The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 25, 2011

President Obama Signs North Carolina Emergency Declaration

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of North Carolina and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Irene beginning on August 25, 2011, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Carteret, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Halifax, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Nash, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, and Wilson.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. 

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael F. Byrne as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV  

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 24, 2011

President Obama Signs Iowa Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Iowa and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of July 9-14, 2011. 

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding in the counties of Benton, Clay, Dickinson, Marshall, Story, and Tama.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. 

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael R. Scott as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

Businesses Need to be Prepared for Hurricane Irene and Other Disasters

By Gail McGovern and Karen Mills
August 24, 2011
02:11 PM EDT

Flooding. Drought. Tornadoes. And now, the first major hurricane of the season. Americans have been hard-hit by natural disasters this year, and small businesses are no exception.

Hurricane Irene left thousands of Puerto Rico businesses without power. Now, Irene is fast approaching the East Coast.  Businesses owners from Georgia to New England should take time now – if they haven’t already – to ensure that their disaster preparedness plans are up to date.If you’re in the path of Hurricane Irene, make sure to check out the resources and updates available below.

We know that some of the busiest people in America are small business owners. Sometimes it’s hard for them to look beyond the most pressing, immediate business concerns. But an “ounce of prevention” today could mean the difference in whether a business is able to return to regular operations after a disaster.

Gail McGovern is the President and CEO of the American Red Cross and Karen Mills is the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration
Related Topics: Economy, Homeland Security, Additional Issues, Georgia

Hurricane Irene: National Resources in Case of Emergency

Colleen Curtis
Colleen Curtis
August 23, 2011
05:06 PM EDT

As Hurricane Irene  makes its way through the Caribbean, current forecasts from the National Hurricane Center project that the storm may continue to strengthen and could make landfall anywhere along the East Coast. Yesterday, President Obama signed an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico and ordered federal aid to supplement commonwealth and local response efforts in the area.

While the future path of Irene is uncertain, it’s important that those along the East Coast take steps to get prepared and stay informed. Ready.gov/hurricanes offers complete advice on how to prepare for severe storms, and hurricanes.gov always has the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center.

Here are some other web resources that will be useful if you or people you know are impacted by this storm.

Related Topics: Homeland Security

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 22, 2011

President Obama Signs Puerto Rico Emergency Declaration

The President today declared an emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and ordered federal aid to supplement commonwealth and local response efforts in the area struck by Hurricane Irene beginning on August 21, 2011, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 78 municipalities in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. 

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Justo Hernández as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 18, 2011

President Obama Signs Louisiana Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by flooding during the period of April 25 to July 7, 2011.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding in the parishes of Assumption, Avoyelles, Concordia, East Carroll, Lafourche, Madison, Point Coupee, St. Charles, St. James, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Tensas, Terrebonne, and West Feliciana.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Gerard M. Stolar as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

Immigration Update: Maximizing Public Safety and Better Focusing Resources

Cecilia Muñoz
Cecilia Muñoz
August 18, 2011
02:00 PM EDT

Ed. Note: Cecilia Muñoz will be answering your questions on today's announcement during Office Hours on Twitter. Use the hashtag #whchat to ask questions, then join us @whitehouse at 4:15 pm EDT to follow the question and answer session.

President Obama is deeply committed to fixing our immigration laws and has been aggressively searching for partners in Congress who are willing to work with him to pass a new law. As he focuses on building a new 21st century immigration system that meets our nation’s economic and security needs, the President has a responsibility to enforce the existing laws in a smart and effective manner. This means making decisions that best focus the resources that Congress gives the Executive Branch to do this work. There are more than 10 million people who are in the U.S. illegally; it’s clear that we can’t deport such a large number. So the Administration has developed a strategy to make sure we use those resources in a way that puts public safety and national security first. If you were running a law enforcement agency anywhere in the world, you would target those who pose the greatest harm before those who do not. Our immigration enforcement work is focused the same way.  

Under the President’s direction, for the first time ever the Department of Homeland Security has prioritized the removal of people who have been convicted of crimes in the United States.  And they have succeeded; in 2010 DHS removed 79,000 more people who had been convicted of a crime compared to 2008.  Today, they announced that they are strengthening their ability to target criminals even further by making sure they are not focusing our resources on deporting people who are low priorities for deportation. This includes individuals such as young people who were brought to this country as small children, and who know no other home. It also includes individuals such as military veterans and the spouses of active-duty military personnel. It makes no sense to spend our enforcement resources on these low-priority cases when they could be used with more impact on others, including individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes.

Cecilia Muñoz is White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Related Topics: Homeland Security, Immigration

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 12, 2011

President Obama Signs Nebraska Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Nebraska and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by flooding during the period of May 24 to August 1, 2011.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Boyd, Burt, Cass, Dakota, Dixon, Douglas, Knox, Sarpy, and Washington.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by flooding in the counties of Burt, Cass, Dakota, Douglas, Garden, Knox, Lincoln, Otoe, Sarpy, Scotts Bluff, Thurston, and Washington.  Assistance is also available for emergency protective measures for Nemaha and Richardson Counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael L. Parker as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FEMA said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 08, 2011

President Obama Signs Utah Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Utah and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by flooding during the period of April 18 to July 16, 2011.

Federal funding is available to state, Tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding in the counties of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, and Weber, and the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and Tribes within the State.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Mark H. Landry as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 08, 2011

President Obama Amends North Dakota Disaster Declaration

The President today made additional disaster assistance available to the State of North Dakota by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding for Public Assistance projects undertaken as a result of flooding during the period of February 14 to July 20, 2011.

Under the President’s major disaster declaration issued for the State of North Dakota on May 10, 2011, and subsequent amendments, Federal funding was made available to the State, Tribal, and local governments in multiple counties and Tribes for Public Assistance, Individual Assistance and Hazard Mitigation.  Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation, and Other Needs Assistance under Section 408, were authorized at 75 percent Federal funding of total eligible costs.

Under the President's order today, the Federal share for Public Assistance has been increased to 90 percent of the total eligible costs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV