Press Room Archive

• Press Releases
• Speeches and Statements
• Testimony
• Multimedia
• Contacts
• En Español

Highlights of United States Government Response and Recovery to the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Release Date: 09/12/05 00:00:00

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
September 12, 2005

Federal support to state and local officials and volunteer organizations continues around the clock in an effort to save lives, sustain life, and assist with law enforcement operations in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The following facts highlight some of the important activities and approximate numbers as of 2 p.m. EDT today:  

• Households Funded 364,000
  Type of Payment
  – Direct Deposit (EBT) – $423 million
  – Check – $375 million
  – Debit Card – $20.5 million
  – Total Assistance Provided – $818.5 million

• Lives Saved (rescues performed) – 49,800
• People housed in shelters – 141,500
• MREs provided (meals) – 22.5 million
• Water provided (liters) – 53.3 million

The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the creation of a new Web site designed to connect workers impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina with employers who want to hire them. The Katrina Recovery Job Connection can be found at www.jobsearch.org/katrinajobs or through America’s Job Bank at www.ajb.org.

The Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, posted water sample data from the New Orleans flood on the EPA website. The results show that public and emergency responders should avoid contact with standing water. Results available at www.epa.gov/katrina/testresults/index.html.

The U.S. Postal Service continues to reconnect Gulf Coast residents with their mail, now providing full delivery service to some 82 percent of residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina. More than 98,000 households of affected residents have filed a Change of Address. Also during the last week, the Postal Service has distributed more than 20,000 Social Security checks to residents at mobile locations in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) delivered several thousand items of clothing today to Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Jackson, Miss., with a pledge to delivery more items throughout the week. CBP and ICE officials seized the clothes for violations of U.S. trademark laws. The total pledged donation to Mississippi is estimated at approximately $15 million in value and includes over one million pieces of seized clothing items. Houston and San Antonio also received deliveries of seized items.

###

Related Information

• Hurricane Katrina Resource Information www.dhs.gov/katrina
• ICE and CBP Donate Thousands of Seized Clothing Items, September 9, 2005
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection Convoy Brings Nearly 100,000 Items of Clothing to Astrodome to Assist in Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort, September 6, 2005

This page was last reviewed/modified on 09/12/05 00:00:00.