Hospitals & Asylums    

FEMA HA-21-12-05

Thank you for your e-mail to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  We read each incoming e-mail.  If we find that the information below does not respond to your inquiry or refer you to an appropriate source that can meet your needs, we will contact you as soon as possible or refer your inquiry to the appropriate unit for its direct handling.  If you are inquiring about your existing FEMA registration or a problem in registering, your e-mail will be referred directly to our case processors.

If you offered a suggestion, we will forward it to the relevant unit if it is new and potentially usable.  If you offered a comment, criticism or support, we will review it.

We know this is a lot of information, but please scan the headings to find the item that is important to you, and then read its details carefully.  Please also note that many of the web sites listed below are regularly expanding or updating information.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THE MOST FREQUENT INQUIRIES WE CURRENTLY ARE RECEIVING

UPCOMING COMPLETION OF KATRINA/RITA EVACUEE TRANSITION FROM HOTELS TO RENTAL OR OTHER HOUSING

If you are a Katrina or Rita evacuee presently housed in a hotel, you should contact FEMA’s Helpline at (800) 621-3362 as soon as possible between 6 a.m. and midnight in order to get help for your transition from hotels or motels to rental units or other longer-term housing.  FEMA is seeking to have all evacuees presently in hotels relocated to longer-term housing by January 7, 2006, and in any event by February 7, 2006.  Eligible applicants will be receiving rental assistance to pay their rent.  Rental assistance can be renewed if program requirements are satisfied, and may be subject to an adjustment in amount depending on local market conditions.

To locate available housing on your own, you can contact the local housing authority and realtors; search the Internet; look in local newspapers, apartment guides, and realtor listings; check community bulletin boards and/or ask at schools, community centers, churches, etc.  If you need other referrals to locate appropriate housing, call (800) 762-8740 (or for the TTY caller (800) 462­7585) from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST. 

FEMA wants to work with you on housing options that will make your money go further and get you into more permanent housing before the holidays. If you have not registered for disaster assistance, please do so at once.  See registration information later in this response.

KATRINA HOME INSPECTIONS

Many home inspections in the most devastated areas of five parishes in Louisiana and three counties of Mississippi are being made from the air rather than by inspector visits.  Aerial inspections are enabling us to verify destruction or severe damage more quickly, and in some areas that are still unsafe for entry on the ground.  They also enable inspectors to more quickly reach less devastated areas.  The locations being inspected from the air are in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. Tammany Parishes in Louisiana, and Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties in Mississippi.

If you lived in one of these devastated locations and receive notification that you do not need an inspection, this means you do not need an inspector visit because your home’s status has been verified by aerial inspection.

RELATION BETWEEN FEMA ASSISTANCE AND SBA LOANS  

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is FEMA’s principal federal partner in providing disaster assistance.  SBA makes low-interest disaster loans of up to $200,000 for a house and $40,000 for personal property to qualified borrowers.  FEMA applicants who satisfy a threshold income minimum are sent an SBA loan application.  FEMA will consider an applicant for assistance in connection with personal property or vehicle damage ONLY if the applicant does not qualify for an SBA loan.  If an SBA application is provided, then it must be submitted and then be declined by SBA in order for the applicant to be considered for personal property or vehicle assistance by FEMA. 

Please note that FEMA housing assistance, including rental assistance and funds for housing repair or replacement, IS NOT dependent on either completing an SBA application or being declined by SBA. 

FEMA APPLICATION DEADLINES AND DISASTER NUMBERS

The deadlines to register with FEMA for disaster assistance for presently open disasters, and the disaster numbers (DR) for those disasters, are:

Katrina in Louisiana, 1603, March 1, 2006
Katrina in Mississippi, 1604, January 11, 2006
Katrina in Alabama, 1605, January 11, 2006
Rita in Texas, 1606, January 11, 2006
Rita in Louisiana, 1607, March 1, 2006
Wilma in Florida, 1609, January 5, 2006
Severe storms and flooding in New Hampshire, 1610, December 27, 2005
Tornadoes and severe storms in Indiana, 1612, January 7, 2006
Severe storms and flooding in Massachusetts, 1614, January 9, 2006
Severe storms and tornadoes in Kentucky, 1617, January 30, 2006

 

THIRTEEN FLORIDA COUNTIES DESIGNATED FOR WILMA INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE

The initial disaster declaration for Hurricane Wilma in Florida, DR-1609, designated Collier, Lee and Monroe Counties for Individual Assistance.  Subsequent amendments have added Brevard, Broward, Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie Counties. 

