The agency announced on Friday that it will fundamentally overhaul the way it delivers aid to survivors, launching new programs to provide quick cash payments to those in need and eliminating much of the bureaucracy that hampers aid access.
“This is really a transformational, deeply impactful, meaningful, and historic change in our provision of individual assistance to survivors of natural disasters,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA. “For too long, in the face of too many natural disasters and extreme weather events, survivors have had to overcome many barriers to access to federal assistance.”
A transmission tower and downed lines in the mountainous terrain of eastern Puerto Rico. Workers from the island and throughout the United States have worked to restore power after Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September.
It took months to restore electricity in Puerto Rico after hurricanes dealt a one-two punch. Many homes are still without power, and the system’s future is far from certain.
nytimes.com - by JAMES GLANZ and FRANCES ROBLES - Photographs by TODD HEISLER - May 6, 2018
. . . After Maria and the hurricane that preceded it, called Irma, Puerto Rico all but slipped from the modern era . . .
. . . an examination of the power grid’s reconstruction — based on a review of hundreds of documents and interviews with dozens of public officials, utility experts and citizens across the island — shows how a series of decisions by federal and Puerto Rican authorities together sent the effort reeling on a course that would take months to correct. The human and economic damage wrought by all that time without power may be irreparable.
Flood insurance policyholders: If you filed a flood insurance claim after Hurricane Sandy, you may be eligible to have your claim reviewed and you can ask us to take another look.
Our call centers have extended hours to assist you. You can call toll-free 866-337-4262.
Why are we doing this? There have been allegations that some policyholders were underpaid for their Hurricane Sandy claims and that the claims process was not effective. FEMA wants to make sure policyholders who filed Sandy claims are paid what they are owed under their policy.
Our resource page has the full list of times and more information to assist you:
The NY Rising Community Reconstruction program asked local planning committees around the state for "recovery and resiliency strategies" after serious storms - Sandy and Irene - that led to proposals based on those strategies. Here are the proposals from 21 Long Island committees. Each local planning group is eligible for between $3 million and $25 million in Community Development Block Grants.
The projects listed are divided into three categories. Proposed Projects are those eligible for funding through the block grants. Featured Projects are those identified by the local planning committees as being important resiliency recommendations but are not proposed for funding through the state program. "Additional Resiliency Recommendations" also not competing for NY Rising funding but are projects the planning committees would like to highlight.
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