money for temporary rental assistance and essential home repairs for primary residences and help with other serious disaster-related losses not covered by insurance.

Low-interest disaster recovery loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are the primary means of federal help for disaster survivors, including homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes. Individuals and businesses should first register with FEMA. For information on SBA disaster recovery loans call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339) or go online to SBA.gov/disaster. An application for an SBA disaster recovery loan may be completed online at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Additional disaster recovery centers are open in Charleston, Clarendon, Darlington, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland and Sumter counties. For information on the locations of recovery centers call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 or go online to https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4241.

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Disaster Recovery Centers Open in Williamsburg, Orangeburg Counties

Disaster Relief Trials Sweep Portland

This Saturday bicycle enthusiasts will test their resourcefulness at the Disaster Relief Trials (DRTs) in Oregon. The event is a competitive cargo bike disaster drill that encourages community preparedness.

Cargo bikes can haul loads weighing 200 pounds or more of food, water and medical supplies. In addition to hauling supplies, cargo bikes provide a transportation option that is more nimble than cars, especially in the aftermath of an earthquake when transportation and fuel infrastructure will be severely damaged.

The DRTs will be hosted by the University of Portland, with checkpoints spread out in a “hub and spoke” style, in which supply routes circle back to the university campus. At each checkpoint, riders will complete challenges such as overcoming a 3-foot barrier and riding over rough terrain to gather critical supplies.

Riders compete at several difficulty levels ranging from “Family,” which includes carrying kids and limited additional cargo for approximately 15 miles, to “Responder,” which includes carrying at least 50 pounds and traveling about 30 miles.

In addition to the Portland event, an event will take place in Eugene, Ore., on the same day. Previous DRTs have taken place in Seattle, San Francisco and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Portland DRTs, to be held from noon to 4:30 p.m., will run simultaneously with an Earthquake Information Fair hosted by the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup. Find out more about the DRTs online at www.disasterrelieftrials.com. The event is for cargo bikers and registration is closed, the Earthquake Info Fair is open to the public.

Riders make rows of cargo bikes as they prepare for the Eugene Disaster Relief Trials to begin.

Eugene, Ore., Riders at the 2014 DRT line up their cargo bikes before the race begins. The DRT bring communities together to practice the use of cargo bikes in an emergency situation where roads might not be available.

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Disaster Relief Trials Sweep Portland

Public Assistance added to Disaster Declaration in California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance program has been added to the presidential disaster declaration for Calaveras and Lake Counties.

Eligible applicants under FEMA’s Public Assistance program include state and local governments, tribal governments and certain private nonprofits. Applicants may be eligible for reimbursement for debris removal, emergency protective measures, repairs to roads and bridges, water control facilities, city-and county-owned buildings and equipment, utilities, parks and recreational facilities.

Under the program, FEMA obligates funds to California for 75 percent of eligible costs, with the state and local governments sharing the remaining 25 percent of costs. The state forwards the federal funds to the eligible local governments or organizations that incurred costs.

For information on the Public Assistance process go to: https://www.fema.gov/public-assistance.

Today’s announcement adds to a growing list of important actions already taken by the state and federal government to assist those impacted by these devastating wildfires.

On September 10 and September 13, FEMA provided Fire Management Assistance Grants to help pay for firefighting response costs for the Butte and Valley fires.

On Sept. 11 and Sept. 13, 2015, California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. proclaimed States of Emergency in Calaveras and Lake Counties, due to impacts from the Butte and Valley fires, respectively.

On Sept. 22, 2015, President Barack Obama declared a major disaster making federal disaster aid available for both fires.

On Oct. 2, 2015, Gov. Brown also issued an Executive Order to accelerate the process of installing emergency housing in Lake and Calaveras Counties for fire victims.

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.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

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 are referred to SBA for a disaster loan must apply to be eligible for additional FEMA assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

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Public Assistance added to Disaster Declaration in California

Arkansas Awarded More Than $2.7 Million for the Replacement of the Bella Vista Lake Dam

DENTON, Texas – The state of Arkansas has been awarded more than $2.7 million for the replacement of the Bella Vista Lake Dam in Bentonville. This comes in the aftermath of the 2011 severe storms, tornadoes and flooding.

