After Ike: Federal Support For Recovery Efforts
Release Date: September 15, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-218
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is coordinating the joint efforts of federal, tribal, state and local partners as they undertake the activities that help residents whose communities were devastated by Hurricane Ike begin the rebuilding process. Federal assets were on the ground long before landfall, are there now, and will remain as long as necessary.
President George W. Bush declared major disasters in Texas and Louisiana, making available federal funds to assist individuals and communities in their recovery. Individuals in the declared disaster zone can register for assistance by calling 1-800-621-FEMA or at www.fema.gov. Mobile registration centers will move into the region to assist those without telephone or internet access to apply for assistance.
People will be anxious to return home following the storm, but we are asking for everyone to be patient and to wait for the all clear. Please don't put yourself - or our first responders - at risk. Residents in the affected areas are reminded that power, water, sewage and medical assistance may be limited in the aftermath of a storm; evacuees should wait to return until essential services are restored. Restoration of power is a critical and essential step towards recovery.
Anyone can help with the relief and recovery efforts. Companies and individuals can offer their support through the Aidmatrix Foundation's online portal, which is designed to make it as easy as possible to offer financial support, product donations, or to donate skills and time to nonprofit organizations active in disaster relief. To make a contribution or to volunteer, visit www.aidmatrixnetwork.org.
Overview of Federal Assets and Activities:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- FEMA is supporting search and rescue operations and other life-saving and life-preserving activities.
- More than 7 million meals and 24 million liters of water are currently being distributed in East Texas. Supplies and equipment will continue to move into the hardest hit areas as quickly as possible, especially water, meals, generators, tents and tarps. As local communities identify their critical needs and each state prioritizes those needs, federal partners will provide the additional personnel, equipment and supplies to meet those needs.
- Contracts have been activated to supplement existing resources without shifting resources from other disaster operations. FEMA is also working with the private sector and voluntary agencies to enhance their abilities to provide resources and support to communities before and after a storm.
- FEMA activated the National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System to help reunite families that have become separated as a result of Hurricane Ike. It can be accessed online at www.fema.gov. People may also call in at 1-800-588-9822, 24-hours a day.
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
- USCG's top priorities are search and rescue operations and the protection and safety of life at sea, both for mariners and residents of the Texas coast. USCG has 11 fixed-wing and 31 rotary-wing air assets onsite, and 5 cutters positioned offshore for post-hurricane response.
- USCG has aircraft conducting search and rescue, port assessments, infrastructure damage assessments and prepared to respond to any oil spill/hazardous material pollution incidents.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- TSA has more than 200 Transportation Security Officers in place at Houston-area airports to assist with re-establishing airport operations.
- In addition, TSA has more than 150 officers assisting with relief efforts in the Houston area.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- CBP currently has more than 350 people deployed in Texas and more than 100 deployed in Louisiana. They include Law Enforcement Officers, Technicians and Operations Support Staff conducting post-storm damage assessments of homes and government facilities.
- Two CBP aircraft flew reconnaissance missions along the affected coastline yesterday.
U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS)
- USCIS is contacting community organizations and the media to inform them that USCIS will reschedule all appointments in offices that close. USCIS is advising customers to take all necessary actions to protect their documents and inform them that if they are evacuated, or a USCIS office is closed, they can temporarily make an appointment in another USCIS office.
National Protection and Programs Directorate
National Communications System (NCS)
- The National Coordinating Center for Communications is working with the Federal Communications Commission to coordinate access support by industry members to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). PSAPs are state and local organizations responsible for answering 9-1-1 calls for emergency assistance from police, fire, and ambulance services. At this time all 9-1-1 calls are being answered, although some PSAPs have been damaged.
- NCS is working with the communications industry to get through hurricane debris and flooding in their efforts to restore communications to impacted areas. Communications sites on secondary power (battery and generator) and fuel reserves to support secondary power are also concerns.
Infrastructure Protection (IP)
- IP and the Sector Specific Agencies are working with the private Sector Coordinating Councils and state and local officials to assess damage to critical infrastructure - focusing on electric power grids; oil, gas, and petrochemical facilities; pipelines and rail transportation; and chemical facilities.
- 14 IP Protective Security Advisors have deployed to Texas and Louisiana to support the assessment of impacts to critical infrastructure; and to coordinate the prioritization of restoration electrical, water, transportation, and telecommunications infrastructure; and to assist private sector partners with reentry issues and imagery requests.
