Evacuees live nomadic life after Maui wildfire as housing shortage intensifies and tourists return
Thousands of people displaced by the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century are facing uncertainty as they try to find housing in an expensive housing market thatโs also in high demand as a vacation spot.
Biden says Norfolk Southern must be held accountable for Ohio derailment but won't declare disaster
President Joe Biden ordered federal agencies to continue holding Norfolk Southern accountable for its February derailment in eastern Ohio and appoint a FEMA official to oversee East Palestine's recovery, but he stopped short of declaring a disaster.
FEMA has paid out more than $5.6 million to Maui survivors, a figure expected to grow significantly
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it has approved more than $5.6 million in assistance to nearly 2,000 households in Maui so far as the federal government tries to help survivors of the devastating wildfires.
Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia now eligible for FEMA aid after Ian. Will you be applying?
Individuals and households in Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties can apply for FEMA Individual Assistance, which may include temporary housing assistance, basic home repairs and certain other uninsured disaster-related needs.
Residents hope Ponte Vedra dune restoration project can protect their homes
Some people living in St. Johns County are taking matters into their own hands to save their homes. To help, St. Johns County Commissioners approved a $34 million FEMA enhancement project for extra protection to 20 miles of homes and businesses on Tuesday.
FEMA may be able to supply different COVID vaccine at 4 Florida vaccination sites amid J&J pause
Two days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, public health officials in Florida were still trying to figure out how to make up for the doses they can no longer administer daily.
Federal, state sites halt giving J&J vaccine after FDA calls for โimmediate pauseโ
Gateway Mall and other vaccination sites run by the federal government in Jacksonville discontinued giving Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines after a joint call from the CDC and FDA. State-run sites and private pharmacies have also suspended giving J&J doses but continue with the two-shot vaccines.
FEMA vaccination sites to close as California ramps up shots
Officials said Friday, March 26, 2021, that the vaccine sites have provided nearly a half-million doses so far. The two sites in Oakland and Los Angeles opened in February for an eight-week pilot program that concludes on April 11. AdOfficials in the county and city of Los Angeles are in discussions about maintaining the site in some fashion, said Dr. Paul Simon, the chief science officer for Los Angeles County. โCaliforniaโs commitment to equity is much more than just two vaccination sites," she said. It was updated on March 27, 2021 to correct that vaccination sites will close April 11, not April 15.
Child border crossings surging, straining US facilities
FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum walk at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center, in Dilley, Texas. The number of children crossing by themselves, mostly from Central America, appears to be surging in particular in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. AdThe total of 561 unaccompanied minors from Monday offers a snapshot of how quickly conditions have changed along the border. โTheyโre all coming across the border, theyโre coming fast, and theyโre wearing Biden T-shirts,โ said the Oklahoma Republican. The Biden administration last week ended a Trump policy that made relatives reluctant to contact HHS to retrieve children for fear of being deported themselves.
Vaccination sites open at 2 new locations in Duval County
People line up Sunday morning at the federal vaccination site at the Carver Center in Jacksonville Beach. Two vaccination centers run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened Sunday morning in Duval County. The satellite sites moved from the Westside and Northwest Jacksonville to the Carver Center on 5th Avenue South in Jacksonville Beach and the Oceanway Center on Sago Avenue West on the Northside. FEMA opened the two satellite sites in conjunction with the federally-supported vaccination clinic at the Gateway Mall on the Northside. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is offered at the Gateway Mall site -- not the sites at the Carver and Oceanway centers.
FEMA to help manage unaccompanied minors at US-Mexico border
FILE - In this Monday, March 1, 2021 file photo, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. The Biden administration is turning to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help managing and caring for record numbers of unaccompanied immigrant children who are streaming into the U.S. from Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says FEMA will support a government-wide effort over the next three months, Saturday, March 13, 2021. โ The Biden administration is turning to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help managing and caring for record numbers of unaccompanied immigrant children who are streaming into the United States by illegally crossing the border with Mexico. During an record influx of unaccompanied minors in 2014, the Obama administration also turned to FEMA for help coordinating the governmentwide response.
From shortage to choice: FEMA sites now offering Pfizer or J&J shots
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Starting Saturday morning, both the Pfizer and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available at the Gateway Mall, Normandy Community Center and Hammond Senior Center sites in Jacksonville. The Duval County Alert System sent an alert Saturday morning about who is eligible for coronavirus vaccines. FEMA said approximately 790 people were vaccinated Saturday at Gateway Mall. AdThe Department of Health said that as of Friday, 137,499 people have completed their series of vaccines in Duval County. The site at Gateway Mall is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Gov.
