Disaster Assistance: Week One
Release Date: September 27, 2003
Release Number: 1492-23
» More Information on Maryland Hurricane Isabel
Baltimore, MD - With more than $4.3 million in federal and state disaster assistance already reaching families affected by Hurricane Isabel, officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) continue to urge affected residents to register for help.
Here is a rundown of the response and recovery activity in the week since President Bush declared the state eligible for federal disaster assistance.
-
Applications for individual assistance have been received from 8,241 residents in the 23 declared counties and city of Baltimore since September 19, the day federal disaster aid became available.
-
Disaster housing assistance checks totaling more than $4.3 million have been disbursed to residents to assist with temporary housing and home repairs.
-
FEMA inspectors have completed 3,498 property inspections.
-
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued more than 5,400 low-interest disaster loan applications for homeowners, renters and businesses.
-
More than 1,200 people have visited FEMA/MEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) since they opened earlier this week. Representatives of state, federal, and voluntary agencies, including loan officers from the SBA, are on-site to provide information and answer questions and concerns. There are currently 11 DRCs operational with additional openings planned.
-
All Maryland counties and the city of Baltimore have been approved for Public Assistance to help with eligible costs for debris removal and emergency protective measures.
-
Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available through the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation for individuals who live or work in the declared disaster areas and are unemployed or lost income as a result of the disaster.
- The U. S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service approved additional assistance for current food stamp recipients to replace food lost during lengthy power outages. Fourteen of the hardest hit counties are eligible and benefits will be added automatically to the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) account. For more information, call 1-800-332-6347
"We are pleased at the number of people we've been able to help so early in the recovery effort," said William Lokey, the FEMA official in charge of the disaster assistance in Maryland. "But if people don't register, we can't help them."
Individuals may apply for disaster assistance by calling FEMA's toll-free registration line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) (TTY: 1-800-462-7585) seven days a week from 7 a.m. until midnight. The deadline to register is November 18, 2003.
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 Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Friday, 03-Oct-2003 09:05:50