- IP is continuing to generate up-to-the-minute critical infrastructure impact assessments and computer modeling data; and to garner aerial imagery. These assessments are being provided to private sector owners and operators, state and local response officials, and other relevant federal departments and agencies via the Homeland Security Information Network.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- More than 3 million customers are reported without power in five States affected by Ike: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Ohio and Kentucky. In Texas alone, more than 2 million customers remain without power.
- DOE's Energy Information Administration is tracking historical data on gas prices and supplies and will submit this data to the federal and state authorities - for comparison purposes - as they monitor possible gas gouging in the wake of Hurricane Ike.
- Fourteen refineries in Texas and Louisiana are reported shut down. Refineries have reported minimal damage and are making preparations to restart operations. Colonial pipeline is maintaining operations at reduced flow, ready to receive supply.
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
- DOJ's Disaster Fraud Hotline continues to operate. Members of the public can report fraud, waste, abuse or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations through the Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, the Disaster Fraud Fax at 225-334-4707 or the Disaster Fraud e-mail at disaster@leo.gov. Individuals can also report criminal activity to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or www.fbi.gov.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- HUD is providing FEMA with National Housing Locator System (NHLS) lists of housing available within a 250 mile radius of Houston to assist with families that may be displaced. The NHLS contained more than 250,000 available properties prior to the hurricane.
- HUD's public housing and multifamily assessment teams has begun housing assessments.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
- SBA has 47 support staff, 40 field inspectors, and is deploying an additional 93 staff to support recovery efforts in Texas.
- SBA is also expanding its capabilities at its Disaster Loan Processing and Disbursement Center in Ft. Worth with 40 additional staff.
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
U.S. National Guard Bureau (NGB)
- The Texas National Guard is conducting sustained, long-term support to hurricane recovery operations to provide supplies to victims of the storm.
- The Texas National Guard has rescued almost 2,000 people in flooded areas through out Southeast Texas.
- National Guard members from Texas and five other states are providing communications support for local, state and federal partners in affected areas
U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)
- Military search and rescue (SAR) personnel and equipment are assisting civil authorities in saving lives and preventing human suffering. SAR is conducted as a fully integrated, interagency operation that includes federal, state, tribal and local governments, private sector, non-governmental organizations, and international partners.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- One of USACE's highest priorities is to survey Houston's channels and ports in order to quickly return the nation's second largest port to full commercial capacity. USACE has a rigorous schedule set up to conduct hydrographic and side scan sonar surveys of the Houston/Galveston Bay complex and the Sabine Neches Waterway. USACE is planning to survey these waterways in the next two days, and will begin to survey Freeport, Matagorda, the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, the Victoria Barge Channel, and Chocolate Bayou today.
- USACE is conducting power assessments and providing generators for critical public facilities, such as hospitals, police stations, and water treatment facilities.
- USACE is coordinating the efforts of the Interagency Debris Task Force that is comprised of local, state and federal agencies. USACE is working with the City of Houston to assess debris management needs for rapid cleanup.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EPA's ASPECT plane has assessed 28 out of the 80 facilities identified for aerial assessments. ASPECT stands for Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) and is the equipment mounted in a small aircraft that can obtain detailed chemical information from a safe distance.
- A total of 84 Facility Response Plan (FRP) and Risk Management Plan (RMP) Facilities have been evaluated. A FRP is a facility that could, because of its location, cause substantial harm to the environment by discharging oil. A RMP is a facility that produces, handles, processes, distributes, or stores certain chemicals.
- An EPA On-Scene Coordinator responded to a reported release of an estimated 1,000,000 gallons of phosphoric acid/water into the Houston ship channel in Pasadena, Texas. Response crews are working to neutralize the release that has reached the ship channel and the containment wall has been stabilized with sand bags.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- NOAA aircraft are flying damage assessment missions.
- NOAA navigation response crews are working on surveys in Sabine Pass and Galveston Harbor.
- NOAA hazardous materials scientific support teams have provided trajectory information and maps and continue to help the USCG and EPA as needed.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- HHS has 1,700 personnel and medical materiel in Texas and Louisiana supporting the state and local response, including Disaster Medical Assistance Team personnel in Houston, Galveston, Beaumont, College Station and Dallas, Texas.
- HHS staff continue to assess hospital and nursing home status, such as power, generators and fuel, as well as medical supplies, and we are prepared to work with our state and federal partners to provide assistance at the state's request.