FEMA to open COVID-19 vaccination site at Gateway Mall next month
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ One of four federally-supported vaccination stations to open in Florida next month will be at Gateway Mall on Jacksonvilleโs Northside, Gov. Additionally, each site will have two smaller, mobile satellite sites that will conduct 500 vaccinations per day in underserved areas. The current public vaccination site in Jacksonville run by the Florida Department of Health at Regency Square is averaging 1,000 vaccinations each day. Residents of the area were pleased to hear thereโll be a vaccination site nearby. AdAlso Friday, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced that her agency is launching a bilingual vaccine education campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among the stateโs farmworkers.
DeSantis: Florida still waiting on Moderna vaccine due to weather delays
President Joe Bidenโs administration said delays in vaccine shipments and deliveries were likely, and thatโs the case in Florida. DeSantis said the state did get the vast majority of its Pfizer vaccine shipment this week, about 136,000 doses, but it is still waiting on about 9,000 doses. When it comes to the Moderna vaccine shipment, DeSantis said the entire 200,000-dose shipment has yet to arrive. AdDeSantis said the delay could result in appointment delays for those who are scheduled to get their vaccine at Publix. AdโSo that allows us to increase doses in counties that need it -- (so) that they try to catch up.
Crippling storm hampers vaccinations as FEMA opens new sites
Members of the National Guard help motorists check in at a federally-run COVID-19 vaccination site set up on the campus of California State University of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. FEMA opened its first COVID-19 inoculation sites in Los Angeles and Oakland, part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to get shots into arms more quickly and reach minority communities hit hard by the outbreak. In snowy Chicago, Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said more than a hundred city vaccine sites didnโt get shipments Tuesday because of the extreme weather, leading to many cancellations. The Los Angeles site is โproximate to a community that has been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic,โ Gov. โThe effort here is to address that issue forthrightly.โThe Biden administration plans to establish 100 federally assisted vaccination sites nationwide in cooperation with state authorities.
The Latest: Anchorage opens up after COVID-19 drop, vaccines
Plastic surgeon Daniel Suver receives the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine from Andrea Castelblanco during a vaccine clinic on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is averaging about 60 new COVID-19 cases a day, said Dr. Janet Johnston, the epidemiologist for the Anchorage Health Department. More than 90 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be produced in Japan. Ad___SACRAMENTO -- California reported its second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths โ while the rates of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continue to drop. ___ALBANY, N.Y. โ New York may have undercounted COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents by thousands.
The Latest: Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall
State health officials Monday reported fewer than 13,000 people were being treated for the virus in Texas hospitals, marking the seventh consecutive day of declining patient loads. Some hospitals and clinics have reported having to cancel immunization appointments because they didnโt have enough vaccine doses to distribute. A little more than half of Ochsner employees have yet to get the vaccine, officials said at a news conference Monday. Tessa Walker Linderman, co-lead of Alaskaโs COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, told reporters the state expects to learn soon what its vaccine allocation will be for February. Health officials are also worried about variants that were first reported in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Biden puts forth virus strategy, requires mask use to travel
New York officials are pushing for more COVID-19 vaccine doses as the effort to speed up inoculations collides with a lack of vaccine. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that the city will run out of first doses of COVID-19 vaccine sometime Thursday without fresh supplies. The U.S. mask order for travel being implemented by Biden will apply to airports and planes, ships, intercity buses, trains and public transportation. As part of his COVID-19 strategy, Biden will order the establishment of a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to ensure that minority and underserved communities are not left out of the government's response. Biden is ordering FEMA to reimburse states for the full cost of using their National Guards to set up vaccination centers.
Biden signs burst of virus orders, vows 'Help is on the way'
President Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington. โWe didnโt get into this mess overnight, and it will take months to turn this around,โ Biden said at the White House. Asked about that at the White House on Thursday, Biden told a reporter: โWhen I announced it, you all said itโs not possible. But administration officials stressed that reopening schools safely depends on increased testing. โWe do not have nearly enough testing capacity in this country,โ said White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients.
Watch out LA: Feds calculate riskiest, safest places in US
FILE - In this Monday, June 20, 2016 file photo, smoke from wildfires burning in Angeles National Forest fills the sky behind the Los Angeles skyline. And of the more than 3,000 counties, Los Angeles County has the highest ranking in theNational Risk Index. Chiu)Spending her life in Los Angeles, Morgan Andersen knows natural disasters all too well. And of the more than 3,000 counties, Los Angeles County has the highest ranking in the National Risk Index. The way FEMA calculates the index spotlights places long known as danger spots, like Los Angeles, but some other places highlighted run counter to what most people would think.
Survey finds race- and sex-based harassment 'common' at FEMA
The survey by the RAND Corp. found that such civil rights violations were โcommonโ at FEMA, reported by about 29% of the employees surveyed last year. It found that 20% of FEMA employees reported harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex. A little more than 18% reported violations based on their race or ethnicity. That earlier survey found 24% of women in the military experienced sexual harassment, slightly higher than what was found for women at FEMA. Coreen Farris, the lead author of RANDโs report on FEMA, said the results will provide a baseline for a follow-up survey planned for this spring.
