Disaster Aid For Mississippians Tops $334 Million
Release Date: September 23, 2005
Release Number: 1604-032
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JACKSON, Miss. -- As Mississippians prepare to observe the one-month anniversary of historic Hurricane Katrina, federal and state disaster officials said today that assistance is reaching those who need it.
Robert Latham, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said, “We’re doing everything we can to get help to people and communities who need it. People in the impacted areas are reaching out to each other, and FEMA and MEMA are reaching out to them to provide help.”
“Mississippians are making the best of a challenging situation,” said William Carwile, federal coordinating officer for FEMA’s Mississippi recovery effort. “FEMA and other federal agencies are partnering with the state of Mississippi and local leadership to help people find and use the resources that are available to them as they put their lives and communities back together again.”
Federal and state disaster officials provided the following summary of the ongoing assistance effort by the close of business Sept. 22, 2005:
- 407,001 individuals in Mississippi have called the toll-free 800-621-FEMA (3362) and the TTY 800-462-7585. Applications for Individual Assistance are taken by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available. Individual Assistance grants help pay for temporary housing, home repair and other disaster-related expenses.
- Oct. 28, 2005 is the deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance.
- Nov. 30, 2005 is the deadline for filing claims for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, depending on the county in which the applicant works or lives.
More information is available at local unemployment offices or by calling the Mississippi Department of Employment Security at 888-844-3577 or by going online at www.mdes.ms.gov. - $334.2 million in federal grants has been delivered for Mississippians affected by the disaster.
- $317.6 million of the total amount of federal grants for Mississippi residents is available for Housing Assistance grants for minimal home repairs, direct housing and temporary rental assistance not covered by insurance.
- $16.6 million in grants is available for necessary expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster. This may include medical, dental, funeral, personal property, transportation, moving and storage expenses.
- $2.8 million in low-interest disaster loans has been approved for Mississippians by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
SBA low-interest loans are the primary form of federal disaster assistance for long-term
recovery for homeowners, renters and non-farm businesses of all sizes. - 39,291 home inspections have been completed by FEMA inspectors. If an applicant is also being considered for an SBA loan, he or she will receive a second inspection by SBA.
- 4,392 travel trailers and mobile homes delivered to staging area.
1,565 trailers and mobile homes leased.
306 individuals temporarily housed aboard cruise ship. - 2,908 people who are in American Red Cross shelters.
- 658 FEMA personnel and 1,103 personnel from other agencies are currently deployed throughout Mississippi working on the recovery effort.
- 3 million cubic yards of debris have been removed so far. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving debris at a rate that would fill two football fields piled 50 feet high each day.
- 11 Disaster Recover Centers are operational. (Nine of the centers along the Gulf Coast closed temporarily due to Hurricane Rita.)
- 44, 593 individuals have visited the Disaster Recovery Centers.
- 7,369 protective “blue roofs” have been installed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The program currently has 209 crews in the field.
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: Thursday, 13-Oct-2005 08:06:07