The storms and ensuing flooding overtopped the entire length of the Bella Vista Lake Dam resulting in extensive erosion; a loss of support beneath the dam’s concrete slope cover; and damage to much of the structure’s other sections of concrete.

The funding, which is made possible by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance program, covers the demolition, removal and disposal of the original dam, as well as the materials and labor required to build the replacement dam.

To date, FEMA has obligated more than $50.1 million for the 2011 severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in Arkansas.

The funding represents a 75 percent federal cost share. FEMA awards funding for projects directly to the state of Arkansas; the state then disburses the grant to the eligible applicant.

Follow FEMA Region 6 on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion6.

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Arkansas Awarded More Than $2.7 Million for the Replacement of the Bella Vista Lake Dam

Hurricane Rita In Texas: 10 Years Later

DENTON, Texas – Texas faced multiple challenges in September 2005. Hurricane Rita made landfall in the state while it was also housing and sheltering Hurricane Katrina evacuees who were displaced less than a month earlier.
More than $1 billion in federal disaster assistance has fueled Texas’ recovery efforts in the last decade. The assistance includes funds to repair and rebuild infrastructure, housing for disaster survivors and mitigating against future disaster events.
A decade ago, many emergency management partners assisted FEMA with the disaster-related events. Local, state and federal government partners, voluntary agencies, private sector entities, nonprofits, community and faith-based groups and individuals made significant contributions.
“Texas benefited immensely from our government and non-government disaster recovery partnerships,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “Hurricane Rita devastated southeast Texas and we successfully worked with our partners to rebuild communities to make them stronger.”
Funding includes more than $618.7 million in Individual Assistance grants provided to more than 252,000 individuals and families affected by Hurricanes Rita in Texas. The funds helped survivors by providing temporary housing and grants for disaster-related losses while they rebuilt their lives.
The total also includes approximately $361.9 million in Public Assistance reimbursements to the state and local governments, and eligible nonprofit organizations; and more than $89.4 million for mitigation projects to build stronger, safer and more resilient communities.
Some of this funding included:
•   Nearly $48.9 million for debris removal;
•   Almost $265.2 million for emergency protective measures, such as labor, equipment and materials to reduce threats to lives;
•   More than $134.2 million for permanent work, including the repair of roads, water control facilities, public and non-profit buildings and utilities and parks.
Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation projects, in conjunction with FEMA’s state and local partners, continue to move forward to help Texas storm-ravaged communities meet the challenges of repairing and rebuilding damaged and destroyed infrastructure.
While Texas was preparing for Hurricane Rita’s landfall, it also had begun assisting with emergency sheltering and housing for displaced Hurricane Katrina survivors. The state received more than $500 million from FEMA to cover costs including opening more than 200 shelters, transportation services, overtime costs for emergency operations centers and medical care.
“Texas has overcome so much since Hurricane Rita,” Robinson said. “The storm devastated so much here the same time it was helping survivors from other parts of the country following Hurricane Katrina. Thankfully, these federal disaster dollars have made Texas stronger than ever and make it better prepared for future disaster events.”

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Hurricane Rita In Texas: 10 Years Later

Additional West Virginia County Approved For Disaster Aid

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Jackson County is now eligible to receive federal assistance for some of their costs incurred during the severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides occurring July 10-14, 2015.

On August 7, 2015, President Obama issued a major disaster declaration for the State of West Virginia triggering the release of Federal funds to help communities recover from the severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides. The disaster declaration for Braxton, Clay, Lincoln, Logan, Nicholas, Roane, Webster, and Wood counties made state, county, and local governments, as well as certain non-profit organizations, eligible to receive reimbursement for repairing infrastructure damage caused by the storms, as well as the cost of responding to them.

FEMA’s Public Assistance Programs provide state and local governments and eligible private non-profit organizations, in the nine designated counties, with federal funds to pay 75 percent of the approved cost of debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster, and for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities such as roads, bridges, buildings and utilities.

The State, which distributes the FEMA funds to local governments and qualified non-profits, must review Public Assistance projects, along with FEMA, to ensure compliance with regulations.

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. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at fema.gov/medialibrary and youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion3.

