More Hurricane Ike updates: FEMA’s Houston/Galveston efforts struggling, still availble for help
The folks I’m talking to in Houston say conditions are still tough. FEMA has trucks with ice and supplies, but residents don’t know where to go to get them. Officials are asking residents to boil their water before drinking, but it’s hard to do with no electricity.
Cellphone batteries are running down – no way to charge them. Many who use cable companies for home phone service are unable to receive calls. Here are some other newspaper reports.
Dallas Morning News:
Hundreds of first responders at two staging areas in Texas for Hurricane Ike have run out of food and water.
Congressman John Culberson said Sunday that 300 National Guardsmen, state troopers and other emergency workers are going hungry at a high-school football stadium — and at another staging area on Houston’s west side.
Culberson blamed FEMA for the gaffe and says he tried to contact Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who is touring flood-stricken areas of Texas.
Houston Chronicle
…the Federal Emergency Management Agency struggled today to move supplies to distribution centers throughout Houston as nearly 5 million people across the region continued to live without power and access to clean drinking water.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said 40 trucks of water and 40 trucks of meals would be delivered to Reliant Stadium by the end of the day.
ABC 13 – Houston
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made federal disaster aid available for the state of Texas to supplement recovery efforts in the area struck by Hurricane Ike, including assistance for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable.
Available assistance includes rental payments for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters. Assistance may be extended if requested after the initial period based on a review of individual applicant requirements.
Persons who need assistance should register at www.fema.gov or at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address, phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to substantiate losses.
