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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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March
2007
Volume
12 - Number 3 |
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Update on Florida Tornadoes from February 2, 2007 By Peter Matrafajlo . On February 2, 2007, just three weeks ago, Central
Florida was hit with three tornadoes in the early morning. The three tornadoes
have made hundreds of people homeless and taken the lives of 21 residents.
Within hours the area was declared a disaster, which allowed FEMA to provide
assistance for the affected residents living in Lake, Seminole, Sumter, and
Volusia counties. FEMA has received 2,237 requests for aid and the State of
Florida will receive more than 12.1 million in state and federal aid.
The assistance that is currently provided by FEMA includes grants to pay for
temporary housing, home repairs, and other related expenses. There are
also other federal, state, local, private and non- profit funding available
to assist on the debris removal, emergency protective measures and hazard
mitigation measures. Also, FEMA has funded other wide range programs
and services to the victims. Some of these programs and services include
crisis counseling, disaster unemployment and disaster legal assistance.
The crisis counseling provides support and helps victims piece together there lives after a disaster. The disaster unemployment program helps Florida residents who lost their source of income due to the destruction of the tornadoes. This aid can be extended as long as 26 weeks from the day the disaster is declared and the deadline to receive the aid is 30 days after the public notification of the disaster. Another program is the disaster legal assistance program that provides free legal assistance to victims that generally help with insurance claims for doctors, hospital bills, loss of property, and loss of life, and drafting up new wills and other documents which may have been lost in a disaster. Finally, the disaster IRS tax relief program that will allow victims to extend their tax return deadlines and provide other tax related information. For additional information: www.FEMA.gov/newsrelease.fema www.keizertimes.com www.jaxnewsonline.com |