Federal program offers cash to cover COVID-19 funeral costs
When Wanda Olson’s son-in-law died in March after contracting COVID-19, she and her daughter had to grapple with more than just their sudden grief. Olson's daughter submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, received a deposit by June and was able to reimburse her mother the $1,974. “Had this not been available, we would have been paying the money ourselves,” said Olson, 80, of Villa Rica, Georgia.
news.yahoo.comNorthwood University gets $3.4 million from FEMA for flood repairs
MIDLAND, MI - Northwood University will receive a $3.4 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help rebuild six buildings damaged in the Edenville Dam collapse flooding from May 2020, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Midland). The collapse of the Edenville Dam after heavy rainfall led to the failure of the nearby Sanford Dam and temporarily displaced roughly 10,000 residents. The flooding was declared a state and federal disaster, causing more than $209 million in damages, including ruining Northwood’s basketball court and causing its football turf to float atop the water.
mlive.comArchdiocese of New Orleans Agrees to Pay More Than $1 Million to Resolve Hurricane Katrina-related False Claims Act Allegations
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans (Archdiocese of New Orleans) has agreed to pay more than $1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims for payment to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the repair or replacement of certain facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The False Claims Act permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and to share in any recovery. The False Claims Act lawsuit is being handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, with assistance from FEMA’s Office of Chief Counsel. Investigative support is being provided by DHS OIG, through its Major Fraud and Corruption Unit and New Orleans Resident Office. The claims alleged in the lawsuit, including those resolved by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
justice.govNo part of the United States will be untouched by extreme weather
Data: FEMA; Chart: Jared Whalen/AxiosSome regions of the U.S. are safer from climate-fueled extreme weather events than others, but no region will be untouched, especially as greenhouse gases keep building up in the atmosphere.The big picture: The map above shows major disasters declared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the past two decades — a snapshot that ranges from hurricanes and severe storms to wildfires and drought.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic ins
news.yahoo.comFEMA deadline is fast approaching; five things to keep in mind about flood assistance
FEMA/File photoDEARBORN — Officials are warning that the Oct. 13 deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance for damage from the June 25-26 storms in Southeast Michigan is fast approaching. FEMA staff are available to assist via the FEMA Helpline or at one of the open disaster recovery centers in southeast Michigan. There are options for those who disagree with their FEMA assistance decision. Additionally, if someone doesn’t qualify for an SBA disaster loan, they may be referred back to FEMA for other types of grant assistance. For more information on the SBA loan process, please visit sba.gov/disaster, call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or send an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.
arabamericannews.comDisaster relief for flooding in Oakland, Macomb counties approved by FEMA
Gretchen Whitmer’s request to expand a “major disaster declaration” to include homes in Macomb and Oakland counties that fell victim to heavy rainfall and flooding across Southeast Michigan in late June, Whitmer’s office announced Saturday. Those interested in applying can call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362, apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or download the FEMA app. Those in the affected counties have already registered with FEMA since July 15 do not need to apply again, FEMA states. Individuals in Washtenaw and Wayne counties can already apply for help if they have uninsured or underinsured losses from the late June disaster, FEMA states. On July 15, President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration allowing individual assistance for Wayne and Washtenaw counties.
mlive.comMajor Disaster Declaration expanded to include Macomb and Oakland counties after record flooding
On Saturday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency has granted her request to expand the Major Disaster Declaration to include households in Macomb and Oakland counties following heavy rainfall and flooding across southeast Michigan in late June. FEMA’s agreement to expand the disaster declaration follows a letter Whitmer sent to FEMA appealing a previous denial of assistance to the areas.