Please note that posting of designated counties on the FEMA website may slightly lag the designation decisions. 

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 discussed below.

Reimbursement for the purchase of a chain saw needed to clear access to property or fallen trees from a residence is handled similarly.

The eligible purchase period for generator and chain saw purchases resulting from DR-1609, Hurricane Wilma in Florida, is October 22, 2005 through November 21, 2005.

The eligible purchase period for generator purchases resulting from DR-1603, Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, has been extended to November 30, 2005, for applicants returning to residences in Calcasieu, Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Terrebonne and Vermillion Parishes.

EXPEDITED ASSISTANCE

Expedited assistance is an extraordinary program not available for most disasters.

During the first several weeks after Hurricane Katrina and after Hurricane Rita , FEMA awarded $2,000 in expedited assistance to eligible applicants for those disasters who were forced from their homes by disaster damage or mandatory evacuation and could not immediately return, so needed shelter elsewhere.  This program was not available to persons who were able to remain in, or immediately return to, their homes, even though some damage was sustained.

This program has now terminated in favor of the three-month transitional housing assistance program that provides eligible applicants with three months of rental assistance and refers ineligible applicants to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for possible participation in its housing voucher program.

When received, expedited assistance may be used for any emergency purpose, such as food, gasoline, clothing, personal care products and shelter.  Expedited assistance is a grant, not a loan.  It does not have to be repaid unless it was obtained improperly.

Expedited assistance is NOT available in connection with Hurricane Wilma.

CONTACTING FEMA

If you have applied for assistance and are contacting FEMA in any manner (telephone, fax, letter, e-mail, visit to Disaster Recovery Center), please present your disaster number and registration number.  It is the fastest and most certain way for us to ensure that FEMA is checking your case file, not that of someone else with the same name.

Helpline telephone:  (800) 621-3362
Fax:  (800) 827-8112
Postal mail:  FEMA, PO Box 10055, Hyattsville, Maryland  20782-7055
E-mail:  FEMA-Correspondence-Unit@dhs.gov

LANDLORDS AND BUSINESSSES DOING BUSINESS WITH FEMA APPLICANTS

FEMA does NOT make direct payments on behalf of applicants to landlords, medical care providers, pharmacies or any other businesses or professionals.  Applicants MAY be eligible for FEMA assistance to pay rental, medical and other disaster-related costs.  However, any benefits will go from FEMA to the applicant, who then is responsible for paying his or her obligations.  Applicants, businesses and professionals should know that an applicant’s FEMA registration number by itself is no guarantee of benefits.  Applicants found eligible for benefits receive written notification.  Their benefit payments are disbursed by electronic funds transfer to the applicant’s bank account, or by Treasury check sent via the U.S. Postal Service to the applicant’s current mailing address.  Other organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, may handle their programs differently.

DEBRIS PICKUP

Pickup of storm debris is a local function.  Contact your local sanitation department or office of emergency management for information.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Many questions are answered at http://www.fema.gov for all disasters, or at http://www.katrinarecovery.disasterhelp.gov/ and links from that site for programs specific to Hurricane Katrina or Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  These include:

How to Get Help. Response and recovery information for victims - individuals and businesses. Links to government benefits, services, education and shelter. Information for federal and military employees. http://www.fema.gov/press/2005/resources_katrina.shtm.

Donate and Volunteer. Sources for people to donate money and search for volunteer opportunities - make resources available.  Please note that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services now has more than 33,000 medical volunteers and is not seeking more. http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

Finding Loved Ones and Information. Finding loved ones and information on replacing records (drivers' licenses, passports), telephone hotlines and frequently asked questions on effects and aftermath of hurricane. http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicSafety/Hurricane_Katrina_Recovery.shtml

Health and Safety. Links to information about health, water, food, worker safety. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/index.asp

What Government is Doing. Overall view of what government agencies are doing and links to their main hurricane response pages. http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/katrina.htm.