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Additional West Virginia County Approved For Disaster Aid

Immediate Threat

Main Content

Appeal Brief | Appeal Letter | Appeal Analysis | Back

Second Appeal Brief

FEMA-4022-DR
PA ID# 003-08425-00; Town of Bennington
PW ID# 3094; Immediate Threat
09/15/2015

Conclusion: Sediment reworking and bank armoring are ineligible for funding as emergency protective measures because the work went beyond that which was required to lessen or eliminate immediate threats to nearby improved property.

Summary Paragraph

The Applicant is appealing FEMA’s determination in Project Worksheet (PW) 3094 that bank armoring, sediment reworking, and associated construction mobilization and engineering costs were ineligible for PA funding as emergency protective measures. Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Irene (“Irene”) deposited large quantities of debris and sediment along the Roaring Branch of the Walloomsac River causing flooding, bank erosion, redirected flow, and compromised channel capacity. The Applicant requested about $3.5 million for debris removal, bank armoring, and sediment reworking as emergency protective measures. FEMA determined that sediment reworking and bank armoring were ineligible for funding as emergency protective measures because the work exceeded that which was necessary to lessen or eliminate immediate threats. On first appeal, the Applicant contended that bank armoring and sediment reworking were essential to reduce immediate threats. The FEMA Region I Regional Administrator found that bank armoring and sediment reworking were ineligible for funding both as emergency protective measures and as permanent work. On second appeal, the Applicant maintains that sediment reworking and bank armoring were performed to reduce immediate threats. FEMA subsequently requested that the Applicant provide additional support that the damage was directly caused by the declared disaster, given the occurrence of subsequent Tropical Storm Lee shortly after Irene, the work performed reduced immediate threats, including characterization of the 5-year flood event on Roaring Branch, and predisaster design and maintenance records for the armored banks. The Applicant provided documents stating that (1) the damage was directly related to Irene and distinguished the work from that previously identified in a river corridor plan, (2) the work lessened immediate threats to nearby property from a 5-year flood event and Lee was only a 4.6-year flood event, and (3) prior bank armoring was not engineered. On April 3, 2015, the Applicant presented the information at Headquarters.

Authorities Discussed

Stafford Act § 403(a)(3)(I); § 403(c)(6)(B).
44 CFR § 206.201(b).
44 CFR § 206.221(c).
44 CFR § 206.225(a)(3).
Public Assistance Guide, FEMA 322, at 66; 71 (June 2007).

Headnotes

Stafford Act § 403(a)(3)(I) permits FEMAto provide essential assistance to reduce immediate threats to life, property, and public health and safety.
44 C.F.R. § 206.201(b) defines emergency work as work done immediately following a disaster to save lives and protect improved property, public health, and safety.
To be eligible, emergency protective measures must eliminate or lessen immediate threats to lives, public health or safety, or threats of significant additional damage to improved public or private property through cost effective measures. 44 C.F.R. § 206.225(a)(3), 44 C.F.R. § 206.221(c) and the PA Guide define an immediate threat as the threat of additional damage from an event which can reasonably be expected to occur within five years.
- Rather than carrying out the approved scope of work to remove debris necessary to eliminate the immediate threat, the Applicant permanently engineered an unimproved river channel to address longstanding issues associated with being located in an alluvial fan.

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Immediate Threat

FEMA, State Broadcasters and Emergency Managers to Test the Emergency Alert System in Six New England States

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with state, local, and tribal emergency managers and state broadcasters’ associations, will conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, in six New England states. The test will begin at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and will last approximately one minute.

The voluntary EAS test will be seen and heard over many radio, television and cable stations in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The EAS test might also be seen and heard in upper New York State if the public normally receives any broadcasts from nearby New England stations. The word “national” will be added to the test message: “This is a national test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test.”

“The EAS test message will be sent to radio and television stations using a National Periodic Test code that sounds and appears like the regular monthly EAS tests conducted by state officials and broadcasters,” said Roger Stone, Acting Assistant Administrator of FEMA’s National Continuity Programs. “FEMA is working to specify a method for conducting periodic nationwide EAS tests using the National Periodic Test code in the near future.”

