Homeland Security Response Efforts Reaching Isabel Victims

Release Date: 09/24/03 00:00:00

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 24, 2003

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is coordinating a massive federal response to the victims of Hurricane Isabel involving thousands of emergency workers and volunteers and millions of pounds of emergency supplies. Residents of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and the District of Columbia are receiving emergency supplies as they clean out residences and businesses, discard damaged belongings and begin the long road to recovery from this massive storm.

The Department's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has moved 3.3 million pounds of ice and 831,000 gallons of bottled water to North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. More than two million pounds of ice and a half million gallons of bottled water have been ordered for delivery on Thursday to the impacted areas.

FEMA-supplied electrical generators have been installed by The Corps of Engineers at 911 call centers, water pumping stations and medical facilities in Virginia. FEMA generators are also providing power in North Carolina. These supplies, along with tents cots, blankets, portable toilets, plastic sheeting and roofing were stocked at four FEMA mobilization centers days before Isabel's landfall and are meeting the critical needs of people affected by Isabel.

The U.S. Coast Guard, also part of Homeland Security, is supporting FEMA and state and local agencies with aircraft, boats and personnel flying missions in support of recovery efforts. Coast Guard assessment teams have identified at least 800 aids-to-navigation markers damaged or missing and have begun to replace critical and damaged markers. The Cape Hatteras Coast Guard team is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to ensure pivotal ferry landings are properly marked.

President Bush has signed federal disaster declarations for the Isabel-impacted states of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and the District of Columbia making them eligible to receive a full range of federal disaster assistance. Federal aid to victims can include temporary housing for disaster victims forced from their homes, grants and low interest loans for home and business repairs, unemployment assistance and crisis counseling. State governments and local jurisdictions may also qualify for public assistance to cover public building and infrastructure damages.

Under Secretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response Michael Brown urged caution when evacuees return to storm damaged residences. "Follow the advice of local authorities as they work to restore services, and please stay alert. While the immediate danger is past, there are still downed power lines and other dangers that threaten public safety," he said.

Homeland Security officials continue to monitor 15 sector-specific Information Sharing and Analysis Centers, including the most vulnerable critical infrastructures such as electricity, telecommunications, water and transportation. Officials are supporting efforts by the private sector to resume critical power and water services in all the impacted areas.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service is supplying food to disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army for mass feeding or household distribution. Disaster organizations request food assistance through state agencies that run USDA's nutrition assistance programs.

The Red Cross reports 25 shelters are operating in 10 states with more than 2,200 volunteers assisting hurricane victims. Two Red Cross kitchens and 13 Southern Baptist Disaster Relief kitchens are supporting feeding activities in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware and have served more 148,000 meals and snacks. Red Cross emergency response vehicles are driving street-to-street in the affected communities providing snacks and water as well as meals to individuals in the clean-up and recovery effort.

This page was last reviewed/modified on 09/24/03 00:00:00.