Florida Recovery Summary: Monday, August 23, 2004 

Release Date: August 23, 2004
Release Number: 1539-028

» More Information on Florida Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm Bonnie

ORLANDO, Fla. -- One week after Hurricane Charley made landfall, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved more than $44 million in disaster aid to 17,764 households.

FEMA has received more than 112,000 applications through its teleregistration line (1-800-621-3362), which is now operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The TTY number for speech- and hearing-impaired is 1-800-462-7585.

More than 43,000 housing inspections have been completed. There are nearly 1,000 housing inspectors in the field. FEMA has approved $27 million in disaster housing assistance. More than 10,000 have received $17 million in aid for disaster-related needs through FEMA/State Other Needs Assistance.

Currently, more than 850 FEMA and state of Florida community relations personnel are in the field conducting door-to-door outreach in storm-damaged neighborhoods, concentrating primarily on neighborhoods with high numbers of elderly residents. The state has deployed personnel from its reservist force, Florida Division of Emergency Management employees and staff from partner state emergency management teams. A designated state reservist is assigned to utilize employees from state partnership agencies to form additional community outreach teams.

As of today, the U.S. Small Business Administration has issued 82,726 applications for long-term, low-interest disaster loans: 69,554 home applications and 13,172 business applications.

Ten FEMA/State Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) are open and assisting disaster victims. More than 5,000 have visited DRCs to obtain information and request assistance. In addition to representatives of state and federal agencies, crisis counselors are on hand at each.

Currently, there are 21 shelters open, providing assistance to 1,397 evacuees. There are also seven special needs shelters, serving 202.

To donate or volunteer services, disaster officials encourage people to visit a special website designed to coordinate voluntary efforts, located at www.volunteerflorida.org. This website provides opportunities to register as a volunteer and offers goods and services that can be matched to victims’ needs. It also includes a list of items urgently needed and a list of agencies accepting cash donations. Those without e-mail capability may call 1-800-FLHELP1 (1-800-354-3571).

FEMA has deployed more than 1,400 personnel to assist in all aspects of the response and recovery effort. A Disaster Field Office has been established in Orlando. This office serves as an administrative command and control center for state and federal recovery operations.

The state of Florida has assigned more than 1,300 personnel to the recovery effort. The Florida National Guard has deployed nearly 4,000 personnel to assist disaster operations.

With the return of power and the lifting of boil water notices in some places, current needs for water and ice have been met, and ongoing needs are being assessed periodically so as to avoid backlogs in the distribution system. Commodities such as bottled water, Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), infant formula, baby cereal, fruits, vegetables and meat continue to arrive at the Lakeland Logistical Staging Area for distribution to the field.

FEMA logistics is directing a pool of 75 drivers to shuttle travel trailers from Fort Gillem in Atlanta to the Tampa Bay area. To date, logistics has shipped more than 15,000 rolls of plastic sheeting to be used to repair damaged roofs; two rolls are required to repair a single roof. An additional 100,000 rolls are on order.

The State Emergency Response Team is a collaboration of Florida’s emergency management agencies led by the state coordinating officer. Its mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. For the latest information on the hurricane relief effort, visit http://www.floridadisaster.org.

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: Monday, 23-Aug-2004 16:12:05