Hurricane Sandy

Take Action & Pledge this National Hurricane Preparedness Week

May 27, 2013 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs

hurricane winds

This week, we’re kicking off National Hurricane Preparedness Week! After once more, we’ve teamed up with our partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to encourage all Americans to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season, which officially begins this Saturday, June 1 and lasts till November 30. Above all, hurricanes are potent forces of nature that not only cause damage to coastlines, but also hundreds of miles inland as effectively simply because of flooding.

The effect of Hurricane Sandy was felt in Puerto Rico, Florida and other components of the East Coast, and this video shows just how significantly harm Hurricane Sandy caused in the Northeast:

All week lengthy we’ll be posting hurricane security sources and information, encouraging every person to take two simple actions:

Pledge to prepare – It’s an simple step as you take action to prepare your home, family, and enterprise against hurricanes and other serious climate. By taking this pledge, you are taking the very first step in making sure you are ready for serious climate.
Share your pledge with someone you know – When you pledge, encourage other loved ones members, pals, and neighbors to take the pledge and prepare for hurricane season. We hope you join us in spreading the word this week and encouraging everybody you know to prepare. Possessing a program and becoming ready for can make a globe of difference throughout an emergency and serious weather.

And in case you missed it, you can also receive hurricane safety tips directly to your phone, by texting HURRICANE to 43362 (4FEMA).&nbsp And of course, standard message and information prices apply.

I hope you will join us in sharing hurricane safety this week!
FEMA Blog

What We’re Watching: three/15/13

March 17, 2013 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs

At the end of each week, we post a “What We’re Watching” blog as we look ahead to the weekend and recap events from the week. We encourage you to share it with your friends and family, and have a safe weekend.

Flood Safety Awareness Week
Next week, we’re teaming up with NOAA to bring you National Flood Safety Awareness Week. Floods are one of the most common hazards in the U.S., and while spring brings the promise of warm weather and longer days, it also brings a variety of threatening conditions like heavy rain, flash flooding, and rapid snowmelt (for those of us who received any) that can increase your flood risk.

So be sure to follow the blog and our social media channels March 17 -23 for flood safety information and tips along with the steps individuals, families, and businesses can take to protect their families and homes from flooding. But you don’t need to wait until next week for the info – you can visit Ready.gov/floods today for the rundown on flood safety, as well as FloodSmart.gov for information on the benefits of flood insurance.

Internship Opportunities for NYC Graduate Students
I wanted to highlight an opportunity for graduate students seeking internship opportunities in the New York City area.

The John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service is the first student fellowship in New York City government devoted specifically to emergency management. The program provides graduate students in New York City-area universities a nine-month paid fellowship (approximately 20 hours per week) in an agency of New York City government, including NYC Office of Emergency Management. If you or someone you know are interested, be sure to apply online.

The application period closes on April 1, so be sure to apply today. For more information, visit the NYC Office of Emergency Management website.

Share your thoughts on these topics
In case you missed it, there’s still time to share your thoughts and ideas on our new topics on our collaboration site:

Creating Model Emergency Management Plans – We’re looking for your input on what schools, institutions of higher education, and houses of worship should consider when developing and implementing a comprehensive emergency management plan and how students and staff can best be trained to follow them. Whether you’ve played an active role in developing your community’s local emergency management plans or simply have ideas on how best to do this, your ideas will help others learn from your success.
Seeking input from Indian tribal governments – We’re seeking your thoughts on the procedures for Indian tribal governments to request emergency and major disaster declarations. As part of an amendment to the Stafford Act, federally recognized Indian tribal governments now have the option to make a request directly to the President for a Federal emergency or major disaster declaration, or to seek assistance, as they do presently, under a declaration for a State. We’re looking for your feedback on how these requirements and factors may or may not be appropriate as applied to requests from Indian tribal governments during the pilot program. Your thoughts will be influential in the development of the pilot program to process declaration requests from Indian tribal governments.

Visit our online collaboration site to share your thoughts and comments on these two topics or any of our other open topics.

