RACES Logger by KB3HIY

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahomans who have access and functional needs and require specialized assistance should stay in touch with FEMA. Applicants who have not received a decision on their federal assistance from the February winter storms should contact FEMA at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585.

Individuals having access and functional needs either temporarily or permanently may include, but are not limited to, individuals with developmental, visual, or mobility disabilities, people who are hard-of-hearing, people who are deaf, people who use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary language, people with weakened immune systems or chronic health conditions, aging populations, infants and young children, women in late stages of pregnancy, people without transportation, and people that do not speak English as their primary language.

To find out the status of your application, please call FEMA at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use a relay service such as a videophone, InnoCaption or CapTel should alert FEMA as to the specific number assigned to that service. The toll-free telephone lines operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT, seven days a week.

FEMA is committed to helping all survivors affected by the storms and wants to ensure that individuals who have access and functional needs receive lawful and equal assistance before, during and after a disaster.

Survivors in 16 Oklahoma counties are eligible for federal assistance. The counties are Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Comanche, Cotton, Hughes, Jefferson, Le Flore, McIntosh, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Pittsburg, Stephens, Tulsa and Wagoner.

If you have not applied for assistance, the deadline to apply is now May 25, 2021.

If you need a reasonable accommodation or assistance filling out your FEMA application, please call FEMA at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use a relay service such as a videophone, InnoCaption or CapTel should alert FEMA as to the specific number assigned to that service.

To register online, visit http://www.disasterassistance.gov.

If you have not applied for federal assistance, pay special attention to question number 24 about people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. Answer "yes" to this question if you have a disability or access and functional needs. If you have applied for federal assistance and answered “yes” to question 24 on your application and have not been contacted by a FEMA representative, please call FEMA at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585.

Answering “yes” is the best way to note any additional disability-related losses and/or needs such as medical support assistance, durable medical equipment repairs, or replacement of assistive technology that was lost or damaged because of the disaster. (Examples include wheelchair, scooter, walker, CPAP machine, hearing aids, eyeglasses and screen reader.)

Answering “yes” to this question will also help to identify other services for which applicants may be eligible to receive reimbursement. This video will assist you with question 24:  Answering Yes to the Disability Question When Registering for Assistance.

RINCÓN, Puerto Rico — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is available for survivors in Rincón whose homes or businesses were affected by the 2020 earthquakes. The DRC will open on Tuesday, April. 20, 2021 at 8 a.m. and is located in the Ventana al Mar- Salón Glamour, at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Avenue. Survivors can now apply in person for assistance and submit documents for their FEMA assistance applications.

At the DRC, survivors will find representatives from FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program, along with U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) specialists.

Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, face coverings are required for entry and service.

Survivors can apply or update their application in the following ways:

• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Press 2 for a Spanish-speaking operator. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

• Visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

• Download FEMA’s mobile app. Select Disaster Resources and click on Apply for Assistance Online. If you have an Apple device: Text APPLE to 43362. For those with an Android device: Text ANDROID to 43362. For more information go to: www.fema.gov/mobile-app.

• Survivors can request any necessary reasonable accommodation. People who are deaf or hard of hearing are encouraged to use the VRS or Video Relay Service.

For more information on recovery from these floods, visit fema.gov/disaster/4473 and recuperacion.pr. Follow us on our social networks at Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico, Facebook.com/COR3pr and Twitter @COR3pr.

WASHINGTON -- FEMA continues efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19, while also offering services to help those most affected by the pandemic.

Funeral Assistance 

FEMA has received more than 101,000 applications for funeral assistance since the program launched last week. The agency is providing financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020.

Applicants may apply by calling 844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585) from 9a.m. to 9p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday. Multilingual services are also available. To help speed the process, the agency has 5,000 phone agents available and is training additional staff to support the large call volume.  Callers who use a relay service, videophone or captioned telephones should provide their specific number assigned to that service.

FEMA will not contact anyone until they have called FEMA or have applied for assistance. Applicants should not disclose information such as the name, birth date or social security number of any deceased family member to any unsolicited telephone calls or e-mails from anyone claiming to be a federal employee or from FEMA. It is important that FEMA can contact applicants after they begin the application process by phone. Please note that phone calls from FEMA may come from an unidentified number.

Vaccination Efforts 

In the ongoing fight against COVID-19, FEMA continues working to speed up vaccinations by supporting states as they open community vaccination centers across the country. Working with state governments FEMA will open additional federal pilot community vaccination centers, which include federal support and supplemental vaccine allocations. This week, centers are scheduled to open in Bessemer, Alabama, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Central Point, Oregon.