Floridaโs Hurricane Sally victims face obstacles obtaining federal aid
The disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency covers all categories of public assistance for hard-hit Escambia County, including direct federal aid. Damage estimates from Hurricane Sally range from $2 billion to $10 billion. DeSantis' office on Wednesday activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The Florida Division of Emergency Management is also conducting damage assessments that could ultimately lead to federal assistance for individual residences. If itโs bad enough, it grants individual assistance to help victims like Holly and Wayne recover.
Federal jobless benefits approved for Florida
Floridas request to tap into federal money to provide additional unemployment benefits has been approved, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said over the weekend. Ron DeSantis to implement a system to make this funding available to Florida residents, the federal agency said in an online post. President Donald Trump announced the assistance after a program that provided $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits expired in July. That amount, approved in a stimulus plan in the spring, came on top of state jobless benefits. Florida provides up to $275 a week in state benefits that last for 12 weeks, a period that ended long ago for many people who started getting assistance early in the pandemic.
Hurricane Laura further strains FEMA in disaster-filled year
The federal disaster agency has a major role in hurricane response, working with state and local authorities to prepare beforehand and clean-up and rebuild in the aftermath. I think even in a normal hurricane season, a traditional hurricane season, its complicated enough," Gaynor said on ABC's Good Morning America" on Thursday. FEMA, in a written response to questions about the fund, said the executive order includes a provision that ensures the disaster fund won't drop below $25 billion. FEMA has sufficient resources to handle the ongoing response to Hurricane Laura as well as delivering other assistance that has been authorized and directed by the president," Bibo told reporters. With a hurricane season that runs through Nov. 30 and fires still blazing in California, it may get worse.
Protective gear for medical workers begins to run low again
FILE - In this July 5, 2020, file photo, healthcare workers help each other with their personal protective equipment at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The lack of equipment forced states and hospitals to compete against each other, the federal government and other countries in desperate, expensive bidding wars. In general, supplies of protective gear are more robust now, and many states and major hospital chains say they are in better shape. As of mid-June, for example, Montana had received 1,125 items of protective gear per case, compared with 32 items per case in Massachusetts, an early hot spot. A nonprofit group called #GetUsPPE was established in March by physicians to help distribute donated protective gear.
Federal government blasts PG&E's deal with fire victims
That is a public relations nightmare that FEMA is hoping to avoid by reworking the deal that a federal judge approved last month. He also expressed indignation at being forced to seek money from the $13.5 billion settlement, even though FEMA was excluded in the confidential negotiations that led to the deal. Fire victims already have been expressing their outrage over the possibility that a taxpayer-backed agency that's supposed to help disaster victims might end up reducing the amount of money available to them in the $13.5 billion settlement. California has no plans to seek any money from the fire victims even if it isn't fully repaid from the $13.5 billion settlement, Gov. The government agency said it will only ask fire victims for repayments of losses that they also recover from the $13.5 billion settlement.
Jacksonville man sentenced to 21 months for fake disaster aid claims
CNNJACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Jacksonville man was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for providing false information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to receive disaster assistance, the office of U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced Wednesday. Lepoleon Spikes, 47, was also ordered to pay more than $57,789 in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud. According to federal prosecutors, Spikes submitted applications to receive disaster aid from FEMA after Tropical Storm Debby in 2012, Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2017. He falsely claimed that his house in Jacksonville was damaged, causing him to relocate, prosecutors said. The case is part of the Disaster Fraud Task Force, created in September 2017.
SC firefighter helping, killed by a semi
LAKANA(CNN) - A South Carolina firefighter died after he was hit by a semi-truck while helping the victim of a car crash. Lexington County Fire Service engineer Paul Quattlebaum and a partner were headed to a medical call Friday afternoon when they saw a collision scene. Harrison Cahill of Lexington County Fire told CNN affiliate WACH. "His loss is felt greatly throughout the Lexington County Fire Service community as well as the emergency services here in Lexington County, including 911 and EMS." "Paul faithfully served the residents and visitors of Lexington County throughout his career," fire chief Mark Davis said.
Financial picture could lead to budget restraint'
The projections rely on tourism continuing to exceed expectations, as the industry now accounts for a record-high 13.4 percent of overall revenues. The change is expected to cost the state $346.7 million in the current fiscal year. Bradley said while he'd like to see a new gambling deal with the Tribe, the budget for now will be put together without plans to have the money. "I think it's in their best interest, I think it's in the state's best interest to have a deal," Bradley said. The outlook was developed, in part, by analyzing programs that have historically driven significant increases in the state's budget, including Medicaid, public-school funding and constitutional requirements.
