Hospitals & Asylums
FEMA Response HA-9-9-05
"Tonight’s passage of nearly
$52 billion in aid reflects Congress and the president's solemn understanding
that every relief effort now underway - every search and rescue operation, all
of the emergency food, shelter and medical care - must be fully supported in
the weeks and months to come in order help displaced gulf coast residents get
back on their feet. Building off last week’s $10.5 billion emergency
package, this financial support complements the efforts of the tens of
thousands of volunteers, relief workers, law enforcement and military personnel
who are working around the clock to care for the sick, protect the defenseless
and empower those who must now pick up the pieces and begin anew.
The Administration has requested
$51.8 billion. That breaks down to $50 billion for FEMA, $1.4 billion for the
Defense Department, and $400 million for the Army Corps of Engineers. We need
to pass this bill and get it to the President for his signature tonight.
Speaker Hastert and I announced
the formation of a bicameral, bipartisan committee to conduct a top to bottom
investigation of the emergency preparation and response to Hurricane Katrina. The
committee will be made up of senior members. They will report their findings no
later than
The Army Corps of Engineers is
hard at work pumping the flood waters out of
The
Thank you for your e-mail to the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina. Although we may not be able to personally respond to you as
quickly as we would like, we hope that the following information will answer
your questions or get you to a source that can meet your needs.
You may also wish to view the U.S. Government's Official web portal for Hurricane
Katrina recovery information:
http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicSafety/Hurricane_Katrina_Recovery.shtml
In addition, the USA Freedom Corps
provides useful information and links on its website: http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/
DONATIONS
FEMA has activated the National Emergency Relief Registry, a web-based platform
allowing citizens wishing to donate goods or services to register their offers
online. This will allow FEMA and its State and local partners to better
organize these resources and facilitate delivery to those in need. You can access the Registry at www.swern.gov
If you prefer, you can call FEMA's donation center toll-free at (800) 440-6728.
For a list of organizations
accepting donations, please view
http://www.fema.gov/press/2005/katrinadonations.shtm#organize
The Governor of Texas announced that the OneStar
Foundation will act as a volunteer and donations clearinghouse for anyone in
the country wishing to help. For information, please call (800) 707-6768,
or go to http://www.OneStarFoundation.org
VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers should not report directly to the affected areas unless directed to
do so by a voluntary agency. Self-dispatched volunteers can put themselves
and others in harm’s way and hamper rescue efforts.
* Firefighters:
The U.S. Fire Administration is
calling on the Nation's fire service, both career and
volunteer, to aid the affected citizens and communities.
Please view http://www.usfa.fema.gov/about/media/katrina.shtm
for additional information and to download applications. Firefighters
should note that deployments are primarily as two-person community outreach
teams, not on-the-ground firefighting.
* Police Officers:
Police officers interested in
assisting with the disaster relief effort, please read the statement of the
International Association of Chiefs of Police:
http://www.theiacp.org/documents/index.cfm?fuseaction=document&document_id=732
* Medical Professionals:
The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services is managing the national medical relief effort. To learn more,
medical professionals can visit the Health Care Professionals and Relief
Personnel Volunteer page at https://volunteer.ccrf.hhs.gov
Trained medical professionals may
also call 866-KATMEDI (866-528-6334) to volunteer their services.
* Other Volunteers:
For additional volunteer opportunities,
please visit the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster’s website
at:
http://www.nvoad.org/membersdb.php?members=National
LOUISIANA
If you are in need of emergency
information in the State of
http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/,
and Louisiana State Police at http://www.lsp.org/emergency.html
For
The Mississippi Emergency
Management Agency is providing information on current conditions at http://www.msema.org/index.htm
For water/ice distribution sites
and much other information, try http://www.mema.ms.gov/mema/Katrina.nsf/
You can find out about current road
conditions at http://www.dps.state.ms.us/dps/dps.nsf/roadmap?OpenForm
You may also wish to check The Sun
Herald's website at http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/
In
Local media reports and much other
disaster information concerning
SEARCH AND RESCUE
In order to assist the U.S. Coast
Guard in Hurricane Katrina search and rescue efforts, you may submit a missing
or stranded person recovery assistance request at: http://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/portal/ep/home.do
LOCATING FAMILY OR FRIENDS
Contact the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), which takes
inquiries and sends them to the disaster area, where SATERN personnel will
attempt to locate the persons about whom you are inquiring. You may submit
a Health and Welfare Information Request online at
http://www.satern.org/
The Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross (ARC) can be reached
at 1-800-229-8191. To submit a welfare inquiry to the
ARC, please call (866) GET-INFO (438-4636). You can also call this
number for information on shelters that have been set up. ARC’s Family Links Registry can be accessed at www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina,
or by calling 1-877-568-3317.
