HURRICANE IKE SIX MONTHS LATER

1  

Hurricane Ike was the No. 1 natural disaster in Texas in 2008.

2  

Ike made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. Its maximum winds of 110 mph barely missed making Ike a Category 3 storm. Wind gusts hit 125 mph.

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FEMA specialists in the field have offered assistance in more than a dozen languages and dialects, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and American Sign Language.

17  

According to National Weather Service estimates, the highest storm surge caused by Hurricane Ike reached 17 feet — and possibly 20 feet in some areas.

37  

FEMA has responded to 37 disasters nationwide in just the six months since Hurricane Ike struck.

50+1  

A total of 50 Texas counties and one tribal nation (Alabama-Coushatta) are eligible for Public Assistance as a result of the presidential disaster declaration. Thirty-four counties and the tribal nation are eligible for Individual Assistance.

74  

As a result of Hurricane Ike, 74 people lost their lives in Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

78  

On Nov. 15, 2008, 78 Texas households moved into FEMA manufactured homes in one day. Today, more than 3,500 households are in temporary housing units, and the direct housing mission is 97 percent complete.

89  

State, volunteer and federal resources opened 89 points of distribution throughout the disaster area to provide meals, water, ice and other essential commodities.

100  

The federal government has agreed to fund 100 percent of eligible debris removal until April 26, 2009. To date, nearly 20.1 million cubic yards of debris have been removed from eligible areas affected by the disaster. That’s a debris pile as big as a football field and nearly eight times the height of the Empire State Building. 

130  

FEMA has operated more than 130 Disaster Recovery Centers, assisting nearly 158,000 people, throughout the affected area.

500  

Ike was a massive hurricane when it hit Texas. The storm system was more than 500 miles wide, including a band of hurricane-force winds about 165 miles wide. Ike’s eye alone was about 46 miles wide.

3,540  

Search and rescue teams coordinated by the Texas Governor’s Division of Emergency Management rescued more than 3,540 Texans and helped an additional 5,798 people evacuate from extremely dangerous situations.

9,500  

The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than 9,500 low-interest disaster loans to businesses, individuals and private nonprofit organizations.

26,244  

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed 26,244 Blue Roofs on residences hit by Hurricane Ike following the disaster.

35,000  

Nearly 35,000 Texans have been assisted under the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program. The program has paid nearly $93 million for the hotel stays of Ike victims who had no housing alternative.

42,000  

The counties designated for assistance in the presidentially declared disaster area cover nearly 42,000 square miles. That is almost the size of the entire state of Tennessee.

86,500  

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Community Education and Outreach Group has handed out more than 86,500 FEMA publications, including some in multiple languages, at home improvement stores, community centers and elsewhere.

400,000  

More than 400,000 housing inspections have been completed. That’s 99.9 percent of the inspection orders issued.

734,000  

More than 734,000 individuals and families registered with FEMA in the months following the disaster.

6.4 Million  

FEMA has provided more than $6.4 million in Disaster Unemployment Assistance to individuals who have been unable to work because of the disaster. The program helps people not normally covered by unemployment insurance.

10 Million  

Federal and state assistance to the Hurricane Ike recovery effort has averaged nearly $10 million per day since Day One of the disaster.

17 Million  

During the early days of the disaster FEMA and the state of Texas delivered more than 17 million meals and 16 million liters of water to points of distribution throughout the affected areas.

114 Million  

More than $114 million has been disbursed to help meet serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance and other aid programs. The Other Needs Assistance program provides funding for personal property, moving and storage, transportation, medical expenses and burial costs.

355 Million  

A total of $355 million is expected to be set aside for the Hurricane Ike Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Already approved through the state’s “fast-track” HMGP program is a $6.9 million grant for the acquisition of 57 flood-prone homes in Jefferson County.

394 Million  

More than $394 million is in the hands of eligible applicants affected by Hurricane Ike for temporary housing assistance and home repairs.

555 Million  

FEMA has obligated more than $555 million in Public Assistance funds for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and repairs of roads and bridges, public buildings and utilities, recreational areas and other public infrastructure.

578 Million  

The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $578 million in low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations.

1.74 Billion  

In just the six months since Hurricane Ike struck, more than $1.74 billion has been approved to help Texas residents, businesses and communities that suffered loss or damage in the storm. That’s 1.74 BILLION DOLLARS!