Federal Response to Mid-West Disasters Continues
Release Date: June 15, 2008
Release Number: FNF-08-054
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to coordinate the federal response to support states impacted by tornados and floods: Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.
More than 11 million residents in these states could be affected by flooding and other weather-related events.
Federal activities on Sunday, June 15, 2008 include:
- FEMA Logistics has deployed more than 1.9 million liters of water, 191,000 meals, more than 200 generators, and other supplies to the regions.
- FEMA is accepting applications for aid from residents in states with declared disasters.
- Already more than 12,000 applications have been received from Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin - with 1,386 payments already distributed to eligible families.
- FEMA's Disaster Assistance Directorate has expanded its call center capabilities to handle more than 16,000 applications per day and has nearly 300 inspectors in the states to review individual homes for damage.
- Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (MDRCs), with satellite phones and internet service, are also on the ground in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared a Public Health Emergency in Iowa, Indiana, Kansas and Wisconsin and is coordinating with state health officials to provide a list of key public health information and messages related to floods and power outages.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has delivered a total of 576,000 liters of water to the logistical staging area in Des Moines and is working with state and local officials on establishing distribution points for the public distribution of water in Cedar Rapids and Columbus Junction.
The American Red Cross has more than 2,900 people though its 31 local chapters committed to the relief effort.
Last Modified: Sunday, 15-Jun-2008 17:33:40