Hurricane Katrina Information Page

Report price gouging DHR provides relief for hurricane victims Assistance for displaced LA,MS,AL Medicaid members VA patient infoformation Education assistance for hurricane victims

Volunteer/Donations: American Red Cross 1-800-HELP NOW (800) 435-7669 (404) 870-4440

Release Date: September 6, 2005 Release Number: 05-290, GA 10143/10144 Contact: Frank Adinolfe or Matt Young Phone: 404-347-3771

DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 19
FOR SBA PHYSICAL DISASTER LOAN APPLICATIONS

ATLANTA - The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that September 19 is the deadline to file physical disaster loan applications for damages from Tropical Storm Dennis that occurred on July 10. Homeowners, renters and businesses that sustained physical damage in the declared counties of Cherokee, Cobb, Colquitt, Douglas and Worth and contiguous counties of Bartow, Brooks, Carroll, Cook, Crisp, Dawson, Dougherty, Forsyth, Fulton, Gordon, Lee, Mitchell, Paulding, Pickens, Thomas, Tift and Turner in the State of Georgia are eligible to apply.

"If you think you are going to get everything you need from your insurance settlement you may be in for a surprise. Insurance seldom covers all the costs associated with repairing or replacing property damaged by a disaster. I do not want anyone to miss out on the additional help SBA can provide through our low-interest disaster loan program," said SBA Acting Disaster Area Director Frank Skaggs.

SBA offers loans up to $200,000 to repair disaster damaged primary residences. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to replace personal property such as furniture and clothing. Loans to businesses of all sizes and non-profit organizations are available up to $1.5 million to repair damage to real estate, machinery and equipment, and inventory. Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) are also available to small businesses unable to pay bills or meet operating expenses because of the disaster.

Interest rates can be as low as 2.875 percent for homeowners and renters and 4.00 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based upon each applicant's financial condition.

Applications and program information remain available by calling the SBA toll-free at 1-800-659-2955. The Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) and speech impaired number is (800) 877-8339. Business loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA website at www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Area 3 Office at 14925 Kingsport Road, Ft. Worth, TX. 76155.

The deadline for returning applications for physical damage is September 19; the deadline to return economic injury applications is April 19, 2006.

For more information visit SBA's website at www.sba.gov/disaster.

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SBA Disaster Assistance Office - Area 2-One Baltimore Place, Suite 300-Atlanta, GA 30308.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 2, 2005

VA Evacuates Patients from Hurricane Area

WASHINGTON ( September 2, 2005) – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has successfully evacuated the most critically ill patients from the VA medical center in New Orleans. The evacuation of other patients, staff and family members continued Friday , as the department responds to Hurricane Katrina.

"The safety of our patients is paramount for all VA employees," said the Honorable R. James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs. "The professionalism and bravery of VA employees is allowing us to evacuate our patients from two facilities, without mishap, during an unprecedented catastrophe."

Information about patients evacuated from the VA medical centers in New Orleans and Gulfport can be obtained toll-free at (800 ) 507-4571.

Inpatients formerly at the Gulfport, Miss., VA Medical Center were transferred before the hurricane struck to other VA medical centers.

Ten inpatients on ventilators at the New Orleans VAMC were evacuated to the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La. , before being transported to other medical centers in the region. Ninety -eight additional patients were successfully evacuated Thursday using a VA truck convoy and flown via Air National Guard C-130s to Houston ; Jackson, Miss. ; and Alexandria, La.

Evacuation of the remaining 94 patients in VA's New Orleans facility, along with 367 staff and family members, continued into the night Thursday and on Friday, and will continue until all have been safely relocated. 

The VA medical centers in New Orleans and Gulfport both sustained major storm damage. The Gulfport facility has been closed , and the one in New Orleans will be closed after the last patients have been transferred.

"I salute our VA employees in all our Gulf Coast facilities for their courage, stamina and compassion," Nicholson said. “There is still much to be done, and we’re diligently going about the task at hand.”

VA officials are establishing procedures for family members to locate inpatients evacuated from the affected facilities. Officials are also finalizing procedures for veterans from the hurricane area to receive benefits checks and prescription drugs, and to ensure that VA employees continue to be paid.

"VA health -care professionals from across the country are volunteering to care for our evacuees," Nicholson said. "We are moving quickly to ensure our veterans can continue to receive their regular health care and other benefits."

The volunteer corps of VA has assisted veterans for nearly 60 years, and Nicholson said people wishing to help should contact their nearest VA facility and ask for the Voluntary Service Office.

Additional information is also available for veterans and VA employees affected by Hurricane Katrina online at www.va.gov.

People wishing to receive e-mail from VA with the latest news releases and updated fact sheets can subscribe at the following Internet address: http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/opalist_listserv.cfm

Governor Perdue Signs Executive Order Enacting Georgia’s Price Gouging Statute

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue signed an Executive Order today enacting Georgia’s price gouging statute to protect Georgia consumers from unlawful increases in gas prices and other products. The Governor’s Office has received today credible evidence that price gouging has occurred in parts of the state.