US moves FEMA & Coast Guard money to fund border programs
The sprawling 240,000-person Homeland Security Department includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and the new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in addition to immigration agencies. The money will come out of unobligated money from the base disaster relief fund at FEMA, lawmakers said. The chairwoman of the House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee, Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, said the reprogramming would support "inhumane" programs and take away necessary funding for other agencies. Homeland Security officials will also transfer $116 million to fund detention bed space for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Without the funding increase ICE can't keep up with apprehensions by Border Patrol.
FEMA OKs $1.7M to help rebuild Irma-damaged dunes on Jacksonville beaches
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $1.7 million to help Jacksonville cover the expenses of rebuilding dunes on city beaches damaged in 2017 by Hurricane Irma, the agency announced Tuesday. Waves caused by Irma largely wiped out dunes and plants that had been installed only months earlier to repair damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Additionally, FEMA will reimburse Jacksonville nearly $4.1 million for the cost of overtime worked by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department before, during and after Irma. FEMA also approved nearly $2 million to help Clay County defray the costs of Irma debris removal. The new grant is in addition to about $28 million FEMA already provided to the state for similar activities.
FEMA awards Putnam County nearly $1.5M for improved drainage system
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. - Putnam County will receive a federal grant to fund designing a new and improved drainage system near St. Johns Avenue in Palatka to prevent flooding during heavy rain events, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Tuesday. The nearly $1.5 million grant from FEMA will help pay to design, engineer, permit and put out to bid the project, which is expected to include an improved culvert system and a new stormwater retention pond. The project includes a large culvert that would replace the existing ditch collection system and concrete pipes that would feed stormwater into the proposed new pond, FEMA said. I welcome these funds to Putnam County.According to FEMA, the project will be designed to provide protection against a 100-year rain event. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
FEMA awards Jacksonville $5.2M for Hurricane Irma expenses
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The City of Jacksonville will get more than $5.2 million for Hurricane Irma expenses. The money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the city for debris removal costs and other repairs to buildings, roads and utilities. FEMA will reimburse $3.1 million to Clay County for debris removal costs. FEMA has also approved $1.1 million for the Florida Department of Transportation to defray the costs of debris removal from Irma under the federal agency's Public Assistance Program. Those funds will reimburse for costs of the collection, reduction, disposal and site management of debris following the September 2017 storm.
Why New Orleans is vulnerable to flooding: It's sinking
Sean Gardner/Getty Images(CNN) - New Orleans was built above sea level, but over time, it's been sinking. And from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to threats of flooding this week, a few facts on -- and in -- the ground explain why the Big Easy is uniquely vulnerable to massive flooding. Settlers who got the best land were able to build only about 10 feet above sea level. By the 1930s, one-third of the city was below sea level, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Scientists found that the ground in the area was sinking at a rate of 1 centimeter a year.
FEMA: Sign up for flood insurance before it's too late
Thats why the Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Flood Insurance Program are calling for Jacksonville residents to take steps to prepare for a storm before its too late. Hurricane preparations checklist Here are some of the steps you can take right now to prepare for a hurricane. So why get flood insurance? Insured losses from Hurricane Michael have topped $6.6 billion in Florida, according to figures provided by the Office of Insurance Regulation. If youve purchased flood insurance, it can help you or your business rebound much faster from a storm.
Former FEMA director: Florida shortsighted when it comes to hurricane threat
For Florida alone, damage from Hurricane Irma has cost the federal government more than $8 billion in disaster relief. One month into hurricane season, the state hasnt seen a single named storm, but Fugate said it doesnt matter. The most active part of hurricane season starts when we start playing college football, Fugate added. Fugate said all Floridians should review their insurance policies in preparation for hurricane season to understand where they might lack coverage. He also recommended all Floridians acquire flood insurance, even if they dont live in a designated flood zone.
Floridians urged to prepare for power outages this hurricane season
As you read this, chances are that you're using a device that's powered or charged by electricity. That's why it's a good idea to prepare now for living without things many of us take for granted, like Wi-Fi and cell service, before a hurricane blows through and knocks out these connections, sometimes for days or weeks.
FEMA extends deadline for flood insurance claims following Hurricane Matthew
ATLANTA โ The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced on Tuesday that people affected by Hurricane Matthew now have more time to finalize their proof of loss flood insurance claims. FEMA issued an additional extension for National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. An NFIP proof of loss form includes detailed estimates with necessary documents supporting the cost to replace or repair the damaged property. An insurance adjuster may assist the policyholders in preparing their proof of loss form as specified in the policyholders standard flood insurance policy. For additional questions, policyholders may contact their insurance company, or the NFIP customer care center at 800-621-3362, option 2.