:: NYDIS Joined by STAR NYC Program and Staff

As of July 2007, Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR NYC) joins NYDIS as a training program for community and religious leaders and care providers to increase their understanding of trauma and its implications, and to develop strategies for healing trauma and building peace among individuals and communities. Developed post-9/11 as a joint project of Church World Service (CWS) and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, STAR NYC promotes trauma awareness and conflict transformation as vital components of disaster readiness, response and recovery. As STAR NYC’s fiscal and program sponsor NYDIS is pleased to provide these much-needed services to our faith-based membership and community partners. STAR NYC has trained over 5,000 participants over the past six years.

Contact Ruth Yoder Wenger, Coordinator, STAR NYC:
212.669.6121
starnyc@nydis.org

:: NYDIS Launches Disaster Chaplain & Spiritual Care Worker Program

The NYDIS Board of Directors has announced that, in August, NYDIS will launch a Disaster Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Worker training, credentialing and deployment program for its member agencies. With $140,000 in seed grant funding, NYDIS has begun a search for a full-time Coordinator to oversee the interfaith program which will be conducted in partnership with the Desmond Tutu Education Center at the General Theological Seminary in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. In August, NYDIS will hire twelve subject matter experts including: Board Certified Chaplains, Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Supervisors and Theologians from major Eastern and Western faith communities, as well as disaster mental health experts, to develop and write an interfaith training and train-the-trainer curriculum, to develop the program’s operational structure, and to launch and manage the program. NYDIS members have committed to training a diverse, as well as culturally and language competent, corps of 2,400 non-sectarian volunteer Chaplain Leaders, Chaplains and Spiritual Care Workers over the next 24 months for deployment in NYC. Look for updates in future issues of NYDISNET.

Questions? Contact Peter Gudaitis, Executive Director & CEO:
pgudaitis@nydis.org

To download/view the Coordinator, Disaster Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care position description: click here

:: NYDIS Hosts “Navigating Resources for 9/11 Clients in 2007 Workshop – Part 2”

On July 10, from 12:30 to 5:00 pm, NYDIS hosted a second half-day workshop for 9/11 case managers that focused on navigating current 9/11 resources clients, especially health impacted clients. The “Navigating 9/11 Resources in 2007 Workshop” featured resources for foreclosure prevention, applying to NYS Workers’ Compensation, accessing the WTC health-related hospital programs, Social Security, and other resources for recovery planning, including accessing micro-business loans.

For more information about NYDIS’ case management trainings and resources:
Maggie Jarry, Director, Disaster Recovery & Advocacy
212.669.6105
mjarry@nydis.org

:: NYDIS ED Serves as Workshop Panelist at NYS VOAD Conference

The 3rd Annual New York State VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) Disaster Human Services Conference was held June 26-27 near Binghamton, NY. Registrants attended workshops on Building County/City VOADS in NY, Organizing Communities for Recovery in 2006, Interfaith Disaster Organizations in 2006 Disasters, 2-1-1, Cleanup and Mud Out, State Relief and Recovery Innovations, Organizing Community Casework, Mental Health Initiatives and Relief and Recovery Basic. Besides being a panelist on National Service Programs: AmeriCorps and VISTA for VOAD Building, Response and Recovery, NYDIS Executive Director Peter Gudaitis, spoke to the importance of and best practices for the interfaith community in preparedness, response and recovery as a panelist on NYS Interfaith Disaster Community: Moving Forward. He also served as a panelist for a presentation about the impact of the capacity building outcomes of the AmeriCorps VISTA program at NYDIS.

:: NYDIS to Roll Out “Disaster Tip Sheets for NYC Religious Leaders” – August 1

On August 1 NYDIS will roll out a much anticipated series of fifteen “Disaster Tip Sheets for NYC Religious Leaders.” Each one-page tip sheet provides basic orientation to mitigation education and provides important information and resources about disaster-related issues of key importance to clergy and religious leaders. Some of the titles included are: The Disaster Lifecycle, Emotional & Spiritual Care, How to Use Your Facility for Disaster Ministry, Disaster Volunteerism, Clergy Self-Care, Continuity of Ministry, and Backlash Mitigation. The Tip Sheets are a free resource for religious leaders and the congregations and the neighborhoods or faith communities they serve. They will be available to download from the NYDIS website – feel free to share them with others who will benefit from this useful information.

