hurricane katrina:

U.S Representative Elijah E. Cummings’

guide for receiving assistance, volunteering And donating cash and services

Hurricane Katrina Emergency Telephone Numbers and Websites

NOTE: ALL LINKS ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS.
CLICKING ON ANY LICK BELOW WILL TAKE YOU FROM WWW.HOUSE.GOV.

ISSUE TELEPHONE/WEBSITE

Check on Missing Loved Ones 866-438-4636 (866-Get Info)

Disaster Information and Guidance 800-621-3362 (621-FEMA)

Coast Guard (for people trapped) www.homeport.uscg.mil;

800-323-7233

Disaster Applications and Guide www.fema.gov/

(Go to the Disaster Community Tab)

SBA Disaster Loan Information www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/

State-Specific Information:

Louisiana Homeland Security &

Emergency Preparedness www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/

Mississippi Emergency Management www.msema.org/index.htm

Alabama Emergency Management www.disaster.ema.alabama.gov/

For Information on Volunteering:

USA Freedom Corps www.usafreedomcorps.gov

To Donate Money:

USA Freedom Corps www.usafreedomcorps.gov

To Donate Goods or Services:

Southwestern Emergency Response Network www.swern.gov

GETTING ASSISTANCE

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

If you have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, you may be eligible for federal assistance from FEMA, the agency responsible for leading federal response and recover efforts. FEMA can also provide disaster housing assistance to those whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

FEMA will hand out debit cards worth $2,000 each to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The cards will go initially to stranded victims who have been moved to rescue centers. The cards can be used to buy food, transportation, gas and other essentials.

You will need to register with FEMA for assistance. Call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) to register. The speech or hearing impaired may call (TTY) 1-800-462-7585. You may also register online at: www.fema.gov/register.shtm. FEMA has indicated that it will be operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all have had a chance to register.

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross and other volunteer agencies can provide assistance with food, water, and clothing. It also maintains a database for helping you find your family. You can call the following numbers to find out more information 1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English; 1-800-257-7575 Spanish. Website: www.redcross.org

Employment-Related Issues

If you have lost your job or can’t work because of the hurricane, you may be able to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), which provides weekly benefits to individuals who are unemployed or not eligible for regular unemployment insurance compensation. You can call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Website: www.fema.gov

Legal Assistance

The American Bar Association (ABA) is working with FEMA to provide legal assistance to those affected by the hurricane. A complete listing of the FEMA hotline for legal assistance will be provided by ABA on its website at www.abanet.org/katrina/#res.

Prescription Medicine

Those in need of refilling prescription drugs should contact the American Red Cross at 1(866) 438-4636. Veterans can also call the Veteran Affairs Office in Washington, DC at (202) 273-5400 to get information on fulfilling prescriptions.

In addition, many pharmacies have nationwide service and are assisting individuals who have filled prescriptions with them in the past. Walgreens, for example, has this service and individuals who have used the store to fill prescriptions can walk into any Walgreens nationwide and ask a pharmacist to access their prescription records and get their emergencies solved. Express Scripts is assisting its patients through the toll-free number at 1 (800) 993-5060. Medco asks that patients call the number on the back of their Medco identification cards. RiteAid is assisting those with prescription needs and is accepting American Red Cross vouchers in many areas.

Missing Persons

Please call the American Red Cross at 1(866) 438-4636. In Mississippi, you can email missingpersons@seoc.ms.gov or use this form www.mema.ms.gov/missing.person.form.gov. The New Orleans Times-Picayune is maintaining a missing person’s database at http://www.nola.com/forums/searching/.

Insurance Company Contact Information

The following is a list of the major insurance companies. You can also check http://www.iii.org/ and http://www.disasterinformation.org/.

· AIG: (800) 242-2418

· Allstate: (800) 547-8676

· Chubb Group of Insurance Companies: (800) 252-4670

· CAN: Personal Insurance Policyholders: (800) 588-7400; Commercial Insurance Policyholders: (877) 262-2727

· Fireman's Fund: (888) 347-3428

· Hanover Insurance: (800) 628-0250

· The Hartford: (800) 243-5860

· Metlife Auto & Home: (800) 854-6011

· SAFECO: (888) 723-3265

· Selective Insurance: (800) 777-9656 ext. 2801; fax: (973) 948-1103

· State Farm: (800) 732-5246
Travelers Property/Casualty: Personal Insurance Policyholders: (800) 252-4633; Commercial Insurance Policyholder: 800-238-6225

