Federal Aid Provided In Support Of Presidential Declaration Of Major Disaster In Texas
Release Date: July 24, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-146
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for Texas, in support of the Presidential declaration, to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by Hurricane Dolly beginning on July 22, 2008, and continuing.
Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FEMA and its federal partners continue to work closely with state and local governments as well as with the private sector to support areas impacted by wind, rain and floods caused by the storm.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- FEMA has deployed resources and response teams to Texas.
- FEMA has activated the National Response Coordination Center in Washington and the Region Response Coordination Center in Denton, Texas. Two state liaison officers have been deployed to the Texas State Emergency Operations Center.
- An Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) has been deployed to Austin to support the state with coordination of federal assets.
- An IMAT is composed of 15 professionals, specially trained and designated to be the first federal responders on the ground and to coordinate federal activities and provide initial situational awareness.
- FEMA Logistics has deployed to San Antonio, Ft. Sam Houston and Moore Airfield:
- 5 Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (MDRC),
- 1 Urban Search & Rescue cache,
- 1 50-Pack of generators,
- 1 Logistics Support Vehicle,
- 2 trucks of tarps, and
- 2 trucks of blue roof materials/plastic sheeting.
- In addition, FEMA Logistics has on-hand in Ft. Worth, TX:
- 613,800 liters of water,
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- 776,988 meals (MREs),
- 232,004 tarps,
- 240,731 blankets,
- 62,509 cots, and
- 235 generators.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- DHS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has 3,500 personnel in the region. Fifteen search and rescue, swift water rescue qualified personnel and equipment were deployed to the Rio Grande Valley area.
- CBP has activated the lead field coordinator to oversee coordination of CBP assets.
- CBP is coordinating wit the State of Texas and FEMA to provide a post-event damage assessment flight.
National Guard Bureau
- 526 National Guard members are providing response forces, transportation, medical and logistical support to civil authorities throughout southern Texas.
- The Texas National Guard has nearly 20,800 highly trained Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen prepared to respond to a natural disaster in support of civilian responders
- The National Guard has six UH-60 Black Hawks, one OH-58 Kiowa with crews on standby for possible search and rescue missions in response to Hurricane Dolly.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to identify assets and stands ready to work closely with state and local emergency managers and federal agencies to advise and assist communities with professional engineering expertise and support.
- As of 24 July, a total of 39 Corps of Engineers' personnel are prepared to support FEMA with federal missions.
- Soldiers with the Corps of Engineers' 249th Engineering Battalion have deployed to the region and prepared to provide emergency electrical power to critical public infrastructure if needed.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Ocean Service Navigation Response Team arrived in the Brownsville, Texas area to conduct hydrographic surveys to locate any potential seaport waterway obstructions.
- National Geodetic Survey is prepared to initiate fly-overs of damage areas if requested by federal or state authorities.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- DOE personnel continue to staff the RRCC and the NRCC 24-hours a day and provide assistance related to energy systems and supplies. American Electric Power is reporting 197,349 customers without power in the State of Texas. The outages include customers in 8 counties: Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Nueces, Starr, and Willacy.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has contacted critical care facilities in the region to ensure hospitals, nursing homes and others have the necessary supplies and generators to support themselves for up to 72 hours.
- All necessary medical evacuations were completed prior to the storms landfall.
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has caches of health care materials available in Texas to support any additional needs.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are coordinating with federal and state officials on the most likely health issues to arise during a Hurricane and subsequent flooding.
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD): Northern Command
- DoD deployed to San Antonio a Defense Coordinating Officer and Defense Coordinating Element to coordinate any requests for assistance.
American Red Cross (ARC)
- 17 emergency response vehicles (ERVs) are currently in affected counties in the Rio Grande Valley. 13 additional ERVs are en route.
- Four Southern Baptist feeding kitchens, in coordination with state officials and the ARC, are on standby with a capacity of 70,000 meals a day.
- The Red Cross is working with state officials on bulk distribution locations and feeding operations.
- ARC has agreements with local officials to assume management of shelters post landfall as needed. The ARC has already assumed managerial control of two shelters in Willacy County and one in Cameron.
- 444 American Red Cross personnel are currently assigned to the mission.
FEMA coordinates the federal governments role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Thursday, 24-Jul-2008 18:16:03