09/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/29/2024 17:32
Under President Biden and Vice President Harris's leadership, the Administration is continuing to provide robust and well-coordinated Federal support for the ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene's impacts. The President and Vice President are closely monitoring these efforts and receive regular updates from their teams.
At the President's direction, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell visited Florida over the weekend to assess damage alongside local and state officials. She continued surveying damage today in parts of Georgia before she moves into North Carolina on Monday.
Earlier this evening, Administrator Criswell and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall briefed President Biden on the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene in multiple states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia. Administrator Criswell also updated the President on Federal actions to support response and recovery.
The President directed Administrator Criswell to determine what more can be done to accelerate support to those who are having the most difficult time accessing assistance in isolated communities. He also advised the FEMA Administrator that as soon as it will not disrupt emergency response operations, he intends to travel this week to impacted communities.
Additionally, the Federal government is closely monitoring an additional weather disturbance in the Caribbean Sea that has the potential to form into another storm in the coming week. Residents throughout the Gulf Coast should remain alert, listen to local officials, and make additional preparations as needed.
Additional Federal response actions include:
Approving Major Disaster Declarations
Yesterday, President Biden approved Major Disaster declarations for the states of Florida and North Carolina, allowing survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery. People in 17 counties in Florida and 25 counties in North Carolina, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, can now apply for assistance with FEMA. People can apply in three ways: online by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling 1-800-621-3362 or on the FEMA App.
FEMA assistance in Florida and North Carolina may include upfront funds to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula, and other emergency supplies. Funds may also be available to repair storm-related damage to homes and personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.
Emergency declarations were also approved for Florida, North Carolina Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA provides direct Federal support to states for life saving activities and other emergency protective measures, such as evacuation, sheltering, and search and rescue.
Supporting On-The-Ground Response Efforts
As of today, more than 3,300 personnel from across the Federal workforce are deployed and supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts across the impacted states. This includes the most experienced incident management teams to help identity Federal resources to address unmet needs, as well as Urban Search and Rescue personnel using high water rescue equipment for rescue missions across the region.
At least 50,000 personnel from 31 states and the District of Columbia and Canada are responding to power outages and working around the clock throughout parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to restore power to those communities that can receive power. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving generators and additional power generation assets into the hardest hit areas of South and North Carolina as flood waters recede and debris removal allows. As of this afternoon, approximately 2.3 million customers are without power, down from the region-wide peak of 4.6 million on September 27.
Additional Interagency Support Efforts
Together with state and local partners, the Federal government is actively supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts and is coordinating requests for Federal assistance.
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