Latest news with #DisasterRecoveryCenters
WIRED
05-05-2025
- Politics
- WIRED
FEMA Is Ending Door-to-Door Canvassing in Disaster Areas
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is making significant changes to how it will respond to disasters on the ground this season, including ending federal door-to-door canvassing of survivors in disaster areas, WIRED has learned. A memo reviewed by WIRED, dated May 2 and addressed to regional FEMA leaders from Cameron Hamilton, a senior official performing the duties of the administrator, instructs program offices to 'take steps to implement' five 'key reforms' for the upcoming hurricane and wildfire season. Under the first reform, titled 'Prioritize survivor assistance at fixed facilities,' the memo states that 'FEMA will discontinue unaccompanied FEMA door-to-door canvassing to focus survivor outreach and assistance registration capabilities in more targeted venues, improving access to those in need, and increasing collaboration with [state, local, tribal, and territorial] partners and non-profit service providers.' FEMA has for years deployed staff to travel door-to-door in disaster areas, interacting directly with survivors in their homes to give an overview of FEMA aid application processes and help them register for federal aid. This group of workers is part of a larger cadre often called FEMA's 'boots on the ground' in disaster areas. Ending door-to-door canvassing, one FEMA worker says, will 'severely hamper our ability to reach vulnerable people.' The assistance provided by workers going door-to-door, they say, 'has usually focused on the most impacted and the most vulnerable communities where there may be people who are elderly or with disabilities or lack of transportation and are unable to reach Disaster Recovery Centers.' This person spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Water has frightening power when nature weaponizes it
I got a call early Tuesday morning from Nate Custer, a media relations specialist with FEMA, about walking along with FEMA representatives going door-to-door and helping victims of the Feb. 15 flood. This idea had been discussed earlier, but I didn't expect it quite so soon. However, that's the nature of the news beast. Things come up at the last minute and you adjust your schedule. I told him I'd meet with him and the FEMA team at a hotel near Princeton. Fortunately I live in that area, so I didn't have to scramble too much. I called photographer Tara Wyatt so she wouldn't have to scramble too much and gave her the time and place. I rendezvoused with the team and Tara arrived a few minutes later. Soon we were following Custer and the FEMA team to Spanishburg and a neighborhood that Keith Gunnoe, director of the Mercer County Office of Emergency Management, had asked them to visit. It was a little ironic because I was familiar with Spanishburg's location and they were not, but their GPS didn't get confused by the mountains and we arrived at the right location near the Rich Creek Baptist Church. Over the years I've visited plenty of places that had been hit by flooding. I've seen where raging flood waters have picked up and demolished homes and swept away pickup trucks as if they were a little kid's toys. Water has frightening power when nature weaponizes it. Roads and whole hillsides are washed away and homes are lifted right off their foundations. I've been in what were once nice homes where flood waters left stinking mud all over the floors, the walls and sometimes even the ceilings. That Spanishburg neighborhood didn't have that level of devastation, but visitors could see where the flooded Bluestone River had left its mark. Debris was piled up outside of some homes where the flood had reached the homes' basements and their ground floors. Soon the FEMA team was going door-to-door, calling out 'FEMA!' and knocking on doors. They left fliers with FEMA information on doors where there were no replies. One woman who answered the knock at her door said she was glad to see the FEMA team and appreciated how they were taking time to visit flood survivors personally. Flood victims can contact FEMA at 1-800-621-23362 or register online at but not everybody is comfortable with applying over the phone or online. To offer these people another option, FEMA teams are doing personal visits and have what the agency calls Disaster Recovery Centers or DRCs so flood victims can visit the agency's representatives personally to file applications and get answers to their questions. The Mercer County Disaster Recovery Center is located at the Lifeline Church of God off 250 Oakvale Road near Princeton. Mercer County's center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed Sunday. This center will be closed March 22 and April 19 for the church's previously scheduled events. Over in McDowell County, a Disaster Recovery Center is located at Bradshaw Town Hall, 10002 Marshall Highway in Bradshaw. It's open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Sunday. FEMA teams also will be helping residents with their applications at Jimmy's Hardware and Supply in McDowell County until today. The FEMA team Tara and I followed Tuesday morning were used to less-than-ideal conditions, but they accepted how that's part of their job. I've talked to flood victims while they work to clear out their homes and deal emotionally with their losses. One of the team's members, Paula Cassarino, said they need compassions because they are trying to help people who have experienced loss. They might have a little loss such as damaged or lost possessions or they might have lost their homes. It's important for these flood victims to see that they're being regarded as people and not numbers on a spread sheet. Flood recovery is underway, but the fact that local officials and federal employees from out of state are reaching out personally does make a difference. Flood victims know there are people out there who care about their situation and want to help them. This alone can help move along the healing process.
CBS News
06-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
LA Disaster Relief Navigator connects wildfire victims to resources online
A one-stop online Los Angeles Disaster Relief Navigator is up and running for people affected by recent wildfires. Mayor Karen Bass along with the Mayor's Fund launched the comprehensive site for personalized action plans, tailored to individual needs, based on fire zones. "This action plan is meant to provide you with valuable resources and tips to guide you through the wildfire recovery process. We've organized the information to make it easier for you to get the help you need," the LA Disaster Relief website reads. The online click-through process starts with, "What fire impacted you?" listing Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Hughes, Hurst and Other as options. Prompts continue to determine needs from housing and food to income loss and ID replacement. "Angelenos are continuing to navigate grief and shock. My commitment is to do everything we can to get people the help they need as conveniently as possible," Mayor Bass said. "The Disaster Recovery Centers have already helped more than 5,000 families get help in person, and now the LA Disaster Relief Navigator will help Angelenos get help wherever they are."
Los Angeles Times
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
Your car didn't escape the fire. Here's how to get rid of it
In the chaos of fleeing from the fast-moving flames of the Palisades and Eaton firestorms, many evacuees were forced to abandon their cars, some in the middle of the street, to escape the blaze. There are a few options for disposing of your damaged or destroyed vehicles. Fire survivors from both communities are currently not allowed to return to their fire-damaged properties to clean up or remove fire debris, including scorched cars, until a hazardous materials inspection is completed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The inspection is done during the first phase of a debris removal program led by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. In this first phase, which is free to residents, the EPA will go through burned areas to assess, remove and safely dispose of household hazardous materials including paints, cleaners, solvents, oils, batteries, herbicides and pesticides. Once the EPA cleanup crews deem a property to be free of hazardous waste and materials, a completion sign is placed on the property. This means the property is ready for Phase 2. The EPA will update its online map so the public can track the status of the EPA's work. In the second phase of the program, owners of destroyed structures will be able to participate in a government-sponsored program to have their properties cleared of fire debris, including burned cars. You don't have to be. If you decide to opt into the second phase of the county's debris removal program, the damaged vehicles will be removed free of charge. Vehicles left behind on a burned property will be removed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the second phase of the program, said Lisette Guzman, public information officer for the Department of Public Works. 'The vehicles will then be taken to a lot where the county will process [them] for recycling,' she said. The process for removing fire-damaged or destroyed vehicles will be the same for residents of burned areas in Altadena and the Palisades communities. You can opt into the county's second phase of the program by submitting a 'right of entry' form, which gives the government authority to manage debris removal from your property. That entails: To participate in the county program you must fill out and submit an 'opt-in' form that can be downloaded online or found at one of the Disaster Recovery Centers. There are several options to submit the form: You can also work with a licensed private company to dispose of your vehicle by going through your auto insurance provider, according to the California Department of Insurance. If you want to go this route and not participate in the county removal program, you have to first opt out of the county program by filling out and submitting an 'opt out' form. The form can be submitted by: After submitting your 'opt out' form, you need to apply for a cleanup permit from the county's EPIC-LA online portal to handle debris removal from your property. This step cannot be done until after you receive EPA certification of the completion of the Phase 1 hazardous material cleanup on your property. The county will then review your application along with your contractor's work plan to ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards. You will be responsible for any removal costs that exceed your insurance settlement amount for debris removal. When it comes to removing a fire damaged vehicle, the cost will be covered if you have a comprehensive insurance coverage policy that covers the loss of the vehicle as well as the process of recovering it, said Mark Friedlander, spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute. That's because the comprehensive portion of an auto insurance policy covers damage from wildfires and other natural disasters, including floods, windstorm damage and hail damage, Friedlander said. Your insurance claim adjuster will walk you through the process. Yes, the removal of fire-damaged electric and hybrid cars is the same as other vehicles if you opt into the second phase of the debris removal program. The only difference is that during the first phase of the debris removal program, the EPA will remove the car batteries along with your home backup power supplies, items that are considered household hazardous materials. Cleanup teams must de-energize and decommission the batteries for proper recycling and disposal. If you had to abandon your car on the road, it's likely that the damaged vehicle has already been removed. In the Pacific Palisades community, the Los Angeles Police Department is responsible for the removal of fire-damaged cars, according to county officials. In Altadena, the responsible agency is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The California Department of Motor Vehicles' Investigations Division is working to identify damaged vehicles, including those whose vehicle identification numbers are not identifiable because of fire damage, said Ronald Ongtoaboc, spokesperson for the DMV. If you lost your driver's license, registration, vehicle title or disabled placard in the Los Angeles-area fires, you can apply for replacements from the DMV and have the fees waived. For example, you can request a replacement driver's license or identification card by visiting a local Disaster Recovery Center where DMV officials can help you replace or reapply for the documents. You can seek the same assistance at your nearby DMV office. A list of DMV locations and contact information is here; online appointments can be made here.
