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US Forest Service in the California Wildfire Response

USDA

US Forest Service Actively Involved in California Wildfire Response

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Release No. 0134.17

Contact:
Forest Service Press Office
Email: pressoffice@fs.fed.us
(202) 205-1135
@forestservice

US Forest Service Actively Involved in California Wildfire Response

Alongside its local, State and Federal partners, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service remains actively involved in response to wildfires in California. While these fires are not on National Forest System lands, the Forest Service provides additional firefighting personnel, incident management teams, and equipment resources to support the State of California and other federal agencies whose resources are challenged by the size, numbers, and severity of these fatal fires.

“The people of California are not in this alone. This is a unified effort that involves the dedication of the whole firefighting community,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke. “The Forest Service has boots on the ground and is providing other critical resources in California, as well as other parts of the American West, and we will remain as long as necessary.”

While Cal Fire is leading overall operations, as of Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017 the Forest Service has committed over 1,500 firefighters to the effort. Forest Service firefighting resources currently supporting state and local fires include: 12 Type 1 Interagency Hotshot Crews specially trained in wildfire suppression tactics; 103 Type 2 crews; 285 engines; 5 dozers; 1 water tender; 55 support vehicles; 23 fixed wing aircraft (includes air tankers, water scoopers, lead planes and air attack); and 8 helicopters (Type 1 and Type 2).

Additionally, over $6.6 million worth of supplies and equipment have so far been mobilized by agency cache warehouses for such items as: water handling equipment, hoses, nozzles, fittings, foam, folding portable water tanks, batteries, Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), etc. Additional crews, equipment and aircraft are on order.

Currently, the Forest Service also has 15 large air tankers committed, 2 DC-10 very large Air tankers, 2 C-130s with air tanker modules, 34 helicopters and 3 scooper aircraft for water drops.

Firefighters are working to keep dozens of new fires small and of shorter duration, limiting damage and reducing costs and exposure to firefighters and the public.

The public is encouraged to continue following the guidance of local officials and stay informed. Information about wildfires is available on an interagency website, Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/.

“The U.S. Forest Service has an enduring history of supporting wildfire response and we continue to work with cooperators, partners, communities and the American public to reduce the risk of wildfire in the nation.” Chief Tooke said. “Our commitment to our local, State and Federal partners in California is steadfast, and we are dedicated in our mission of caring for the land and serving people.”

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USDA Continues Disaster Assistance in Puerto Rico

USDA

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Release No. 0130.17

Contact:
USDA Office of Communications
(202) 720-4623

USDA Continues Disaster Assistance in Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is continuing its efforts to address the nutrition needs of Puerto Rican residents affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Working closely with federal partners, USDA has supported efforts in Puerto Rico since the Presidential Disaster Declaration.

As of September 29th, 40,296 cases of USDA Foods have been used by volunteer organizations to feed residents in Puerto Rico congregate settings and shelters. Puerto Rico has also been approved to operate the Disaster Household Distribution program, which provides boxes of food that contain approximately 9-16 pounds of nutritious, 100 percent American-grown and produced USDA Foods; boxes are expected to reach approximately 500,000 households.

“People in Puerto Rico are facing tremendous challenges – widespread damage, power outages, and transportation difficulties, among many others,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said.  “At times like these, there’s no such thing as ‘business as usual.’ USDA is working hard with its federal partners, territorial leaders, and other partners to provide the right kinds of assistance – direct food distribution, congregate feeding, and flexibilities in the regular nutrition programs – to make sure all households get the food they need.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided millions of meals and millions of liters of water to the people of Puerto Rico. Additional meals and water continue to arrive to the islands regularly via air and sea. Since day one, USDA has worked hand in hand with FEMA and will continue to support emergency feeding centers.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has also:

