Hurricane Katrina Response And Recovery Update
Release Date: September 4, 2005
Release Number: HQ-05-198B
WASHINGTON D.C. - One hundred percent of evacuees housed in the New Orleans Superdome and Convention Center have been evacuated and more than 30,000 National Guard troops are on the ground in Louisiana and Mississippi to provide help with search, rescue, and security in the disaster-stricken area, Michael D. Brown, Department of Homeland Securitys Principal Federal Official for Hurricane Katrina response and head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced earlier today.
"Progress is being made, but we continue to search for victims and are working day and night to ensure that people have the food, water, medical attention, and shelter they need," said Brown. "Every resource available is being deployed by FEMA and the entire Federal government to rescue, aid in the suffering, and protect and preserve lives. We will not rest until these needs are met."
Brown, along with state and federal partners, and voluntary agencies, is holding press briefings twice a day to provide updates on response efforts. To date:
- All evacuees at the New Orleans Superdome and Convention Center, more than 22,000 people, have been bused or airlifted from disaster-stricken areasadditional evacuees from these two locations are anticipated. Estimated relocations:
Alabama 6,000
District of Columbia 1,000
Florida 1,400
Georgia 900
Louisiana 60,000
Mississippi 16,000
Tennessee 100
Texas 137,000
Total: 222,400
- Approximately 12,500 evacuees are being hosted at the Houston Astrodome.
- As of today, 563 shelters opened in 10 states with a total population of 151,409 people sheltered.
- A 12-car Amtrak train making two round trips daily between New Orleans and Lafayette, LA, will evacuate 650 passengers on each train to various destinations.
- More than 35,000 people have been evacuated from Louisiana.
- Over 100 million ready meals (MREs) have been shipped by the Department of Defense to shelters and more than 170,000 meals are being served each day in affected areas.
- In Louisiana, there are currently 29 Disaster Medical Teams (DMAT); 5 Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT); 2 Veterinary Assistant Teams (VMAT); and 1 Mental Health Team.
- In Mississippi, there are currently 10 DMATs; 5 DMORTS; and 1 Mental Health Team.
- More than 30,000 National Guard are on the ground to provide response, rescue, recovery and law enforcement, and are working around the clock to bring critical aid and support to hurricane victims. An additional 12,730 Active Duty military personnel have also been deployed.
- During the past week, the U.S. Coast Guard saved 15,665 people, which is more than three times the number of lives saved in all of 2004.
- 5,877 FEMA personnel have been deployed to the field, including:
- 1,811 National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) medical professionals
- 1,777 Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) staff
- FEMA has received more than 10,000 charitable offers though the web link to the National Emergency Resource Registry.
Affected individuals in declared counties can register online for disaster assistance at www.fema.gov or call FEMAs toll-free registration line 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) TTY 800-462-7585, hours. Victims are encouraged to register on-line due to the possibility of high call volume. If registering by phone, owners of commercial properties and residents with only minor losses are urged to wait a few days before calling so those whose homes were destroyed or heavily damaged can be served first. Phone lines are open 24-hours, 7 days a week.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Monday, 05-Sep-2005 08:23:41