Ludlow, VT, August 30, 2011 -- Administrator Craig Fugate (right) goes over a map of Ludlow with Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin (center) and General Dick Harris, Brigadier General, Vermont National Guard. They surveyed damages in the town following the inland flooding caused by Irene.

You may have heard media reports that the lead up to Irene was over-hyped and that we “dodged a bullet” – well I can tell you that while the impacts of Irene could have been much worse, there are many areas, especially in the Northeast that are still experiencing dangerous inland flooding and our state and local partners are still very much responding to this storm.

Yesterday, I visited Vermont and met with Governor Shumlin and his emergency management team, as well as Senator Sanders, Senator Leahy, Representative Welch and other local officials. Thanks to the New Hampshire National Guard, who is in Vermont helping with the flood response, we flew over some hard hit areas of the state to assess the damages, and ensure that the Governor had all the resources he needed to continue the response to the flooding that Irene has left in her wake.

We made a stop in the town of Ludlow, where the Assistant Fire Chief, who also serves as the towns Emergency Manager, showed us the damage the flash flooding had caused. While much of the water had receded, the damage has stayed behind. Getting around is still a bit of a struggle, six of the bridges around town where damaged or destroyed, but the Governor did let the town know that by yesterday evening, access to every town in Vermont would be restored (up until this point, some were only accessible by helicopter).

People often think of FEMA when it comes to disasters, but as I saw first hand in Vermont, the team was working together to respond at all levels – the federal family, state, tribal and local government, the faith-based and non-profit community, and especially the public, as neighbors across Vermont have reached out to help each other.

When we drove around Ludlow, not only did I see FEMA commodities (in this case water), being unloaded, but the towns emergency manager talked about the work that had been done to open transportation routes, and we went by a Salvation Army Emergency Response truck that was doing great work in town.

As I told the media, after we came back from Ludlow and I had time to sit down with the Governor and the Congressional delegation, we can’t work as separate entities, we all have to work together as one team – and we will be working together long after the national media leaves, to ensure that the Governors in impacted states, not just in Vermont, but up and down the East Coast, have the support they need as they continue to respond and begin to recover from Irene.

Today I will be traveling to upstate New York and New Jersey to meet with state and local officials. Check back to the blog for more updates and information.


Burlington, VT, August 30, 2011 -- Administrator Craig Fugate (second from right) meets with Peter Shumlin (second from left), Governor of Vermont, during a visit to meet with local officials and survey damages caused by Irene.

Since Irene first threatened the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico last week, we’ve been posting updates on this blog about our efforts to support our state, local, territorial and tribal partners. Even before Irene made landfall in Puerto Rico, the federal family was taking proactive steps to ensure assets and personnel were readily available to support the potentially affected areas, as needed.
 

• Emergency Declaration – Prior to formalized damage assessments being done, the President can sign an emergency declaration, as he did for Puerto Rico, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, New Hampshire, and Vermont, in response to Irene. This makes additional federal assistance available to state and local communities to support life saving efforts, such as providing shelter to those who had to evacuate their homes. An emergency declaration does not provide federal funding directly to individuals.
• Damage Assessments – As we’ve said in previous blog posts about the disaster declaration process, when the resources from the affected states, local or tribal governments cannot meet the needs of disaster survivors or the affected communities, federal resources are brought in to assist. To determine the level of support needed, we work closely with our partners at every level of government to complete joint damage assessments after a disaster.
  
  These damage assessments are done by combining multiple sources of information, such as aerial surveys, door-to-door evaluations in the affected areas and initial damage reports from state, local and tribal partners. These damage assessments help the Governor determine whether additional federal assistance is needed. Based on the needs, the Governor then makes a formal request to the President, if requesting a major disaster declaration.
  
  An important point to remember is the impact and resources of one state may not be the same as another state, even if the disaster conditions appear similar in nature. Each state’s request for an emergency or major disaster declaration is reviewed on its own merit, using the same considerations that are established by federal regulation with the data that was provided by the state. 

