By the Numbers - One Year Later
FEMA Recovery Update for Hurricanes Katrina
Release Date: August 22, 2006
Release Number: HQ-06-127Numbers
| 1 | Hurricane Katrina was the single most catastrophic natural disaster in U.S. history. The storm devastated a 90,000 square-mile area, which is roughly the size of Great Britain. The storm also resulted in the largest displacement of Americans in our nation’s history, forcing more than 270,000 into shelters after landfall. |
| 42 | 42 states and the District of Columbia received Presidential emergency declarations following Hurricane Katrina to shelter evacuees. This total is the most declarations made for a single disaster in FEMA history. |
| 4,200 | The (800) 621-FEMA teleregistration and help line ran for more than 4,200 hours straight – 176 days – after Hurricane Katrina struck. Never have the registration and help line call centers operated for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (including holidays) for such a long duration. |
| 6,300 | Nearly 6,300 medical personnel were deployed to provide medical attention and expertise to state and local governments and disaster victims after Hurricane Katrina. |
| 100,000 | Nearly 100,000 roofs damaged by Hurricane Katrina have been temporarily covered by FEMA's "Blue Roof" program operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers so that families can remain in their homes as they rebuild. These are the most roofs covered following a single hurricane in the "Blue Roof" program's history. |
| 112,000 | More than 112,000 travel trailers and mobile homes are serving as temporary homes for Hurricane Katrina victims, triple the number of units used following all of last year’s Florida hurricanes and far outnumbering any housing mission in FEMA’s history. Manufactured housing continues to be moved into the Gulf Coast region to support ongoing housing needs. |
| 420,000 | Households have received Other Needs Assistance, which provides financial assistance for serious, disaster-related needs. More than $1.9 billion has been distributed through this grant program. |
| 1.3 Million | Hurricane Katrina destroyed tens of thousands of homes and other housing units. To evaluate damage, FEMA has conducted more than 1.3 million inspections in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to determine Katrina’s impact on homes. |
| 99 Million | Since Hurricane Katrina, more than 99 million cubic yards of debris have been removed in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. FEMA debris removal project have totaled beyond $3.7 billion to date. | 650 Million | FEMA paid $650 million for hotel and motel rooms to date to provide hotel and motel rooms to tens of thousands of families affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita who were in need of short-term sheltering. After peaking near 85,000 hotel rooms for a single night in October, fewer than 35 hotel rooms are currently in use. | 975 Million | To date, FEMA has approved nearly $975 million in Community Disaster Loans for municipalities in Louisiana and Mississippi to help local authorities maintain essential services such as law enforcement, schools and fire services in the hardest hit communities, including a $120 million loan approved for the City of New Orleans. (more than $715 million directly to Louisiana communities) | 4.8 Billion | More than $4.8 billion in federal funds have been reimbursed to states for “mission assignments” such as debris removal in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. This total nearly doubles the combined total of $2.6 billion allocated for Public Assistance projects from the 2004 hurricanes that resulted in hurricane-related damage in 15 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. | 6.0 Billion | FEMA has provided more than $6.0 billion directly to Hurricane Katrina victims for housing and other needs assistance through the Individuals and Households Assistance Program (IHP). This total is the most ever provided by FEMA for any single natural disaster and is nearly four times the amount for the four major Florida hurricanes in 2004. | 10.4 Billion | The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $10.4 billion in disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses as a result of damages caused by last year’s Gulf Coast hurricanes. | 15.3 Billion | More than $15.3 billion has been paid out to National Flood Insurance Program policyholders. More than 97 percent of all claims filed have been paid out to Gulf Coast hurricane victims. This Hurricane Katrina total is more than the combined total of all previous 37 years in NFIP history. |
*all numbers as of Aug. 18, 2006
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 25-Aug-2006 13:51:39