|
Fighting Floydís Floods September 27, 1999 Communities in North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida are fighting the flooding and other fallout from Hurricane Floyd, one of the fiercest storms in U.S. history. They are not fighting alone. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on hand, working with other agencies and organizations to help citizens and communities cope with the devastation left behind. And devastation it is--lives lost; homes, farms, and businesses washed away; millions of animals dead or stranded, and many human survivors left without phones, electricity, or safe water. Even the dead do not rest in peace, as coffins float away from low-lying cemeteries. When disaster hits, FEMA coordinates relief and recovery operations with 26 other federal agencies and the American Red Cross. FEMA is responsible for the Federal Response Plan to mobilize resources and conduct activities to assist states in coping with the consequences of significant disasters. In the wake of Hurricane Floyd, FEMA is beefing up its toll-free disaster registration line The toll-free number to call to register for disaster assistance is 1-800-462-9029, or TTY1-800-462-7585 for the speech-or hearing-impaired. Online Help FEMA and its partners also have websites that people and organizations may turn to in the weeks ahead to help them dig out and restore their communities and their lives. And when Floyd and its fallout are history, you may go to these sites to prepare for future disasters and track storms when they hit. See below. File Insurance Claims As Soon As Possible FEMA officials remind residents who have flood damage and a flood insurance policy to contact the insurance company or agent who wrote the policy as soon as possible to file a claim. "Nationwide, only one in four homeowners who live in a floodplain have flood insurance," said Federal Insurance Administrator Jo Ann Howard, who manages the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NFIP makes flood insurance available in communities that adopt and enforce ordinances to reduce flood damage. Currently, there are more that 4.1 million flood insurance policies in force in over 19,000 participating communities nationwide, representing nearly $496 billion worth of coverage. "I commend property owners who prepared for a disaster like Hurricane Floyd by purchasing flood insurance," Howard added. "And I strongly urge those who donít have a flood insurance policy to buy one before the next flood. You can recover so much faster and more completely when you have flood insurance. " High Impact Agencies FEMA and the National Weather Service are designated as High-Impact Agencies (HIAs) by the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. (HIAs). HIAs are agencies that serve the greatest number of Americans. For More Information or To Add Links The list below was compiled by the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. For more information, or to suggest other government links, contact Pat Wood at pat.wood@npr.gov.
Disaster-Related Web Resources Disaster Relief, Recovery, and Preparedness Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) FEMA Homepage ñ As each disaster approaches or hits, this site has news, warnings, briefings, preparedness, evacuation tips (including animals), emergency response updates, insurance information, and links to other sites. FEMAís National Flood Insurance Program
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is working closely with the FEMA for Hurricane Floyd response and recovery missions.
American Red Cross Red Cross Disaster Services Guide ñ This guide is a resource for anyone providing disaster safety information to the public. This guide represents the hard work and collaboration of many professionals affiliated with the organizations that founded the National Disaster Education Coalition:
Online Storm Alerts and Tracking NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service homepage ñ The National Weather Service provides warnings and forecast of hazardous weather, including thunderstorms, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter weather, tsunamis, and climate events. The National Weather Service is the official voice for issuing warnings during life threatening weather situations in the United States. National Weather Service Active Warnings National Hurricane Center Tropical Prediction Center -- This server maintains a current database of meteorological and hydrological data, historical data, and written information generated by the National Weather Service or received from other official sources. In addition, this server accesses in real-time a selection of current official weather observations, forecasts, and warnings from U.S. government sources for use by the national and international community.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) USGSís Center for Integration of Natural Disaster Information (CINDI) -- This website serves as a gateway to a variety of information about earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, geomagnetic storms, epidemics, volcanic eruptions, and other natural hazards and disasters. Scientific information produced by the U.S. Geological Survey is emphasized, but the site links to information from other public and private sources. CINDI on Hurricane Preparedness 9/27/99 Contact pat.wood@npr.gov |