• Major Disaster Declaration – If it is determined that the affected state, territory or tribal government’s resources are overwhelmed by the disaster (based off the information from joint damage assessments), a major disaster declaration opens the door for additional federal assistance. The major disaster declaration will designate the programs that are authorized by the President. In Puerto Rico, President Obama has already made this additional support available following Irene’s impact on the island. A major disaster declaration could involve the following assistance programs:
  • Public Assistance - provides assistance to state, tribal and local governments, and certain types of private nonprofit organizations for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities. It also encourages protection of damaged public facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
  • Individual Assistance – provides assistance to individuals and business owners affected by the disaster. Individual assistance provides funds directly from FEMA, or through Small Business Administration low-interest loans, to fulfill unmet needs such as housing for disaster survivors, disaster unemployment assistance, legal services, crisis counseling, and other disaster-related needs from survivors or small business owners. Often times, individual assistance covers a portion of the uninsured losses of homeowners and business owners.

In addition to these formalized avenues for federal assistance, we proactively deployed Incident Management Assessment Teams, liaison officers, and commodities as Irene threatened the states and territories. We will continue to provide updates on this blog as we continue to support all members of the emergency management team as they work to meet the needs of disaster survivors and the affected communities.
 

To help manage the generous outpouring of support for those individuals and communities affected by Irene, disaster recovery experts have established some simple ways to help, whether you’re looking to volunteer or send donations.

Along with our partners at the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, here are reminders when helping those impacted by Irene:
 

• Donate through a trusted organization – At the national level, many voluntary-, faith- and community-based organizations are active in disasters, and are trusted ways to donate to disaster survivors. In addition to the national members, each state has its own list of voluntary organizations active in disasters. If you’d like to donate or volunteer to assist those affected by Irene, these organizations are the best place to start.
• Cash is the most efficient method of donating – Cash offers voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover. Remember, unsolicited donated goods such as used clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable foodstuffs require helping agencies to redirect valuable resources away from providing services to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.
• Be wary of scams and fraud - Unfortunately, disasters often bring out criminals who prey on the needs of disaster survivors, or the generosity of those looking to help, by offering fraudulent services. If you suspect anyone – an inspector, disaster survivor, or someone posing as one of these – of fraudulent activities, call our toll-free Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or your local law enforcement officials.

For more information on helping survivors after a disaster, visit www.fema.gov/howtohelp.

• President Obama signs an emergency declaration for the State of Vermont due to Hurricane Irene, making available federal support to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety for the entire state.
• DHS Secretary Napolitano holds a teleconference with mayors of the East Coast cities to discuss the latest hurricane response and recovery operations. They also asked the mayors if they anticipated any areas that would require additional support.
• Last night, there were more than 428 shelters open across 15 states and Puerto Rico. Shelter populations continue to decrease as individuals begin to return home upon an all clear from local officials. Information about open Red Cross shelters is available at redcross.org and will continue to be updated.
• For those areas without power, FEMA and federal partners urge residents to be safe and take precautions while the power is out. Find out how to keep food safe during and after an emergency by visiting www.FoodSafety.gov. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to be especially careful during a loss of electrical power, as the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and fire increases at that time. The CPSC and U.S. Fire Administration warn consumers NEVER to use portable generators indoors or in garages, basements or sheds. The exhaust from generators contains high levels of carbon monoxide that can quickly incapacitate and kill.
• FEMA is actively working with our state partners to begin preliminary damage assessments (PDA) in some areas, and make preparations for assessments in others. These damage assessments help the governor determine whether additional federal assistance is needed.
• Governors have activated more than 10,000 National Guard personnel in states to assist affected states with response efforts. In those states already being affected by the hurricane, National Guard forces are assisting state and local authorities as they begin performing cleanup, communication, and search and rescue missions.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's is providing two Coastal Engineers in North Carolina to assist in preliminary damage assessments with state and local officials.
• The Department of Agriculture urges farmers and ranchers in storm-affected areas to notify their local farm bureau service centers in order to coordinate evaluation of storm affects on crop yields.
• FEMA conducts Congressional conference calls with Congressional delegations from the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, Congressional Asian, Black and Hispanic Caucuses and FEMA Authorizers and Appropriators to provide updates on ongoing federal response and recovery to Irene.
• More than 250 community relations specialists are staged on the ground in affected states and additional mobilizations and deployments continue. Community relations teams have begun to gather situational awareness about the storm impacts and help inform disaster survivors about available services and resources.

See yesterday's blog post for a recap of earlier federal activities.