A FEMA team is performing preliminary damage assessments in Brevard County in partnership with the State of Florida and Brevard County. The process started after the county requested the assessment from the State.
(Media-Newswire.com) - ATLANTA, Ga. -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) sent even more staff to Brevard County Thursday to assist with the county and state response to Tropical Storm Fay. Since Fay made landfall, FEMA has taken the following actions:
Preliminary Damage Assessment
A FEMA team is performing preliminary damage assessments in Brevard County in partnership with the State of Florida and Brevard County. The process started after the county requested the assessment from the State. The PDA teams are staffed by specialists who visit the disaster areas to determine the impacts of private and public damages and to estimate the recovery costs. The expertise is in the following areas:
Public Assistance - inspecting buildings, roads, water and sewer treatment facilities and other essential public facilities Human Services - surveying residential damage to determine the impact of the disaster on individuals and families
A summary report is prepared for the governor, which may serve as a basis for a state decision to request a major disaster declaration from the president.
Financial capabilities and insurance coverage are factors in evaluating a federal declaration, but are not the sole criteria in making a declaration decision. IMAT
The FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team ( IMAT ) is in Brevard County. This advance team travels to disaster areas to support county and state emergency operations staff. The IMAT team coordinates any needed federal activities and relays on-the-ground information back to the state EOC and FEMA.
FEMA Liaison at Brevard County EOC
Since Tuesday morning, FEMA has had an operations liaison in the Brevard County Emergency Operations Center. The liaison relays information about the situation in Brevard County to FEMA's regional office in Atlanta.
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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