· USAA: (800) 531-8222

General Assistance Numbers For MS, LA, and AL

Louisiana

Louisiana Governor Blanco's hotline: 800-469-4828
Louisiana Evacuation Office: 225-925-7514
Louisiana State Police: 225-925-7708 or 7709
Special Needs Shelter Information Triage Phone Numbers:
Alexandria: 800-841-5778
Baton Rouge: 800-349-1372
Slidell/Hammond: 866-280-7724
Lafayette: 800-901-3210
Lake Charles: 866-280-2711
Monroe: 866-280-7287
Houma/Thibodaux: 800-228-9409

Mississippi

· Mississippi Emergency Management Agency: http://www.mema.ms.gov/

· MDOT traffic hotline: 601-352-7017

Alabama

Alabama Emergency Management Agency: 205-280-2200
Alabama Department of Transportation Emergency Road Closure Information and Evacuation Updates: 1-888-588-2848 or 1-334-353-6650
http://www.dot.state.al.us/docs
Attorney General: 1-800-392-5658
To report price gouging contact the Consumer Affairs Office: http://www.ago.state.al.us/

U.S. Army Information

National Guard Bureau Family Program: 1-888-777-7731

Army Reserve Family Program: 1-877-464-9330

National Military Family Association: www.nmfa.org

Military OneSource Counseling Services: 1-800-342-9647

PROVIDING ASSISTANCE/VOLUNTEERING

Businesses and Contractors Offering Services:

The Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC) serves as the nation’s nerve center for information sharing and domestic incident management. At the request of the HSOC – the National Emergency Resource Registry (NERR) has been activated. THE NERR- stands ready to assist the coordination efforts between the resources that are needed and the resources that may be available. If you or your organization / agency / corporation have resources that may be made available to the response agencies, please list them in the Resource Registry.

· Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, www.seern.gov

· Louisiana, www.swern.gov

Medical Volunteers:

The Florida Medical Volunteer Registry is accepting applications for licensed medical personnel to work in the areas affected by hurricane Katrina in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. Volunteers can register at http://disasterhelp.net/medical/.

Personnel can also check the American College of Emergency Physicians website at

http://www.acep.org/webportal/MemberCenter/AboutACEP/katrina.htm

to learn of needs around the country, as they are announced.

Specific state information:

Louisiana, Louisiana State Medical Society: http://www.lsms.org/

Mississippi, Doctors call: 601-987-3079; EMTs call: 601-576-8085; Nurses call: 601-497-8022

· Texas, Texas Medical Association: http://www.texmed.org/Template.aspx?id=4292

Cash Donations:

· American Red Cross 1-800-435-7669, www.redcross.org

· Operation Blessing 1-800-436-6348

· America’s Second Harvest 1-800-344-8070, www.secondharvest.com

Cash Donations/Volunteers:

· Adventist Community Services 1-800-381-7171, www. adventist.communityservices.org

· Catholic Charities, USA 703 549-1390, www.catholiccharitiesusa.org

· Christian Disaster Response 941-956-5183, www.cdrresponse.org

· Christian Reformed World Relief Committee 1-800-848-5818, www.crwrc.org

· Church World Service 1-800-297-1516, www.churchworldservice.org

· Convoy of Hope 417-823-8998, www.convoyofhope.org

· Episcopal Relief & Development 1-800-334-7626, www.er-d.org

· Lutheran Disaster Response 1-800-638-3522, www.lwr.org

· Mennonite Disaster Service 717-859-2210, www.mds.mennonite.net/

· Nazarene Disaster Response 888-256-5886, www.nazarenedisasterresponse.org

· Presbyterian Disaster Assistance 1-800-872-3283, www.pcusa.org/pda

· Salvation Army 1-800-725-2769, http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/

· Southern Baptist Convention 1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440, www.sbc.net

· United Jewish Communities 1-212-284-6500, www.ujc.org

· United Methodist Committee on Relief 1-800-554-8583, gbgm-umc.org/umcor/

· National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster 703-339-5596, www.nvoad.org

FEDERAL AGENCY RESOURCES

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)

www.usda.gov

1-800-221-5689-food assistance

1-800-414-1226-housing assistance

Food Assistance - USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) assists those affected by the hurricane by providing food at shelters and mass feeding sites, issuing emergency food stamps, infant formula and distributing food packages directly to needy households.

