Disaster Update: FEMA/State Housing Assistance Tops $1 Billion
Release Date: September 20, 2005
Release Number: 1603-026
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Katrina
BATON ROUGE, La. -- More than $1 billion has been approved for temporary housing assistance to residents whose homes were damaged in the storm since Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana three weeks ago, according to the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State of Louisiana's Homeland Security and Office of Emergency Preparedness (LHSOEP). Assistance is in the form of grants for temporary housing for minor repairs to make a home safe and habitable.
To date, 818,253 Louisianans have applied for state and federal disaster assistance by calling the toll-free registration line, 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA). The TTY number for speech- and hearing-impaired individuals is 1-800-462-7585. Night and early morning are easiest times to get through.
- Register on-line at www.fema.gov .
- Yesterday, 1,902 Louisianans registered for FEMA assistance.
Hundreds of truckloads of materials have been delivered to distribution points by the federal and state Unified Logistics Element, providing food, water and ice to hurricane victims.
| Commodity | Truckloads | Amount per truck | People Served |
Ice |
978 | 40,000 pounds | 4.89 million |
| Water | 1,057 | 4,750 gallons | 5.30 million |
| Meals | 581 | 27,744 meals | 5.81 million |
The American Red Cross and other voluntary agencies have served more than 3.6 million meals throughout the disaster area. Another 1.3 million meals have been served by the Salvation Army. Currently, 348 shelters are open in Louisiana providing emergency housing for 55,064 evacuees. Five special needs shelters are open serving 289 evacuees. For Red Cross donation information, call 1-800-435-7669 (HELP NOW) . For Red Cross volunteer information, call 1-866-438-4636 (GET INFO).
A national toll-free number has been established for people who may have a family member who may have perished during Hurricane Katrina. Concerned relatives who have been searching and are unable to find a missing loved one should call the Find Family National Call Center at 1-866-326-9393.
In its role as a federal coordination agency, FEMA has tasked 30 federal agencies with 285 missions related to the recovery valued at $3.3 billion. Some examples of that work include:
- Currently, 20 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) -- units of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals -- are providing direct patient care at 12 locations. An additional DMAT is assisting at Kelly AFB in San Antonio , providing patient care. DMATS in Louisiana and Texas have treated more than 27,000 patients. In addition, they have provided more than 34,000 immunizations, 27,000 of which were provided in the past week.
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Operation Blue Roof has 270 staff installing plastic sheeting to patch damaged roofs to provide shelter. The program is available in the 31 hardest-hit parishes declared for Individual Assistance. Homeowners with minor damage can receive smaller tarps for self-installation from a local emergency operations center.
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and the National Guard have removed more than 546,146 cubic yards of debris from seven parishes and four cities. FEMA's Public Assistance Program will provide 100 percent reimbursement to state and local governments and certain private nonprofits for the eligible costs of debris removal in 32 Louisiana parishes.
- A cooperative effort by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality continues to remove oil from 12 spill sites along the Mississippi River . The joint effort has removed approximately 2.44 million gallons of oil.
- The US Public Health Service (USPHS) veterinary team, comprised of veterinarians and other USPHS health professionals is staffing two main emergency rescue shelters at Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales and the LSU Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge , along with veterinary support for the entire disaster area. More than 4,000 animals have been rescued, including more than 400 horses. Approximately 2,200 animals are in shelters, including horses, mules, goats, dogs, cats, birds, snakes, turtles, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, ferrets, and an alligator.
Thirteen Disaster Recovery Centers are in operation throughout Louisiana to provide information and face-to-face assistance. These centers have assisted 20,448 residents since opening. The easiest way to register for assistance is to call the toll-free registration line, 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA).
"Sweep" registration teams of FEMA personnel are visiting shelters and special populations that cannot reach a disaster recovery center. The teams are equipped with computers and phones to assist with the registration process.More than 850 community relations staff, including 725 firefighters from throughout the country, are going shelter-to-shelter, some door-to-door in affected neighborhoods and to local college campuses providing disaster assistance information to victims. Their emphasis is on providing helpful information to resolve disaster needs.
A Joint Field Office has been established in Baton Rouge . The federal response to Hurricane Katrina includes 2,112 FEMA employees and 966 non-FEMA staff representing federal and state agencies.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003
Last Modified: Tuesday, 20-Sep-2005 13:13:53