En Español. Enlaces a información en español sobre salud, seguridad y cómo solicitar asistencia. http://www.firstgov.gov/Espanol/Topics/Desastres.shtml.

For State or local information, you may contact the following websites.  Please note that State and local officials administer pre-hurricane evacuation, including traffic control, and post-hurricane access to damaged areas, including road openings and check points. 

FLORIDA

Florida Division of Emergency Management, http://www.floridadisaster.org/.

Florida traffic information, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/fl.htm.

Links to Florida county emergency management websites, http://www.floridadisaster.org/fl_county_em.asp

TEXAS

Texas Highway Patrol regarding highway conditions and road closings, http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/rita_index.htm and (800) 452-9292.

State of Texas Division of Emergency Management, http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/.

Texas local and county emergency management website links, http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/links.htm#localgov.

Texas Department of Public Safety Communication Centers (41 locations), http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/comm_centers.htm

LOUISIANA

State of Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Management, http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/.

Directory of Parish offices of emergency management, http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/parish/parishoepnumbers.htm.

Louisiana State Police, http://www.lsp.org/emergency.html#road

New Orleans information, http://www.nola.com/

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. http://www.msema.org/index.htm

Directory of County emergency management agencies, http://www.msema.org/documents/publicEMAlist.rtf

Road conditions, http://www.dps.state.ms.us/dps/dps.nsf/roadmap?OpenForm

General news and information, http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/.

ALABAMA

Alabama Emergency Management, http://www.ema.alabama.gov/

General news and information, http://www.al.com/.

INDIANA

Indiana State Emergency Management Agency, http://www.ai.org/sema/index.html

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Governor’s Office of Emergency Management, http://www.nhoem.state.nh.us/

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, http://www.state.ma.us/mema

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Emergency Management, http://kyem.dma.ky.gov

 

Following are the answers to frequently asked questions, grouped as follows:

INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUAL DISASTER VICTIMS
INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE OR BUSINESSES OFFERING HOUSING
INFORMATION FOR BUSINESSES

 

INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUAL DISASTER VICTIMS

WHO CAN REGISTER FOR FEMA ASSISTANCE?

We cannot tell you prior to your registration or prior to a disaster declaration what disaster assistance, if any, you may be eligible to receive.  Some forms of assistance vary by disaster, and some are determined in coordination with the State.  In addition, not all counties or parishes in a State are necessarily designated for Individual Assistance in a disaster declaration.  In some disasters, additional counties or parishes are designated for Individual Assistance some time after the initial disaster declaration is issued.

If you are not certain whether your county or parish has been designated for Individual Assistance, you may go to http://www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema, find your State and disaster, then click on the <Designated Counties> box on the far right.  Please note that not all counties designated for Public Assistance are designated for Individual Assistance, and that some counties are added to the Individual Assistance list after the initial declaration.

If your county or parish is designated for Individual Assistance, you are eligible to register.  If it is not designated, please continue to check our website.  Preliminary damage estimating is ongoing after a disaster, and additional counties or parishes may be subsequently added.

If you registered for one disaster and then sustained new losses in another disaster, register again.  Each disaster requires a separate registration, and you will receive a separate registration number.

In the aftermath of a Federally-declared disaster, FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) provides assistance to people in the United States or its territories whose property has been damaged or destroyed, and whose losses are not covered by insurance.  In order to be considered for any form of IHP assistance, the affected home must be the primary residence, and the home must be located within a county or parish that is within the declared disaster area and designated for Individual Assistance.  A person can have only one primary residence, even if time is split between, for example, a northern home and a southern home. 

An applicant must be a United States citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien.  Persons lawfully present in the United States who are NOT eligible to receive financial benefits include, but are not limited to, those with temporary tourist visas, student visas, work visas and temporary resident cards (INS Form I-688).  However, all individuals, regardless of citizenship status, who have been impacted by a major disaster are eligible for short-term, non-cash, in-kind emergency disaster relief programs. These include search and rescue, medical care, shelter, food and water. All impacted individuals are also eligible for Disaster Legal Services and Crisis Counseling.