FNS will provide waivers to food stamp recipients to enable them to use funds to purchase hot meals, will be expediting delivery of September food stamp benefits, and has national policy directing that evacuees from the affected area be treated as priority and expedited cases in those states to which they are relocated.

USDA has earmarked $50 million dollars to provide emergency food assistance to Hurricane Katrina survivors. States across the country have been authorized to pre-load electronic food benefit cards with $50 worth of assistance, which will enable displaced residents to immediately purchase food even before their application has been processed to receive complete benefits. These cards can then be distributed to displaced residents as they move from shelters to temporary housing.

USDA is increasing the level of assistance available to current food stamp recipients who were affected by the hurricane, as well as providing assistance to hurricane survivors who have not previously participated in the food stamp program. Additionally, USDA will ensure that schools are able to provide free lunches to students who have been relocated because of the hurricane.

Housing Assistance: USDA Rural Development staff will coordinate with the private sector to identify privately owned rental housing nationwide that is available to house displaced residents. The USDA Rural Development program currently has 30,000 available housing units across the country. USDA is coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and faith-based organizations to match residents left homeless by Hurricane Katrina with these homes and apartments. Eligibility requirements associated with the rural housing program are being waived to expedite the relocation process.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DOEd)

www.ed.gov

1-800-USA-LEARN

Providing Supplies: Many schools are accepting students who cannot attend their own schools because of Hurricane Katrina. If you are a company or organization that is looking to send books, clothes, or other supplies to a school serving students displaced by Hurricane Katrina, please log onto the Department of Education website (www.ed.gov) and click on the link: state what supplies you can provide. The supplies you can provide, along with your organization's name and contact information, will be posted on the What Organizations Are Offering Schools page.

Needing Supplies: If your school is serving students displaced by the hurricane and if you need books, clothes, or other supplies, please click on the link: state what you need. The name of your school, its address, and what you need will be posted on the What Schools Need page.

Deadlines Extended:

Deadlines for a number of higher education programs have been extended until at least December 1, 2005.
Colleges and universities are encouraged to admit students from affected institutions in a way that ensures these students receive federal student aid.
On a case-specific basis, the Department will relax certain reporting provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act for affected states.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (HHS)

www.hhs.gov

1-888-297-8685

1-866-4-USA-DOL or 1-866-487-2365

HHS has declared a public health emergency in five states: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

HHS has established a website (https://volunteer.hhs.gov) and toll-free number (1-866-KAT MEDI) to help identify health care professionals and relief personnel to assist in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

HHS has identified mental health as a major concern among evacuees and has dispatched teams to Houston, Beaumont, San Antonio, and Dallas, TX. HHS mental health professionals are coordinating with officials in Louisiana, Mississippi, and other affected areas.

Human service teams are on the ground assessing HHS children and family support programs in affected areas. Guidance and waivers to states increasing the flexibility of benefits, such as Head Start, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicare, and Medicaid, have been issued.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD)

www.hud.gov

1-866-641-8102-general information

1-800-955-2232-Section 8 voucher holders

HUD has prepared disaster procedures for all Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) receiving displaced public housing and voucher participants from disaster affected areas. The guidance will instruct Housing Authorities on the procedures they should use in processing affected families.

HUD will:

Provide Temporary Housing and Shelter – HUD will identify vacant multi-family housing, public housing units and HUD-owned homes that could be used as temporary housing for those forced from their homes;
Grant Immediate Foreclosure Relief – HUD will grant a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures and forbearance on foreclosures of Federal Housing Administration-insured homes;
Reprogram and Accelerate Federal Block Grants – Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME grantees may reprogram previously awarded grants to redirect their focus to disaster recovery activities but grantees must request the reprogram from HUD;
Provide Public Housing Reserve for Disasters and Emergencies – HUD has funding available for public housing authorities to help rehabilitate damaged properties;
Make Available Programs for Damaged or Destroyed Properties – HUD’s Section 203(k) loan program enables homebuyers and homeowners who have lost their homes to finance both the purchase and/or refinancing of a house and the cost of its rehabilitation through a single mortgage. It also allows homeowners who have damaged houses to finance the rehabilitation of their existing single-family home. This program encourages lenders to make mortgages available to borrowers who would not otherwise qualify for conventional loans on affordable terms and to residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods;
Mortgage Insurance for Disaster Victims – HUD has a special mortgage insurance program under Section 203(h) of the National Housing Act to assist disaster victims. Under this program, individuals or families whose residences were destroyed or damaged to such an extent that reconstruction or replacement is necessary are eligible for 100 percent financing; and
Offer Assistance to the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) Issuers in Disaster Areas - Ginnie Mae will provide assistance to Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) issuers with significant concentrations of loans within the affected areas. The assistance includes help in making payments to MBS investors where homeowners are unable to make payment, and eliminating delinquent loans from delinquency statistics used in risk monitoring.