“We will not tolerate the exploitation of Georgia consumers as we recover from the effects of Hurricane Katrina,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “Violators of this price gouging statute will be punished to the fullest extent possible.”

Citizens are asked to report any suspected incidences of price gouging to the Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs at (404) 651-8600 or (800) 869-1123. Any violators of Georgia’s price gouging statute will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Georgia’s price gouging statute prevents retailers from selling goods or services at an unreasonable or egregious price. Georgia’s price gouging statute does not prevent price increases that accurately reflect an increase in the cost of the goods or services to the retailer, an increase in the cost of transporting the goods or services into the area, or an increase due to the market forces of supply and demand.

For example, a retailer may increase the price of their products as is necessary to replenish their existing daily stock at current market rates, maintaining the same markup percentage he or she applied prior to the enactment of the price gouging statute.

DHR update on Hurricane Katrina relief efforts
September 2, 2005

ATLANTA (GA) – Georgia’s Department of Human Resources (DHR) is continuing to make all available resources accessible for individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina. DHR’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) has increased the number of shelters in operation to 12 across the state that are accepting refugees. They are located in the following counties: Chatham, Cobb, Coweta, Dougherty (2), Fulton, Hall, Jones, Lowndes, Muscogee (2), Newton, Richmond, Troup. Shelters in the following counties are currently full: Bibb, Dougherty (Henderson Gym 701 Willard St.), Muscogee (Hilton Terrace Baptist Church), and White. Those offices in metro Atlanta and across the state that have a need will remain open during the weekend to process Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Food stamp applications. DFCS offices will also see to the immediate needs of displaced individuals including: food, clothing and shelter. No one will be turned away without receiving aid.

DHR’s Division of Public Health is coordinating with National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) hospitals in the Atlanta area and Augusta to provide services for patients currently being evacuated from the storm area. As of 8 PM on Sept. 1, two NDMS aero-vac flights were received at Dobbins AFB with a total of 47 displaced individuals; five have been hospitalized. The remaining displaced individuals have been transported to shelters. Information regarding future aero-vac flights will be given as it is received. Public Health is also sending thousands of Tetanus vaccines to the storm affected area.

The Division of Public Health’s Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Branch is temporarily waiving residency, identification, and income eligibility requirements for WIC food coupons. The WIC target population includes: women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, post-partum, and infants and children up to age five. WIC food coupons, unlike food stamps, only cover nutritional food supplements for children. All displaced who are holding vouchers from the Alabama and Louisiana Women Infants and Children Program (WIC) may cash their vouchers in Georgia 's WIC authorized retail stores.

All refugees requesting assistance are advised to contact DHR Constituent Services at 404-651-6316 or 888-295-1769.

Georgia Department of Human Resources · Office of Communications · Dena J. Smith, Press Secretary
Two Peachtree Street, NW · Suite 29.426 · Atlanta , Georgia 30303-3142
Phone: 404-656-4937 · Fax: 404-651-6815

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 31 August 2005
For information, contact: Ari Young, 404-657-1387 acyoung@dhr.state.ga.us

DHR PROVIDES RELIEF FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS

ATLANTA (GA) – Georgia’s Department of Human Resources (DHR) is making available all of its resources to provide assistance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, some of whom have already begun arriving in Georgia. “All of our offices and divisions stand ready to extend a helping hand to the victims,” said DHR Commissioner B.J. Walker. DHR’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) is working closely with the American Red Cross to provide emergency assistance to hurricane refugees, including food, shelter and clothing, and with local food banks to make certain that stocks of food are available for families that arrive from the disaster areas. DFCS has opened shelters throughout the state to handle the large number of out of state refugees expected from the Gulf Coast States and is preparing to provide emergency food stamp assistance at local DFCS offices.

In anticipation of the large numbers of patients being evacuated from local area hospitals in the hurricane-stricken areas, DHR’s Division of Public Health, under the auspices of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), is making preparations to receive an as yet undetermined number of patients. The vast majority of these patients will be routed to NDMS hospitals in the Metro Atlanta area and Augusta.

The Division of Public Health’s Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Branch is temporarily waiving residency, identification, and income eligibility requirements for WIC food coupons. The WIC target population includes: women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, post-partum, and infants and children up to age five. WIC food coupons, unlike food stamps, only cover nutritional food supplements for children.

Public Health’s Office of Pharmacy is also working closely with local pharmacies to fill prescriptions for up to three days, and working closely with storm refugees to process Medicaid eligibility requirements.

The Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases (MHDDAD) is dispatching crisis counselors to American Red Cross shelters in Newton, Muscogee, Coweta, Troupe, Fulton, Dougherty , Richmond and Bibb Counties to aid those who may need or request counseling.