HOW TO REGISTER

You may register for FEMA assistance online at http://www.fema.gov/register.shtm.  If you have difficulty completing your online application, please call our Technical Helpdesk at (800) 745-0243.  If you prefer to register by telephone, please call our Registration Intake line at (800) 621-3362.  The phone lines are 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.

AFTER YOU REGISTER

FEMA will send you one or more letters concerning your case.  These will be mailed to the current address you provided.  If your address changes, let FEMA know right away either by updating your information online at http://www.fema.gov or by telephoning our Helpline at (800) 621­3362.  You may be asked to submit additional information, such as receipts or other documentation.  Fax these materials, along with your name, disaster number and FEMA registration number, to (800) 827­8112 or mail them to FEMA, Post Office Box 10055, Hyattsville, Maryland  20782-7055. 

If you are eligible for funds, they will be deposited electronically to your bank account if you provided information for electronic funds transfer.  Otherwise, a Treasury check will be mailed to the current address you provided.  Again, notify FEMA right away if your address changes.

Please note that assistance from FEMA is not subject to Federal income tax and need not be repaid unless it was improperly obtained.

LEARNING ABOUT WHAT KINDS OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE ARE AVAILABLE

To learn more about FEMA programs available to eligible individuals, and the disaster assistance process, please visit:  http://www.fema.gov/rrr/inassist.shtm

FEMA’s Federal partner, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), offers low interest loans to financially qualified individuals and businesses to help with expenses not covered by state or local disaster relief programs, or private insurance.  In order to be considered for a low-interest SBA disaster loan, applicants must first register for FEMA assistance.  Homeowners can apply for SBA loans to repair or replace damaged real property.  Both homeowners and renters can apply for an SBA loan to replace personal property.  For more information on SBA loans, please see http://www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/loaninfo/property.html.  For information on the status of your SBA application or for other questions, you may telephone (800) 659-2955.

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.

PRESCRIPTIONS

Hurricane Katrina evacuees can go to any Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreen’s 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.

CRISIS COUNSELING
You may call (800) 273-8255) to be connected to a network of local crisis centers across the country. You will receive counseling from trained staff at the closest certified crisis center in the network. You can call at any time from anywhere in the nation to talk to a trained worker who will listen to you and assist you in getting the help you need. You will be provided with immediate access to local resources, referrals and expertise. This service is provided through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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.

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.  Self-employed persons may be eligible for disaster unemployment.

FINDING A JOB AFTER A DISASTER

FEMA does not act as an employment agency or job-matching service, but you may find helpful information on one or more of the following websites:

ALABAMA JobLink, a service of the State of Alabama, https://joblink.alabama.gov/ada/.

FLORIDA Workforce Innovation, a service of the State of Florida, http://www.floridajobs.org/onestop/os_job_search.html.

LOUISIANA Works, a service of the State of Louisiana, http://www.laworks.net/

MISSISSIPPI’s Job Bank, a service of the State of Mississippi, http://www.ajb.org/ms.

TEXAS Workforce, a service of the State of Texas, http://www.twc.state.tx.us/customers/jsemp/jsempsub1.html.

Hurricane Recovery Job Connection, an affiliate of America's Job Bank, http://www.jobsearch.org/hurricanejobs/

KatrinaJobs.com, free to users, privately operated site, http://www.katrinajobs.com/

RestaurantJobsforYou.org, free to users, privately operated site, http://www.restaurantjobsforyou.org/

Hurricane Katrina Jobs and Misc Info, links to job sites, privately operated site, http://jobinfo.freeyellow.com/katrinahelp.html

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 or Hurricane Rita who need help with tax matters.   The line is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time.  Callers can get information about available tax relief, free copies of their tax return transcripts, and request Disaster Tax Loss Kits.  You may go online to the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov and click to the latest information on hurricane tax relief.

