Federal/State Disaster Assistance for New York World Trade Center 
Attack Tops $894.1 Million

    Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and state of New York disaster assistance for the World Trade Center (WTC) attack has reached $894.1 million, state and federal disaster recovery officials announced last week.

   Response and Recovery efforts as of Jan. 7, 2002

Individual Assistance

     · To date, more than 52,500 people affected by the attack have registered with FEMA for state and
       federal disaster assistance. 

     · More than $285.5 million in Individual Assistance has been approved in the form of grants and loans.
       This includes temporary disaster housing assistance; mortgage and rental assistance; disaster food
       stamps; disaster unemployment assistance; individual and family grants; crisis counseling; SBA
       low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses; and crime victims' assistance. 

               o FEMA has approved more than $25 million in disaster housing assistance grants for affected
                  households to obtain alternate rental housing or to clean up residences made unlivable by the
                  attack. 

               o More than $3.8 million in disaster food stamps has been distributed to nearly 33,000 individuals
                  who lost food, income or resources because of the attack. 

               o Persons left unemployed by the disaster have filed more than 4,800 claims for Disaster
                 Unemployment Assistance (DUA) with the New York State Department of Labor Telephone
                 Claims Line, 1-888-209-8124. This program has provided more than $3.3 million in assistance to
                 workers and business owners out of work because of the disaster, as well as self-employed
                  persons not normally covered by unemployment programs. 

               o The state of New York has approved nearly $2.8 million in grants under the IFG Program to
                  affected individuals and families to meet serious disaster-related needs not covered by other
                  disaster assistance programs or insurance. 

               o Crisis counseling grants in excess of $22.7 million have been committed to the state's mental
                  health services network to provide counseling to victims of the attack and their families. 

               o SBA has approved more than $217.1 million in low-interest loans to 2,700 borrowers for repair
                  or replacement of disaster-damaged property to homes and businesses, and for working capital
                  to help small businesses suffering economic injury as a result of the disaster. 

               o The New York State Crime Victims Board (CVB) has provided nearly $6.5 million for the
                  reimbursement of medical bills, personal property or mental health counseling for injury victims
                  of the WTC attack. 

     · To date, more than 65,100 people have visited the Disaster Assistance Service Centers (DASCs) to
       consult with representatives from city, state, federal and voluntary agencies on disaster assistance
       programs and to have questions answered about their applications. Representatives have provided
       information in 21 different languages. The Disaster Assistance Service Center at Pier 94 closed on
       Jan. 4 and reopened Jan. 7 at a new location: 51 Chambers St. Hours of operation are Monday through
       Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for 51 Chambers St.; Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for 141 Worth
       St.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for both locations. 

     · FEMA's toll-free Helpline has received more than 41,400 calls from persons applying for additional
       assistance, inquiring about the status of their application or seeking information about recovery
       programs. The Helpline number is 1-800-525-0321 (TTY: 1-800-462-7585). 

     · FEMA currently has a total of 381 personnel working at the Disaster Field Office and the DASCs in
       New York. 

     · FEMA's speaker’s bureau has received or coordinated requests for speakers for more than 150
       meetings, with an estimated attendance of more than 18,000 people. Additional meetings are
       scheduled. Attendees are community members, economic development organizations, local political and
       advocacy groups, and building owners and managers. 

Voluntary Agencies

Highlights of the more than 200 voluntary agencies from community- and faith-based organizations, labor unions, national organizations and governmental agencies involved in relief and long-term recovery efforts include:
     · Members of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) will meet Jan. 14 with
       local agencies currently active in the WTC disaster recovery effort. NVOAD is instituting an ongoing
       program to capture the best practices and lessons learned from disasters, and to generate a list of
       issues critical to the NVOAD movement.

     · The New York City Short-Term Services Coordination Group, representing agencies currently at the
       DASCs and additional agencies that provide financial assistance, is working to identify, quantify and
       address the gap in services to those who have lost employment above Canal Street. 

     · The recently formed 9/11 United Services Group, a partnership of major New York City human
       service agencies, is coordinating a joint program for long-term recovery. This effort will include a
       comprehensive database of services provided and the assignment of personal case managers to help
       individuals navigate the myriad services available. 

     · The New Jersey Interfaith Group and the New Jersey Recovery Group have coordinated their
       recovery efforts in that state including helping families access all available services and providing
       advocacy on behalf of undocumented and immigrant populations. 

     · The New York Disaster Recovery Interfaith is an effort of over 30 churches, synagogues, mosques
       and other faith-based organizations to coordinate emergency assistance programs for victims, sustain
       spiritual care and counseling beyond the emergency period and advocate equity for all those in need. 

Public Assistance

     FEMA has provided more than $413.7 million for public assistance. The Public Assistance program provides federal grants to reimburse the costs of debris removal; emergency protective measures; and the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities and certain private not-for-profit facilities.

FEMA-Funded Assistance Through Other Agencies

      · FEMA has funded nearly $180 million through other agencies including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
        (USACE) and the Department of Health and Human Services to assist in the response effort. 

      · USACE continues to provide technical assistance to the debris-processing operation. More than
        963,000 tons of debris have been removed to the Staten Island landfill. 

Urban Search And Rescue (USAR)

FEMA provided $15.2 million toward Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) efforts at Ground Zero. For the WTC attack, USAR mobilized a total of 1,260 personnel to Ground Zero. Twenty teams from 14 states assisted fire and police personnel in searching for victims in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the WTC towers. The first wave of USAR teams was activated on September 11; the last USAR team was released on Oct. 7.