Cabinet Members Meet with Families, Business Owners, and State and Local Officials in Alabama and Mississippi

Following President Obama's commitment on Friday -- i.e., that the federal government would do everything possible to help families and communities recover from the deadly tornadoes and severe storms that struck the Southeast earlier this week -- several members of his Cabinet are in Alabama and Mississippi today. They are there to meet with families and business owners affected by the storms; meet with state and local officials; and to view damage and assess the initial recovery efforts already underway.

Today’s travel party comprises: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano; Housing and Urban Development [HUD] Secretary Shaun Donovan; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] Administrator Craig Fugate [pictured]; and Small Business Administration [SBA] Administrator Karen Mills.

Since the immediate impact of the storms, the President, Secretary Napolitano, and Administrator Fugate have been in constant contact with the governors of all the impacted states to ensure they have the support they need.

On April 29, the President signed major disaster declarations for Mississippi and Georgia -- in addition to the Alabama major disaster declaration signed on April 28 -- which make federal assistance available to individuals who suffered personal property damages or losses, and for public infrastructure; e.g., schools, fire stations and libraries.

Damage assessments are ongoing, and counties continue to be designated to receive assistance as damage assessments are completed. Additionally, FEMA has received disaster declaration requests from the governors of the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, and those requests are under review. Preliminary damage assessments are also being conducted today in Virginia.

"FEMA is part of a team that continues to work with communities to help them rebuild and recover," said Fugate. "This team includes the entire federal family, state, local and tribal officials; the faith-based and non-profit communities; the private sector; and, most importantly, the public.

"This Administration will bring the full support of the federal government and its partners to bear to support the states, families and communities devastated by these deadly tornadoes, for as long as it takes."

A housing mission planning team is on the ground in Alabama to support the state in meeting its objectives. This team -- comprised of housing and technical experts from FEMA, HUD, Army Corps of Engineers, SBA and voluntary agencies -- will assist the state-led housing task force in establishing housing priorities; seeking ways to maximize housing resources, such as apartments and rental units; and other resources, if needed.

As work continues to restore power and remove debris -- so that homes can begin to be repaired or replaced -- FEMA is working with HUD to identify available rental resources to help survivors find long-term housing solutions.

FEMA is also working with the Army Corps of Engineers to provide temporary home repairs -- such as covering broken windows or holes in roofs -- and getting survivors back home more quickly; and working with SBA to help individuals and businesses apply for low-interest loans, so that they can more quickly rebuild or repair their damaged homes and replace lost property.

Additionally, FEMA is actively taking registration information through its call centers; has inspectors on the ground assessing the damages of those who have registered; and is approving financial assistance for housing [such as rental assistance and home repair money] and financial assistance for other essential needs [such as disaster-related medical needs, and replacing lost clothing, furniture and other necessary items].

Additional information on the coordination efforts of FEMA and its federal partners, updated as of 12 PM EDT today, can be found below:

Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA]
* At the request of the respective states, FEMA currently has personnel on the ground in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee, and commodities strategically pre-positioned in the region -- including personnel in North Carolina as a result of the April 16th storms.
* FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams are currently located in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee to assist in coordination efforts as the states continue to respond and begin to recover from this devastating storm outbreak.
* An Incident Support Base has been established at the Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama to move supplies such as water, infant-toddler kits and tarps closer to the affected areas should they be needed, and additional resources continue to arrive.
* Mobile Emergency Response Support teams and equipment have been deployed to Alabama and Mississippi to provide voice, video and data capabilities in support of communication requirements identified by the Federal Coordinating Officer.
* FEMA Community Relations [CR] teams are on the ground in Alabama and Georgia, and additional CR teams have been deployed to meet with disaster survivors and explain the assistance available, and to help survivors register for assistance.
* FEMA partnered with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency to create a joint Facebook page as an additional way to reach Alabama residents during the response and recovery efforts after the severe storms and tornadoes.