HOME MORTGAGES

Many mortgage lenders have implemented payment deferment policies for hurricane victims. In most cases, homeowners must contact their lender to activate these deferments.  A list of Katrina hotlines for many lenders is available at http://www.acornhousing.org/TEXT/katrinalenders.pdf.

PETS AND ANIMALS 

For pets needing rescue, call (800) HUMANE-1 or (888) 259-5431.

To find your lost pet, please go to www.petfinder.com. Also, contact local chapters of the Humane Society or ASPCA.  Many pets from Louisiana were evacuated to Texas.

To find pets that have been rescued in Louisiana, please call (888) 773-6489 or email katrinalostpet@ldaf.louisiana.gov.  This email may also take requests for rescue.  Please put your issue in the subject line.  In addition, the Animal Rescue Command Center can be reached at (225) 925­3980.

To locate shelters where your animal may be housed, please access a list of shelters at http://www.wwoz.org/animals.php.

More information is available from the Humane Society and the ASPCA’s Frequently Asked Questions site at www.hsus.org and http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hurricane_faq.

FRAUD

FEMA takes fraud claims very seriously and investigates thoroughly.  If you are aware of fraudulent claims, waste, or abuse of FEMA disaster assistance, you may telephone the Hurricane Relief Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721, which is answered during business hours.  In addition to the phone Hotline, you may report suspected fraud by fax to (703) 605-8567 or by email to katrinafraud@DODIG.mil

When making a report:, convey as much detail as possible, such as: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?  Please understand that it is impossible to investigate non-specific allegations.

Complaints may be made anonymously or you may request confidentiality. Please note that if  you elect to submit your complaint via Internet e-mail, you must waive confidentiality due to the non-secure nature of Internet electronic mail systems.

PRICE GOUGING

You may report specific instances of price gouging to your State authorities.

ALABAMA, (800) 391-5658 or (334) 242-7334.

FLORIDA, (800) 435-7352 or file online at http://www.800helpfla.com/price_gouging_form.html.

LOUISIANA, (800) 351-4889 or (225) 326-6465 or e-mail to ConsumerInfo@ag.state.la.us or http://www.ag.state.la.us/Complaint.aspx

MISSISSIPPI, (800) 281-4418 or e-mail to msag05@ago.state.ms.us

TEXAS, (800) 621-0508 (from within Texas) or (800) 337-3928 (from within Texas) or (512) 463-2100 or greg.abbott@oag.state.tx.us

 

INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE OR BUSINESSES OFFERING HOUSING

INDIVIDUAL OFFERS OF HOUSING

We appreciate your kindness in opening your home to a victim of a hurricane.  At this time, FEMA has no provision to reimburse you for any additional household expenses you may incur through your act of generosity.  However, please encourage your guests to apply for FEMA assistance as soon as possible. 

People hosting evacuees may wish to make their guests aware of a special U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Stamp program for evacuees discussed above.

FEMA is a partner with the Disaster Housing Resources online host-evacuee housing match service at http://www.dhronline.org/index.cfm.  You may list your offering there by clicking on the “List a Property” tab.

Although FEMA does not endorse specific private websites, the following are among those listing evacuee housing offers and/or requests:

www.nola.com/forums/homesavailable
www.adoptastormfamily.com

www.craigslist.org
 
www.hurricanehousing.org
www.homeflood.org
www.katrinahousing.org
www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
www.MyFamilyCanHelp.com

SALE OF TRAVEL TRAILERS, MOBILE HOMES OR HOUSES

Although we have received numerous offers from people wishing to sell FEMA travel trailers, mobile homes or houses, FEMA does not make such acquisitions individually.

LANDLORDS WITH OR CONSIDERING EVACUEES AS TENANTS

The Department of Homeland Security announced on September 23 a program of expedited housing assistance to hurricane evacuees through FEMA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  You may view the press release on this program online at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4848.