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact Autumn Brown, Coordinator, Community Outreach and Training:
abrown@nydis.org

:: NYC 9/11 Recovery Resources Online

:: NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable Updates

• Online 9/11 Client Inquiry Form
  To access the form, go to:
  www.nydis.org/unmetneeds/7.php

• NYC 9/11 In-Service Training for Case Workers
  In-Service Training is required for case workers who have never presented a case at the Roundtable, and is recommended as a refresher for experienced case workers who have previously presented cases. All training sessions take place at NYDIS (map).

  • Monday, August 27 - 1:00-3:30 pm

• NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable Schedule
  The NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable brings together donors with agencies providing case management to 9/11 victims. Case Workers who would like to present a case must sign-up by Friday prior to the meeting of the Roundtable. Due to the influx of cases which need presenting, the 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable will be adding an additional Wednesday date each month. There will now be three meetings a month, instead of two.

  • Wednesday, July 11 - 9:30-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, July 19 – 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Wednesday, July 25 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, August 2 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Wednesday, August 8 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, August 16 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Wednesday, August 22 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, August 30 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, September 6 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm

• NYC 9/11 Case Management Coordination Meetings
  NYDIS hosts monthly Case Management Coordination meetings for service providers that are assisting 9/11 recovery workers and the general 9/11-affected community. These meetings are open to representatives from any service providers that wish to coordinate and share information about their services and the community's needs.

  • Wednesday, July 25 – 3:00-5:00 pm
  • Wednesday, August 15 - 9:30-11:00 am
  • Wednesday, September 19 - 9:30-11:00 am

:: NYC Katrina Evacuee Recovery Resources Online

:: NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable

• NYC Katrina In-Service Training for Case Workers
  Case managers working with Katrina or Rita survivors are required to attend an in-service training prior to presenting at the Roundtable. The purpose of these trainings is to provide case managers with a better understanding of the workings of the Roundtable and to help increase the likelihood that a client's needs could be funded.


• NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable
  The NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable aids case managers in securing cash assistance and to share resources to best meet the unmet needs of disaster victims so that they may regain self-sufficiency and recover from the impact of a disaster. The Roundtable helps to facilitate long-term recovery by supporting clients' recovery plans. Case managers who would like to present at the NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable may submit a request the Friday prior to the Roundtable meeting.

  • Tuesday, July 24 - 2:00-5:00 pm
  • Tuesday, August 21 - 2:00-5:00 pm
  • Tuesday, September 25 - 2:00-5:00 pm

To sign up for In-Service Training or to present a case:
Dominique Atchison, Moderator
212.669.6120
datchison@nydis.org

:: Upstate NY 2006 Flood Resources

Download the Hudson Valley Region Disaster Assistance Guide for Upstate NY Floods: click here

For complete information on Flooding Assistance in NY and NJ, please go to the Flood Resources section of the NYDIS website:
www.nydis.org

:: NYS & NJ 2007 Nor’easter Recovery Resources:
    www.nydis.org/recovery/13.php

:: 9/11 Workers' Compensation Registration Deadline Extended One Year-Aug. 14, 2008

NYDIS urges 9/11 chaplains, recovery workers and volunteers to register now to protect their right to workers' compensation benefits. NYDIS and New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) in collaboration with other agencies is mounting a media campaign to inform workers throughout the country about the necessity of registering by the deadline.

Read the July 9 DNN article by Heather Moyer, in which she interviewed Maggie Jarry, NYDIS Director, Disaster Recovery and Advocacy:
www.disasternews.net/news/article.php?articleid=3276

Download the brochure (pdf): English | Español

Call for registration guidelines: 866.WTC.2556

:: WTC Registry Report Shows Impact of 9/11 Health Crisis

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressman Fossella released a report showing that people from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have enrolled in the WTC Health Registry, which will track changes in their physical and mental health over the next 20 years.

