FEMA.: What It is and Who Qualifies for It
If you get caught in a natural disaster, then the initials FEMA are likely to become very familiar. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has a mandate to help people who have suffered the effects of disasters. It provides necessities to people involved, including food and shelter, and much more. They also train and send out emergency specialists who can assist victims of these disasters, arrange insurance against floods, and are the main arm of the federal government in such an event. You’ll be thankful for FEMA if you are caught up in a national emergency.
FEMA’s responsibility is decided by a disaster life cycle. It begins following the occurrence of a national disaster. These can include anything from earthquakes to terrorist attacks. The agency’s name became familiar to many Americans during the Hurricane Katrina incident. Once a disaster takes place, FEMA begins by responding to it. They will provide food, water, and medicine to victims and set up field hospitals and shelters. Following this, they will begin to start recovery efforts. They will help communities with the rebuilding process, taking part in the repair or rebuilding of homes, schools, police stations, and so on. In the event of a flood, FEMA will try to clear away water and debris, or other remnants of the disaster. The next step for FEMA is mitigation. This means offering a recovery process that takes safety into account. For example, if it is unwise to build in certain parts of a community due to the likelihood of future disasters, they will arrange for structures to be cleared from these locations. In the case of earthquakes, they will help engineer new structures that are built more sturdily.
After the successful rebuilding of the disaster area, FEMA will begin the next step, risk reduction. FEMA offers advice and help to people in the disaster area relating to how to reduce their losses in the event of future disasters. One of the things they offer to reduce risk is flood insurance. Then come preparedness and prevention. These steps of the life cycle are taken to help communities prevent disasters in the future, if possible. For the disasters that cannot be predicted, preparedness it the strategy employed. This will help citizens cope with the aftermath of such an event.
If a major disaster strikes, certain people qualify for assistance from FEMA. Citizens in need must fill out an application to receive aid. These are available online, on FEMA’s website, and will be provided at the scene following a disaster, for the most part. To put in motion one of the FEMA’s special aid programs, the President of the U.S. must officially declare a national disaster. Citizens whose home has been destroyed can apply for disaster housing through FEMA. For those needing food and water, or clothing, a number of FEMA and Red Cross officials will be available to provide them. People who are unable to work due to a disaster can submit an application for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. You can also get low-fee legal aid at special Disaster Recovery Centers that will be set up after a disaster occurs.
It doesn’t matter where you live in the United States; everyone can face the prospect of a national disaster occurring. You should take steps to prepare for it, but in any event, FEMA will be there to help you if it happens.