FEMA does not make payments to landlords renting to evacuees.  Evacuees may be eligible for initial emergency assistance and then for rental assistance.  However, those funds are paid to the individual, not to the landlord.  Rental assistance paid to FEMA applicants is based on fair market rental rates in each county or parish, which may be different from any particular landlord’s rental rate.  The Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits FEMA from providing landlords with information about an applicant’s benefits unless the applicant provides us with written permission to disclose such information, or the applicant, accompanied by the landlord, telephones the FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362, verifies his or her identity, and then requests the Helpline staffer to confirm the applicant’s status to the landlord over the telephone.

Additional financial assistance to evacuees seeking housing may be available from charitable organizations in some localities.  Some charitable organizations working with FEMA may contract with property owners for apartments to house evacuees.  Any FEMA financial assistance to such efforts goes to the charitable organization, not directly to the property owner.

HOME SELLERS, REALTORS OR LENDERS INVOLVED IN SALES TO EVACUEES

For information on mortgage assistance for hurricane evacuees and other hurricane-related property financing, please visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Katrina Resource webpage and its links at http://www.hud.gov/katrina/index.cfm

 

INFORMATION FOR BUSINESSES

ASSISTANCE FOR BUSINESSES DAMAGED BY THE HURRICANE

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, or call the SBA at (800) 659-2955. 

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS PROVIDING TREATMENT TO EVACUEES

Those patients who are individual hurricane victims are potentially eligible for reimbursement of their medical costs under FEMA’s Individual Assistance program.  Such grants would be paid by FEMA to the patient so that the patients could pay their bills to your providers.  FEMA does not pay providers directly.  Patients should register with FEMA by calling (800) 621-3362 or going online to http://www.fema.gov.  If they have already registered and did not mention their medical costs, they should contact FEMA’s helpline at the same telephone number and report those costs.  Those with medical insurance must file with their insurer and then submit their insurer’s settlement or denial letter to FEMA, as FEMA is not permitted under law to duplicate benefits.

Any patients who were disaster responders (e.g., firefighters, police officers, etc.) should submit your bills through their chain of command. 

If your hospital is a member of the National Disaster Medical System and any of these patients were brought in for treatment by NDMS (e.g., NDMS airlift from a disaster site), NDMS reimbursement procedures should be followed.

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 hurricane evacuees.  Contact Jennifer McNelly in ETA’s Business Relations office at 202-693-3949 or at McNelly.Jennifer@DOL.gov.

BUSINESS OFFERINGS TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

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:

ALABAMAhttp://www.ema.alabama.gov/
FLORIDA:  Disaster Contractors Network at http://www.dcnonline.org/.
LOUISIANAhttp://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov.
MISSISSIPPIhttp://www.mema.state.ms.us
TEXAShttp://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/.

You also may contact County offices of emergency management to offer your services, including clean-up services.  Some governments contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for clean-up work.  You may check the Corps website at http://www.usace.army.mil for information about their contracting and subcontracting opportunities.

BUSINESS OFFERINGS TO FEMA

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 products and services.  You may call FEMA’s acquisition voice message system at (202) 646-4006 for more information concerning business solicitations.  The Department of Homeland Security, FEMA’s parent organization, has extensive disaster and other contracting information online at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=37.  A summary about doing business with FEMA also is available at http://www.fema.gov/ofm/business.shtm.

FEMA announced on October 11, 2005, plans for a competitive contracting strategy for ongoing recovery work for the Gulf Coast hurricanes, as well as for future disasters. The dual track competitive bidding strategy will place a priority on local and small disadvantaged businesses for Gulf Region recovery work as well as on the use of local and small businesses as subcontractors for national open competition contracts.  As four of FEMA’s major emergency contracts for technical assistance reach their contractual agreement limits, those future contracting needs will be met through this strategy.  A detailed news release on this subject is available online at http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19576.

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL AND MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES

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, http://ww.sba.gov.  Additional information about FEMA’s initiatives with small business is at http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19518.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has established a centralized hurricane information center to help small and minority-owned businesses navigate the often-complex federal contracting bureaucracy.  The center, which can be contacted at http://www.RebuildingtheGulfCoast.gov or (888) 487-2362, will not award contracts; it will only answer questions and register businesses for contracting opportunities.

 

Sincerely,

Correspondence Unit
Recovery Division
Federal Emergency Management Agency