Photo & Video of the week
Belmar and Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, the New Jersey Towns of Belmar and Lake Como got together to hold their 40th St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

CAPTION: Far Rockaway, N.Y., March 11, 2013 — The FEMA for Seniors program visited the Young Israel Wavecrest & Bayswater Senior Center. Community Relations Specialist Lloyd Weston gave a presentation on disaster preparedness and discussed the importance of preparing a document folder and disaster supply kit. K.C.Wilsey/FEMA

Happy St. Patrick’s Day… And may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Have a safe weekend!
FEMA Blog

Supporting our partners for 2013 Inauguration

January 23, 2013 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: John McGowan, Response Division Director, FEMA Region 3

As you might guess, it takes a high level of coordination and skill to pull off an event where hundreds of thousands of people converge on a small area to watch many of the nation’s political leaders. Yesterday during President Obama’s public Inauguration ceremony, I jotted down some thoughts about FEMA’s role supporting our emergency management partners:

The President’s Inauguration is on the televisions at the front and along the sides of the room as 25 government employees watch attentively and monitor the situation. We’re here in the FEMA Region III Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) in Philadelphia, PA supporting the Inauguration and the surrounding events. The RRCC is where we monitor situations, work with our partners, and coordinate our response efforts.

Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 21, 2013 -- FEMA staff monitor the Presidential Inauguration in the Regional Response Coordination Center.

There were employees here from several government agencies to support the Inauguration.

Staff members have been communicating with their federal and state partners and other FEMA employees throughout the day so they know what’s happening in DC and if there are any unmet needs. They’re talking to coworkers who are in the Washington, DC Emergency Operations Center, with the Secret Service, and with the FBI. They’ve spent months planning for this, for any scenario that could pop up, whether it includes consequence management, food, water, transportation, security or a myriad of other factors and scenarios. Team members include logisticians, planners, response, finance, media monitors and more. Because we train and plan together, serving together is easier.

Now that the preparations have all been made, everyone is able to pay attention to the televisions and listen in as the President is inaugurated and begins his address. One thing that seems to really hit home for everyone here is the President’s quote, “Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.”

It’s a statement that resonates throughout this room because that, too, is why we’re all here; to care for the vulnerable and protect the population from life’s worst hazards. A lot of people here have only recently returned home, many were deployed to help respond to Hurricane Sandy. These are staff members that have just returned from assisting the people of the affected states.

Upon hearing the President’s statement, we’re reminded that the sacrifices we make, the long hours we work, and the time away from home is worth it; we are here for the disaster survivors, not for ourselves, and we do it together. We have so many of our partners working with us today: federal agencies, state and local emergency management agencies, and all of our citizens. We truly are working to protect our citizens together.

FEMA Blog

Saving $1 Million on the Waterfront

January 6, 2013 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: Michael Byrne, Federal Coordinating Officer, NY

Brian Robbins grandfather, Harry, began producing paper bags with a folding machine in his garage in 1935. As a youngster, Robbins’ father would ride his bicycle to hand out flyers to promote business. In 1940, Harry had the great fortune to meet a wooden pail maker – an individual who produced wooden shipping crates – who introduced him to corrugated boxes.

A lot of years later, the household operation went onto to turn into Cornell Paper &amp Box Firm, a $ 14 million-a-year enterprise positioned on Brooklyn’s historic waterfront in Red Hook. Even on a cloudy day, a single can see the Statue of Liberty in the distance, raising her torch in the mist.

The organization no longer manufactures paper items, but buys and distributes corrugated boxes throughout the U.S. Brian has been operating the business for the last 15 years with his father and for significantly of that time has watched nervously as the water, which in some areas is about 15 feet from his 150-year-old brick warehouse, eroded the shoreline. In early 2000, the pier outdoors the warehouse ultimately collapsed.

Brian stated he knew it was a matter of time prior to the erosion would make the building vulnerable to a massive storm, like a Nor’easter. He was concerned that a single of the walls would simply be knocked proper out with the force of a surge.

When Hurricane Sandy inundated Red Hook with floodwaters in October, Robbin’s warehouse took a massive hit – but not as bad had he not initiated a significant mitigation project. 4 years earlier, trucking in 1,500 cubic yards of armored stone, Robbins spent half a million dollars to construct riprap, an embankment of huge stones to stop erosion, and a retaining wall to protect his home. Even though the low-lying land was covered in about five feet of water following Sandy, flooding the warehouse, Robbins says items would have been a lot worse. He had no doubt the outer wall would have been knocked out had he not prevented the erosion from continuing.

Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 4, 2012 — Brian Robbins, owner of Cornell Paper and Box Organization, Inc., stands next to his company which abuts Upper New York Bay. Robbins took the initiative to mitigate his house by building a bulk head wall to protect his home from storm surge. Though Robbins building was flooded due to Hurricane Sandy, he said that without having the mitigation measures, he would have lost his complete building.

Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 4, 2012 — Brian Robbins, owner of Cornell Paper and Box Company, Inc., stands subsequent to his company which abuts Upper New York Bay. Robbins took the initiative to mitigate his property by constructing a stone wall to shield his house from storm surge. Despite the fact that Robbins developing was flooded due to Hurricane Sandy, he said that with no the mitigation steps, he would have lost his complete creating.

Robbins began the project in early 2008 and completed by September of 2010. Robbins joked that he had to get approvals from every government agency in existence. In the middle of it, the economic markets crashed and he spoke with his father about no matter whether it was the best time to go forward. But he decided it HAD to be accomplished or he’d be in worse shape, if a significant storm hit.

Even with the mitigation work, one wall of the warehouse sustained a huge crack that will price about $ 270,000 to repair. Cleanup will run one more $ 400,000. In addition, the flooding inundated about $ 900,000 worth of soggy boxes. His flood insurance coverage will cover $ 500,000 to repair the developing and yet another $ 500,000 for damaged inventory. (Flood insurance coverage coverage for organization is various than coverage for individual homeowners, which tops out at $ 250,000 for structures and $ one hundred,000 for contents).

Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 4, 2012 -- Workers at local Red Hook business Cornell Paper and Box Company, continue cleanup of boxes inside the warehouse that was flooded during Hurricane Sandy. Business impacted by the storm may contact the Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans at all New York State/FEMA disaster recovery centers and 18 SBA business recovery centers.
Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. four, 2012 — Workers at nearby Red Hook enterprise Cornell Paper and Box Organization, continue cleanup of boxes inside the warehouse that was flooded throughout Hurricane Sandy. Company impacted by the storm may speak to the Tiny Company Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans at all New York State/FEMA disaster recovery centers and 18 SBA company recovery centers.

Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 4, 2012 -- Local Red Hook business, Cornell Paper and Box Company, continues cleanup of boxes at the warehouse that was flooded during Hurricane Sandy. Business impacted by the storm may contact the Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans at all New York State/FEMA disaster recovery centers and 18 SBA business recovery centers.
Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 4, 2012 — Local Red Hook company, Cornell Paper and Box Company, continues cleanup of boxes at the warehouse that was flooded for the duration of Hurricane Sandy. Company impacted by the storm may make contact with the Small Organization Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans at all New York State/FEMA disaster recovery centers and 18 SBA company recovery centers.

To make up the distinction, he will have to take out a half a million dollar low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Modest Company Administration (which also supplies low-interest loans to home owners to repair disaster harm). It will take a handful of months for Cornell to be in a position to residence the paper inventory needed to bring company back to the way it was. In the meantime, Robbins is trying to make up the loss by renting out emptied areas of his warehouse for storage space, (one particular client is storing his motorcycles exactly where stacks of cardboard typically sit).

Even so, Robbins estimates that if he had not taken the mitigation measures, it would have expense him an additional million dollars out of pocket. Now the program is to bring in yet another 400 tons of armored stone to replace what Sandy took away.

Robbins says that immediately after generating the repairs he’ll be even better protected for an additional storm. And save another million dollars – or far more.

After a presidentially declared disaster, FEMA offers funding to the state for mitigation grants. For far more information on applying for 1, right here is a link to HMGP FAQs.
FEMA Weblog

New York, One Month After Sandy

December 1, 2012 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: Michael Byrne, Federal Coordinating Officer

I am a native New Yorker.

I was born in New York City. I grew up in the city’s Public Housing developments in East Harlem and my Mom and Dad, brothers and sisters still live here. I worked for the New York Fire Department for 20 years, eventually serving as a Captain. I worked at the New York Office of Emergency Management and then I joined FEMA.

I’m a proud New Yorker and today, I’m honored to be part of the federal team that is working hard to assist my home city and state.

Coney Island, N.Y., Nov. 12, 2012 — Aerial view of damage and debris on Coney Island, New York. Storm surge from Hurricane Sandy caused flooding and power outages throughout the island.

Long Beach, N.Y., Nov. 7, 2012 — Cars were buried in sand from Hurricane Sandy. The storm surge created widespread flooding, power outages and devastation on Long Beach, New York. FEMA is working with state and local officials to assist residents who were affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Even before the storm, FEMA was preparing. We prepositioned food, water and blankets at two incident support bases in New York. FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT), trained to quickly coordinate federal resources to support the state were on the ground days before landfall. We also started calling in the cavalry, everyone from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We even had the Marines land on the beach in the Rockaways.

