FEMA Community Relations Teams Providing One On One Assistance 

Release Date: August 21, 2004
Release Number: 1539-016

» More Information on Florida Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm Bonnie

ORLANDO, Fla. -- FEMA’s community relations representatives are canvassing areas within all 25-declared disaster counties offering one-on-one assistance to victims of Hurricane Charley. These individuals are walking door-to-door offering information, personal assistance and providing telephone access to victims to the 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) registration line.

“We have the largest contingent of community relations individuals in FEMA history walking in the disaster counties offering assistance. We recognize the extreme hardship many individuals in hard-hit counties are experiencing and we are making every effort to make personal contact with those hardest hit,” said Bill Carwile, Coordinating Officer for the disaster with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Community relations personnel are making special efforts to be sure that the elderly, those with special needs, individuals needing language assistance and those who have not registered with FEMA are targeted for assistance.

“We want to make sure that everyone affected by this disaster is able to call the 800-line to register. There are translators available for most all languages”, according to Carwile.

“We understand the extreme magnitude of this event and want to assure the residents of damaged areas in Florida that the state and FEMA want to get everyone registered that has suffered any type damage from the disaster”, according to Frank Koutnik, Deputy State Coordinating Officer.

Individuals who have not registered can begin the application assistance process by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing or speech impaired.

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: Sunday, 29-Aug-2004 19:18:55