FEMA Private Sector Advisory: Survivors Urged to Remain Vigilant, Federal Support to Impacted States Continues. October 2018

Department of Homeland Security

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Office of External Affairs,

Private Sector Engagement Team

Telephone 202-646-2600

Private Sector Advisory

Survivors Urged to Remain Vigilant, Federal Support to Impacted States Continues

“I’m asking anyone out there who wants to help, to go to NVOAD.org. That’s where you can find ways to donate money or time and it helps benefit those who need it the most.” – FEMA Administrator Brock Long

October 12, 2018

Safety Messages for the Public

• Stay alert.  Follow guidance from local officials, and do not return home until you are told it is safe.
• Expect disruptions.  Be prepared for power and phone service outages, roads blocked by flood and/or debris, water and sewer outages.
• Be careful during clean-up.  Wear protective clothing like waterproof boots and gloves, wash your hands often, and work in teams.
• Start the recovery process.  If you have insurance, and it’s safe to return home, call your insurance company to file a claim.  Take photos and videos of all damages before you start cleaning up.
• Cash is best.  A financial contribution to a recognized disaster relief organization is the most effective donation to make.

FEMA Operations Support

FEMA deployed Incident Management Assistance Teams to Atlanta and the State Emergency Operation Centers in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia with other teams still deployed to North Carolina and South Carolina.  The teams will help coordinate federal response assistance requests.  Federal search and rescue teams, ambulance strike teams, Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and other teams are all prepositioned to help response efforts. 

Commodities remain staged at Incident Support Bases in Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina to support any anticipated commodity requirements.

Four Disaster Support Assistance (DSA) Teams are deploying today to provide support to Florida shelters, and six DSA-trained FEMA Corps teams are mobilizing to the affected area.

Safety and Security Support

FEMA US&R

FEMA Urban Search & Rescue teams completed 27 evacuations, 5 assists, 654 shelter in place checks, 10 animal assists, and 1,042 structural assessments.

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is leaning forward and actively posturing U.S. Department of Defense.  In response to potential flooding, DoD is preparing ground transportation/high-water capable vehicles to move personnel and cargo in the affected areas, is preparing to provide rotary wing aircraft, swift water boats and rescue personnel in support of flooding in the affected areas.   DoD has assets staged and ready for assignment; 32 rotary wing assets, 6 fixed wing, 17 swift water vessels, and up to 160 high-water-vehicles.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

NOAA law enforcement is providing a quick response team to the Atlanta, Georgia staging area to support force protection and site security for Urban Search and Rescue Mission.

National Guard Bureau

As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Guard has 2,448 Guardsmen on State Active Duty for immediate response with an additional 1,500 Guardsmen expected to mobilize in the next 24 hours from Florida and Georgia.  Florida has an additional 2,500 National Guard members standing by in reserve.  Additionally, there are approximately 22,240 additional Guardsmen from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina conducting regularly scheduled training this weekend and would be immediately available for tasking if required.

National Guard support equipment capabilities include 15 Florida rotary wing aircraft for immediate response (CH-47/UH-60/HH-60/UH-72) with 16 more available from supporting states.  Additionally, there are 27 ANG fixed and rotary wing aircraft (C-17/C-130/KC-135/HH-60) available for mission tasking with more than 670 high wheel vehicles available in Florida with an additional 2,268 located in surrounding states.

Florida is sourcing more than 50 missions that include search & rescue, liaison, engineer, route clearance and POD support for 30 locations as well as 12 shelter support missions.  There are 11 open Florida EMAC requests from more than five supporting states that include one Multipurpose Battalion (400 assigned personnel), seven CH-47 rotary wing aircraft, and 11 UH-60 rotary wing aircraft.

1. S. Coast Guard

USCG has completed 129 rescues/assistance missions and one animal rescue.  USCG has pre-staged nine-fixed and 24 rotary wing assets for post-storm SAR efforts; three shallow water rescue teams (11 boats) en route to Panama City; two teams (six boats) en route to Tallahassee; 17 cutters remain positioned to assist with post-storm SAR efforts and the reconstitution of ports.

Food, Water, Sheltering Status

Florida has released U.S. Department of Agriculture foods in 35 affected counties for use at shelters, canteens and mobile kitchens.

The Salvation Army mobilized 48 mobile feeding units with a combined service capacity of 72,000 daily meals.  Additionally, the Salvation Army is supporting various shelters throughout the impacted area.  Salvation Army has mobilized 21 mobile feeding units (canteens) in Georgia with the capacity to serve 30,000 meals per day.

Florida Baptist has four kitchens activated with total capacity of 170,000 meals per day and six additional kitchens on standby in Tallahassee.  In Florida, 18 mobile feeding units (canteens) on standby and nine additional mobile units are set to arrive on Friday, providing a combined total meal capacity of 40,500 per day.  Operation Barbeque Relief is staging field kitchens in Tampa and Tallahassee with a total meal capacity of 30,000 meals per day for these two field kitchens.  Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has 12 additional kitchens in nearby states that can provide up to 176,000 meals per day.

More than 3,500 evacuees spent the night in 33 shelters in Florida.  In Alabama, 42 people stayed in three shelters overnight.  Georgia has four shelters open, and Georgia State Parks and Atlanta Motor Speedway facilities may become available for evacuees.  Overnight, 53 people stayed in Georgia shelters.

USDA launched a disaster assistance website Farmers.gov that walks producers through five questions to help them identify personalized results of which USDA disaster assistance programs can help them recover after a natural disaster.