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

www.dol.gov

1-866-4-USA-DOL (1-866-487-2365)

· Temporary Jobs for Displaced Workers. The U.S. Department of Labor has provided $191.1 million in National Emergency Grant (NEG) funding to the affected region to create more than 40,000 temporary jobs to give dislocated workers a paycheck and help them participate in the clean-up and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

· Income Support Available to Displaced Workers. DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is working with state and local officials in the affected areas to ensure that both regular unemployment insurance (UI) and disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) claims are being accepted and paid. Displaced persons can find out how to apply for unemployment and disaster unemployment insurance by calling the toll free number (1-866-4-USA-DOL) or by going to the Hurricane Recovery Assistance Page on DOL’s website at www.dol.gov. For those who do not have access to a phone or the Internet, DOL has teams canvassing neighborhoods, churches and hospitals; teams on-site at displaced person centers; and mobile units at many FEMA sites.

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (Treasury)

www.treas.gov

(202) 622-2000

Guidance Encouraging Depository Institutions to Ease Their Customary Identification Requirements – The Treasury Department issued guidance encouraging depository institutions to ease identification requirements for presenting Treasury checks for Social Security benefit payments. Many Social Security and SSI recipients impacted by the storm may be without traditional forms of identification such as a driver’s license or other government issued identification. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the Treasury Department encourages depository institutions to seek other verification methods for affected customers and are especially encouraged to call the Social Security Administration’s national toll-free number with the customer on the line.

Steps to Make Additional Diesel Fuel Available - The Treasury Department and the IRS announced that “dyed diesel fuel” would be permitted for road use. Dyed diesel fuel ordinarily is not subject to federal excise taxes because it is intended for off-road use in farm equipment or in certain government vehicles such as school buses. It is dyed to distinguish it from diesel fuel intended for road use. The announcement will make available additional supplies of diesel fuel that will help alleviate shortages. The relief will remain in effect through September 15, 2005.

Expanded Availability of Housing for Hurricane Victims - The Treasury Department and the IRS announced that they will waive rules that prohibit owners of low-income housing from providing housing to victims of Hurricane Katrina who do not qualify as low-income. The action will expand the availability of housing for disaster victims and their families. Because of the widespread devastation to housing caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Treasury Department and the IRS will temporarily suspend income limitation requirements and non-transient requirements for qualified low-income housing projects located anywhere in the United States.

Relief for Retirement Plans Affected by Katrina - The Treasury Department and the IRS issued guidance that would extend the pension funding deadline for employers in the Katrina-affected region. The pension contribution would generally be due on September 15, but the guidance issued would extend the deadline to at least October 31. The notice was coordinated with the Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, whose corresponding funding deadlines are extended as well.

VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA)

www.va.gov

1-800-507-4571

Public Health Service Expertise: VA maintains a staff of expert public health practitioners who can provide consult to the theater of operations, either remotely or (in a more limited capacity) on the ground. VA can provide guidelines and support for immunizations.

Staffed Beds: VA can provide a combined total of 3,534 beds from its 157 VA hospitals, although VA is anticipating an increase in veteran’s admissions both within the affected area, and due to self-evacuated veterans, outside of the disaster area.

Staffing: VA has slightly over 750 personnel who have already volunteered to support medical requirements in the aftermath of this event. VA is mobilizing approximately 150 of these personnel to support four VA hospitals in the affected area. VA will work closely with HHS and VA medical center directors to ensure that those volunteers that can be released from primary mission (direct healthcare of veterans) are identified to HHS in response to HHS's specific identification of need.

Counseling Services: Through the Readjustment Counseling Centers (a.k.a. “Vet Centers”), VA can provide expert counseling services for those conditions frequently encountered in disaster situations (e.g., PTSD, anxiety, depression). Vet Center staff can also provide general support to disseminate information on the ground about services available and to interface with families.

Facilities: VA has 157 hospitals around the country that can meet a variety of needs including staffed beds, unstaffed beds that could be used if staffing were provided, and heated/cooled space.