FEMA is committed to the equitable distribution of vaccines and ensuring everyone who wants a vaccination can get one. FEMA mobile vaccination units are bringing vaccinations to hard-to-reach and high-risk populations who cannot access services from fixed sites. Ten mobile vaccination units are currently deployed across the country.  

Find vaccine updates in your community and more information from your local health department to confirm if you can get a vaccine. You can find a list of places where adults can get a vaccine. Visit FEMA.Gov for detailed information on FEMA’s vaccination support efforts.

PENSACOLA, Fla – FEMA has approved a grant of $2,689,984 to Bay County to provide emergency power for the Williams Bayou pumping station. The grant is funded by FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

Williams Bayou Pumping Station is the primary pumping station that supplies water from Deer Point Lake to the Bay County Water Treatment Plant. The project includes the installation of a 2.5-megawatt diesel generator to serve as an emergency power source for the station’s water pumps. The project also includes protection against power surges.

Under the HMGP, FEMA provides grants to help communities eliminate or reduce disaster-related damage. Following a major disaster, a percentage of total federal recovery grant funds is designated to develop more resilient communities. Because Florida has an Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan, this means more funds are available for the post-disaster mitigation programs. States with an enhanced plan receive HMGP funds based on 20% of the total estimated eligible Stafford Act disaster assistance.

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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

BATON ROUGE, La. – April is National Stress Awareness Month and the residents of the state of Louisiana have experienced their fair share of stress in the past year –many Louisianans are struggling to recover from the successive blows of hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta and the severe winter storms on top of the nearly yearlong stress and worries of a pandemic. The same is true throughout the nation where hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters came one after another while Covid-19 fears spread.

It is normal for any disaster response to increase stress and fatigue. One of the symptoms is finding it hard to make decisions when so many decisions must be made about your recovery.

Survivors of hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta and the Feb. winter storms who are already registered with FEMA may find that the process of recovery sometimes feels like an impossible task.

Stress related to the disaster, which could be compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and other stress-related health issues, may be why it can be difficult to make decisions. Feeling frustrated, arguing more and being physically and mentally drained are other symptoms of emotional exhaustion that can reshape how people make choices. You may not be eating or sleeping or doing too much of both. You are not alone. These are human reactions to the strain of adapting over and over to situations that threaten your survival and/or ability to cope.

The good news is that with each positive action you add towards your recovery, you feel better and more in control. One cost-free action you can take now is creating and practicing a family plan for future emergencies.

You can also meet with your insurance agent to be sure your coverage will address your future needs. Be sure to check with the agent about flood insurance, which pays for flood damage even when a disaster is not declared by FEMA.

Most responses to stress related to disasters are temporary and will go away over time. Stress response during disasters is normal.

For those who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster, the Disaster Distress Helpline is available. Survivors can call or text 1-800-985-9500 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, or visit Disaster Distress Helpline | SAMHSA. The Disaster Distress Helpline is toll-free, multi-lingual and confidential and is available to everyone affected by a disaster.

The Crisis Counseling hotline is also available and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 800-985-5990 (TTY 800-846-8517) or text TalkWithUs (Spanish-speakers text: Hablanos) to 66746 to be immediately connected with a professional counselor who will help callers through disaster-related emotional distress. This toll-free, multilingual and confidential free service is available to everyone in the state.

Don’t give up, FEMA and its partners are here to help survivors through the recovery process. For disaster assistance questions and concerns, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585). 

­­­­­­­­For the latest information on Hurricane Laura, visit Louisiana Hurricane Laura (DR-4559-LA). For updates on Hurricane Delta, visit Louisiana Hurricane Delta (DR-4570-LA). Hurricane Zeta material is found at Louisiana Hurricane Zeta (DR-4577-LA). For updates on the Winter Storms, visit Louisiana Severe Winter Storms (DR-4590-LA). Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6.

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved a $88.7 million low-interest Community Disaster Loan (CDL) to provide the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) operational funding to continue to function after the substantial revenue loss caused by multiple disasters in the Pacific.

“Super Typhoon Yutu had devastating consequences for the people and economy of the CNMI,” said FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Tammy Littrell. “The amount of this additional community disaster loan required approval by Congress, and we know it will help ensure essential functions and recovery continue.”

Following a major disaster, the financial capacity of local governments may be severely undermined by a decrease in local revenues. The reduction in tax or other revenue can limit their ability to maintain public services or afford many extraordinary but necessary expenditures. Revenue loss frequently occurs when significant portions of the population are displaced for extended periods of time, or key sources of economic activity, like tourism, are heavily disrupted by a disaster.