Read the entire report:
http://maloney.house.gov/documents/911recovery/RegistryEnrollment20070306.pdf

:: Nadler Chairs First House Hearing on 9/11 Federal Environmental Response

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, June 25 gaveled in the first comprehensive House hearing on the actions of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and other federal agencies that may have harmed the health of individuals living and working in the vicinity of the WTC on or after 9/11. "Six years after 9/11, too many questions remain about who in the federal government was really responsible for key decisions about the handling of post-9/11 air quality. We owe it to the heroes and victims of 9/11 – especially those that have now become sick – to uncover what went wrong, and ensure that it never happens again," said Rep. Nadler.

Former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman’s presence marked the first time she has testified at a Congressional hearing dedicated solely to the EPA’s response to 9/11. Facing repeated charges from Rep. Nadler and others that the EPA's public statements in the wake of the attacks gave people a false sense of safety, she stuck to her long-held position that the government warned those working on the toxic debris pile to use respirators, while elsewhere in lower Manhattan the air was safe to the general public. This hearing is the companion to the one held June 20 by Senator Clinton which focused on the lack of a proper testing and cleaning program for indoor toxins. NYDIS Director of Communications, Yvette Perry, was present at the hearing.

Read Rep. Nadler’s NY Times July 8 Op-Ed article, “Air of Truth”:
www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/opinion/nyregionopinions/08CInadler.html

Read Rep. Nadler’s June 25 Press Release and Opening Statement:
www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny08_nadler/FedEnvironRespWTCWhitman062507.html

Read the text of the prepared testimony of all the witnesses with the exception of Christine Whitman, who did not submit prepared testimony:
http://judiciary.house.gov/oversight.aspx?ID=341www.

• Senator Clinton Lauds Nadler’s Sub-Committee Hearing
  
  For more than five years, Senator Clinton and Representative Nadler have staunchly criticized and questioned the Administration's misleading public statements about post-9/11 air quality, as well as its continued failure to provide a proper testing and cleaning of indoor spaces contaminated by WTC toxins and its lack of health care for the thousands of people who are already ill as a result of exposure to the pollutants. “Today we heard former Administration officials try to defend their air quality statements, but the illnesses of first responders and residents speak for themselves. We need to provide care for those who are sick as a result of exposure to toxins on 9/11 and we need to make sure that we do not make the same mistakes in responding to future disasters.”
  
  Read Senator Clinton’s comment about the House Hearing:
  http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=277746&&

• House Investigates 9/11 Air Quality Issue
  
  The former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Christie Todd Whitman, denied misleading NYC residents and rescue workers about the safety of the air around Ground Zero after 9/11 and staunchly defended her statements assuring the public that the air in Lower Manhattan was safe in the days immediately after the attack.
  
  Read the June 26 DNN article by Heather Moyer:
  www.disasternews.net/news/article.php?articleid=3246
  
  Read the June 26 NY Times article by Anthony DePalma:
  www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/nyregion/26whitman.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

:: Senator Clinton Holds Hearing on 9/11 Air Quality & Response

Senator Hillary Clinton, Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health, oversaw the June 20 hearing held to examine the federal response to 9/11, including risk communication and EPA programs to test and clean indoor spaces in lower Manhattan. The hearing also examined lessons learned from 9/11 and federal readiness to respond to releases of hazardous substances in future emergencies. The Senator questioned the officials about why the Bush Administration, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) chose to downplay and misrepresent the health risks related to exposure in the days and weeks after 9/11; and she challenged them as to whether they have learned any lessons from this disaster and whether they are better prepared to protect public health from environmental hazards in future disasters.

The hearing included testimony from James Connaughton, Chairman of CEQ, EPA official Susan Bodine, John Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources & Environment of the GAO, Capt. Sven Rodenbeck, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, David Newman, New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), and a local resident, Nina Lavin. Following the hearing, Senator Clinton called on the GAO to conduct a separate investigation into the EPA’s level of preparedness to deal with future environmental disasters.

