Federal Assessment Teams Fly Out As Hurricane Frances Clears Florida's East Coast
Release Date: September 5, 2004
Release Number: HQ-04-161
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Frances
Washington, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its partner agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Defense, took the initial steps towards launching a disaster response effort of major proportions today as Hurricane Frances cleared Florida’s east coast.
President Bush ordered the federal government to provide all necessary resources and assets for Florida to aid people victimized by the second hurricane to strike the state in less than a month. The President signed a major disaster declaration Saturday evening as Hurricane Frances made landfall on the state’s eastern coastline, authorizing individual assistance for Brevard, Indian River, Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.
Florida and affected local governments in all 67 counties are also eligible under the declaration to apply for federal funds to pay 100 percent of the approved costs for debris removal and emergency services related to the storm, including requested emergency work undertaken by the federal government, for the first 72 hours following the declaration. The declaration follows the major disaster declared for the state on August 13 in the wake of Hurricane Charley.
“Right now, our priority is life saving, life sustaining needs; however it is important for people to know that we have been anticipating the needs of Floridians who have been hit twice - first by Charley and then Frances,” said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. “The federal family and our state and local partners are prepared to deliver assistance wherever needed as fast and efficiently as possible.”
FEMA is working with state officials to respond to critical needs as they become apparent. FEMA’s Rapid Needs Assessment teams were in position to begin identifying needs and help direct assistance to those areas with the most urgent needs. Rescue and medical teams are being moved to critical need areas, ready to respond to needs as they are identified.
Supplies and equipment will be moved into the hardest hit areas as quickly as possible, especially water, ice, meals, medical supplies, tents and tarps. Due to expected flooding, federal and state officials caution that it may be several days before supplies and emergency workers can reach all the victims of this hurricane.
FEMA’s toll free registration line, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), is operating on a continuous basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice. The TTY number for speech- and hearing-impaired individuals is 1-800-462-7585.
Anticipating a large need for temporary and long-term housing brought about by the destructive forces of Hurricanes Charley and Frances, FEMA is completing a Combined Housing strategy that will assist disaster victims whose homes were severely damaged or destroyed. The plans start with initial sheltering and progress to temporary housing and permanent housing. The strategy will offer disaster victims a range of housing options and work to get families into the best available housing for their individual circumstances. To accomplish this, FEMA is teaming with partners in federal, state and local government; the private sector; and faith-based and non-profit organizations. Federal officials emphasize that the process of sheltering and providing adequate housing for large numbers disaster victims is complex and will take time.
Additional response operations include:
- FEMA’s National Emergency Operations Center, Emergency Support Team in Washington, D.C. and Region Four Regional Operations Center in Atlanta, Ga. are operating around the clock, positioning assets and responding to state requests for assistance.
- FEMA Advanced Emergency Response Team is at the Florida State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee to facilitate state requests for assistance.
- One million gallons of water are in Florida now, and another 1.6 million gallons are in transit. Additionally, 12.6 million pounds of ice are in state, while another 8 million pounds are en route. 16,900 Meals Ready to Eat are on hand and another 1.1 million are on the way. In addition, enough baby formula and food to nourish 7,730 infants is en route.
- A supply of 30,000 tarps began arriving in Florida before the storm. At the end of the week 100,000 roles of plastic sheeting were on hand and another 400,000 roles are on order.
- Some 350 mid-range generators were on hand in Florida and another 600 are on order for medical device support.
- Florida has opened more than 324 shelters housing more than 71,925 people. Georgia has 13 open shelters; Alabama three; South Carolina 11 and North Carolina has one on standby.
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, 05-Sep-2004 20:45:12