“The impact of Super Typhoon Yutu significantly affected our lives, our economy, and our government revenue, and so we initiated this request for a Community Disaster Loan to help us continue essential services during our long-term recovery,” said Governor Ralph DLG. Torres. “On behalf of the CNMI, we would like to thank our FEMA partners and key staff, especially Acting Administrator Robert J. Fenton, Jr. and FEMA Region IX, our CNMI Legislature for their due diligence in passing a resolution supporting our efforts, and Congressman Sablan for listening to our request for Congress to approve the appropriation.”

The shortage of revenues, and the resulting limitation on financial capacity, has been cited as one of the most significant and consistent hurdles to long-term disaster recovery. The CDL program provides loan assistance to local governments to help them overcome a loss in revenues. The core purpose of these community disasters loans is to permit the local governments to continue to provide municipal services, such as the protection of public health and safety and the operation of the public school system.

The government of CNMI and FEMA remain committed to the island’s vision to build back better, safer and more resilient to future disasters.

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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. Follow FEMA Region 9 online at twitter.com/femaregion9.

FEMA, partnering with the state of Alabama and Jefferson County, is opening a Community Vaccination Center (CVC) site at the Watermark Place in Bessemer.

“The vaccine is our ticket out of COVID-19, and I continue encouraging Alabamians to get their shots. I am pleased that FEMA selected Alabama to house one of their clinics,” Governor Ivey said. “As this clinic gets rolling on April 21, I urge Alabamians still needing their vaccine shots to take advantage of this resource.”

This site will deliver up to 7,000 doses of vaccine per week. Personnel from the Alabama National Guard will support the administration of these vaccines.

Vaccines for CVCs are provided to the state in addition to the regular vaccine allocations the state receives. These additional vaccine doses are made possible through an increase in production and availability.

“We are committed to the equitable distribution of the vaccine and our top priority is to ensure everyone who wants a vaccine gets one,” said Gracia Szczech, regional administrator for FEMA Region IV. 

FEMA and the state will continue reach out to underserved communities in the Birmingham area to inform and build trust about the benefits of getting vaccinated.

The Watermark Place center will follow Alabama’s vaccine eligibility requirements. To schedule an appointment for the vaccine, individuals can visit myturn.timetap.com or call 205-858-2221.

The site will primarily offer drive-thru vaccinations (including high-occupancy vehicles); however, walk-ins can be accommodated. After receiving their vaccination, individuals will proceed to a post-vaccine waiting area for at least 15 minutes, per CDC guidelines, to be monitored for any adverse reactions.

FEMA is supporting Alabama in its response to COVID-19. Visit fema.gov/coronavirus for   more information.

ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has awarded grants totaling $3,781,942 for the State of Florida to reimburse applicants for the costs of emergency response and beach restoration following Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

The FEMA Public Assistance program grants include:

Florida Department of Financial Services: $2,093,708 for 112 state mutual aid missions including the costs of labor, equipment, materials and contracts to manage search and rescue operations, respond to fires and provide emergency care.

Martin County: $1,688,234 for the cost of installing 54,433 cubic yards of engineered dune beach sand, 31,596 native dune plants and 1,500 linear feet of protective sand fencing at Bathtub Beach Reef Park.

The program provides grants to state, tribal and local governments, and certain types of private nonprofit organizations, including some houses of worship, so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. The Florida Division of Emergency Management works with FEMA during all phases of the program and conducts final reviews of FEMA-approved projects.

The federal share for Public Assistance projects is not less than 75 percent of the eligible cost. The state determines how the nonfederal share of the cost of a project (up to 25 percent) is split with subrecipients such as local and county governments.

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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

Norfolk, Virginia — All Hampton Roads residents over the age of 16 may get their free COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine at the FEMA-supported Community Vaccination Center located at Military Circle Mall through Saturday, May 1. The center will administer second doses through May 23.

Residents can register for an appointment slot ahead of the time online at norfolk.gov/covid19vaccine or come to the center and registration onsite. Same day appointments are available based on availability.

The center will continue to administer up to 1,000 additional first doses a day beginning April 19 through the May 1 cutoff for first doses. During that time, another 2,000 shots will be allocated for the necessary booster shot for clients that had previously receive their vaccine in the past 3 weeks.   

Together with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the Virginia Department of Health, over 27,000 residents have received their first lifesaving vaccine at the site.

"Vaccinations are the most effective form of prevention. The sooner our community gets vaccinated, the sooner we can put the pandemic behind us," said Dr. Parham Jaberi chief deputy commissioner for the Virginia Department of Health and acting health director for the Norfolk/Virginia Beach Health Departments. 