Read Senator Clinton’s Statement:
http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=277387&&

• Report Says US Misled NYC on Dust from Ground Zero
  
  Federal environmental officials misled Lower Manhattan residents about the extent of contamination in their apartments after the collapse of the WTC, according to a preliminary report released on June 20 by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). According to the report, made public during the Senate subcommittee hearing, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not accurately report the results of a residential cleanup program in 2002 and 2003. More than 4,000 apartments in Lower Manhattan were professionally decontaminated in that program, and the agency reported that only a “very small” number of air samples taken in those residences showed unsafe levels of asbestos. But the agency failed to explain that 80% of the air samples were taken after the apartments had already been cleaned.
  
  Download the GAO Testimony by John Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, “World Trade Center: Preliminary Observations on EPA's Second Program to Address Indoor Contamination, June 20, 2007”:
  www.gao.gov/new.items/d07806t.pdf
  
  Read the June 21 NY Times article by Anthony DePalma:
  www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/nyregion/21dust.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1182949311-ui6MTXcZ1qq1dbMliFhT7g

:: Clinton/Schumer Tag $55M for 9/11 Responders’ Health Coverage

Senators Clinton and Schumer June 20 announced that a key Senate Committee has included an additional $55 million in federal funding to address the mounting health needs of those exposed to the environmental hazards released as a result of 9/11. This funding will go towards treatment, screening, and monitoring activities administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and expands the program beyond responders and rescue workers to provide services to residents, office and commercial workers, volunteers, students, and other individuals who were exposed.

This bill encourages the development of a long-term, comprehensive solution to screen and monitor all individuals who were exposed to the environmental hazards at the WTC site and the provision of comprehensive medical services for those experiencing illnesses or injuries as a result of these exposures. Persistent health effects include asthma, chronic sinusitis, gastrointestinal conditions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression.

Read the Senator’s June 20 Press Release:
http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=277408&&

:: Sen. Schumer/Rep. King Say NYC Stiffed Again on Anti-Terror Funds

Although the numbers are not official yet, members of NY's Congressional delegation complained July 7 that NYC has again been stiffed in the distribution of federal anti-terrorism funding. "Why do they persist in giving money to places that need it a lot less than NYC?" asked Sen. Charles Schumer. "...Our needs are different than any other city." Sen. Schumer and Rep. Peter King both said the city was scheduled to receive about $134 million in funding this year, but still $73 million less than the city received two years ago. Schumer said word of the $10 million increase over last year was particularly painful since it came in close proximity to the recent terrorist incidents in London and Glasgow, which forced city officials to heighten security in the five boroughs.

Read the July 7 AP article by Larry McShane:
www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--nyc-anti-terroris0707jul07,0,46155.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

:: FDNY's 9/11-Toll Shocker: 5,000 Getting Medical Care

About 5,000 active and retired FDNY employees are receiving medical treatment for injuries and illnesses connected to 9/11, according to a Fire Department document. The FDNY had about 11,000 members on 9/11: about 3,000 firefighters and EMS workers are receiving counseling for emotional problems; 1,500 are suffering respiratory ailments; between 600 and 1,000 FDNY members are currently receiving prescription medication for asthma, gastrointestinal disease, depression and anxiety. These numbers were revealed in a June 8 FDNY " request for proposals," launched in search of a vendor to manage the department's prescription-drug program for five years.

Read the June 17 NY Post Exclusive article by Angela Montefinise and Susan Edelman: click here

:: States' Post-9/11 DHS Grants Unspent

Nearly a third of the anti-terrorism money the government has doled out to states and cities since 9/11 hasn't been spent by police and emergency workers who would respond to attacks and natural disasters. Almost $5 billion of $16.04 billion in grants approved by Congress for states and Washington, DC, from fiscal 2002 to 2007 remain in federal coffers, according to Homeland Security Department (DHS) budget figures. That's fueled concerns in the Administration and Congress that the government has been dishing out money faster than local governments can spend it. The programs were created after 9/11 to tighten security and pay for equipment and training.