The National Next of Kin Registry can be viewed at http://nokr.org/nok/restricted/home.htm
SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS
The U.S. Postal Service has established temporary locations for Social Security
check distribution for Hurricane Katrina victims: http://www.ssa.gov/emergency/usps.htm
BANKING INFORMATION
Please view the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) website at www.fdic.gov for banking information in the
affected areas. If you have questions, you may call 1-877-ASK-FDIC.
PRESCRIPTIONS:
Katrina evacuees can go to any Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens
or Krogers pharmacy in the United States to have
their prescriptions refilled free of charge based on victims’ emergency
need. This service is available if the medication is life-sustaining and
the victim is an evacuee. Disaster victims should bring an old
prescription bottle, if available, and must have proof of their damaged
dwelling address.
REGISTERING FOR FEMA ASSISTANCE AND FOLLOWING UP
You may register for FEMA assistance online at http://www.fema.gov
Please click on the box toward the upper right corner of the screen that says
“Register for Disaster Assistance Online.” If you have difficulty completing
your online application, please call our Technical Helpdesk at (800)
745-0243. If you prefer to register by phone, please call our
Registration Intake line at (800) 621-3362. The phone lines are open 24
hours a day, 7 days a week until further notice. Please have your Social
Security number available, as well as a mailing address and telephone number
where you can be reached currently. Please note that only one person from
each household should register on behalf of all household members.
To check your application status or ask questions, please view
FEMA’s online
carefully to the options so that you direct yourself to the Helpline and not to
Registration Intake.
For more information on FEMA’s Individual Assistance
program, as well as programs of other agencies that may be available to you,
please go to http://www.fema.gov/rrr/inassist.shtm
REIMBURSEMENT FOR SHELTERING DISASTER VICTIMS
We appreciate your kindness in opening your home to a victim of Hurricane Katrina.
Unfortunately, at this time, FEMA has no provision to reimburse you for any
additional household expenses you may incur through your act of generosity.
However, we encourage your guests to apply for FEMA assistance as soon as
possible. Again, thank you for assisting in the Hurricane Katrina
recovery efforts.
ASSISTANCE FOR BUSINESSES
The Nation’s primary disaster relief resource for businesses is the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan program. The SBA offers low-interest
loans to both individuals and businesses. For more information, please
view SBA’s website at http://www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/index.html
If your business is located in
BUSINESS HIRING OF EVACUEES
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is
taking calls from businesses that wish to offer jobs to Katrina evacuees.Contact Jennifer McNelly
in ETA’s Business Relations office at 202-693-3949 or at McNelly.Jennifer@DOL.gov
GENERATOR REIMBURSEMENT
Generator reimbursement policy is set in coordination with each state for each
disaster. In general, if you are a resident of a county declared for Individual
Assistance, you will be considered for reimbursement of a generator purchase
that was made on or after the onset of the hurricane and was required because
you lost power. You will need a receipt that includes the date of
purchase, the price paid, and the name and contact address or telephone number
for the store or vendor, and that specifies that a generator was
purchased. To be considered for reimbursement of your
generator purchase, you must first register for FEMA assistance as noted above.
EVACUATION EXPENSES
You may be eligible for your evacuation lodging
expenses for up to 30 days if your primary residence sustained damages such
that you cannot live there until repairs are made. Even if your evacuation
was mandatory, however, FEMA does not reimburse if your primary residence is
not damaged to the extent that you cannot return. Food, gasoline and
other miscellaneous evacuation expenses other than lodging are not
reimbursable, regardless of whether your home is damaged.
UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
Individuals who lost work as a result of the disaster in the impacted areas and
at evacuation sites may call the U.S. Department of Labor at (866)-487-2365 for
information on registering for unemployment insurance and disaster unemployment
assistance.
TAX ASSISTANCE
The Internal Revenue Service has established a separate toll-free telephone number
at (866) 5625227 for use only by taxpayers affected by Hurricane Katrina who
need help with tax matters. The line is open Monday through Friday
from
BUSINESS OFFERINGS
Most purchases of disaster recovery services and
products are made by local and State governments. You may check the
emergency management or other appropriate websites of the affected states for
latest information as follows:
FEMA acquires the services of
independent contractors in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation,
through sealed bidding or negotiations. FEMA also accepts unsolicited proposals
for product and services. You may call FEMA’s
acquisition voice message system at (202) 646-4006 for more information
concerning business solicitations. www.fema.gov/ofm
provides a summary about doing business with FEMA.
FEMA locates qualified small businesses through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s
Pro-net. You may register with Pro-Net on the SBA’s website www.sba.gov
You may contact County offices of emergency management
to offer your services, including clean-up services.
If the above information does not respond to your inquiry, or refer you to an
appropriate source, we will contact you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Correspondence Unit
Recovery Division
Federal Emergency Management Agency