West Michigan first responders receive federal grants to support operations, safety
First responders in two West Michigan communities are receiving grants from the federal government. The Comstock Township Fire Department will get $34,871 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Both grants are provided through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants program. The money is to help daily operations and safety protocols, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, announcing the grant funding. “Our first responders and firefighters across Southwest Michigan are real heroes — period,” Upton said in a statement.
mlive.comFEMA to share new Saginaw County flood insurance data at September meeting
CHICAGO, IL -- Saginaw County residents later this month can meet virtually with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives regarding new flood insurance data for communities vulnerable to rising waters. FEMA representatives from the agency’s Chicago office will host a virtual open house regarding recently-completed flood insurance studies -- specifically for Saginaw County -- on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Officials say representatives at the virtual meeting will provide information about flood risk, flood insurance, floodplain development regulations, and the process for floodplain mapping within Saginaw County. The preliminary floodplain mapping shared at the meeting will provide the basis for flood insurance ratings as well as flood protection regulations drafted by the National Flood Insurance Program, an initiative managed by FEMA. Online users can access those preliminary flood insurance rate maps at fema.gov/preliminaryfloodhazarddata.
mlive.comFEMA National Alert coming Aug. 11: What you need to know
A Federal Emergency Management Agency nationwide alert is set for later this month. FEMA will test its emergency alert system, or EAS, on Aug. 11 at 2:20 p.m. The test will include both EAS systems – radio and television – and the Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA, for those who have opted in on their cell phones. The message will say:“THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. No action is required.”The alert is the sixth nationwide EAS test.
mlive.comWashtenaw County residents who experienced flood damages can now apply for FEMA assistance
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Washtenaw County homeowners or renters who experienced damage from severe storms and flooding in late June can apply for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the City of Ann Arbor announced on Friday. Heavy rainfall during the weekend of June 25-26 prompted Washtenaw County to declare a state of emergency after the rain overwhelmed the drainage and sewer systems in the county. At least another four to six homes required evacuation, David Halteman, director of emergency services for Washtenaw County previously told MLive. Even if they previously reported damages to local officials or spoke to a FEMA representative during preliminary damage assessments, residents must still register a claim through FEMA. Read more from The Ann Arbor News:Washtenaw County residents asked to self-report flood damageFlooding prompts Washtenaw County to issue state of emergencyDebbie Dingell blasts ‘coldness’ of owners at flood-damaged Ypsilanti apartments
mlive.comGov. Whitmer seeks presidential disaster declaration to help Michigan businesses, residents impacted by flooding
On Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requested that President Joe Biden declare a major disaster for the state of Michigan as a result of the heavy rainfall and flooding that occurred in late June.
Biden promises housing, mortuary help for Surfside building collapse victims
President Joe Biden said he spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday and promised federal help for Surfside, where 159 people are unaccounted for and four are confirmed dead after the 12-story Champlain Towers South oceanfront condo collapsed.
news.yahoo.comResidents statewide can make COVID vaccination appointments at Michigan State University Pavilion clinic
Starting Monday, all Michigan residents are welcome to schedule an appointment to get vaccinated at the Michigan State University Pavilion clinic operated by the Ingham County Health Department in partnership with the college. The site is a drive-thru only clinic, and appointments are available as early as this week.
FEMA vaccination sites to close as California ramps up shots
Officials said Friday, March 26, 2021, that the vaccine sites have provided nearly a half-million doses so far. The two sites in Oakland and Los Angeles opened in February for an eight-week pilot program that concludes on April 11. AdOfficials in the county and city of Los Angeles are in discussions about maintaining the site in some fashion, said Dr. Paul Simon, the chief science officer for Los Angeles County. “California’s commitment to equity is much more than just two vaccination sites," she said. It was updated on March 27, 2021 to correct that vaccination sites will close April 11, not April 15.
FEMA to provide financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses
As part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and the American Rescue Plan, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020.
Child border crossings surging, straining US facilities
FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum walk at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center, in Dilley, Texas. The number of children crossing by themselves, mostly from Central America, appears to be surging in particular in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. AdThe total of 561 unaccompanied minors from Monday offers a snapshot of how quickly conditions have changed along the border. “They’re all coming across the border, they’re coming fast, and they’re wearing Biden T-shirts,” said the Oklahoma Republican. The Biden administration last week ended a Trump policy that made relatives reluctant to contact HHS to retrieve children for fear of being deported themselves.
