| Katrina Fifteen Years Later: Are you Prepared for Hurricane Season? |
| 08/26/2020 |
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The 2020 Hurricane season marks fifteen years since Hurricane Katrina left its toll on multiple states. After the storm made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005 in Hancock County, Mississippi with storm surge of 30 plus feet, it remained a Category 1 hurricane 150 miles inland. One of the most destructive hurricanes in our nation’s history, more than 1,800 lives were lost. In response, FEMA obligated more than $25 billion in federal funding to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama following the storm in Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation grants.
Data collected from Hurricane Katrina has shaped our understanding of storms’ impact on buildings and on the people who rely on those buildings for protection. These invaluable lessons learned have shaped the evolution of hazard-resistant building code and prompted FEMA to launch an outreach campaign across the country to encourage communities to adopt updated codes.
Despite the evidence that communities that adopt the most recent hazard-resistant model building codes and standards are far more resilient than those that do not, only 1/3 of the Nation’s communities have done so.
Know your code.
Ensure your building meets or exceeds modern building codes to safeguard and minimize the damage your property sustains and protect the lives of those who rely on it.
The three resources below will aid you in preparing for this Hurricane season and the next.
Being fully prepared this hurricane season means knowing the risks posed to the buildings you frequent and knowing the steps necessary to protect your family, friends, employees, and customers. Take informed steps today:
- Go to https://inspecttoprotect.org/ today to determine the building codes used in your community today!
- Visit ready.gov/hurricanes to learn your risks and find resources that will properly equip you for hurricane season.
- The publications listed below are available for free from FEMA Building Science Branch with a focus on building safety. Search for their titles in the following publication library to get your copy today!
Every year communities are at risk of flooding due to hurricanes, snow melt, run off after fires, draughts. The adoption of building codes would protect entire communities from losing what they taken years to build.
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Building Owners & Occupants
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Above the Flood: Elevating Your Floodprone House
(FEMA 347)
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Protecting Manufactured Homes from Floods and Other Hazards
(FEMA P-85)
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Homeowner’s Guide to Retrofitting
(FEMA P-312)
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Cleaning Flooded Buildings Fact Sheet
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Community Planners & Policy Makers
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Selecting Appropriate Mitigation Measures for Floodprone Structures
(FEMA 551)
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Local Officials Guide for Coastal Construction
(FEMA P-762)
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Safer, Stronger, Smarter: A Guide to Improving School Natural Hazard Safety
(FEMA P-1000)
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Building Professionals & Engineers
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Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast: Mitigation Assessment Team Report, Building Performance Observations, Recommendations, and Technical Guidance
(FEMA 549)
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Hurricane Katrina Recovery Advisories
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Recommended Residential Construction for Coastal Areas: Building on Strong and Safe Foundations
(FEMA P-550)
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Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction
(FEMA P-499)
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Coastal Construction Manual: Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas
(FEMA P-55)
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Engineering Principles and Practices of Retrofitting Floodprone Residential Structures
(FEMA P-259)
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Advances in Hurricane Engineering Conference Papers
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Mitigation Assessment Team Reports
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| FEMA Advisory: Coronavirus Pandemic Whole-of-America Response: “By The Numbers” Update (August 26, 2020) |
| 08/26/2020 |
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FEMA ADVISORY
Coronavirus Pandemic Whole-of-America Response “By the Numbers” Update
Attached is the second of three “By the Numbers” updates, this week, for the Whole-of-America coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic response underway. This “By the Numbers” update relates to Medical Supplies and Equipment; Testing; Federal Funding; and Additional Federal Support as well as funding for the Lost Wages Grant program by state.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this FEMA Advisory, please contact FEMA Office of External Affairs, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Division:
Follow Us
Follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA Blog on fema.gov, @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol on Twitter, FEMA or FEMA Espanol on Facebook, @FEMA on Instagram, and via FEMA YouTube channel.
Also, follow Administrator Pete Gaynor on Twitter @FEMA_Pete.
FEMA Mission
Helping people before, during, and after disasters.
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| FEMA Advisory: FEMA Advisory: Hurricane Laura & California Wildfires Update (August 26, 2020) |
| 08/26/2020 |
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FEMA ADVISORY
Hurricane Laura and California Wildfires
Below you will find today’s FEMA update on response preparations and operations for Hurricane Laura and the Wildfires.
Key Messaging
- FEMA is leaning forward with our federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners to mobilize teams and supplies in to support a state managed, locally executed response to impacts from the storms in the Gulf and the wildfires out west.
- FEMA has adapted plans to the realities of responding during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure we can serve Americans while protecting their safety and that of FEMA employees.
- While Hurricane Laura is now forecast to make landfall as a major hurricane, the storm track and intensity can change rapidly. Anyone in the forecasted path of the storm should complete final preparations as soon as possible, monitor their local news for updates and directions provided by their local officials and heed local evacuation orders.
Final Preparedness Actions Should be Completed Today; Heed Local Officials’ Instructions
- Hurricane Laura is now forecast to become a major hurricane prior to landfall with life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding.
- Residents in Louisiana and Texas who are in the path of Hurricane Laura should be completing preparedness efforts and following guidance from officials in your area.
- Mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders are in effect in Louisiana and Texas. Your state and local officials will have the most up-to-date information on evacuation orders and shelter locations.
- Texas residents should visit gov.texas.gov/hurricane which includes evacuation orders, reception center locations, and other emergency resources. For answers to additional questions, call 2-1-1. Louisiana residents should call 2-1-1 evacuation, sheltering and resources for immediate needs.
- The American Red Cross is prepared to shelter and support families from Louisiana and Texas. For assistance, call 3-1-1.
Federal Support Mobilized for Robust Response to Hurricane Laura
- President Trump amended the emergency declarations for Louisiana and Texas, expanding the declarations to cover emergency protective response actions taken by state, local and tribal officials. The President’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures.
- FEMA has mobilized federal response teams to support Louisiana and Texas response efforts to the hurricane activity.
- Regional Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs) are in place in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas state operations centers. A national IMAT is also deployed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Additionally, several members of the national IMAT are deployed to Louisiana and Texas operation centers to coordinate with the regional IMAT in the state. A second fully missional capable IMAT from Region 4 is ready to deploy, if needed.
- Four Urban Search and Rescue Teams have deployed to Louisiana and Texas. Additional teams, including up to three Quick Response Teams, are on standby to deploy if necessary.
- FEMA deployed staging management teams to Camp Beauregard, Louisiana and Roseland, Louisiana. A National Incident Support Base Team Delta is in Selma, Alabama to support staging commodity missions.
- Mobile disaster communications equipment is prepositioned in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Austin, Texas to support staging and command and control operations.
- FEMA pre-positioned commodities such as meals and water ahead of Tropical Storm Marco and Hurricane Laura.
- More than 500,000 meals and 800,000 liters of water are pre-positioned at the Roseland Staging Area and Camp Beauregard in Louisiana. Additionally, FEMA placed another 250,000 meals and 400,000 liters of water on standby at its distribution center in Fort Worth, Texas.
- FEMA maintains contracts, mission assignments and other staffing augmentation capabilities, including the Surge Capacity Force (SCF). The SCF provided more than 4,000 talented federal staff to support immediate response and recovery requirements when activated during 2017. More than 8,000 federal staff are currently rostered in the SCF to support, if activated.
- The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is deploying personnel and assets in advance of Hurricane Laura.
- USACE is providing flood fight support with technical assistance to the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West using the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System. Additionally, USACE is implementing response plans for dam safety teams, deploying a sand bagging machine and operators to Hancock County, Mississippi and issuing sandbags and sandbagging machines for areas in Louisiana and Texas.
- USACE has deployed liaison officers and infrastructure and debris subject matter experts to Louisiana and Texas.
Federal Support Mobilized for California Wildfires
- President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for California. The declaration includes grants to individuals and households, and emergency work in eight counties impacted by wildfires.
- Residents and business owners in Lake, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties who have disaster-caused damage are encouraged to begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via the FEMA app.
- Region 9 has deployed an Incident Management Assistance Team to the California state operations center to coordinate federal support to the ongoing wildfire responses.
- Additional mobile disaster communications equipment is en route to Mather, California, to support staging and command and control operations. Two staging management teams deployed to Lathrop, California.
- FEMA approved Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAG) to California for the CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, the LNU Lightning Fire Complex in Napa, Lake, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties, the SCU Lightning Fire Complex in Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties, the Jones Fire in Nevada county, the Carmel and the River Fires in Monterey county and the Sheep Fire in Lassen county.
- FMAGs provide federal funding for up to 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause major disasters. Eligible costs covered by FMAGs can include expenses for field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies and mobilization, and demobilization activities attributed to fighting the fire.
- To address COVID-19 sheltering needs, this year FEMA has adjusted the FMAG program to include the reimbursement of costs to state and local governments for non-congregate emergency sheltering, such as hotel rooms.
Responding During COVID-19
- We will continue to work with our state, tribal and local partners as they plan for execution of evacuation and sheltering operations in a COVID-19 environment. Finding shelter is critical in times of disaster. Shelter outside of the hazard area could include staying with family or friends, seeking a hotel room or staying in a mass shelter.
- FEMA, other federal agencies and the American Red Cross have modified policies and planning and have taken actions to ensure the federal government can respond to any disaster during our continued coronavirus response efforts.
- In alignment with FEMA’s Pandemic Operational Guidance, FEMA is leveraging technology to deliver the agency’s programs at the highest level possible, while preserving our workforce and survivors. These methods include virtual damage assessments and inspections for FEMA Individual Assistance and Public Assistance programs, as well as National Flood Insurance Program claims.
- While some aspects of program delivery may look different this year, our commitment to helping people before, during and after disaster remains our full focus and we are ready to deliver on our mission.
- In advance of hurricane and wildfire season, FEMA expanded the capacity of its National Response Coordination Center, response centers around the country, and trained additional staff to be postured to respond to multiple on-going incidents.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this FEMA Advisory, please contact FEMA Office of External Affairs, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Division:
Follow Us
Follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA Blog on fema.gov, @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol on Twitter, FEMA or FEMA Espanol on Facebook, @FEMA on Instagram, and via FEMA YouTube channel.
Also, follow Administrator Pete Gaynor on Twitter @FEMA_Pete.
FEMA Mission
Helping people before, during, and after disasters.
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