Read the entire June 26 USA Today article by Mimi Hall and DHS allocations chart:
www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-06-25-state-terror-grants_N.htm

:: WTC Findings Spur New Model Building Codes

Safer buildings, especially tall structures, that are more resistant to fire and more easily evacuated in emergencies are the goal of the first comprehensive set of building code changes recently approved by the International Code Council based on recommendations from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) three-year investigation of the collapse of the WTC towers on 9/11. The changes will be incorporated into the 2007 supplement to the ICC’s International Building Code (IBC), a model code used as the basis for building regulations and addressed areas such as increased resistance to building collapse from fire, fireproofing, performance and redundancy of fire protection systems (i.e., automatic sprinklers), fuel oil storage/piping, elevators for use by first responders and evacuating occupants, the number and location of stairwells, and exit path markings.

Read the June 20 Press Release:
www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/wtc_062007.html

:: NYC Plans Surveillance Veil for Downtown

By the end of this year, police officials say, more than 100 cameras will have begun monitoring cars moving through Lower Manhattan, the beginning phase of a London-style surveillance system that would be the first in the US. The “Lower Manhattan Security Initiative” will resemble London’s “Ring of Steel”, an extensive web of cameras and roadblocks designed to detect, track and deter terrorists. British officials said images captured by the cameras helped track suspects after the London subway bombings in 2005 and the car bomb plots last month. If the program is fully financed, it will include not only license plate readers but also 3,000 public and private security cameras below Canal Street, as well as a center staffed by the police and private security officers, and movable roadblocks.

Read the NY Times July 9 article by Cara Buckley:
www.nytimes.com/2007/07/09/nyregion/09ring.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

:: National Service Places Greater Focus on Disaster Preparedness/Response

The Corporation for National and Community Service is ramping up its focus on disaster preparedness and response in order to better provide assistance to communities in need. The Corporation and its NCCC, AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America programs have provided more than $130 million of resources to the Gulf Coast in response to Katrina. The agency has learned many lessons from Katrina, and showed that AmeriCorps members can provide a wider range of higher-level roles than previously thought, including assisting with evacuation and special needs residents, supporting long-term recovery committees, and operating volunteer base camps – a role AmeriCorps members fulfilled in response to recent tornadoes in Florida and Kansas.  Katrina also demonstrated the importance of forging relationships between national service assets and state and local emergency management agencies. The Corporation’s mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.

Read the June 13 Press Release:
www.nationalservice.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=719

www.nationalservice.gov

:: Con Ed Sponsors Summer Preparedness Presentation

Community Outreach VISTA Teresa Garza represented NYDIS at the Con Edison “Summer Preparedness Briefing” held at their Brooklyn headquarters. Representatives from community organizations and government offices learned about Con Ed’s $1.4 billion investment in electrical system improvements intended to prevent outages this summer, and the creation of a new Public Liaison outreach program to provide pertinent information to the community. Attendees asked to sign up for this initiative included representatives from the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, Senator Kevin Parker, Council Member Al Vann, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Assembly members Felix Ortiz and Karim Camara, Community Boards 4 and 6, the Jewish Community Relations Council, and the Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush.

Learn more about Con Ed’s energy conservation programs and City initiatives:
www.coned.com/messages/pr20070612.asp

www.conEd.com

:: FEMA Announces National Advisory Council Members

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced June 19 the membership of the National Advisory Council, which advises the Administrator of FEMA, David Paulison, on preparedness and emergency management aspects for close coordination with its partners across the country. "These experts in the field of emergency preparedness and response will bring new and unique perspective to the Department," said Homeland Security 9DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff. Set into motion by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, members are homeland security directors, adjutants general, emergency response providers from state, local, and tribal governments, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations. The Council will focus attention in the development and revision of the national preparedness goal, the national preparedness system, the National Incident Management System, the National Response Plan, and other plans and strategies. The first meeting is expected to be convened this fall.

Read the June 19 Press Release:
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=37154

:: Supreme Court: Taxpayers May Not Challenge President’s Faith-Based Initiatives

The US Supreme Court ruled June 25 that taxpayers cannot sue the federal government over events that promote its Faith-Based and Community Initiative on grounds that they violate the constitutional separation of church and state. In a case known as Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation, the nation's highest court ruled that taxpayers may not mount legal challenges against the government over funding to religious organizations unless Congress has specifically authorized the programs that provide the money. Citizens may not sue over purely discretionary actions of the President and his administration paid for out of general administrative funds. Jay Hein, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, said, “The administration believes that government does better when it works with every partner, whether faith-based or secular, large or small."

