$52 million is on the way to individuals and families for housing and other disaster-related needs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), numerous federal agencies, and states and local governments continue to work together in response to ongoing flooding and in preparation for the recovery efforts that will be under way in the days, weeks and months to come.

Meanwhile, residents returning to their homes are reminded to be careful when entering areas affected by the flooding. Floods often leave behind exposed electrical wires, contaminated floodwater and weakened structures. These are not always obvious, but can be life-threatening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising people to throw away food that may not be safe to eat and disinfect water if instructed to do so by local health authorities.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Where waters have already receded, FEMA disaster assistance workers are providing resources to individuals seeking assistance.

• In Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin, 39,978 registrations for assistance have been received from disaster victims and $52 million has been approved for housing assistance and other disaster-related needs;
• FEMA has deployed 685 housing inspectors to the region, including 305 to Iowa, 157 to Indiana and 223 to Wisconsin;
• 14,216 damage inspections have been completed, of those 10,299 have been approved for housing assistance;
• 36 Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers are serving disaster victims in the Midwest states; five additional units began deploying to Iowa 21 June; and
• Approximately 3,130 National Flood Insurance Program insurance claims have been filed, including 1,373 for Iowa; 773 for Indiana; 616 for Wisconsin; 227 for Illinois; 105 for Missouri; and 16 for Kansas.

Environmental Protection Agency

In Iowa, the EPA is setting up three household hazardous waste collection areas in the following locations: Bremer County (near Waterloo), Linn County (near Cedar Rapids) and Johnson County (near Iowa City). At these sites, EPA will collect, segregate and dispose of orphan containers and household hazardous waste. In Wisconsin, EPA continues to oversee the response to the Oshkosh train derailment and the 1,200 gallon diesel fuel spill. The railroad company's cleanup along the track and right of way is complete, while cleanup of the creek and adjacent areas will continue through the weekend.

EPA has been tasked by the Army Corps of Engineers to provide technical assistance for evaluating drinking and wastewater facilities in Iowa. Meanwhile, EPA has completed collection of floodwater samples from six Iowa locations. The first test data results from this collection are scheduled to be received next week. The floodwater sampling effort is conducted in coordination with Iowa and results will be released through a joint message.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

HHS is planning for recovery efforts by identifying public health needs and support functions and assets associated with recovery including: potable water, mosquito borne diseases and vector control, rodents, feral animals, environmental hazards, mold, and food safety. While, CDC is providing information to residents, communities and states on actions they can take before and after flooding to help ensure their safety:

• For a flood watch or warning: Have your immunization records handy or be aware of your last tetanus shot, in case you should receive a puncture wound or a wound becomes contaminated during or after the flood. Fill bathtubs, sinks and plastic soda bottles with clean water. Sanitize the sinks and tubs first by using bleach. Rinse and fill with clean water. Bring outdoor possessions, such as lawn furniture, grills and trash cans inside or tie them down securely.
• If ordered to evacuate: If you have time, turn off the gas, electricity and water. Disconnect appliances to prevent electrical shock when power is restored.
• When returning home: Take simple steps to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Don't use a generator, pressure washer, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline- or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage or near a window, door, or vent. Don't run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open. Don't heat your house with a gas oven. If your carbon monoxide detector sounds, leave your home immediately and call 911. Seek prompt medical attention if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed, or nauseated.

U.S. Department of Labor

DOL has received and is now processing 3,400 applications for unemployment insurance in Iowa.

National Interagency Housing Task Force

The National Interagency Housing Task Force is developing support for state needs and field operations. Participants included 10 federal agencies, AmeriCorps, the American Red Cross and Save the Children. The task force is operating under a model developed during the 2007 California wildfires, bringing federal agencies and non-governmental organizations together to mobilize resources and to quickly ramp-up the recovery phase.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

As of June 20, the SBA has approved 54 disaster loans in Iowa for $4.8 million, received 502 disaster loan applications and issued 17,900 disaster loan applications; 13,000 of those were issued to Iowa residents, with the balance being sent to residents in Indiana and Wisconsin.

Emergency Management Assistance Compact

Ten states are providing assistance through EMAC to assist in the response and recovery in areas affected by the flooding in the Midwest, including Nebraska, Minnesota, Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky, New Mexico, New York, Mississippi, Delaware and Illinois. To date, EMAC assistance provided to Iowa and Missouri includes law enforcement personnel, Incident Management Teams (IMT), Emergency Operations Center (EOC) logistics and management, National Guard missions, public health services and sandbags.

Joint Federal Activities

FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the Defense Logistics Agency have worked together to provide:

• 3,618,000 liters of water;
• 12.8 million sand-bags bags – enough to reach from coast to coast if laid side-by-side; and
• 196 generators.

The American Red Cross

During the last 24 hours in the Midwest, the Red Cross has provided:

• 18 open shelters;
• Shelter for 466 people;
• 19,021 served meals;
• 40 service delivery sites; and
• 2,383 total Red Cross workers.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

USACE is monitoring the 36 overtopped or breached levees in the region and supporting efforts to repair levees and protect existing levees from additional damage. An additional 27 levees in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri have been identified as threatened and are being closely monitored. As floodwaters recede, USACE will conduct a complete survey of the levee system along the rivers impacted by recent flooding.

In addition, USACE coordinated with the DHS National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC) to analyze the consequences of 2-week closure of 250-mile section of Mississippi River and determine the impacts from cessation of barge traffic.

• Impacts to Food and Agriculture: A two week closure is unlikely to have significant impact on Food and Agriculture Sector, since it occurs well before harvest and sufficient grain storage is projected to exist in New Orleans to allow exports to continue without serious interruption.
• Impacts to Energy: Coal plants along the upper Mississippi that are barge captive will be the hardest hit by closure; impact on generation depends on the duration of the navigation outage. Power plants generally have about a month's coal supply in storage on site; if the interruption lasts longer than a week, power output from these plants is expected to be curtailed for conservation purposes; power outages are unlikely because utilities are able to increase generation at natural gas-fired power plants.

U.S. Department of Transportation

The Federal Highway Administration is working with the Midwest states affected by the flooding to assess damage and estimate repair costs for highways and bridges. To date, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa have expressed their intent to request emergency relief funding from the FHWA, and other states may follow suit in the days to come. The Federal Railroad Administration has activated the FRA Emergency Relief Docket to expedite the review of waiver requests submitted by railroads to allow them to respond to emergency situations more quickly. The Federal Transit Administration informed the affected states of the resources available to public transit agencies during emergency situations.

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.

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