The test is designed to have limited impact on the public, with only minor disruptions of radio and television programs that normally occur when broadcasters regularly test EAS in their area. There is no Federal Commissions Commission regulatory liability for stations that choose not to participate.

The test will assess the operational readiness of FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) infrastructure that will distribute the national-level EAS test message to radio, television and cable operations from origination to reception by public. It will verify the functionality of EAS stations to receive and broadcast a national test message. The test requires that radio and television stations make a minor configuration change to their station EAS equipment to receive and process the National Periodic Test code message from the IPAWS system.

In 2007, FEMA began modernizing the nation’s public alert and warning system by integrating new technologies into existing alert systems. The new system is known to broadcasters and local alerting officials as the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System or IPAWS. IPAWS connects public safety officials, such as emergency managers, police and fire departments to multiple communications channels to send alerts to the public when a disaster or other imminent danger occurs.

More information on the Public Alert and Warning System and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) is available at www.fema.gov/ipaws or www.ready.gov/alerts. For more information on IPAWS, visit www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/31814.

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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.

FEMA, State Broadcasters and Emergency Managers to Test the Emergency Alert System in Six New England States

Disaster Aid Meetings Set For Additional Colorado Counties

DENVER – State and federal officials have scheduled meetings with local governments and other entities in Adams, Boulder, Park and Denver Counties to help them apply for federal assistance for this spring’s storms.

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) in cooperation with FEMA has scheduled Applicants’ Briefings August 25 to August 27 to help local governments, state agencies, and certain private non-profit organizations navigate the federal Public Assistance application process relative to this spring’s declared disaster.

On August 12, Adams, Boulder, Park and Denver Counties were added to 11 other Colorado counties that had already been declared eligible for damage reimbursement as a result of the severe storms, tornadoes, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred between May 4 and June 16, 2015.

Applicants’ Briefing Schedule:

Park County: August 25, 1:00 p.m., Park County Emergency Operations Center, 911 Clark Street, Fairplay, CO 80440

Adams County: August 27, 8:30 a.m., Adams County Government Center, Conference Center – Platte D, 4330 S Adams County Pkwy, Brighton, CO 80603

Boulder County/statewide: August 27, 1:00 p.m., Colorado State Emergency Operations Center, 9195 E Mineral Ave., Centennial, CO 80112

Denver County: TBD

The briefings are the next step in FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and will provide information on the application process as well as deadlines for submission of necessary documents.

The Applicants’ Briefing may be followed by face-to-face meetings in local communities between FEMA/DHSEM officials and eligible applicants.

The disaster declaration issued by President Obama on July 16, 2015 for Baca, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, Saguache, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma counties made state, county, and local governments, as well as certain non-profit organizations, eligible to receive reimbursement for repairing infrastructure damage caused by the storms, as well as the cost of responding to them.

Qualified organizations in these counties and the four newly declared ones will receive no less than 75 percent of their eligible costs incurred as a result of the disaster.

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Colorado DHSEM’s mission is to provide leadership and support to Colorado communities to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond and recover from all-hazard events including acts of terrorism.

Disaster Aid Meetings Set For Additional Colorado Counties

Residents Urged to Clean Up Now

SAIPAN – Individuals affected by Typhoon Soudelor that occurred August 1-3, 2015 are urged to begin cleaning up their homes and personal property as soon as possible. Officials from the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emphasize that it is not necessary to wait for a housing inspection before beginning this process.

Residents need to document their losses thoroughly and take pictures of all the damages so that when FEMA housing inspectors arrive, they can make a quick analysis and take information with them. Residents will also need to keep all of the receipts they acquire while purchasing new living items during their displacement.

“We encourage individuals affected by the disaster to remain cautious and return home only when it is safe to do so,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Stephen M. DeBlasio Sr. “Property owners should document all losses and damages by taking photos first, or making a list, and then begin immediately removing all damaged personal property to help combat mold and other health hazards and move forward in the recovery process.”

Before making permanent repairs to your home such as drywall, structural components, electrical systems or plumbing, make sure you get the proper permits from the CNMI Department of Public Works to ensure compliance with local building codes.

For more information on local clean-up instructions and local permit requirements, contact the CNMI at 670-237-8000.

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Residents Urged to Clean Up Now

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