U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance
* SBA's Office of Disaster Assistance's provides low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, non-profit organizations to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, inventory and business assets that have been damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster. For information, go to: http://1.usa.gov/DisasterAssistanceSBA.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission [NRC]
* Staff are monitoring the situation at the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant after the site lost offsite power early Wednesday evening due to severe storms that damaged power lines in the area. The plant is operated by Tennessee Valley Authority near Athens, about 32 miles west of Huntsville, Ala. The reactor units were automatically and safely shut down on April 27th.

American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Other Voluntary and Faith-Based Agencies
* Voluntary and faith-based organizations continue to locally offer and coordinate housing, food and other services as needed to support disaster survivors in the affected states.
* Open Red Cross shelters can be found on www.redcross.org.
* The Red Cross Safe and Well secure website provides a way for people to find information on people affected by the storms. To register, visit http://bit.ly/SafeAndWell.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]
* HHS has activated a Disaster Medical Assistance Team and a Disaster Mortuary Operations Response Assessment Team, which are ready to deploy as needed by the states.
* HHS is also providing information on post-storm health messages -- such as how to prevent carbon-monoxide poisoning, tips on generator safety, and safety around downed power lines.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]
* NOAA has deployed survey teams to many affected states to begin assessing damage and conduct analysis in the coming days that will be utilized to assign Enhanced Fujita [EF] ratings.

Department of Defense/USNORTHCOM
* The Department of Defense [DoD] has activated a Defense Coordinating Officer to assist in the coordination of DoD resources needed to support state response and recovery efforts.

Air Force Auxiliary
* Civil Air Patrol pilots from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia are flying over areas with major devastation, to assist first responders and state and local officials as they assess the damage to the region. The Civil Air Patrol, in its role as the Air Force Auxiliary, performs its missions for DoD and other federal agencies, as well as state and local authorities when assistance is requested.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
* HUD continues to provide federal disaster assistance supporting homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding this week. Read more about the services provided by HUD.

U.S. Postal Service [USPS]
* USPS is providing details on the status of open USPS offices -- including hours of operation and services provided to disaster survivors affected by the recent storms.

Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA]
* The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued tips for workers and members of the public, to protect themselves from hazards that individuals may encounter during clean-up and recovery efforts.

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]
* USDA's Farm Service Agency [FSA] continues to issue information on the FSA programs that may be available to crop and livestock producers in affected states, to assist with recovery. Information on the services provided by FSA can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Internal Revenue Service [IRS]
* The IRS has activated its disaster tax relief program, which includes providing tax filing and tax payment relief for individuals and businesses covering the period of April 15, 2011, to June 30, 2011. To learn more about the IRS disaster tax relief program, click here.

SOURCES: Federal Emergency Management Agency, The White House
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DHS Secretary Napolitano Announces New Standards for Private-Sector Preparedness

Department of Homeland Security [DHS] Secretary Janet Napolitano [pictured] today announced the adoption of the final standards for the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program [PS-Prep] -- a major milestone in DHS' implementation of a program recommended by the 9/11 Commission to improve private-sector preparedness for disasters and emergencies.

"Private organizations across the country -- from businesses to universities to non-profit organizations -- have a vital role to play in bolstering our disaster preparedness and response capabilities," said Secretary Napolitano. "These new standards will provide our private-sector partners with the tools they need to enhance the readiness and resiliency of our nation."

PS-Prep is a partnership between DHS and the private sector that enables private entities to receive emergency preparedness certification from a DHS accreditation system created in coordination with the private sector.

The standards -- developed by the National Fire Protection Association [NFPA], the British Standards Institution [BSI] and ASIS International -- were published for public comment in the Federal Register in Oct. 2009. The adoption of the final standards was published in a Federal Register notice today, following a series of regional public meetings and the incorporation of public comments.

DHS will continue to accept comments on PS-Prep, the three adopted standards, and/or proposals to adopt any other similar standard that satisfies the target criteria of the December 2008 Federal Register notice, which announced the program.