The center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome anytime and anyone interested in receiving the free vaccine must bring a document that provides proof of name, like a utility bill or pay stub.

Social distancing measures are strictly enforced at the center and everyone who visits the site must wear a face covering at all times.

All community members are welcome at the vaccination center. Reasonable accommodation for people with access and functional needs is available as well as information and onsite interpretation in a variety of languages, including American Sign Language.

For more on the ongoing vaccination efforts in Virginia, visit fema.gov/disaster/4512 or vaemergency.gov.

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On March 3, 2021, FEMA, other federal partners, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the City of Philadelphia partnered to open the Center City Vaccination Center (CCVC) in Philadelphia, PA. With an allocation of 6,000 COVID-19 vaccines per day on top of the City’s regular vaccine allotment, the CCVC has served to expand the rate of vaccination in Philadelphia in an efficient, effective, and equitable manner. Located at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the CCVC occupies a centrally located, accessible location and is served by a robust municipal transit system. It is staffed primarily by over 100 federal staff and over 250 members of the Department of Defense, who provide both clinical and non-clinical support.

Operating 12 hours a day, seven days a week, the CCVC administered over 240,000 first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in its first six weeks.

Given its success in augmenting Philadelphia’s vaccination efforts, the City has requested an extension of the CCVC. After reviewing several options with FEMA, the City of Philadelphia has elected to extend the CCVC as a federally supported vaccination center for an additional four weeks. Together and with our partners, FEMA and the City of Philadelphia will continue to provide up to 6,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per day at the CCVC.

Janice Barlow, Acting FEMA Region 3 Administrator, expressed FEMA’s ongoing commitment to the vaccination mission in Philadelphia, “FEMA and our federal, state, and local partners have been working tirelessly over the last several weeks to vaccinate thousands of Philadelphians at the Center City Vaccination Center. This site was one of the first of its kind in the nation and has served as a model of equity and efficiency with regards to vaccine distribution to many other areas in the country. We are proud to continue our partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia to get even more Philadelphians vaccinated over an additional four weeks, especially as eligibility expands.”

“The Center City Vaccination Center has been an extremely successful part of the City’s overall COVID-19 vaccine effort,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “This partnership of federal, state, and local agencies has not only provided hundreds of thousands of doses of life-saving vaccine, but has worked to increase the equitable distribution of that vaccine. I am pleased to see their mission be extended.”

“Cases of COVID-19 are continuing to rise in Philadelphia and the surrounding region, which means it’s more important than ever that every Philadelphian be vaccinated,” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. “The Center City Vaccination Center has been a key component of our overall strategy to make vaccines easily available to everyone who is eligible in Philadelphia.”

Although initially appointment only, to help bridge the digital divide and improve equitable vaccine distribution across the city, the CCVC offered open access and walk-up clinic vaccination opportunities for residents in the City’s most under-vaccinated communities. This open access opportunities resulted in a material increase in residents from these underserved communities getting vaccinated.

The CCVC is staffed by FEMA Civil Rights Advisors and Disability Integration Advisors to ensure the vaccination process is accessible and equitable. To meet the needs of Philadelphia’s diverse communities, on average 19 on-site language interpreters support the CCVC every day, primarily in Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Indonesian, and American Sign Language. Translation services are augmented by a telephonic language line that covers over 100 additional languages.

The CCVC provides an expedited vaccination process for people with access and functional needs. Over 50 wheelchairs are available and used at the CCVC each day. Volunteers from several voluntary service organizations accompany visitors who need assistance, allowing the visitor to move through the vaccination process more smoothly. The CCVC also includes privacy and sensory rooms for visitors who wish to receive their vaccine in private or have sensory sensitivity considerations, which include items like noise-canceling headphones.

With the extension, the CCVC will continue to operate through May 25, 2021. Since the City of Philadelphia’s decision to pause the Johnson and Johnson vaccine well before the CCVC’s opening on April 13th, the CCVC was able to quickly and safely pivot to continuing the administration of first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. No Johnson and Johnson vaccines were delivered at the CCVC on that day and the pivot back to Pfizer was a true testament to the hard work, dedication and focus on patient safety displayed on a daily basis by all interagency partners involved in the large vaccination center’s daily operations.

Vaccines will be provided using a mix of scheduled appointments as well as opportunities for same-day walk-ups. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health will schedule appointments for Philadelphia residents who have completed the City’s Vaccine Interest form between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.. If residents do not have internet access, have issues filling out the online form, or need the form in an additional language, they should call 3-1-1. City residents will also be permitted to walk up without an appointment between 8 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

To check current vaccine eligibility in Philadelphia, please visit the Philadelphia Department of Public Health website.

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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters