Hurricane Katrina Recovery Update: Week 31 

Release Date: April 10, 2006
Release Number: 1604-308

» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

BILOXI, Miss. – More than seven months after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to work closely with local and state organizations, as well as voluntary agencies to aid Mississippians in their recovery process. Residents who sustained damage due to Hurricane Katrina are encouraged to apply before the April 10, 2006, deadline for new applications.

Federal and state disaster officials provided the following summary of the ongoing assistance effort as of
close of business April 5, 2006. Please see attached spreadsheet for county-specific information.

Total Assistance To date, FEMA has obligated more than $7.3 billion in federal funding to aid Mississippians through various Individual Assistance and Public Assistance programs, including $2.9 billion in mission assignments, which FEMA tasked to other federal agencies.
National Flood Insurance Program FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has paid more than
$2.1 billion in flood insurance claims to policyholders in Mississippi. The NFIP plays a critical role in encouraging communities to adopt, implement and enforce broader floodplain-management regulations and programs.
Low Interest Disaster Loans The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Assistance Program has approved more than $2 billion in low-interest loans for homeowners, renters and business owners throughout Mississippi. April 10, 2006, is the deadline to complete and return SBA loan applications.
Individuals and Households More than $1.1 billion in assistance has been disbursed to more than
272,000 Mississippi households that have registered through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP). The IHP consists of Housing Assistance, which may be used to pay for rent, repair or housing construction and Other Needs Assistance (ONA) which may be provided for uninsured or under-insured disaster-related necessary expenses. ONA is a cost-share program which is 75 percent federally funded, 25 percent state funded.
Infrastructure Reimbursement The Public Assistance program has obligated more than $870 million for emergency work and infrastructure repair. This includes $474 million for debris removal, $220 million for emergency protective measures, $59 million to repair public facilities, $87 million to restore public utilities, $18 million to restore public recreational facilities such as state parks, $8.5 million to repair roads and bridges and $929,000 to repair water control devices such as reservoirs and irrigation channels.
Debris Removal

Nearly 39 million cubic yards of debris has been removed from public and private property so far. The amount of debris removed to date in Mississippi would fill more than 350 football fields, stacked 50 feet high. FEMA continues to reimburse Mississippi 100 percent for this expense and will do so until
June 30, 2006.

Registrations To date, nearly 516,000 Mississippians have registered for assistance through the FEMA toll-free number at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 for speech- or hearing-impaired applicants or online at www.fema.gov.
Emergency Temporary Housing Currently, more than 101,000 people are temporarily housed in nearly 37,500 FEMA-provided travel trailers and mobile homes. This includes more than 2,400 units that are mobile homes fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or ADA-friendly travel trailers.
Deadline April 10, 2006, is the deadline for new applications to FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. Federal and state officials encourage households affected by Hurricane Katrina to seek aid. Assistance to current applicants will continue to be provided after this date. Loan applications to the SBA Disaster Assistance Program for disaster-related losses must also be submitted by this date.
Register and Update Now! Mississippians can use two easy ways to register for disaster assistance. Call the toll-free FEMA Helpline number at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 OR register online at www.fema.gov. Applicants also can call the FEMA Helpline, at the same number, to provide additional information or to inquire about the status of an existing registration.

FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Monday, 10-Apr-2006 11:49:48