Tag: FEMA
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Town Announces Public Meeting on Flood Buyouts
Read more: Town Announces Public Meeting on Flood BuyoutsBloomsburg Town Administrator Carol Mas issued a press release this morning announcing that an informational meeting will be held on Wednesday 23 November at 5:30PM in the Town Hall’s Council Chambers for Town residents interested in participating in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). This meeting follows up on the presentation FEMA made to the Town Council on Monday night. All residents interested in possibly participating in the HGMP program, or who are curious about its requirements, scope, and limitations, are encouraged to attend. The complete text of the press release follows: PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM Wednesday,…
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FEMA Addresses Bloom Council on Buyouts
Read more: FEMA Addresses Bloom Council on BuyoutsRepresentatives from FEMA addressed the Bloomsburg Town Council last night, reviewing the particulars of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and stressing that people who wish to apply for Acquisition (commonly referred to as Buyouts) should do so quickly. The deadline for submitting a Letter of Intent/Pre-Application has been extended to Wednesday, 30 November. The Application packet submission deadline has been extended as well, to Friday, 30 December. The Letter of Intent/Pre-Application form can be downloaded from The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. This is a direct link to PEMA’s downloadable PDF of the Letter of Intent. In light of the…
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Time is Running Out – Only Two Weeks Left to Register for Disaster Aid
Read more: Time is Running Out – Only Two Weeks Left to Register for Disaster AidHARRISBURG, Pa. — Survivors of the storms and flooding that ravaged central and eastern Pennsylvania have only two weeks left to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster assistance. The deadline to register is November 14, 2011. Individuals who live, work, or own a business in the 29 Pennsylvania counties designated under the disaster declarations for Hurricane Irene and Tropical Strom Lee are eligible. The counties are Adams, Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Wyoming, and York.…
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Disasters Can Severely Impact the Elderly
Read more: Disasters Can Severely Impact the ElderlyHARRISBURG, Pa. — The losses following Pennsylvania’s storms and flooding last month may be magnified for the elderly. Seniors previously living on their own may be dependent on others for food, shelter and the necessities of daily living. Those used to assisted living may face upheaval in their normal routines or a change in their usual caregivers. Additionally, the stress of the disaster itself can cause significant challenges. Symptoms of stress unique to the elderly include: Reliving events in their lives when they were traumatized or suffered severe losses. Fear of losing their independence or self-sufficiency. Fear of a decline…
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An Update on FEMA Funds and Mobile Homes
Read more: An Update on FEMA Funds and Mobile HomesThe Bloomsburg Daily had a chance to talk with Eugene Brezeny from the FEMA News Desk in Harrisburg this morning. The goal was to get a status update on the amount of funds disbursed to Columbia County at this point, as well as to get an update on the status of FEMA mobile homes and when they might show up in the area. In the statistics news, as of this morning (10/20/2011), FEMA has received 2329 disaster assistance applications from Columbia County for Tropical Storm Lee. Of those, 1436 have been approved. Those approved applications represent $7 million in assistance to Columbia…
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Can We Afford to Play Politics with Disaster Relief?
Read more: Can We Afford to Play Politics with Disaster Relief?My heart goes out to my neighbors and friends in Fernville and the rest of the area that were hit hardest by this disaster. I have witnessed an amazing response by so many individuals and organizations. I’m proud to be a member of a community that is willing to help others in tough times. It’s these values and principals that bind a community like ours together.I was amazed to see the initial clean up effort that occurred in Fernville soon after the flood — people and machinery working to clear debris, the American Red Cross offering food and water, meals being…
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FEMA Approves More Than $165.4 Million in Disaster Relief
Read more: FEMA Approves More Than $165.4 Million in Disaster ReliefHARRISBURG, Pa. — More than $165.4 million in disaster relief is approved for Pennsylvanians struck by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The news was announced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program approved $107.4 Million in grants to eligible applicants for temporary housing, home repairs, personal property losses and other disaster-related needs such as medical, dental and funeral costs. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved close to $25 million in low-interest disaster loans and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) contributed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s recovery…
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FEMA at Lowes through Wednesday
Read more: FEMA at Lowes through WednesdayFEMA hazard mitigation specialists are on hand through Wednesday at the Lowe’s home improvement store in Bloomsburg to provide information about ways to rebuild or remodel that can reduce the risk of damages from future disasters. They also will be there to answer questions about FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. Rebuilding or repairing a home after a disaster can be a daunting task – but, with the right information, homeowners can build back safer, smarter and stronger. FEMA specialists are available in Columbia County to provide that information through Wednesday, October 12. FEMA Mitigation Outreach Lowe’s 50 Lunger Drive Bloomsburg,…
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Deadline Nears to Apply for Disaster Assistance
Read more: Deadline Nears to Apply for Disaster AssistanceThe deadline is nearing for residents and business owners who had damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee to apply for disaster assistance. The registration deadline is November 14, 2011. The deadline to submit a disaster loan application to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for disaster-related losses is also November 14, 2011. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) urge anyone who has not applied for assistance to call FEMA if they suffered damage from the storms and live, work or own a business in one of the following counties…
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Flood Insurance Basics
Read more: Flood Insurance BasicsThe National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a somewhat misunderstood system. According to the FEMA website (who runs the NFIP): “The NFIP is a Federal program created by Congress to mitigate future flood losses nationwide through sound, community-enforced building and zoning ordinances and to provide access to affordable, federally backed flood insurance protection for property owners … Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between local communities and the Federal Government that states that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), the…