Press Office
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472
June 18, 2008
No.: 08-111
Contact: FEMA News Desk
Number: 202-646-4600
News Release
FEDERAL RESPONSE TO MIDWEST FLOODS CONTINUES, SHIFTS
Prepositioning Equipment and Supplies Downstream
Focus On Recovery Where Waters Are Receding
WASHINGTON– The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) continues to coordinate the federal response to support states impacted by flooding
in the Midwest.
FEMA’s focus remains on disaster operations in states where river levels remain high and flooding
continues. As waters recede in the impacted states, the federal agency’s focus shifts to the safe
return of residents to their homes, the reestablishment of critical infrastructure, the removal of debris
and hazardous materials, and a review of housing available to meet temporary housing needs.
Below is an update of the support provided and the actions taken by FEMA and its federal partners
as of June 18, 2008, in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri.

Joint Federal Activities: FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S.
General Services Administration and the Defense Logistics Agency have worked together to
provide
o 3,222,000 liters of water – enough to provide for more than 465,000 people per day.
o 213,120 meals ready-to-eat (MRE’s).
o 12.8 million sand-bags bags – enough to reach from Washington, DC to San
Francisco if laid side-by-side.
o 46 generators.
o 2,500 tarps.
o 4,032 rolls of plastic sheeting – which would measure more than 50 miles long if laid
end-to-end.
o 23 Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (MDRCs).
o 30 trucks deployed to help with debris removal.
o Another 108,000 liters of water, 50 generators and 7 MDRCs are currently on the way
to impacted communities.
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www.fema.gov
Page 2, Federal Response to Floods

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
o FEMA’s interagency planners are analyzing future requirements for federal support
during the next 48-72 hours in the impacted areas. Planners are reviewing impact on
the Mississippi River between the Quad Cities and St. Louis. These impacts include
transportation closures and Logistic needs.
o FEMA is also anticipating needs, based on discussions with the affected states, and
have worked with our partners to determine in advance, how we will fill those needs
if or when they arrive. FEMA is pre-staging water, generators, sandbags and pumps
in anticipation of downstream flooding.
o FEMA’s Joint Field Offices are engaging with response partners to establish
State/Federal Housing Solutions Task Forces. These state-led task forces will design
and implement event specific, comprehensive housing plans. A senior FEMA
Individual Assistance Manager will coordinate task force activities at the national
level and provide support on the ground. The task forces are working under the
framework established in the 2008 Disaster Housing Plan that FEMA released earlier
this month.
 State-led task forces have already been established in Iowa, Indiana and
Wisconsin and are meeting to review available housing options.
 FEMA is leading a national task force that is meeting to coordinate federal
support for any needed housing mission.
o FEMA has received 28,122 registrations from individuals seeking assistance in Iowa,
Indiana and Wisconsin.
 More than $22.2 million in assistance has been provided to eligible
individuals.
 FEMA has deployed more than 500 inspectors across Iowa, Indiana and
Wisconsin.
 5,716 inspections have been completed;
 22,825 inspections have been assigned.
 Due to standing water, there are large pockets of inaccessible areas
(approximately 46 percent of the inspection requests are in the Cedar
Rapids area where residents are not currently accessible).

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
o SBA has begun providing loans to disaster victims.
o In Iowa, SBA has already approved 34 loans totaling $3,119,100 million dollars.
 Of those, 33 home disaster loans were approved for $3,114,100.
 One Economic Injury Disaster Loan was approved to a small business for
$5,000.
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Page 3, Federal Response To Floods

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
o The USCG established a Marine Transportation System Recovery Unit (MTSRU) at
St. Louis, which is working with the USACE and marine industry to facilitate safe
and orderly movement of marine traffic throughout period of extreme conditions.
The MTSRU and partners are working closely to assess safe operating conditions and
decision points for open/close status of the St. Louis Harbor.
o The Coast Guard currently has 18 small boat crews operating in Iowa, Illinois and
Missouri:
 One Disaster Area Response Team (DART) from Memphis, Tenn., currently
based in Hannibal, Mo.
 Two DARTs, from Louisville and Cincinnati, currently based in Quincy, Ill..
 Two DARTs, from St. Louis, and one small boat and crew each from the
Coast Guard Cutters Scioto, Wyaconda and Sangamon, currently based in
Burlington, Iowa.
 Each DART consists of three flat bottom boats and seven Coast Guard crew.

The U.S. National Guard
o The National Guard has nearly 4,800 personnel supporting evacuations, flood fighting
efforts, and other support functions in the region.
 More than 3,100 Iowa National Guard members are providing various security
and recovery missions related to record flooding.
 Nearly 700 Illinois National Guard members are conducting sandbagging and
aerial support missions in multiple counties.
 Nearly 500 Missouri National Guard members are performing sandbagging,
levee monitoring and evacuation missions to prepare for an impending flood.
 Nearly 200 Wisconsin National Guard members are providing transportation,
communication, sandbagging and power generation support.
 30 Indiana National Guard members are supporting flood response operations.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
o EPA is coordinating with affected states in anticipation of hazardous materials and
debris recovery.
 EPA will be able to test water quality across the region.
 EPA will conduct air quality tests at debris collection sites to ensure recovery
employees are not exposed to dangerous chemicals or particulates from the
debris.
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Page 4, Federal Response To Floods

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
o HHS' Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping team is identifying healthcare
facilities downstream that are in the flood plain or those that will be potentially
impacted as the rivers continue to crest. HHS Regional Emergency Coordinators will
work with the state to plan for any needs these facilities might have, including in the
areas of evacuation and supplies.
o HHS' Administration on Aging has facilitated communication between the Iowa
Department of Elder Affairs and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Florida is
willing to send a team of five experts to Iowa who have special expertise in working
with the Aging Network in disaster recovery.
o HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
is providing technical assistance and consultation to the flood- impacted states.
Specifically, guidance to the states has included information related to application for
funding for the Crisis Counseling Program. This program is jointly managed by
FEMA and SAMHSA, providing disaster mental health funding in presidential
declared incidents. Also, SAMHSA has provided guidance on other mental health and
substance abuse resource availability and assuring that local providers know how to
access emergency management assistance in local and regional systems. No
outstanding requests exist at this time.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
o DOE continues to communicate with utilities in the affected states. The seven states
currently report 7,933 are without power due to the storm, which is a decrease from
the 10,995 customers without power reported June 17. In Iowa, there are 13,000
natural gas customers without service.
o DOE will continue to monitor the energy impacts as a result of the expected delays
in shipments of coal, ethanol, and petroleum products due to river traffic and port
restrictions.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
o DOL announced a $17,127,000 National Emergency Grant (NEG) to create
approximately 600 temporary jobs for eligible dislocated workers in Iowa to assist in
the cleanup and recovery resulting from damage caused by recent flooding and
tornadoes.
 NEG disaster grants create temporary disaster relief employment to work on
projects that (1) provide food, clothing, shelter and other humanitarian
assistance for disaster victims, and (2) help with the demolition, cleaning,
repair, renovation and reconstruction of damaged and destroyed public
structures, facilities and lands located within the declared disaster area.
FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects
of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made,
including acts of terror.
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