FEMA to help manage unaccompanied minors at US-Mexico border
FILE - In this Monday, March 1, 2021 file photo, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. The Biden administration is turning to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help managing and caring for record numbers of unaccompanied immigrant children who are streaming into the U.S. from Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says FEMA will support a government-wide effort over the next three months, Saturday, March 13, 2021. – The Biden administration is turning to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help managing and caring for record numbers of unaccompanied immigrant children who are streaming into the United States by illegally crossing the border with Mexico. During an record influx of unaccompanied minors in 2014, the Obama administration also turned to FEMA for help coordinating the governmentwide response.
Ford Field in Detroit to become mass vaccination site for Metro Detroit
“I’m pleased to announce the addition of a new FEMA-supported site in Detroit,” said White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients. “This site, located at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, has the ability to administer 6,000 shots per day.”UPDATE March 15: You can now register to get vaccinated against COVID at Ford FieldREAD: FEMA to convert Ford Field into regional mass vaccination siteIt was initially reported in February that officials from FEMA were touring Ford Field and were planning to turn the home of the Detroit Lions into a massive vaccination site. “Protect lives and move Michigan and Detroit forward.”The way forward, she said, is the the vaccination site at Ford Field. I am thrilled that the recently enacted American Rescue Plan Act will deliver resources -- that I secured -- directly to the federal vaccination program at Ford Field. Having this new mass vaccination site operated by FEMA will be a significant step forward for our city and our region toward that goal.
Local 4 News at 5 -- March 12, 2021
Here’s what is coming up on Local 4 News at 5:Ford Field to become one of 20 regional mass COVID vaccination centers across the countryThe Joe Biden Administration officially announced Friday morning it will be working with state officials to build a new major Community Vaccination Center (CVC) in Detroit. With the help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Ford Field will become the new home of a regional mass vaccination site.
FEMA to convert Ford Field into regional mass vaccination site
DETROIT – The Joe Biden Administration officially announced Friday morning it will be working with state officials to build a new major Community Vaccination Center (CVC) in Detroit. With the help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Ford Field will become the new home of a regional mass vaccination site. UPDATE March 15: You can now register to get vaccinated against COVID at Ford FieldRELATED: Here is Michigan’s updated COVID-19 vaccination schedule: Who is eligible and whenAccording to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the CVC at Ford Field will be administering 6,000 shots daily. AdIt was initially reported in February that officials from FEMA were touring Ford Field and were planning to turn the home of the Detroit Lions into a massive vaccination site. AdFord Field’s use as a CVC will be a large part of Metro Detroit’s vaccination process.
Michigan: All adults eligible for COVID vaccine April 5
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan announced Friday that all residents age 16 and up will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 5, nearly a month before the May 1 date pledged by President Joe Biden. Two days later, March 24, a federally selected regional mass vaccination site will open at Detroit's Ford Field to administer an additional 6,000 doses a day for two months. “The safe COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way to protect you, your family and others from the virus," Gov. “It will help the country get back to normal and help the economy.”AdMichigan was the third state to announce broad eligibility this week. It may take “several weeks” beyond April 5 for everyone who wants the vaccine to get an appointment, according to the state health department.
Sources: Ford Field to be used as regional mass vaccination site
DETROIT – Sources have confirmed that Ford Field will be used as a regional mass vaccination site starting next month. Sources in Wayne County said that FEMA has not yet defined what “regional” means. Detroit police were quietly providing security outside of Ford Field on Monday while inside a team from FEMA got a close look. FEMA wants Ford Field up and running for vaccinations by mid-March. AdWayne County Commissioner Ray Basham said FEMA is aware of how Michigan county health departments, city health departments and health systems are competing for doses.
FEMA strike team coming to Michigan to help with vaccine distribution
The state of Michigan will receive federal help distributing coronavirus vaccines. Sen. Gary Peters knows vaccine distribution in Michigan has been a challenge. Peters is the chair of the Homeland Security committee over FEMA and now FEMA strike teams are coming in to assist the state. AdAny area having trouble getting vaccine doses into residents will now get help from FEMA. Peters said he has met with President Joe Biden and is pushing for the state to receive more doses.
