FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency

10/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 14:39

FEMA Officials Meet Local Officials as Helene, Milton Recovery Progresses

WASHINGTON - More than a month after Helene made landfall, FEMA officials remain on the ground coordinating with local officials in affected states to help guide their recovery.

Visits included Victoria Salinas, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator, meeting with officials over several days in North Carolina and Florida. There Salinas and other FEMA officials discussed how the communities were progressing in their recovery and surveyed the effectiveness of modern building codes in minimizing storm-related damage.

FEMA has approved more than $1.3 billion in direct assistance to Hurricanes Helene and Milton survivors. These funds help survivors with housing repairs, personal property replacement and other essential recovery efforts. Additionally, over $1.1 billion has been approved for debris removal and emergency protective measures, which are necessary to save lives, protect public health and prevent further damage to public and private property.

More than 1,400 FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance team members are in affected neighborhoods across affected states helping survivors apply for assistance and connecting them with additional state, local, federal and voluntary agency resources.

Also, FEMA now has 76 Disaster Recovery Centers open throughout the hurricane affected communities. Center locations can be found at FEMA.gov/DRC. Centers can provide survivors in-person help with their applications and answer questions they have about available resources to help with their recovery.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Operation Blue Roof which is a free service to homeowners for 25 counties in Florida impacted by Hurricane Milton. Residents can sign-up at www.blueroof.gov or by calling 888-ROOF-BLU (888-766-3258). The sign-up period deadline is Nov. 5.

FEMA encourages Helene and Milton survivors to apply for disaster assistance online as this remains the quickest way to start your recovery. Individuals can apply for federal assistance by:

President Joseph R. Biden has approved major disaster declarations in six states--Florida, GeorgiaNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia--affected by Helene. He has also approved a major disaster declaration for Florida following Hurricane Milton.

These photos highlight response and recovery efforts across states affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton.

SWANNANOA, North Carolina - FEMA sets up a mobile Disaster Recovery Center in an affected North Carolina community. Helene survivors in Swannanoa and nearby areas can visit this center to apply for federal disaster assistance and ask questions about available state and federal resources for their recovery.
SAVANNAH, Georgia - FEMA staff and FEMA Corps members help survivors of Hurricane Helene at the Disaster Recovery Center in Savannah.CORTEZ, Florida - Victoria Salinas, FEMA Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator, and other FEMA personnel join Manatee County officials in the Hunters Point Neighborhood in Cortez. There they spoke with an owner of a property development to talk about how building codes helped the community following the recent hurricanes. COLLETSVILLE, North Carolina - Victoria Salinas, FEMA Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator, surveys the flood damage from Wilson Creek along Brown Mountain Road with members of the Collettsville Fire Department. Salinas also talked with the owners of the Brown Mountain Resort as they shared their story of surviving the flood from Hurricane Helene.

FEMA's Disaster Recovery Toolkit provides graphics, social media copy and sample text in multiple languages. In addition, FEMA has set up a rumor control web page to reduce confusion about its role in the Helene and Milton response and recovery.