Read The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy article by Claire Hughes:
www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6659

The Faith-Based and Community Initiative:
www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/

:: FEMA Appoints Disability Coordinator for Emergency Planning

David Paulison, FEMA Administrator announced June 20 the appointment of Disability Coordinator, Cindy Lou Daniel. She assumes the role of providing guidance and coordination on emergency planning requirements and relief efforts for individuals with disabilities, after having worked to empower people with disabilities for over 19 years. Most recently, she served as an emergency preparedness specialist at the National Organization on Disabilities, where she conducted research on the effects Katrina had on people with disabilities; and she has served on the Homeland Security National Task Force on Emergency Planning dealing with people with disabilities.

Read Cindy Lou Daniel’s bio:
www.fema.gov/about/bios/cdaniel.shtm

:: DHS Announces Sponsorship of 4th Annual National Preparedness Month

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will sponsor the fourth annual National Preparedness Month this September and encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities. This year’s effort has a growing coalition of more than 625 national, regional, state, and local organizations pledging support. For the first time, the month will focus on different areas of emergency preparedness:

• September 1-8: Back-to-School
• September 9-15: Business preparedness
• September 16-22: Multicultural preparedness
• September 23-30: Home and family preparedness, including pets, older Americans and individuals with disabilities and special needs

Watch for details in the coming issues of NYDISNET of NYDIS’ all-day 2007 Disaster Preparedness Summit for Religious Leaders that will be held in honor of National Preparedness Month on Tuesday, September 25 at NYU’s Kimmel Center in Manhattan. Please hold the date.

Read the June 13 Press Release:
www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1181763393616.shtm

:: The Road Home Program - Deadline to Apply July 31

Louisiana homeowners who owned and occupied their homes at the time of Katrina or Rita, and suffered damage as a result of one of the storms, may be eligible to receive assistance through The Road Home program, which represents the largest single housing recovery program in US history, affording eligible homeowners up to $150,000 in compensation for their losses to get back into their homes. Those who have not yet applied have until July 31 to file an application for assistance.

Read the Road Home Press Release about the Deadline:
www.roadcommunications.com/assets/docs/Deadline%20News%20Release%20052907.doc

Apply to The Road Home Program:
www.road2la.org
1.888.762.3252 (TTY: 1.800.566.4224)

:: New Federal Law Mandates No Pet Left Behind

For Gulf Coast residents, it was an agonizing choice: flee from the onslaught of Katrina - leaving behind beloved pets which could not be accommodated by public transport and emergency shelters - or risk staying to care for their four-legged "family" members. In future disasters, natural or man-made, pet owners will no longer have to face that dilemma. The loss of an untold number of pets left behind during Katrina spurred Congress to approve the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, requiring emergency preparedness authorities to include in their plans accommodations for household pets and service animals. States that don't comply could be in jeopardy of losing disaster relief funds. Some cities are building shelters that will house both animals and their owners, expanding existing kennel facilities, and purchasing crates, leashes and other items that would be needed.

Read the June 20 DNN article by Nancy Hogland:
www.disasternews.net/news/article.php?articleid=3229

• Veterinary Foundation Offers Disaster Assistance
  
  Sharon Granskog from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (V-MAT), says that despite the massive devastation caused by Katrina, some good did come out of the storm. "It really opened some eyes and got people thinking, ‘What would I do with my pet if I had to leave my house suddenly,'" she said. "It doesn't even have to be a hurricane - you can be forced from your home if there's a fire or chemical spill nearby.” V-MAT is a national response team of approximately 60 veterinarians, technicians, pharmacists and support personnel that responds to natural or man-made disasters to support the local veterinary community in whatever way necessary. The organization can set up a full field hospital as well as provide medical care for pets, search-and-rescue dogs, livestock, wildlife and even zoo animals.
  
  www.avmf.org/html/index.asp