Hurricane Charley Disaster Summary For August 22, 2004
Release Date: August 22, 2004
Release Number: 1539-023
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- One week after Hurricane Charley made landfall, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved more than $33 million in disaster aid to 13,742 households.
FEMA has received over 103,000 applications through its teleregistration line (1-800-621-3362), which is now operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The TTY number for speech- and hearing-impaired is 1-800-462-7585.
More than 640 FEMA and state of Florida community relations personnel are in the field conducting door-to-door outreach in storm-damaged neighborhoods, concentrating primarily on neighborhoods with high numbers of elderly residents. The state has deployed personnel from its reservist force, FDEM employees and personnel from partner state emergency management teams.
To date, more than 41,000 housing inspections have been completed. There are nearly 1,000 housing inspectors in the field. FEMA has approved $19.8 million in disaster housing assistance.
As of today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued 75,684 applications for long-term, low-interest disaster loans -- 63,496 home applications and 12,188 business applications.
There are 21 shelters currently open, providing assistance to 1,628 evacuees. In addition, there are seven fixed feeding stations and 193 mobile stations providing meals to disaster victims.
Ten FEMA/State Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) are open and assisting disaster victims. More than 4,700 have visited DRCs to obtain information and request assistance. In addition to the representatives of state and federal agencies, crisis counselors are on hand at each.
To donate or volunteer services, disaster officials encourage people to visit a special website designed to coordinate voluntary efforts, located at www.volunteerflorida.org. This website provides opportunities to register as a volunteer and offers goods and services that can be matched to victims’ needs. It also includes a list of items urgently needed and a list of agencies accepting cash donations. Those without e-mail capability may call 1-800-FLHELP1 (1-800-354-3571).
To date, FEMA Operations Support has mission-assigned various partners that are part of the Federal Response Plan with more than 100 assigned tasks. Mission support totals more than $130 million to date.
FEMA and the state of Florida have deployed more than 1,400 personnel to assist in all aspects of the response and recovery effort. A Disaster Field Office (DFO) has been established in Orlando. This office serves as an administrative command and control center for state and federal recovery operations.
With the return of power and the lifting of boil water notices in some places, current needs for water and ice have been met, and ongoing needs are being assessed periodically so as to avoid backlogs in the distribution system. Commodities such as bottled water, Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), infant formula, baby cereal, fruits, vegetables and meat continue to arrive at the Lakeland Logistical Staging Area for distribution to the field.
FEMA Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATS) have treated 2,137 patients in an ongoing effort to support hospitals and clinics in the disaster area.
The Department of Heath and Human Services (HHS) continues to coordinate medical support with its National Disaster Medical System partners, which include the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense.
FEMA logistics has assigned 75 drivers to shuttle travel trailers from Atlanta to the Tampa Bay area, where approximately 500 travel trailers are staged.
Providing aid to individuals and households is only one part of the disaster aid authorized by President Bush on Aug. 12. The other part, Public Assistance, provides help to state and local governments and certain qualified non-profit entities to remove debris and provide aid to repair or replace public facilities damaged by the storm. Joint federal/state Preliminary Damage Assessments for Public Assistance have been completed in 35 counties.
The State Emergency Response Team is a collaboration of Florida’s emergency management agencies led by the state coordinating officer. It’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. For the latest information on the hurricane relief effort, visit http://www.floridadisaster.org.
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 19:12:08