BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $3 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse the state for the costs of setting up temporary hospital facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $3,076,350 Public Assistance grant will go to the Rhode Island Department of Administration for contracting to set up and operate three alternative hospital sites totaling nearly 1,400 hospital beds to provide medical treatment to COVID-19 patients between July and October 2021.
The three sites – the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, the former Citizens Bank Call Center in Cranston, and the former Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Quonset – cared for approximately 4,300 patients.
The state contracted for security, cleaning, waste removal, utilities; transportation of equipment and furniture, and decommissioning costs.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the State of Rhode Island with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
These grants brings the total awarded by FEMA to the State of Rhode Island to almost $475 million to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.
BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $7.7 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse the state health department for the costs of providing testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $7,666,294 Public Assistance grant will go to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) for contracting with laboratory partners ACCU Reference Medical Lab, Dominion Diagnostics and East Side Clinical Laboratory to complete a total of 81,632 COVID-19 tests during July 2021.
RIDOH also provided medical supplies which were used at the Rhode Island State Health Laboratory, mobile test sites, and the community-based testing sites. Supplies included laboratory supplies, testing supplies, testing kits, and specimen collection materials.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the State of Rhode Island with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
These grants brings the total awarded by FEMA to the State of Rhode Island to almost $475 million to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $1.3 million to the Central Maine Medical Center to reimburse the cost of contracting for temporary staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,267,123 Public Assistance grant will go to the 250-bed, level 2 trauma center in Lewiston to cover the cost of 57 additional temporary medical staff working 6,929 hours between Februay 2021 and February 2022.
Central Maine Medical Center was able to set up universal screening measures for staff and visitors to check for COVID-19 symptoms, as well as care for those patients who had COVID-19.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the State of Maine with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”
So far, FEMA has provided more than $137 million in Public Assistance grants to Maine to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.
BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $1 million to Emmanuel College to reimburse the college for the cost of contracting to administer diagnostic testing for staff and students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,041,054 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the private Catholic college in Boston for the cost of providing 35,140 tests between January and July 2021, as well as providing professional and support staffing for the testing, scheduling, symptoms checking, monitoring, and results reporting.
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states, communities and certain private non profit organizations recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
So far, FEMA has provided more than $1 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.
BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $10.3 million to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to reimburse it for the cost of keeping it public transit systems safe and operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $10,288,865 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the MBTA for the costs associated with disinfecting equipment and facilities between July and September 2020, as well as other steps taken to protect the public and its employees.
The authority used contract labor and paid overtime for its employees to disinfect the subway (the Red, Orange, Blue, and Green subway lines), bus (171 bus routes and 4 rapid transit routes), commuter rail, ferry, and The RIDE (MBTA’s door-to-door paratransit service) systems.
The MBTA also provided personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks, hand sanitizer, and wipes to its personnel, installed barriers between operators and the public, and installed signage and crowd control measures at various locations throughout the system.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the MBTA with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Keeping public transit operating safely during the pandemic was critical to allowing essential workers to continue to commute to their jobs, as well as providing service to the general public.”
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
So far, FEMA has provided more than $1 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $3.7 million to the State of Maine to reimburse the cost of using hotel rooms to isolate vulnerable homeless shelter populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $3,705,896 Public Assistance grant will go to the Maine Department for Health and Human Services to cover the cost of providing hotel rooms as non-congregate shelter to populations who needed to be isolated from general shelter populations between October 2020 and May 2021.
Approximately 1,022 individuals and 163 families were housed in hotels including brands such as Howard Johnson, Comfort Inn, and Motel 6 as part of the effort to protect persons in congregate shelter facilities from infection.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the State of Maine with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”
So far, FEMA has provided almost $138 million in Public Assistance grants to Maine to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.
BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $1 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse the state health department for the costs of implementing technology needed to detect and track infections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,065,634 Public Assistance grant will go to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) for contracting to put in place technological tools to help protect the public between March and December 2021.
Some of the measures supported by this technology included testing, case investigation, outbreak response, quarantine and isolation, and public communications.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the State of Rhode Island with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
These grants brings the total awarded by FEMA to the State of Rhode Island to almost $477 million to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.
BOTHELL, Wash. – This fire season, FEMA is urging caution with any Fourth of July celebrations that include fireworks, campfires, or grilling and is encouraging residents to be mindful of rising temperatures heading into the summer season. While fireworks and outdoor gatherings go hand-in-hand with the holiday and summer months, they also intensify wildfire danger and may put lives at risk.
Over 1.5 million acres have already burned in the state of Alaska, and over 52 percent of the state of Oregon is facing severe drought conditions. Outdoor activities (e.g. driving on high grass, camping, grilling) heighten the threat of human-caused wildfires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, an estimated 19,500 fires reported to local fire departments in the U.S. in 2018 were started by fireworks with more than one-quarter of the fires started by fireworks in 2014-18 reported on the Fourth of July. The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a display put on by professionals or view a virtual show. Be sure to heed local regulations for firework use.
“With the excitement of the holiday and the long-anticipated arrival of summer weather, it’s easy to forget that certain outdoor activities can pose a risk for wildfires and for our own health and safety,” said FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie G. Nunn. “Between following a few safety tips and taking part in local, professionally-staged fireworks displays and alternative activities, there are countless ways that we can safely enjoy the Fourth of July and the summer season.”
As temperatures across the region begin to climb, FEMA encourages everyone to learn the signs of heat-related illness and practice extra caution when outdoors and when temperatures reach over 90 degrees:
Identify places in your community where you can go to stay cool or check with local authorities for cooling centers near you, wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing, drink plenty of fluids, and be sure to check on family members, seniors, and neighbors.
FEMA wishes you a safe and happy holiday weekend and summer season.
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Follow FEMA Region 10 on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest updates and visit FEMA.gov for more information.
FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma homeowners and renters in seven counties who sustained damage from the recent severe storms, tornadoes and flooding from May 2-8 could be eligible for help from FEMA.
The designated counties for FEMA Individual Assistance are Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Pottawatomie, Seminole and Tulsa.
The fastest and easiest way to apply for assistance is by visiting disasterassistance.gov.
If it is not possible to apply online, call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone lines operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT seven days a week. For Monday, July 4, the operating hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.
When you apply for assistance, have this information readily available:
Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying
Your Social Security number, if available
A general list of damage and losses
If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name
Remember to keep receipts from all purchases related to cleanup and repair.
Disaster assistance may include financial help with temporary lodging and home repairs along with other programs to assist families recovering from effects of the event.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans are available to businesses of all sizes, nonprofits, homeowners and renters. Like FEMA, SBA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance.
For small businesses, those engaged in aquaculture and most nonprofits: Up to $2 million is available for working capital needs even if there was no property damage, with a $2 million maximum loan for any combination of property damage and working capital needs.
For homeowners: Up to $200,000 is available to repair or replace their primary residence. For homeowners and renters: Up to $40,000 is available to replace personal property, including vehicles.
If you have homeowners or renters insurance, you should file a claim as soon as possible. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If your policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may then be eligible for federal assistance.
PHILADELPHIA – In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused widespread damage across the eastern United States. Five decades later, FEMA Region 3 and our partners are remembering this significant storm through an interagency website, videos, webinars, and other products and events. We welcome you to use these resources to help tell the story of Agnes and encourage everyone to take steps now to be prepared for future storms.
State-led flood risk management teams, known as the Silver Jackets, of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia collaborated with partners including FEMA Region 3 to create this interactive and comprehensive website. It contains details about the impact of Hurricane Agnes, information about how emergency response has evolved in the past 50 years, actions people can take to be prepared for hurricanes and flooding, and information about flood mitigation efforts in the northeast since Agnes, including an interactive map showing the storm track of Agnes and the location and type of various mitigation projects.
1972: The world of flood control and mitigation changed when Hurricane Agnes devastated many communities in the mid-Atlantic with her floodwaters. Those charged with fighting floods have used a variety of mitigation methods and policy to keep rising waters at bay, and this documentary short gives a brief introduction and local area perspective.
1972: The world of flood control and mitigation changed when Hurricane Agnes devastated many communities in the mid-Atlantic with her floodwaters. Those charged with fighting floods have used a variety of mitigation methods and policy to keep rising waters at bay, and this documentary short gives a brief introduction and local area perspective.
Dave DeCosmo saw firsthand what the damage of a hurricane can do to the flow of information and how important it is to make sure people get truthful, timely updates during and after a storm. Listen to his incredible, moving story as Dave recounts his experiences during Hurricane Agnes in locations he hasn't visited since she blew through the mid-Atlantic states 50 years ago. This Atlantic hurricane season, we are encouraging everyone to learn more about their flood risk and take actions NOW to be prepared. Even decades later, the stories of Agnes still resonate and can help us be better prepared for the threats of the future. With climate change, extreme rainfall and flooding events are becoming more common, and lessons learned after storms like Agnes will be even more valuable.
Deb Kennedy lived through Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Her family didn't evacuate in time. She shares her harrowing story, commemorating the 50th anniversary of a storm that brought destruction to the mid-Atlantic and in part, led to the creation of FEMA several years later.
On this episode, FEMA remembers Hurricane Agnes on the 50th Anniversary of the storm by looking back at the impacts to the Mid-Atlantic and looking ahead to predicting the future effects of hurricanes in the region. We discuss how Hurricane Agnes shaped the field of emergency management and the how emergency managers today are still using lessons that were learned from the storm.
Mitigation works. Agnes was a devastating flood but projects in place at the time of the storm significantly reduced its impact. US Army Corps Baltimore District estimates projects in its region prevented $480 million in damage. Since Agnes, federal state and local governments have invested even more to reduce the harm of future floods but the nature of mitigation is changing. During this webinar, panelists discussed the history of mitigation at the time of Agnes, what we’ve done since the storm, and how mitigation programs are evolving to overcome increasing challenges.
It’s been half a century since Hurricane Agnes caused widespread devastation in our region but there are still many lessons to be learned from the impacts of the storm and the emergency response. During this webinar, panelist David DeCosmo, a former WYOU news broadcaster who was appointed to be the Luzerne County Civil Defense Public Information Officer during the storm, described his experience working as part of the response efforts and communicating with the public. FEMA Region 3 Hurricane Program Manager Mike Bilder accompanied David to provide insight into the immediate impacts of Agnes and how this storm compares to others we have experienced more recently.
We all have a role to play as we prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, and reflecting on Agnes now will help us be more prepared for the future. Visit Hurricanes | Ready.gov and Floods | Ready.gov to learn more about your risk and act today.
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