In the response phase of a disaster like this, it is critical that we focus on what I like to call the “four Ps” – “People, Power, Pumping and Pick-it-up.”

People always come first. The very first thing we did was get life-saving commodities out to the people. Within 24 hours we supplied more than a million liters of water and more than a million shelf ready meals to the New York National Guard and Voluntary Agencies throughout the city – who quickly distributed them to the New Yorkers in need. The third day after the storm, we were set up in all the affected areas.

New York is an amazing place, made up of different people from all over the world. Every neighborhood is distinctly unique, with different traditions, dialects and sense of community. But most of all, New York is made up of neighborhoods.

For example, you look on a map and see the Rockaways. But there are really four different Rockaways. You have Far Rock, Rockaway Beach, Belle Harbor and Breezy Point. Each neighborhood is different.

We set up Disaster Recovery Centers, where people can meet and talk about assistance face-to-face. I was out at the center in Rockaway Beach and there were tons of people waiting to be seen. Everyone had a number and I talked to a guy that had number 245. The center was on number 150. I told him we had heated buses that would take people to the Breezy Point center, but he wanted to stay with his neighbors and wait. That’s New York.

Today, we have 34 centers throughout damaged areas, covering the neighborhoods that have had the most damage. Over 56,000 New Yorkers have visited these centers. And we plan to open more.

Far Rockaway, N.Y., Nov. 10, 2012 –FEMA Corps personnel assist disaster survivors at a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Far Rockaway, New York. FEMA and the State set up the center to assist the needs of hurricane survivors.

Far Rockaway, N.Y., Nov. 10, 2012 — FEMA Community Relations specialist, Teisha Jeeter draws pictures with young disaster survivor, Luna Natalia Voss at a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Far Rockaway, New York. The center was set up to assist the needs of Hurricane Sandy survivors.

The New York metropolitan area has over 15 million people and this is a city that is built vertically. We knew immediately that having enough people would be a huge challenge. We had over 1200 people out in the field, going door-to-door in the damaged areas. We had to activate the Department of Homeland Security surge capacity force to have enough people to do these sweeps. This “surge force” consisted of over 1,100 employees from the agencies that make up DHS, such as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard. They are spending the nights on Merchant Marine training ships so we don’t take hotel rooms from survivors. I have been out to the ships and the sleeping conditions are austere, but the food is good.

A little over a week after the storm, on Nov. 6^th, FEMA had received over 135,000 applications and approved almost $ 185 million in housing assistance to disaster survivors. We also had over 1,000 housing inspectors in the field who had completed over 17,000 inspections.

Long Beach, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2012 — FEMA Housing Inspector, Bill Gay inspects a home in Long Beach for Hurricane Sandy related damages. The FEMA Individual Assistance program provides financial assistance for temporary housing and minor housing repairs.

In addition, we have employed a diverse outreach approach to make sure the word gets out amidst New York’s multicultural mosaic. When our community relations members come in contact with people who are have limited English proficiency, we have translators and materials in 21 different languages to ensure they get assistance.

Coney Island, N.Y., Nov. 25, 2012 — FEMA Community Relations Limited English Proficiency (LEP) specialists, Eric Phillipson and Rossy Rey assist Russian hurricane survivor, Knana Letner with her special disaster related needs. The LEP strategic strike team was assigned to the Russian community in Coney Island, New York in response to Hurricane Sandy.

As for power, FEMA established a National Power Restoration Taskforce to cut through the red tape, increase federal, state, tribal, local and private sector coordination and restore power and fuel to people as quickly as possible. The Defense Logistics Agency delivered more than 2.3 million gallons of fuel to distribution points in New York and New Jersey. The U.S. Air Force transported equipment and supplies for power restoration efforts, including 69 vehicles belonging to the Southern California Edison utility company. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed 177 generators to sites throughout New York including apartment buildings managed by the New York City Housing Authority.

Pumping was a modern technological miracle. We had subway tunnels full of water. The Hugh Carey Tunnel (it will always be the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to me) was full to the roof. I was there and saw it, and I will tell you, I thought it would take months to get those tunnels pumped out. The Army Corps pumped out over 470 million gallons of water in less than two weeks.

