SIOUX FALLS, SD – FEMA mitigation and flood insurance specialists will be at Menards in Sioux Falls and Mitchell next week to offer advice and tips on how to repair storm damage and rebuild safer and stronger.

WASHINGTON – Today, Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf swore in Peter T. Gaynor as FEMA’s Administrator.

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Donald J. Trump's disaster declaration issued for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Assistance for Affected Individuals and Families Can Include as Required: 

WASHINGTON — FEMA announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to supplement Commonwealth and local response efforts to the emergency conditions in the area affected by earthquakes beginning on Dec. 28, 2019, and continuing.

Earlier today, I was sworn in by Acting Secretary Wolf as the 11th Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I am grateful for this honor to lead the men and women of FEMA as we help people before, during, and after disasters.     

January 16, 2020

Dear Fellow Californians:

We at FEMA are committed to our mission of helping people before, during and after disasters. When wildfires raged throughout our state in 2015, 2017 and 2018, we stood with you and helped manage the disasters.

Oakland, CA — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is updating the 2020 flood maps for Maricopa County and the cities of Phoenix and Scottsdale. New maps identify the latest flood hazards, assess flood risks, and provide data to guide local stakeholders in taking effective mitigation actions, resulting in safer and more resilient communities.

SIOUX FALLS, SD— All of the remaining Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in South Dakota are scheduled to permanently close at the end of this week. The deadline for registration is January 31, 2020.

The centers in Alexandria, Mitchell and Madison will close Friday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m.

The center in Plankinton will close Saturday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m.

Since the DRCs have opened, specialists have met with more than 1,100 residents to assist with registrations and resolve issues.

WASHINGTON — Today, FEMA and its emergency management partners released Dr. Carolyn Kousky’s PrepTalk “Harnessing the Power of Disaster Insurance”. In her PrepTalk, Dr. Kousky demonstrates the essential role of insurance in disaster recovery. She explains why not enough people have insurance coverage, and offers suggestions for how the public and private sectors can work together to overcome challenges to increasing insurance coverage across America.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida International University will receive more than $2.7 million in federal grant money to protect the Charles E. Perry/Primera Casa Building on its Modesto A. Maidique campus in Miami against wind hazards caused by severe storms.

ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has approved $1,194,464 for the State of Florida to help St. Johns County defray the costs of responding to Hurricane Irma under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has approved $1,386,224 for the State of Florida to help the City of Fort Lauderdale defray administrative costs associated with Hurricane Irma recovery under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has approved $5,582,253 for the State of Florida to help Pinellas County defray the costs of debris removal for Hurricane Irma under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has approved $1,513,661 for the State of Florida to help the City of Coral Gables defray the costs of responding to Hurricane Irma under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

ATLANTA – A public notice is now available that addresses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s intention to reimburse eligible applicants for costs to repair or replace facilities damaged by severe storms and straight-line winds that occurred during the incident period that began on October 26, 2019 under disaster declaration DR-4471-TN.

Oakland, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted $20 million to the State of California for its Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) program. The grant will subsidize the work of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) for earthquake retrofits on more than 6,300 at-risk structures likely to shake from their foundations in the event of an earthquake.

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – FEMA and the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience, or COR3, have obligated over $2.7 million in additional funds for 22 projects related to the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico. These funds were obligated between January 3 and January 9.

Jan. 13, 2020

DR-4393-NC NR 195

Media Contact: (919) 990-4090

News Release

More Than $1.6 Million Approved for Cumberland County Repairs

In practice, the $5 million “cap” on an EM declaration limit is not a hard limit, and provides a requirement that FEMA notify Congress when an emergency goes above $5 million. In order for the cap to be exceeded, the President must determine that: continued emergency assistance is immediately required; there is a continuing and immediate risk to lives, property, public health or safety; and necessary assistance will not otherwise be provided on a timely basis.

DENTON, Texas –– New floodplain maps become effective on June 19, 2020, for the City of Terrell Hills and multiple well-defined, distinct areas of the City of San Antonio within Bexar County, TX. As the local cooperating technical partner, the San Antonio River Authority developed the new floodplain maps together with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Residents are encouraged to examine the maps to determine if they are now in either a low-to-moderate or special flood hazard area, defined as a high-risk flood zone.