FEMA/State Hurricane Response Daily Summary 

FEMA Phone Lines Busy, Keep Trying

Release Date: September 25, 2004
Release Number: 1539-146

» More Information on Florida Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm Bonnie
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Ivan
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Frances

ORLANDO, Fla. -- More than a half-million Floridians affected by Hurricanes Charley, Frances or Ivan have taken the first step to receive disaster assistance by calling FEMA’s toll-free number: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY—1-800-462-7585 for those with speech or hearing impairments.

FEMA is working hard to take thousands of applications a day, so phone lines are very busy. Disaster officials urge callers to be patient. The registration line is open seven days a week, 24 hours per day. Callers who are having trouble getting through should try to call during the non-peak hours, after 8 p.m. and before 6 a.m.

To expedite registration calls, applicants should have the following information ready to give operators:
Social Security number (including spouse’s), address, ZIP code and directions to the damaged property, and a daytime telephone number. The operator will provide a registration ID number, which applicants should keep for future reference.

After registering for disaster assistance through the toll-free number, applicants with questions may visit any federal/state disaster recovery center (DRC). FEMA, State Emergency Response Team (SERT) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) are now staffing 31 disaster recovery centers throughout the disaster area, offering applicants help with information on assistance programs and checking the status of their requests. More than 82,000 applicants have used this service.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has now approved $327 million in assistance to eligible Floridians affected by Hurricanes Ivan, Charley and Frances.

The total includes $176 million for housing, including $63 million in rental assistance for 50,135 applicants, and $151 million for other needs, such as replacement of essential property not covered by insurance or SBA.

FEMA has inspected 255,907 damaged homes. Plastic sheeting has been installed on 26,943 homes and 151,365 waterproof tarps have been provided for distribution to homeowners.

FEMA has placed 767 families made homeless by Hurricane Charley in travel homes. There are 426 additional travel homes on site ready to be occupied.

SBA has loaned $94.6 million to victims of Charley, Frances and Ivan for home and business repairs. SBA low-interest disaster loans are available to qualified renters, homeowners, landlords, business owners and non-profit organizations that suffered losses due to the hurricane disasters. Applicants with questions about loans can visit any federal/state disaster recovery center, call the SBA Helpline at 1-800-359-2227, or visit the website at www.SBA.gov/disaster.

To date, 81 percent of power lost due to Hurricane Ivan in the Panhandle has been restored. However, 83,000 customers still remain without power.

Preliminary damage assessments have been completed in the 26 counties hit by Ivan.

Disaster assistance information is being delivered directly to affected individuals by 771 community relations personnel.

FEMA’s disaster medical assistance teams (DMAT) have treated 7,664 ill and injured victims of the three hurricanes. Four teams remain activated in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

FEMA has 4,035 personnel deployed to the Florida disasters augmented by 491 local hires.

SERT is a collaboration of Florida’s emergency management agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. Visit http://www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief effort.

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 28-Sep-2004 16:28:58