The final P is “pick-it-up”. I’m talking about debris. A storm like this one generates a ton of debris and picking it up is always a challenge. The President signed an order saying we could pay for straight time for 30 days for debris pickup. Normally, we just pay for overtime, but being able to pay for all of the hours worked is a huge incentive to get the debris picked up and puts much needed money back into jurisdictions. It also incentivizes them to pick up the debris fast, because we only do this for 30 days. So far, we have picked up over 1.4 million cubic yards of debris.

We’ve done a lot, but, as long as there are people without power and in need of shelter, I am not satisfied. That’s why we came up with an innovative housing program called Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP). This program is designed for people who have power to the street, but cannot connect it to their houses. These are temporary repairs that are designed to let a family “shelter-in-place” while permanent repairs are made to their homes. We do this by making minor repairs to meters and panels to restore temporary power. The program also pays for other temporary housing repairs, such as covering windows, roofs and exterior doors. These repairs are meant to allow residents to return to safe and livable homes.

If you live in the five boroughs of New York City, call 311 to access information about the program. For those in Nassau County, call 1-888-684-4267 and if you live in Suffolk County, call 2-11. Your county or city will decide what elements of the STEP Program are available for your residence.

Long Beach, N.Y., Nov. 24, 2012 — Electricians installing a heat register as part of the FEMA STEP Program. FEMA in conjunction with state, local and tribal partners, is implementing a Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) Program to help people get back into their homes quickly and safely. STEP assists State, local and tribal governments in performing work and services essential to saving lives, protecting public health and safety, and protecting property. The program funds certain necessary and essential measures to help restore power, heat and hot water to primary residences that could regain power through necessary and essential repairs. STEP can help residents safely shelter-in-place in their homes pending more permanent repairs. FEMA is working with many partners including federal, state, local and tribal governments, voluntary faith-based and community-based organizations along with the private sector to assist residents impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

We have more work to do. When President Obama visited New York and toured the damaged areas, he looked directly in my eyes and said “stay on it.”

We’d like the New York Hurricane Sandy page to inform survivors of our future plans. I have over 3,000 staff here and I am working hard to hire locals – New Yorkers – to help with the recovery.
We plan to share stories and updates as the rebuilding process continues. And, of course, you will hear from me. I love to tell stories and I think this recovery might be one of the greatest stories of our time.

FEMA Blog

An Critical Element of the Group and Sandy Recovery: the Division of Housing and Urban Improvement

November 22, 2012 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by: Lars Anderson, Director, Public Affairs

CAPTION: Lincroft, N.J., Nov. 16, 2012 — Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan speaks at a press conference concerning Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and Senator stand in the background.

As we often say at FEMA, successful emergency management requires a team effort. Without question, the importance of teamwork has never been more evident as the recovery to Hurricane Sandy continues. At the direction of President Obama, FEMA continues to coordinate the federal government’s efforts in a coordinated way that reaches disaster survivors. Whether it’s the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helping with debris removal, the Environmental Protection Agency advising survivors on mold removal, or the Small Business Administration helping affected business owners get their doors open quickly – FEMA continues to leverage the expertise of our federal partners to make a lasting impact.

Another important partner on the team is the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After many disasters, FEMA works closely with HUD to ensure those impacted by the disaster have safe housing options if their residence was damaged or destroyed.

Last week, President Obama announced that he asked Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to continue to work closely with Governors, mayors and local officials of New Jersey and New York as they begin the process of identifying redevelopment plans for affected communities. This announcement further links FEMA’s role in disaster recovery with HUD’s role in redevelopment, ensuring the two agencies will continue to work closely together. As long term recovery needs are identified, HUD will lend expertise in translating those needs into solutions that work for disaster survivors.

If you’re a disaster survivor, the President’s announcement does not change the process of applying for assistance from the federal government. FEMA will continue to administer federal disaster assistance, so it’s important to apply through FEMA if you have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy. You can apply for assistance by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA).

Again, FEMA will continue to lead the federal government’s recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Sandy, and a great way to keep up with the progress is through this blog, the FEMA Sandy Facebook and Twitter accounts, or at www.fema.gov/sandy. You can also follow HUD’s Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts on their website.

meeting at FEMA office in new jersey
CAPTION: Lincroft, N.J., Nov. 16, 2012 — Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with members of Congress, greet FEMA employees at the Joint Field Office where Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts are coordinated.

FEMA Blog