Latest news with #DisasterRecovery
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Disaster Recovery Center in Daviess County closes temporarily
HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – The Disaster Recovery Center in Daviess County is closing temporarily starting Sunday. The center location was at 159 Highway 1554 in Stanley. FEMA officials state the center will remain closed until further notice. No reason for the closure was given. For more information about flooding recovery in Kentucky, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers in McDowell County Tuesday
war — Mobile FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are scheduled to open in two McDowell County locations Tuesday to assist residents still working to recovery from the devastating Feb. 15 flood. The mobile FEMA centers are scheduled to be open today in the community of Panther and the city of War to help flood victims apply for federal assistance, according to the McDowell County Commission. A FEMA mobile unit will be set up today at Grants Supermarket in War from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A second FEMA mobile unit will be open today at the Panther Missionary Baptist Church at 362 Greenbrier Mountain Road from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Bradshaw Town Hall, according to a FEMA announcement. Nate Custer, media relations specialist with FEMA, said the McDowell County center in Bradshaw will be open until further notice. Offering the opportunity to speak with FEMA representatives in person, the Bradshaw center will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Sunday. McDowell County is one of four counties including Mercer, Mingo and Wyoming included in a federal disaster declaration from President Donald Trump. FEMA assistance for nine other counties including Raleigh, Greenbrier, Summers, Wayne, Boone, Cabell, Kanawha, Lincoln and Logan is still being evaluated by FEMA. A FEMA Disaster Recovery Center also opened Monday at the Wyoming County Courthouse at 25 Main Avenue in Pineville. The center is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Sundays. Flood survivors are encouraged to bring documentation, especially if they have not yet applied for FEMA assistance. This documentation can be things like a deed, apartment lease or a utility bill showing that the home or apartment is the applicant's primary address, said Nate Custer said, media relations specialist for FEMA. People seeking FEMA assistance can visit the Disaster Recovery Center more than once if they have questions about their applications. Some applicants are more comfortable speaking with FEMA representatives in person, Custer said. They are not limited to one visit. Flood survivors also are not limited to visiting the FEMA center in their home county. They can go to any FEMA center that is open, Custer said. For example, flood survivors that live in one county but work in another can visit the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center closer to their workplace if that is more convenient. A representative of the U.S. Small Business Administration will be at the McDowell County Disaster Recovery Center as well as FEMA. FEMA also has opened a Disaster Recovery Center at the Lifeline Princeton Church of God at 250 Oakvale Road near Princeton. FEMA operated out of the church until Feb. 14 when the agency was helping residents impacted by Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024 apply for assistance. The most recent flood occurred the day after it closed. The Mercer County Disaster Recovery Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be closed on Sunday, according to FEMA's announcement. The center will also be closed on March 15, March 22 and April 19 for the church's previously scheduled events. Disaster Recovery Centers are open to all, including survivors with mobility issues, impaired vision and those who are who are deaf or hard of hearing. Flood survivors do not have to visit a recovery center to register with FEMA. People can call 800-621-FEMA (3362). The toll-free telephone line operates seven days a week. Flood survivors seeking assistance can also register online at or through the FEMA app on their cellphone. For more information on West Virginia's disaster recovery, visit West Virginia Emergency Management Division Facebook page, and The U.S. Small Business Administration announced Monday that additional SBA Recovery Centers are opening in Mercer County and McDowell County. The Mercer County Business Recovery Center opens today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. After today, it will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. and closed on Sundays. The McDowell County Business Recovery Center will open Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the National Guard Armory at 600 Stewart Street in Welch. After this coming Wednesday, it will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will be closed Sundays. SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Business Recovery Centers to answer questions about the federal agency's disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their application. Walk-ins are accepted, but people can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at The U.S. Small Business Administration also has opened a Business Recovery Center at the Princeton Public Library at 920 Mercer Street. This center will be remaining open. The center is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., then Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be closed on Sunday. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
New York Times
20-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Trump Team Plans Deep Cuts at Office That Funds Recovery From Big Disasters
The Trump administration plans to all but eliminate the office that oversees America's recovery from the largest disasters, raising questions about how the United States will rebuild from hurricanes, wildfires and other calamities made worse by climate change. The Office of Community Planning and Development, part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, pays to rebuild homes and other recovery efforts after the country's worst disasters, such as Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and Hurricane Milton in Florida. The administration plans to cut the staff in that office by 84 percent, according to a document obtained by The New York Times. The number of workers would be cut to 150, from 936 when Mr. Trump took office last month. Those cuts could slow the distribution of recovery money to North Carolina and other recent disasters, depending how quickly they happen. 'HUD is carrying out President Trump's broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government to serve the American people at the highest standard,' a spokeswoman for the department, Kasey Lovett, said in a statement. The primary responsibility for rebuilding communities after major disasters falls to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which helps state and local governments pay to repair or rebuild damaged roads, bridges, schools, water treatments plants and other public infrastructure. The agency also provides money to help repair damaged homes. But some disasters are so big that they exceed FEMA's funding, or the damage doesn't fit neatly within FEMA's programs. When that happens, Congress can choose to provide additional help, through a program at HUD called the Community Development Block Grant — Disaster Recovery. That extra help from Congress can involve far greater sums than what FEMA can provide. In 2006, for example, Congress provided almost $17 billion to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. After Hurricane Sandy, Congress gave Housing and Urban Development more than $15 billion to help rebuild the Northeast. As disasters have grown more frequent and severe, HUD's disaster recovery program has become central to the country's strategy for coping with climate change. During the 1990s, Congress typically gave the program a few hundred million dollars a year. Over the past decade, by contrast, Congress has often provided billions or even tens of billions annually. HUD's disaster recovery money also comes with fewer strings attached. The money is largely used to rebuild homes that were either uninsured or underinsured, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency does not pay for. It also goes toward rebuilding infrastructure that's not covered by FEMA, like the private roads and bridges that were significantly damaged by Helene in North Carolina. The money can also be used for job training, to help workers whose employers went out of business after a disaster. Because state and local officials are often overwhelmed by a disaster, and because the influx of federal funds is large and quick, one of HUD's main jobs is ensuring the money isn't lost to waste, fraud or abuse. That includes tasks like helping state and local governments set up systems to avoid paying contractors twice, according to a former official who worked on the program. It can also mean more complicated tasks like coordinating HUD's grants with other federal disaster programs. Housing and Urban Development's community planning and development office was already stretched thin, especially as large-scale disasters have become more frequent. On average, the HUD employees who manage disaster grants are each responsible for overseeing about $1 billion in grants, according to an official who worked in the office. Deep cuts to staffing levels would make it harder for HUD to prevent fraud, waste and abuse, according to two former officials familiar with the program who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. The cuts are being dictated by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, whose stated goal is to reduce fraud, waste and abuse. The community planning and development office is responsible for managing other spending programs beyond disaster recovery. Those include paying for infrastructure upgrades like sewers and sidewalks, affordable housing projects and programs like Meals on Wheels.