Comments may be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov/ or FEMA-POLICY@dhs.gov, in Docket ID FEMA-2008-0017.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/PrivateSectorPrep.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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SBA, Homeland Security Issue Small-Biz Prep Guide for H1N1 Flu

Yesterday, Small Business Administration [SBA] Administrator Karen Mills and Department of Homeland Security [DHS] Secretary Janet Napolitano [pictured] announced the availability of a preparedness guide designed to assist small businesses in planning for the possibility of an H1N1 flu outbreak this fall.

During a call with reporters, Mills made clear the importance of flu preparedness for small businesses. "Small-business owners should take the time to create a plan, talk with their employees, and make sure they are prepared for flu season," she said. "For countless small businesses, having even one or two employees out for a few days has the potential to negatively impact operations and their bottom line. A thoughtful plan will help keep employees and their families healthy, as well as protect small businesses and local economies."

Outbreaks of H1N1 flu are occurring now across the country, and will likely coincide with the return of seasonal flu this fall and winter. The preparedness guide offers small-business employers tools and information to help them plan for and respond flexibly to varying levels of severity of an H1N1 outbreak -- which may lead to increased absenteeism and, if the outbreak becomes more severe, may include restricted service capabilities and supply-chain disruptions.

Employers are encouraged to put strategies in place now to protect their employees and their businesses in advance of the fall flu season. Included in the preparedness guide are tips on how to write a continuity of operations plan, steps for keeping employees healthy, frequently asked questions about the 2009 H1N1 flu, plus a list of additional resources that employers can access online.

To download the 10-page preparedness guide [pdf], please visit http://www.sba.gov/flu.

SOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration
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SBA Administrator Mills Encourages Americans to Plan for Disasters During National Preparedness Month

Citing current wildfires in Southern California and several storms impacting coastal regions, the U.S. Small Business Administration [SBA] is encouraging Americans to be prepared. In a message posted today on YouTube, SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills [pictured] reminds the public about National Preparedness Month and the devastating effects of disaster, encouraging everyone to develop and implement disaster preparedness plans.

"There’s a tendency to think that a large-scale disaster is not going to happen 'where I live,'" Mills. "We should all realize that storms, floods, earthquakes, fires and man-made disasters can strike at any time and anywhere. Taking responsibility for your own post-disaster recovery is a good step toward protecting your family, your business and your community."

The U.S. Small Business Administration is one of many federal, state and local government and private-sector coalition partners participating in this September’s National Preparedness Month.

The Administrator’s video can be found at www.youtube.com/sba.

To prepare for disasters, SBA offers the following tips:

Develop a solid emergency response plan. Find evacuation routes from the home or business, and establish meeting places. Make sure everyone understands the plan beforehand. Keep emergency phone numbers handy. Business owners should designate a contact person to communicate with other employees, customers and vendors. Homeowners, renters and business owners should ask an out-of-state friend, colleague or family member to be a "post-disaster" point of contact, supporting the flow of information about short-term relocations, recovery, additional sources of assistance, etc.

Make sure you have adequate insurance coverage. Disaster preparedness begins with having adequate insurance coverage -- at least enough to rebuild your home or business. Homeowners and business owners should review their policies to see what is or isn’t covered. Companies should consider business interruption insurance, which helps cover operating costs during the post-disaster shutdown period. Flood insurance is essential. To find out more about the National Flood Insurance Program, visit the website at www.floodsmart.gov/.

Copy important records. It’s a good idea to back up vital records and information saved on computer hard drives, and store that information at a distant offsite location in fireproof safe deposit boxes. You should have copies/backups of important documents ready to take with you if you have to evacuate.

Create a "Disaster Survival Kit." The kit should include a flashlight, a portable radio, extra batteries, first-aid supplies, non-perishable food, bottled water, a basic tool kit, plastic sheeting and garbage bags, cash, and a digital camera to take pictures of the property damage after the storm.

More preparedness tips for businesses, homeowners and renters are available on the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disasterassistance.

The Institute for Business and Home Safety [www.disastersafety.org/] also has information on protecting your home or business. To learn more about developing an emergency plan, visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Ready Campaign website at www.ready.gov/; or, call 1-800-BE-READY to receive free materials.

