Federal Response To Midwest Floods Continues
Release Date: June 15, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-106
Flood Activites
Joint Housing Solutions Task Forces
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- 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, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. More than 11 million residents in these states could be affected by flooding and other weather-related events.
Yesterday, President Bush approved a major disaster declaration for the State of Wisconsin for storms that began June 5, 2008.
Federal Activities on Sunday, June 15, 2008 include:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- 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 Region V's Emergency Response Team (ERT) has been deployed to Rock Island, IL.
- 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.
- FEMA's Joint Field Offices are engaging with response partners to establish State/Federal Housing Solutions Task Forces. These Task Forces will design and implement event specific, comprehensive housing plans. A senior FEMA Individual Assistance Manager will coordinate Task Force Activities at the national level and provide support on the ground. The task forces are working under the framework established in the 2008 Disaster Housing Plan that FEMA released earlier this month.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- HHS 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.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- Most deliveries of water to Iowa are now being handled by the USACE, which has activated its Massachusetts-based National Water Team.
- USACE 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 USACE has deployed 208 flood fighting teams, more than four million sandbags and 116 water pumps to the region. The USACE has deployed the 249th Engineer Battalion to support critical facilities, including Iowa University Hospital, and has deployed an engineering team to assess using pumps to accelerate the process of clearing water from Cedar Rapids.
- Most deliveries of water to Iowa are now being handled by the USACE, which has activated its Massachusetts-based National Water Team.
- U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
- The USCG, the USACE and the maritime industry have established an Incident Command Post to address pending flooding issues in the Port of St. Louis, Missouri.
- The USCG has deployed two Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and two teams to St. Louis, Missouri. DART teams are expected to be forward deployed to Quad Cities, Iowa and Hannibal, Missouri.
- DART teams are mobile teams that consist of flat bottom boats and personnel for operations in flooded areas.
- The USCG has been conducting overview flights to assist in the assessment of flooding in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids; meanwhile the Regions are reporting that the State of Indiana is requesting two hoist-capable helicopters.
- The U.S. National Guard
- The National Guard has more than 5,000 personnel and 10 aircraft supporting evacuations, flood fighting efforts, and other support functions in the region. This includes more than 3,300 personnel in Iowa, more than 1,100 in Indiana, close to 200 in each of Illinois and Missouri, and more than 100 in Wisconsin.
- The American Red Cross (ARC)
- The ARC has more than 2,900 people though its 31 local chapters committed to the relief effort.
- Currently, the ARC, in coordination with the Southern Baptists relief organization, is moving additional kitchens and supplies to the State of Iowa in order to begin providing 100,000 hot meals per day beginning Tuesday, June 17.
- The ARC is operating 30 shelters in the region currently housing 719 people.
- The ARC is preparing to distribute kits to residents returning to homes after the floods recede that include rakes, shovels, disinfectants and other supplies they might need to help them reclaim their homes and communities.
- The ARC predicts spending in excess of $15 million on these floods and the 30 other relief operations they have participated in just since April. The ARC's support for disaster victims depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- USDA Rural Development has grant and loan funds available to rural communities to provide housing and shelter, public safety, health care and community facilities and business recovery assistance. Areas that have been declared as federal disaster areas will receive priority consideration during the application process.
- USDA is providing satellite images of crop losses in the Midwest for use in Geospatial Information System modeling and imagery.
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
- DOD has a number of unique capabilities which can be made available for support of civil authorities including a robust aviation capability for Search and Rescue (SAR) as well as space-based, airborne and ground assets for Incident Awareness Assessment (IAA).
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EPA is coordinating with affected states in anticipation of hazardous debris recovery.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Monday, 16-Jun-2008 19:34:47