Replacement Checks: VA has a system in place to issue replacement checks to those who did not receive their monthly disability payments.

Residences for Disaster Victim Use: VA owns approximately 5,000 single-family residences throughout the US that could be made available for temporary occupancy by victims of the disaster through a MOA with FEMA.

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE (USPS)

www.usps.com

1-877-477-3273

The U.S. Postal Service continues to take action on several fronts to respond to the disruption of postal services in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and to assist postal employees in the affected areas. Postal Service officials at the national and local levels are making every effort to assist citizens, restore retail and delivery services to the affected areas and ensure the safety of employees.

Postal district officials are contacting employees in all affected areas to determine their well being and make sure they are paid, and have received more than 3,000 calls from those employees at the toll-free number established: 1-877-477-3273. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors are assisting employees in the affected areas. Postal employees can call 1-800-EAP-4-YOU to receive information and assistance.

Where possible USPS has re-established postal services in alternate locations. USPS is also assisting customers in submitting temporary change-of-addresses and to date have assisted 36,000 evacuees. Commercial mailers are being kept up to date on service availability and alternate arrangements via the website, USPS.com.

Customers who have relocated as a result of the storm are encouraged to submit change-of-address information to USPS. Forms are being distributed as customers pick up their Social Security checks at the locations identified in Louisiana and Mississippi.

MARYLAND RESOURCES

Operation Healing: Ties that Bind – This charitable fund has been established by Associated Black Charities, Harbor Bank of Maryland, and thirty African American churches across Maryland. 100 percent of the donations will be delivered to grass roots and faith-based disaster relief agencies aiding residents throughout the Gulf Coast. Harbor Bank is accepting donations at all of its branches. On-line donations can be made at www.abc-md.org. Donations can also be mailed to P.O. Box 2904, Baltimore, MD 21229. For more information, please call 410-945-3000, ext. 3015.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund at BCF - The Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) has established a charitable fund to help with both immediate and long term needs resulting from this catastrophe. Contributions to this Fund will be distributed to community foundations in the affected regions and will be used to provide services to evacuees arriving in the Baltimore region. Donations are being accepted on line at www.bcf.org, or by mail at 2 East Read St., 9th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. For more information, please call 410-332-4171.

STATE ASSISTANCE

Governor Ehrlich has offered Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and Alabama Governor Bob Riley any assistance the State of Maryland can provide.

The Ehrlich Administration is directing Marylanders to www.marylandcares.us to learn how to assist Hurricane victims. www.marylandcares.us informs citizens on how they can volunteer or make a donation through charitable organizations.

The Ehrlich Administration is responding to the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) Database, which allows impacted states to request and receive assistance from other member states quickly and efficiently.

Maryland schools are expediting enrollment of school children who may be moving to Maryland in the wake of the storm and are launching a statewide fundraising campaign to help the victims.

Comptroller William Donald Schaefer extended tax-filing deadlines for Maryland taxpayers with business or financial records in the Presidential Disaster Areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

BALTIMORE CITY ASSISTANCE

Baltimore City has offered to make 1,000 beds available for families fleeing the Gulf Coast. For those seeking shelter, 500 beds have been set up at the Clarence H. Du Burns Arena, 1301 S. Ellwood Avenue, Baltimore, MD.

Bottled water and non-perishable food items are being accepted at any Baltimore City Fire Station.

Baltimore City Landlords or residents who are willing to house evacuated families from New Orleans can call 410-396-1977.

BALTIMORE COUNTY ASSISTANCE

The Baltimore County Fire Department has dispatched 8 two-man teams to Atlanta where they are being trained for deployment to one of the states in need, participating in community outreach operations.

The Baltimore County Health Department has organized immunization clinics for rescue workers and has inoculated more than 80 emergency medical volunteers who will be in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

The Baltimore County Department of Aging is coordinating volunteer efforts for county citizens, and will institute a food collection program entitled Jam the Van. The collections will go to the Maryland Food Bank for distribution to the gulf region. Citizens may also drop off food items at any Baltimore County Senior Center or call 410-887-2594.

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AFRICAN AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS

Cash Donations

BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund

PO Box 803209, Dallas, TX 75240

www.blackamericaweb.com/relief

NAACP Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund

4805 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215

www.naacp.org/disaster/contribute.php

National Black Caucus of State Legislators

Attn: Relief Funds 444 N. Capitol Street, Suite #622 Washington, DC 20001

The National Baptist Convention Hurricane Relief Efforts