  • Issued a waiver enabling recipients of Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) to purchase hot meals at NAP authorized retailers.  Under normal circumstances, hot foods and hot foods ready for immediate consumption cannot be purchased using NAP benefits.
  • Provided guidance so that NAP participants, who are displaced due to the recent hurricanes, can apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in the area where they currently reside.  This makes the process of accessing this important nutrition safety net easier for those already struggling with relocating their families.
  • Purchased ready-to-drink infant formula and baby food sufficient to feed 28,000 infants and toddlers for a week. This shipment is scheduled to arrive the week of October 9 and will be distributed at FEMA Points of Distribution in boxes along with other relief food.
  • Provided flexibilities for foods for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) participants in Puerto Rico to assist women and children in getting the nutritional support they need.  Given that certain prescribed foods are in short supply, FNS has continuously worked to ensure families are able to use their benefits on foods that are currently available.
  • Approved a request from Puerto Rico to provide flexibility to schools regarding what they can serve students in the federal school meal programs. This will assist schools given the challenges of preparing specific foods during the disaster period. Schools are able to serve meals through November 3 that do not meet the menu planning or meal pattern requirements for schools and institutions in the affected areas.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, WIC, and SNAP, which together comprise America’s nutrition safety net. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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USDA: Food Assistance for Disaster Relief Texas Disaster Nutrition Assistance

USDA

Food Assistance for Disaster Relief Texas Disaster Nutrition Assistance

“….D-SNAP eligible households in the affected areas will receive two months of benefits, equivalent to the maximum amount of benefits normally issued to a SNAP household of their size, to meet their food needs as they settle back home following the disaster. To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must live in an identified disaster area, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP eligibility criteria. ……In addition, local disaster organizations, such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Southern Baptist Men continue to utilize USDA Foods to serve hot meals in congregate shelters…..USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which together comprise America’s nutrition safety net……”

 
Last Published: 09/11/2017
Incident: Hurricane Harvey

When: August 25, 2017, and continuing

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

  • FNS approved the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s (HHSC) request to operate a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) in 39 counties that were impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The D-SNAP application period will begin on Wednesday, September 13, 2017, through Tuesday, September 19, 2017, in 11 counties: Dewitt, Gonzalez, Jasper, Karnes, Kleberg, Lavaca, Matagorda, Newton, Orange, Sabine and Tyler. Applicants may only apply at the site designated for the county they resided in at the time of the disaster. Application sites will operate from 8am – 7pm each day of the application period.  Eligible households will receive 2 months of D-SNAP benefits. Click here for more information on D-SNAP application sites.
  • FNS also approved the State request to issue automatic supplements to ongoing SNAP households in 39 counties that received a presidential declaration of disaster for individual assistance. FNS approved the automatic issuance of 2 months of disaster supplemental benefits.  Ongoing SNAP households in other counties affected by Hurricane Harvey that have not been included in a presidential declaration of disaster for individual assistance, may request disaster supplements on an individual basis via signed affidavit attesting to their disaster losses.  Ongoing households already receiving the maximum monthly SNAP allotment for their household size are not eligible for disaster supplements, as no household may receive more than the maximum allotment during the benefit period.
  • On September 1, FNS approved a policy to provide States with flexibility to serve Hurricane Harvey evacuees.  States may choose to either serve evacuees through expedited SNAP rules or through the simplified program rules in the Evacuee Policy.  The Evacuee Policy applies to anyone who at the time of Hurricane Harvey was a resident of a county that received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance, did not receive SNAP benefits in the month of August 2017, and evacuated to another State that chooses to apply the Policy.
  • On September 1, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) issued all September 2017 SNAP benefits to SNAP households in the 29 counties that received a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration.
  • In addition, on September 1, HHSC issued automatic, mass replacement of August 2017 SNAP benefits to SNAP households in the 29 declared counties. The mass replacement benefits were issued to replace food that was purchased with August 2017 SNAP benefits that was destroyed due to the disaster. Replacement benefits were automatically issued to all regular SNAP households in the affected counties, by means of an automated credit to their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.  Households that have already received replacement benefits based on a signed affidavit of loss are excluded from the mass replacement process.
  • FNS approved the State’s request to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for replacement of food purchased with August 2017 SNAP benefits destroyed in Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Colorado, Comal, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kerr, Kleberg, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Polk, Refugio, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Trinity, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Willacy, and Wilson Counties.  Affected households have until September 30, 2017, to report food losses to their local offices and request replacement benefits.
  • FNS approved the State’s hot foods’ waiver request to allow recipients to purchase hot foods and hot food products prepared for immediate consumption with their benefits at authorized SNAP retailers statewide through September 30, 2017.