Crippling storm hampers vaccinations as FEMA opens new sites
Members of the National Guard help motorists check in at a federally-run COVID-19 vaccination site set up on the campus of California State University of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. FEMA opened its first COVID-19 inoculation sites in Los Angeles and Oakland, part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to get shots into arms more quickly and reach minority communities hit hard by the outbreak. In snowy Chicago, Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said more than a hundred city vaccine sites didn’t get shipments Tuesday because of the extreme weather, leading to many cancellations. The Los Angeles site is “proximate to a community that has been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic,” Gov. “The effort here is to address that issue forthrightly.”The Biden administration plans to establish 100 federally assisted vaccination sites nationwide in cooperation with state authorities.
Local 4 News at Noon -- Feb. 12, 2021
DETROIT – Here’s what you missed on Local 4 News at Noon. Mayor Mike Duggan joins Biden Administration to talk about COVID stimulus planThe Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan will be discussed at the bi-partisan meeting Friday of governors and mayors, the White House said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has told Detroit it will be reimbursed about $18 million to cover the city’s coronavirus-related costs including money spent on administering vaccines.
Feds give Michigan $8.3 million for COVID vaccine distribution support
DETROIT – The state of Michigan is receiving $8.3 million in federal funding for COVID-19 vaccination distribution efforts. AdWhitmer says 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administeredLast week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revealed that more than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the state. By the end of Wednesday, the state had administered exactly 1,076,545 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the governor. Earlier in the week, Whitmer said she was working with the federal government to “help us get the supply we need to reach our goal and return to the normalcy we all crave.”AdRead more here.
The Latest: Anchorage opens up after COVID-19 drop, vaccines
Plastic surgeon Daniel Suver receives the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine from Andrea Castelblanco during a vaccine clinic on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is averaging about 60 new COVID-19 cases a day, said Dr. Janet Johnston, the epidemiologist for the Anchorage Health Department. More than 90 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be produced in Japan. Ad___SACRAMENTO -- California reported its second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths — while the rates of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continue to drop. ___ALBANY, N.Y. — New York may have undercounted COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents by thousands.
The Latest: Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall
State health officials Monday reported fewer than 13,000 people were being treated for the virus in Texas hospitals, marking the seventh consecutive day of declining patient loads. Some hospitals and clinics have reported having to cancel immunization appointments because they didn’t have enough vaccine doses to distribute. A little more than half of Ochsner employees have yet to get the vaccine, officials said at a news conference Monday. Tessa Walker Linderman, co-lead of Alaska’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, told reporters the state expects to learn soon what its vaccine allocation will be for February. Health officials are also worried about variants that were first reported in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
President Biden introduces new COVID-19 response plan
President Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington. “We need to ask average Americans to do their part," said Jeff Zients, the White House official directing the national response. Biden officials say they're hampered by lack of cooperation from the Trump administration during the transition. As part of his COVID-19 strategy, Biden will order the establishment of a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to ensure that minority and underserved communities are not left out of the government's response. Below is Biden’s “National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness” plan, announced on Jan. 21.
Biden puts forth virus strategy, requires mask use to travel
New York officials are pushing for more COVID-19 vaccine doses as the effort to speed up inoculations collides with a lack of vaccine. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that the city will run out of first doses of COVID-19 vaccine sometime Thursday without fresh supplies. The U.S. mask order for travel being implemented by Biden will apply to airports and planes, ships, intercity buses, trains and public transportation. As part of his COVID-19 strategy, Biden will order the establishment of a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to ensure that minority and underserved communities are not left out of the government's response. Biden is ordering FEMA to reimburse states for the full cost of using their National Guards to set up vaccination centers.
Biden signs burst of virus orders, vows 'Help is on the way'
President Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington. “We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and it will take months to turn this around,” Biden said at the White House. Asked about that at the White House on Thursday, Biden told a reporter: “When I announced it, you all said it’s not possible. But administration officials stressed that reopening schools safely depends on increased testing. “We do not have nearly enough testing capacity in this country,” said White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients.