Technology Speeds Aid to Residents
Release Date: September 28, 2003
Release Number: 1490-16
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Raleigh, NC - Modern technology is helping residents of North Carolina get disaster aid faster than ever before.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has worked hard over the past several years to streamline its processes so those affected by disasters can get aid faster. The steps taken include:
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Using the 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) phone number for residents to register for assistance as soon as the President declares a disaster, rather than waiting to set up an office in the disaster area. Operators can handle registrations in virtually any language; a TTY number is available for the speech-and hearing-impaired (1-800-462-7585).
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Using handheld computers for inspectors to enter information on-site, so entries only need to be keyed in once. The information is then uplinked daily to processing centers, and new locations for inspection (clustered by geographic area) are downloaded to individual inspectors. The geographic clustering increases the speed of inspections everywhere, and is critical in situations like Hatteras Village, which currently can only be reached by a long boat ride.
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Using electronic funds transfer (EFT) to get money to those affected by a disaster quickly and securely. Figures for the North Carolina disaster show that 92 percent of the aid authorized is disbursed the same day-because the money is being transferred to the bank accounts of applicants virtually immediately.
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With the combination of technology, in some cases money gets to applicants within three days of their initial call to FEMA.
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Similar technology is helping local emergency managers and other officials get aid faster for rebuilding infrastructure across the state. Improved computerization and remote communications have cut the time for processing these complex applications from two weeks or more down to one week.
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The technology also helps communities make themselves more resistant to disaster damage. Geographic positioning and information systems (GPS/GIS) help planners identify exactly what happened in a flood, and generate computer models much more quickly than in the past. Those models of exactly where damage will be caused by different events help communities protect themselves against floods. GPS/GIS also let mitigation experts track the thousands of projects done in North Carolina over the past few years, from raised homes to protected sewage plants and improved culverts. Now specialists are fanning out across the state to quickly check on how the different mitigation projects worked, what worked best, and approximately how much money was saved by the defensive measures.
- Technology also makes a world of disaster-related information available to the media and the public. The FEMA website, www.fema.gov, carries information on such topics as current disasters, cleaning flood-damaged property, flood maps and Urban Search & Rescue teams (including a Spanish section). The North Carolina disaster-related website, www.dem.dcc.state.nc.us/, carries information on state rivers and floods, weather forecasts, hurricane status, floodplain mapping and hazardous materials.
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: Monday, 29-Sep-2003 10:15:13