Texas Hot Foods Notice

  • On August 31, FNS approved the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s (HHSC) request to allow HHSC to extend certification periods for SNAP households in the below 58 affected counties with certification periods expiring in August, September, or October 2017, by 6 months; any case originally scheduled for recertification in August, September, or October 2017, muist now be recertified in February, March, or April 2018, respectively.
  • On August 31, FNS approved the State’s request to allow HHSC to waive the periodic reporting requirements for households in the below 58 affected counties due to report in August, September, or October 2017, to provide administrative relief to HHSC in the short term as the State recovers from the disaster, as well as provide disaster-affected households additional time to report.

The 58 affected counties include:  Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Colorado, Comal, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kerr, Kleberg, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Polk, Refugio, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Trinity, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Willacy, and Wilson.

Texas Health and Human Services’ Website

USDA Foods

  • FNS approved Texas to operate a Disaster Household Distribution program to address immediate food needs. Packages containing USDA Food will be distributed by local feeding organizations to over 23,000 households beginning September 8, 2017, for up to four weeks.  If Texas implements a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) in the distribution area prior to four weeks, the household distribution will end.
  • FNS approved a waiver to allow distribution of August 2017 Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) food packages in September 2017. as retroactive benefits.  In September, participants may receive two CSFP food packages – an August food package and a September food package (e.g., a two month supply of food). This approval applies to the Houston and Beaumont food banks, and includes all distribution sites identified to FNS as impacted by the disaster.
  • Texas and The Salvation Army are using USDA Foods to prepare and serve 100,000 meals to those in need.
  • FNS informed the Texas that it can use The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) USDA Foods to provide meals at food pantries and soup kitchens for people in need who cannot reach larger disaster feeding organizations but who are able to gather at small local organizations to eat.

Child Nutrition Programs

  • On September 5, FNS approved Texas’ request to have more time for, or put on hold, deadlines related to appeals from Child Nutrition operators related to fiscal or other adverse actions. This will give the State relief in focusing on more time-sensitive issues in the present time, and allow all parties to have additional time for the process. This approval is effective through December 31, 2017.
  • FNS approved additional requests from the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) for waivers or program flexibilities to program requirements of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the CSFP, including:
  1. Approval to implement non-congregate feeding through the NSLP’s Seamless Summer Option and the SFSP, as needed, with prior notification to the FNS Southwest Regional Office
  2. Approval to allow two schools to utilize the same location and claim meals separately through the NSLP and SBP. The site may not exceed the maximum number of meals allowed under regulation.
  3. Approval of a waiver of the timeliness for submission of corrective actions from areas in which TDA has received notification of postal service interruption.  Instead, for corrective action due through September 30, 2017, the State agency has discretion in establishing longer corrective action timelines on a case-by-case-basis.
  4. Approval to waive the area eligibility requirements for the SFSP, Seamless Summer Option, and the at-risk afterschool meals component of CACFP through September 30, 2017.
  • On August 29, FNS approved the State’s request for waivers or program flexibilities in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program, Seamless Summer Option, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The approvals allow all schools and child care institutions and facilities in declared disaster counties to waive meal pattern requirements through September 30, 2017; and, schools in affected counties, including those currently participating in the Community Eligibility Provision, to provide meals at no charge to students and be reimbursed for all meals served at the Free reimbursable rate through September 30, 2017.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

  • On September 3, FNS approved the State’s request to substitute certain WIC-approved food items (fluid milk, bread and eggs) through September 24, 2017, due to regional demand and supply chain disruptions caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Texas Department of Agriculture’s Nutrition Assistance Programs’ Website

If you think you may be eligible for disaster food assistance in your State, please contact your local State office.


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