Following a disaster, the SBA makes low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and non-farm businesses of all sizes. Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged real estate. Individuals may borrow up to $40,000 to cover losses to personal property.

Non-farm businesses and nonprofit organizations of any size may apply for up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged business assets and real property. Small businesses that suffered economic losses as a direct result of the declared disaster may apply for a working capital loan up to $2 million, even if the property was not physically damaged.

To learn more about the SBA’s disaster assistance program, visit the website at www.sba.gov/disasterassistance.

SOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration
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Kerry: Gulf Coast Needs More than Empty Promises; Calls for Reviews of Disaster-Recovery Contracting Practices

Last Thursday, after President Bush's Gulf Coast visit, Sen. John Kerry [D-Mass.] had some harsh words. Kerry, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, is the lead sponsor of bipartisan legislation to overhaul the government's disaster loan program, which the Bush Administration has been blocking since September 2005.

"Long-term recovery for the Gulf Coast requires a whole lot more than 18 months of empty promises," said Kerry. "Businesses that were once the heart of the Gulf Coast economy are now hanging on by a thread. Yet the bipartisan proposals in Congress to get these businesses back up and running have been blocked by the Bush Administration at every turn.

"On his last visit to the Gulf Coast, the President predicted a bright future for the region's entrepreneurs. Yet, in the six months since that visit, nothing's changed. While the Go Zone legislation represented a good first step, we still need fundamental reform of the government's disaster loan program to permanentlyremove delays and red tape that have prevented businesses from getting timely financial assistance."

The Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act of 2007 [S.163], sponsored by Kerry and cosponsored by Sen. Mary Landrieu [D-La.], Sen. Olympia Snowe [R-Maine] and Sen. David Vitter [D-La.], would:
* Establish a Private Disaster Loan [PDL] program that allows banks to make loans directly to victims after meeting Small Business Administration [SBA] criteria. The SBA will provide an 85 percent guarantee for these loans;

* Require the SBA to draft rules within one year that would create a new "expedited disaster assistance business loan program." These short-term loans would have low interest rates similar to regular disaster loans. This would provide businesses with short-term assistance while they await other forms of federal assistance or insurance payouts following future disasters. It specifically addresses one of the major issues following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- a lack of access to immediate capital to keep businesses afloat;

* Create a new presidential declaration of "Catastrophic National Disaster," which will allow the SBA to issue nationwide economic-injury disaster loans to small businesses affected by a large-scale disaster;

* Allow the SBA to provide relief to fuel-dependent small businesses when energy prices increase at extraordinarily high rates.

* Provide key tools for processing disaster loan applications more quickly by authorizing the SBA to enter into agreements with qualified private contractors to process disaster loans, and requiring the SBA to analyze and report to Congress on how the disaster loan application process can be improved; and

* Increase the maximum size of an SBA disaster loan from $1.5 million to $5 million, and allow non-profit groups to be eligible for disaster loans.

Sen. Kerry also called on major federal agencies awarding contracts after disasters to issue and enforce contracting plans, to ensure small firms and disadvantaged businesses receive their fair share of contracts.

A Government Accountability Report released today found that there needs to be better transparency and enforcement at agencies responsible for 94 percent of federal disaster recovery contracts after Hurricane Katrina. Those agencies are the Departments of Homeland Security [DHS] and Defense [DOD], the General Services Administration [GSA], and the Army Corps of Engineers [Corps].

"All the presidential photo opportunities in the world haven't resulted in more small and local business participation in rebuilding communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina," said Kerry. "This GAO report reveals a severe gap in the information we need to ensure small businesses are afforded every opportunity to win contracts and help recover after a disaster. We need more information and better oversight to ensure the government is following the law."

Kerry sent a letter to the heads of DHS, DOD, GSA and the Corps, calling on the agencies to implement the GAO's recommendations to: 1] issue guidance to key personnel reinforcing the importance of subcontracting plan requirements; and 2] consider requesting that the agencies' Inspectors General review compliance with this guidance.

To read the GAO report, visit: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07205.pdf.

To read the text of the letter, click here.

Sources: Library of Congress [via THOMAS], U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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