- HHS continues to provide medical support for the Urban Search and Rescue teams for the individuals who have been evacuated.
- HHS staff is beginning its mass fatality planning by standing up its Mass Fatality Branch, for Disaster Mortuary missions for disinterred bodies from cemeteries in the Galveston area.
- HHS personnel are also working with Midwest state agencies, monitoring potential impacts of additional flooding in the Midwest as the storm moves across the country.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- CDC worked with telecommunications companies to disseminate a post-storm safety message to customers with cell phone area codes associated with those Texas locations experiencing power outages due to Hurricane Ike.
- CDC's safety message focuses on safety: If you are in a safe place, stay where you are; Avoid Carbon Monoxide poisoning when the power is out; Follow local advisories about the safety of your water supply.
The American Red Cross (ARC)
- In Texas and Louisiana, 4,000 ARC disaster relief workers are providing safe shelter, food, water, emotional support and more. Those shelters provided a safe haven for approximately 19,000 people who could not return home.
- Hundreds of ARC mobile feeding trucks and 20 kitchens are providing meals and snacks in communities affected by Hurricane Ike, with additional resources being mobilized in the coming days.
Department of Labor (DOL)
- DOL has income support and employment resources for workers whose jobs may be impacted - temporarily or permanently - by the hurricane.
- Workers who are temporarily or permanently unemployed as a result of the Hurricane can contact the DOL's national toll-free hotline, 1-866-4-USA-DOL, or 1-866-487-2365 to connect with state and local officials in their states that can help them apply for income support and employment benefits.
U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury)
- Treasury's Bureau of the Public Debt is assisting impacted residents in Florida, Louisiana and Texas by expediting the replacement or payment of United States Savings Bonds for owners in affected counties or parishes in those states. The emergency procedures are effective immediately.
U.S. Department of Interior (DOI)
- DOI's Minerals Management Service is working with oil companies and the U.S. Coast Guard to confirm and report damage reports, monitor production resumption activities and collecting data through its Continuity of Operations Plan team which will remain activated until operations return to normal.
- DOI's Geological Survey is providing storm surge, stream gage and flooding data and plans to collect and distribute high resolution aerial images from several counties in Texas.
- DOI's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is assisting local tribes in Louisiana and Texas in securing assistance, clearing roads, and coordinating with State and Federal Agencies. BIA and tribal personnel cleared major transportation arteries and are working on those roads accessing tribal facilities and housing.
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
- USPS Teams, comprised of Postal Inspectors and Postal Operations employees, fanned out across impacted areas in Texas and Louisiana. While some areas still remain inaccessible due to flood waters, where there is access, the Postal Teams are evaluating potential damage and will attempt to restore facilities and equipment. Service in some areas will begin immediately.
- USPS liaisons are visiting shelters across the region to help residents who need to reroute their mail to a temporary address. Postal customers can also visit www.usps.com to check on their post office's status or to make a change of address request.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," a virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
- USDA reminds all farmers and ranchers to contact their crop insurance agent or insurance company with any questions or concerns about their policy or the steps needed to file a loss claim. Questions or concerns should be directed to the Oklahoma City Regional Office at (405) 879-2700 for crops or livestock located in Texas; the Jackson Regional Office (601) 965-4771 for crops or livestock located in Louisiana and Alabama; or USDA's Washington, DC office at (202) 690-2803.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
- Veterans with urgent care needs who were evacuated from the path of the storm may contact any VA facility by dialing 1-800-507-4571. This phone number may also be used by families and friends looking for information about loved ones who were patients at effected VA facilities.
National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA)
- The Johnson Center's 65-member response team is assisting efforts to clean up debris, restore power, and repair other center facilities and infrastructure.
- The International Space Station is being controlled by NASA flight controllers who were dispatched to the Austin, Texas area and Huntsville, Ala.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- OPM activated its toll-free assistance hotline number (1-800-307-8298) for federal employees and retirees residing in areas - including the southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts.
- Federal employees with access to the internet can receive updated and important information on benefits, flexibilities and payroll at www.opm.gov/hurricane/index.asp.
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
- A list of Federal Building closures can be found at www.GSA.gov.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror. For more information on FEMA activities visit www.FEMA.gov and for more information on personal preparedness see www.Ready.gov.
Last Modified: Monday, 15-Sep-2008 16:54:23