USACE deployed two temporary roofing subject matter experts to assess the need for temporary roofing mission

Health and Medical Support

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) reports that six Disaster Assistance Medical Teams (DMATs) are engaged or enroute across Walton Beach, Panama City and Tallahassee.   HHS reports 308 ground ambulances and 125 para-transit members to support patient movement, and five ambulance strike teams arrived in Florida to assist with patient transport.   In Georgia, HHS currently has 60 ambulances staged and report 20 hospitals and 15 nursing homes on generator power.

The HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration made the Disaster Distress Helpline available to assist residents in the impacted area in coping with the stress caused by Michael.  To connect with a trained crisis counselor, call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 (for Spanish, press 2 or text Hablanos to 66746).

Power and Fuel Support

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) District Emergency Operations Centers have been activated in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.  USACE has deployed a Temporary Power Planning and Response Team (PRT) and members from the 249th Engineer Battalion are prepared to assess and install generators as requested by the state; 55 generators are onsite with an additional 30 generators en route.

U.S. Department of Energy

The Department of Energy (DOE) has activated its Energy Response Organization; DOE responders deployed to the Regional Response Coordination Center, the Florida and Georgia State Emergency Operations Centers. Additional DOE responders are on standby to deploy to other states as needed.  DOE is holding daily calls with the energy industry to ensure unity of effort. Industry has activated its mutual assistance network, and crews from at least 19 states have mobilized to begin restoring power as soon as it is safe to do so.

Currently, DOE reports hundreds of thousands of customers are without power across Florida, Alabama and Georgia

DOE is closely monitoring the availability of fuel across the Southeast.  Overall, supplies of gasoline in the region are at or above the five-year range.

Private Sector Energy Partners

Electric utility fleets are moving from the following states to regions in western Florida to pre-stage resources to support power restoration efforts: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.

Federal Communications Support

Four FEMA Mobile Emergency Response Support units are supporting secure and non-secure voice, video and information services to support emergency response communications needs throughout areas impacted by Michael.

The Federal Communications Commission is prepared to provide emergency assistance to communications providers and has created a dedicated webpage for information about Hurricane Michael, including tips for communicating during an emergency. 

Transportation

U.S. Department of Transportation created an interactive web mapping application to provide real-time situational awareness of the storm path and its impact on user-selected transportation infrastructure.

Hazardous Waste

The Environmental Protection Agency identified priority oil and chemical facilities and sites that might require assessment after landfall. 

Emergency Management Compacts

Nine different states are sending support through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.  More than 15 missions are active in both Florida and Georgia with more than 330 people deployed to assist.

Declaration Background Information

Major Disaster Declarations

• On Oct. 11, President Trump declared a Major Disaster for the state of Florida as a result of Hurricane Michael.  This declaration makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Bay, Franklin, Gulf, Taylor and Wakulla counties.  Federal funding is also available to the state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work damaged by Hurricane Michael in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.  This is in addition to the Oct. 9 emergency declaration for 35 counties.
• Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can visit disasterassistance.gov to check eligibility for federal, state, local, and voluntary organizations in their community that best meet their specific needs.
• Survivors without internet access can check their eligibility for disaster assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 (Multilingual operators are available press 2 for Spanish). 
• Disaster assistance applicants who use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service, call 1-800-621-3362.  The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. 
•  

Emergency Disaster Declarations

• President Trump declared an emergency declaration on Oct. 10 for 107 counties in Georgia to supplement state and local response efforts ahead of Hurricane Michael.
• Specifically, FEMA is authorized to provide assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures (Categories A and B), including direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program, in Baker, Bleckley, Burke, Calhoun, Colquitt, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Emanuel, Grady, Houston, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, Lee, Macon, Miller, Mitchell, Pulaski, Seminole, Sumter, Terrell, Thomas, Treutlen, Turner, Wilcox and Worth counties.  Assistance will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.
• In addition, assistance for emergency protective measures (Category B), limited to direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding in Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bibb, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Chattahoochee, Clarke, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Columbia, Cook, Crawford, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Greene, Hancock, Irwin, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jones, Lamar, Lanier, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, Marion, McDuffie, McIntosh, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Muscogee, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Peach, Pierce, Putnam, Quitman, Randolph, Richmond, Schley, Screven, Stewart, Talbot, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Tift, Toombs, Twiggs, Upson, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, Wilkes and Wilkinson counties. 
• Ala. Gov. Kay Ivey requested an emergency declaration for 17 counties and one tribe to supplement state and local response efforts as a result of Hurricane Michael.  The request is pending.
• President Trump declared an emergency declaration on Oct. 9 for 35 Florida counties to supplement state and local response efforts ahead of Hurricane Michael.
• Specifically, FEMA is authorized to provide assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures (Categories A and B), including direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program, in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, and Wakulla counties.  Assistance will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.

o   In addition, assistance for emergency protective measures (Category B), limited to direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Gilchrist, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Lafayette, Levy, Manatee, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Union, Walton, and Washington counties. 

Additional Resources

NOAA began collecting aerial images of the Florida panhandle on Oct. 11.  Once the aerial images are processed, they will be available on www.NOAA.gov.  NOAA is issuing Storm Quicklooks for Michael, providing near real-time information about water levels and winds. NOAA will be validating storm surge observations from this historic event.

For more information on Hurricane Michael, please visit www.fema.gov/hurricane-michael.  

If you have any questions, please contact the FEMA’s Office of External Affairs Private Sector Engagement Team at 202-646-2600 or FEMA-IGA@fema.dhs.gov.

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10-12-2018 Private Sector Advisory - Hurricane Michael.docx