Hundreds missing in southeastern states after Hurricane Helen
WASHINGTON — White House Homeland Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall told a news conference Monday that 600 people are unaccounted for in the wake of Hurricane Helene as federal officials respond to the catastrophic storm in Southeastern states.
Sherwood-Randall said that could push the death toll into the hundreds, but added that officials were “very hopeful” that some missing people whose phones were inoperable were “actually still alive.”
“I would caution you, because we’ve seen this before, these numbers vary widely,” Sherwood-Randall said. “There are a lot of reports that don’t match the numbers.”
Associated Press explainMore than 125 people were killed on Monday night.
President Joe Biden, who has held several briefings and conference calls about the hurricane, also announced late Monday that he planned to travel to North Carolina on Wednesday. Biden once said He wanted to wait until his presence would not interfere with recovery operations.
Sherwood-Randall told reporters that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and many other federal departments have moved staff and equipment to the Southeast to assist local and state emergency responders as residents struggle to obtain basic necessities.
FEMA is expediting $750 assistance to families who qualify for “Severe Need Assistance,” which can be used to pay for necessities such as water, food, infant formula and medicine.
“This is not all of the assistance that FEMA is providing to individuals, but it is the first element that is provided immediately after a major disaster is declared,” Sherwood-Randall said. “When people are absolutely desperate for cash, it It gives them access to cash.”
Survivors who sign up for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individual Assistance Program will be able to receive federal help repairing cars, homes and some other types of personal property damaged by the hurricane, she said.
People whose homes have been damaged should contact their insurance companies first, but Sherwood-Randall noted there are several federal programs that can also help with the rebuilding and recovery process.
“If people have insurance, it’s certainly important to rebuild. If they don’t have insurance, they can get federal assistance,” she said. “But it’s a long road to recovery for people because there’s still a lot of work to be done. We have to acknowledge that.
People who need assistance from FEMA should call 1-800-621-3362 to register https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ Or fill out an application on the FEMA app, she said.
Disaster Recovery Center Open
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also opening disaster recovery centers in affected communities.
“The important thing about these centers is that they centralize federal support in one place,” Sherwood-Randall said. “It used to be that survivors had to go to a number of different departments and agencies to find out what kind of help was available to them. What we do is bring everyone together in a standing building that either survives a natural disaster or in, or in a trailer if necessary.
Centers in Florida’s Manatee, Sarasota and Hillsborough counties opened Monday, she said.
In places like Asheville, North Carolina, where FEMA may not be able to open physical centers, staff will go door-to-door, she said.
“FEMA is literally knocking on doors with iPads so they can help people register for the assistance they need because they may not have power, their phone may be dead and they need someone to help them register quickly,” Sherwood-Land said Del said.
Sherwood-Randall said FEMA also plans to install 30 Starlink receivers in western North Carolina to “provide instant connectivity to those who need it most.”
She said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communications Commission and private cell phone companies are taking action to install temporary cell towers and allow roaming, which will allow customers to use cell phone networks they do not subscribe to.
To date, more than 3,500 federal employees are involved in Hurricane Helene-related response and recovery efforts across the Southeast, including more than 1,000 employees from FEMA, she said.
Multiple federal agencies are taking action
The Ministry of Defense is using helicopters and high-water vehicles to assist with search and rescue efforts. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is helping restore power, assess infrastructure such as dams and clear debris.
The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed thousands of personnel to conduct post-storm assessments to help Florida’s ports reopen as quickly as possible.
USDA staff, particularly in its Farm Service Agency, are working to provide emergency assistance to farmers whose crops and livestock have been damaged.
In addition, Sherwood-Randall said more than 50,000 utility workers from the United States and Canada are in the region to help the 2 million people who are without power get power back on as soon as possible and safe.
“The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also offer several different sizes of generators that can be deployed based on any state’s requirements,” Sherwood-Randall said. “As parts of Florida and Georgia recover, Power is being supplied and electrical crews are being transferred to other states to assist with additional restoration efforts.
“We are seeing an improvement in outage numbers and recovery teams are able to go into communities and remove debris.”
